Press Releases

 
(Banff, Canada, June 11, 2005)

On the day of its launch as a sibling event to the Banff World Television Festival, nextMEDIA's CEO, Robert Montgomery announced the leading expert on top search engine placement Bob Massa, owner of SearchKing, will deliver a special address to share his vision on the challenges and opportunities of the search and search engines.

Bob Massa's half-hour presentation will kick off the Advanced Media and the New Media Agency Session - scheduled for Monday, June 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Ivor Petrak Room of the Fairmont Banff Springs. Also on the panel are Susan Lambert, Director Creative Content, Buena Vista Pictures Marketing Bryan Segal, Director of Business Development, comScore Media Metrix Canada, and moderator Mike Kasprow, VP and Creative Director, Trapeze Media.

Massa believes that the search engine has a new and vital role to play in an era marked by the convergence of television and the internet into a new entertainment and information delivery medium. He has owned and operated Magic-city.net, a top search engine placement service, for more than five years, making it one of the oldest services of its type in the world. Massa has successfully promoted over 2,000 individual client's sites and authored literally hundreds of articles for such prestigious e-publications as The Internet Marketing Chronicles, DEMC, Terry Dean's Web Gold and Jim Wilson's Gazzette. His unique concept in search engine services is continuing to grow through a strategy of providing hosted search service software to the public. In a little over one year SearchKing has become the largest "portal" host in the world with over 1,000 online portals on its servers.

Massa is a tireless crusader for the advancement of search engine placement, internet marketing and e-commerce. His vision of the immediate media future is one in keeping with nextMEDIA‘s second conference day: How Advanced Media is Rocking the TV World.

Held for the first time directly preceding and in association with the Banff World Television Festival, nextMEDIA is an annual creative retreat dedicated to showcasing the top innovations and brightest leaders in interactive media. nextMEDIA is produced by Achilles Media Ltd along with support from a top industry advisory board.

For more information and to register, go to www.nextmedia2005.com.

Achilles Media Ltd. is a management organization for some of the world's leading television and new media industry events including the Banff World Television Festival, the World Congress of History Producers and nextMEDIA - The International Interactive Media Festival.

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For Information:

Sarah Pearson
Communications Manager
Ph: 1-403-678-1216 ext. 103
E-mail: spearson@achillesmedia.com

 

nextMEDIA Shifts Dates to Rock the TV World at BANFF

(Toronto, Canada, April 26, 2005)

nextMEDIA, The International Interactive Media Festival will move to June 11, 12 and 13, in order to take advantage of synergies with the Banff World Television Festival - at both The Banff Centre, host partner and the Fairmont Banff Springs.

"The market has expanded for both nextMEDIA and BANFF, with advanced media, mobility and interactivity high on everyone's agenda," said Robert Montgomery, CEO of Achilles Media, producer of nextMEDIA and the Banff World Television Festival. "We've adjusted the nextMEDIA schedule so delegates can capitalize on each of these extraordinary events simultaneously, discovering new ways to bridge both worlds."

The nextMEDIA Festival kicks-off on Saturday, June 11th with an opening reception at The Banff Centre. Launching the conference in earnest on Sunday, June 12th, sessions revolve around the theme The Mobile Revolution - Media in your Hand. The day offers a double keynote punch starting with Kurt Sillén, VP, Head of Ericsson Mobility World. Sillén reveals the ingredients for his "killer cocktail theory" - discussing how companies can successfully distribute content via the rapidly growing medium of choice - the mobile phone. The afternoon brings a much-anticipated keynote address by Dr. Michael Bull (dubbed Dr. iPOD by the New York Times, The Economist and Newsweek). Speaking for the first-time in North America, Dr. Bull discusses how the iPOD started a mobile revolution that is far from over. Currently conducting the world's first international study of iPOD users, the University of Sussex U.K. professor will chart what lies ahead in portable entertainment.

On June 13th nextMEDIA joins the Banff World Television Festival at the Fairmont Banff Springs, with sessions taking on the theme of How Advanced Media is Rocking the TV World. BANFF delegates have the opportunity to glimpse into the future with admittance to nextMEDIA events. nextMEDIA participants and delegates benefit with expanded access of the Banff World Television Festival. Sessions include IPTV: The Billion Channel Universe and Disruption is the new Normal, as well as Case Studies examining international new media collaborations.

Featuring a conference agenda dedicated to the future of interactive media, nextMEDIA 2005 is a three-day event enabling industry professionals the opportunity to explore the new business models and creative processes. This annual retreat is dedicated to showcasing top innovations and the brightest leaders in the field. For more information and to register for nextMEDIA 2005, go to www.nextmedia2005.com.

The Banff World Television Festival is owned by the Banff Television Festival Foundation and is produced by Achilles Media Ltd. on behalf of the Foundation's Board of Directors and Board of Governors. The Foundation's Board of Governors is international in scope and represents the créme de la créme of producers and broadcasters. For more information and to register for the Banff World Television Festival, go to www.banff2005.com

Achilles Media Ltd. is a management organization for some of the world's leading television and new media industry events including the Banff World Television Festival, the World Congress of History Producers and nextMEDIA - The International Interactive Media Festival.

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For Information:

Sarah Pearson
Communications Manager
Ph: 1-403-678-1216 ext. 103
E-mail: spearson@achillesmedia.com

 

The Mobile is the Message - at nextMEDIA 2005

(Toronto, Canada, April 13, 2005)

From pay-per-click and text-to-screen to mobisodes on DVB-H devices, producers, broadcasters and advertisers are harnessing the power of the mobile phone - the hottest device in personal entertainment and communications.

nextMEDIA 2005, scheduled for June 11 - 13, 2005 in Banff, Alberta, will feature the future-forward session Mobile Blockbuster on Sunday at 9:30 am. Join the world's leading industry creators to discover innovative ways to position your message on this revolutionary tool.

Moderated by Raja Khanna, co-founder and CEO of QuickPlay Media, this state-of-the-art session will navigate the unwired world and unveil new opportunities in the mobile market. "Mobile consumers are here," Khanna says. "They are young, smart and they are changing the way media is consumed. Sixteen-year-olds don't see media as separate silos." QuickPlay Media launched Canada's first mobile video download service and currently delivers content to virtually all phone carriers across the country. In addition to being an innovator in interactive media, Khanna is also an award-winning producer of cross platform media and applications with a decade of experience in film, music and television.

Nokia Canada's Client Director, Jason Offet, also joins the Blockbuster panel to showcase the technology that may soon become the industry standard: DVB-H (Digital Video By a Handheld). "This new technology, providing cheaper and more efficient broadband width, will enable mobile TV to move from a niche market to the masses," Offet says. "Primetime becomes anytime."

It's a reality. With millions of sophisticated mobile devices on the market, consumers will soon be able to access any type of content, anytime and anywhere. With the advent of DVB-H, mobile broadcasting is well on its way. In March of this year in Finland, Nokia rolled out the first major test of live mobile broadcasting - enabling a study group of 500 people to enjoy real-time TV and radio and other innovative services, on a DVB-H smart phone. Welcome to the mobile frontier - where all forms of media are meeting, working in tandem and changing all the rules.

Here, in a climate where more than a billion text messages are generated worldwide each day, even everyday language is re-empowered. MyThum Interactive is the Canadian company that pioneered the first live text-to-screen broadcast solutions in North America. MyThum CEO Michael Carter will join the panel to discuss his innovative business model that involves carriers, broadcasters and My Thum, and builds an ongoing database of brand-loyal mobile users. "Linking mobile to TV turns television into more than a spectator sport. The consumer can not only interact with TV programs but can affect their favourite programs in near-real time," says Carter.

They're younger, brighter and more media wise - but what else can we discover about the mobile demographic? How do they measure up? Will Hodgman, CEO of M:Metrics, a U.S.-based company pioneering the measurement of mobile content including games, music, news, ringtones and messaging, will also join the panel. "Companies in the media, entertainment and wireless industries are making multi-million dollar bets on the mobile market," he says. "Until now, they have been making business decisions without the basic consumer data taken for granted in other media." In addition to discussing how best to measure the moving target, Hodgman will demonstrate what media companies and advertisers need to know in order to capitalize on the mobile market.

Featuring a keynote address by Kurt Sillén, VP, Head of Ericsson Mobility World, nextMEDIA 2005 is a three-day interactive media event enabling industry professionals the opportunity to explore the new business models and creative processes of interactive media in a congenial setting. Held for the first time directly preceding and in association with the Banff World Television Festival, this annual creative retreat is dedicated to showcasing the top innovations and brightest leaders in interactive media. nextMEDIA is produced by Achilles Media Ltd along with support from a top industry advisory board.

For more information and to register, go to www.nextmedia2005.com.

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For Information:

Sarah Pearson
Communications Manager
Ph: 1-403-678-1216 ext. 103
E-mail: spearson@achillesmedia.com

 

nextMEDIA Kicks Off Festival with a Killer Cocktail

Kurt Sillén, VP Head of Ericsson Mobility World, to present Keynote Address

(Toronto, Canada, March 23, 2005)

Kurt Sillén, VP, Head of Ericsson Mobility World, will reveal the ingredients for his killer cocktail theory - on how media companies can successfully distribute their content via the rapidly growing medium of choice - the mobile phone. Kurt Sillén will present the opening keynote address at nextMEDIA, the International Interactive Media Festival on June 12, 2005.

"Kurt Sillén's message is important not just for producers but also for broadcasters, and cable and satellite companies. This is why we pursued him for our opening Keynote," said Robert Montgomery, CEO of the event. "Kurt is a strong industry voice. He knows how to create a successful mobile mix and what he says will set the stage for June 12th's Mobile Blockbuster session - a must-attend for broadcasters."

Sillén will show companies how to achieve the right balance - or killer cocktail - so that they can capture their phone subscribers with high impact content, sustaining that momentum with personalized and satisfying communication between the company and the phone customer.

Ericsson Mobility World is a global organization dedicated to assisting operators, developers and content providers in defining and launching solutions for traffic and revenue growth. Before his current assignment, Sillén was Vice President for Marketing of the pan-European standard for digital cellular telephone service (GSM) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems globally. His experience also includes the initiation and successful implementation of eBusiness activities within Ericsson.

nextMEDIA is an intimate, three-day event that connects the brightest and most promising leaders in media with one another. It is a unique opportunity for industry leaders to take part in panels, sessions and screenings focusing on business and creative processes - the drivers behind content, government, learning and industry.

The impetus for nextMEDIA is to provide an annual creative retreat to help foster an innovative, vibrant and productive industry; to showcase the work of producers and professionals; and to deliver a unique and inspirational experience.

nextMEDIA - The International Interactive Media Festival will take place June 11 - 13, 2005, in the breathtaking Rocky Mountain setting of The Banff Centre located in Banff, Alberta, Canada. For more information and to register, go to www.nextmedia2005.com.

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For Information:

Sarah Pearson
Communications Manager
Ph: 1-403-678-1216 ext. 103
E-mail: spearson@achillesmedia.com