January 28, 2008

BOOSTING ONTARIO’S DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY 
McGuinty Government Making Cultural Industries More Competitive

ST. CATHARINES — More jobs, economic development and creative partnerships are among the goals of a new digital media initiative launched today.

nGen – the Niagara Interactive Media Generator – will help promote the Niagara region as an industry leader in interactive new media development.

"The development of new interactive media technologies through nGen, in partnership with local success story Silicon Knights and our two post-secondary institutions, will help ensure the Niagara region is on the leading edge of the digital media industry," said St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley.

The McGuinty government provided $245,000 to nGen through the Ministry of Culture’s $1.7 million Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund. Other partners in the project include: Interactive Ontario, Niagara College, Silicon Knights, the Regional Municipality of Niagara, the City of St. Catharines, the Niagara Economic Development Agency and the Niagara Enterprise Agency.

Financial support from the Ontario government will help nGen:

• Recruit management and staff
• Provide internships for graduate students and co-op placements for students
• Research, develop and market interactive media projects specifically for Niagara region
• Provide creative, technical and business support for new media entrepreneurs and new, emerging and established companies
• Offer seminars, workshops and networking events for digital media professionals.

The Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund is a three-year $7.5 million fund launched in September 2006 to stimulate growth in Ontario’s entertainment and creative industries by promoting capacity building, marketing innovation and skills development.

 “Brock University is transforming the world of new media development by helping build relationships between businesses, the arts and culture sector and education institutions,” said Ontario Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll. “The McGuinty government is pleased to support initiatives like nGen that build on our record of innovation and leadership.”

"We envisioned the development of an enterprise that would support the future potential of our students as leaders, creators and designers in the growing area of interactive digital media,” says Jack N. Lightstone, President, Brock University. “This vision, combined with the enthusiastic support of our partners in government and the region, is now one step closer to realization as a result of the creation nGen.”

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Contacts:

Alicia Johnston, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-1676
Mark Thompson, Communications Branch, (416) 314-3497