Launch of 3DOntario

Ontario’s 3D Industry Building on 2011’s Record Breaking Entertainment Sector Production Year

For Immediate Release: March 28, 2012
Toronto, ON

On March 28, Ontario’s film, television and gaming industries, and academic and government partners, will meet to celebrate and discuss the province’s status as an international centre for 3D.

WHAT: A Launch and Networking Event – Launch of 3DOntario, an industry/academic/government initiative to help build Ontario’s economic growth and job creation in the 3D entertainment sector. This online initiative, designed to foster local collaboration and competitiveness, is led by York University’s 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3DFLIC) and Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT), two of Canada’s leading academic-industry partnerships focused on 3D. Developed with assistance of the Ontario Centres of Excellence and support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

WHEN: March 28th, 2012 (3 pm – 7 pm); Remarks begin at 3 pm

WHERE: Design Exchange

234 Bay Street

WHO: The Honourable Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO, Ontario Media Development Corporation

Thom Chapman, Vice President, ToonBox Entertainment

James Stewart, Producer/Director, Geneva Film Co.

Paul Salvini, Chief Technology Officer, Christie Digital Systems

EVENT SPONSORS: The event is being sponsored by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Geneva Film Company.

The event will also feature an announcement of a collaborative project that will help Ontario companies lead the way in adoption of High Frame Rate technology, being used on some of the world’s most anticipated upcoming movies. The event will celebrate the local industry’s successes in 2011, Ontario’s best ever production for the entertainment cluster, with total spending of $1.26 billion representing a 31 per cent increase over 2010.


Ontario’s film, television and gaming industries represent key growth sectors for both jobs and income, as seen by 2011’s results. Fostering 3D expertise within the province builds on the current domestic and international strengths of the industry, ensuring that Ontario’s companies and crews stay at the forefront of international technology and content production developments.


INFORMATION: York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto – Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 240,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

The 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3DFLIC) is a unique cross-disciplinary, cross-sector partnership, bridging fundamental research in stereoscopic perception with the development of stereoscopic 3D film language and production, while building the capacity for stereoscopic 3D cinema in Toronto. Funded by the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Ontario Centres of Excellence, 3DFLIC brings together an interdisciplinary team of scientists, creators and industry leaders to solidify Toronto’s place in the international S3D arena.

The Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) is an applied research centre established by Sheridan College in 2010 at Pinewood Toronto Studios in the east end of Toronto. It’s dedicated to fostering collaborative innovation in Ontario’s film, gaming and television industries. SIRT works with industry, academic, and government partners to conduct collaborative research and provide Ontario’s professionals the training needed to build the province’s competitive advantage in the screen-based entertainment industries.


Media Contacts:
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22097, mehughes@yorku.ca

Ted Biggs, Screen Industries Research and Training Centre, Sheridan College@Pinewood Toronto Studios, 905-815-4170, ted.biggs@sheridanc.on.ca

Kelly Karius, Applied Research and Innovation, Sheridan College, 905-815-4261, kelly.karius@sheridanc.on.ca