News from Around the World
From: Venture Alberta - News
Date: March 20, 2021 9:02:53 AM MDT (CA)
To: Randy Thompson
Subject: Halifax to serve as hub for Wooshii’s operations (Posted Tuesday May 12, 2021) Greetings all- an update on one of our portfolio companies Quentin Casey Mar 13, 2021 – 6:04 PM ET | Last Updated: Mar 16, 2021 3:23 PM ET HALIFAX — A British video production company that boasts thousands of animators worldwide, is setting up its North American headquarters in Halifax. On Wednesday, Wooshii – a U.K.-registered company – will announce plans for a North American base and Global Development Centre in the Nova Scotian capital. “We’re moving pretty much the bulk of the operation here,” said company chief executive Fergus Dyer-Smith in an interview. “All the money we’re making in the U.K. is being ploughed over here.” Founded in 2009 in Manchester, Wooshii links animators and video makers with companies and corporations in need of video production. Using Wooshii, a company can post the parameters of its proposed project, along with the price it is willing to pay to have it developed. Then Wooshii’s global network of 5,000 freelance video creators vies for the work by pitching their ideas and qualifications. “We essentially help companies plug into that community of video makers,” Mr. Dyer-Smith says. “We call it the largest video company in the world. “We have more talent than Pixar.” The company also helps its clients market, distribute and build a campaign around their video. Wooshii’s network of freelancers is located around the world, and the company has employees in countries spanning from Portugal to Sweden, Italy and France. Mr. Dyer-Smith says the decision to set up a base in Halifax stemmed from an investor, Permjot Valia. “He said, ‘Why don’t you consider Halifax as a place to go? There’s a lot of support there for young companies like you,’ ” Mr. Dyer-Smith recalls. “And we’ve already got a lot of clients here,” he added. Among those local clients is Colin Deacon, president and chief executive of BlueLight Analytics Inc. Mr. Deacon wanted a video to succinctly explain his company’s technology, which is used in the dental field. He put his request on Wooshii, received 30 pitches, and eventually settled on an animator from England. “I was amazed, for the price, what we were able to get and the level of service that we got,” he said on Tuesday. “We had bids from all over the world.” Wooshii plans to hire up to a dozen software developers and account managers in Halifax this year. Similar to the company’s operations elsewhere, there will be no central office. Instead, employees will work from home and co-working spaces – much like Wooshii’s army of freelancers. “We’d rather spend a thousand bucks on everyone going out and having a massive party, than having an office,” Mr. Dyer-Smith said during an interview at the Hub Halifax, a shared office space in the city’s downtown. From Halifax, the company will oversee Wooshii’s marketing drive in the U.S. Because 80% of the company’s revenue flows from North American clients, Mr. Dyer-Smith said, it was essential to have a continental headquarters. Wooshii’s arrival in Halifax was aided by funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The undisclosed amount of cash will help with hiring, promotion and training. “There’s a lot of support here,” said Mr. Dyer-Smith, who works primarily from Portugal. “If we hire in the U.K., there’s almost zero support — it’s completely self-funded out of our revenue.” Mr. Dyer-Smit says Wooshii is putting in at least $200,000 to set up its Halifax operations. Paul Ryan, Wooshii’s newly appointed president, will run the Halifax operations. Mr. Ryan previously worked in Halifax as a senior account executive with Fredericton, N.B.-based Radian6. (Last year, Salesforce.com, a San Francisco-based cloud computing company, gobbled up Radian6 in a deal worth nearly $350-million in cash and stock.) “For us it’s a huge move,” Mr. Dyer-Smith concluded. “I’m really nervous and at the same time I’m massively excited about the potential for the whole thing.” Posted in: Growth Strategies Tags: Halifax, Radian 6, video production, Wooshii Thank you for making this year’s SFIWFF 2012 a smash hit! (Posted Tuesday April 24, 2021) After 4 days of back-to-back premieres, screenings, panels, and parties, we’re closing out another fabulous year at the San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival. From the opening night screening of The Education of Auma Obama at the Roxie Theater to the ultra-hip opening reception at clothing jointCandystore Collective to the variety of independent short films from young women and women all over the globe to feature films like Butterfly Rising, Perfection, Benavides Born (All She Can) and documentaries likeMorir De Pie (Die Standing Up), Poetry of Resilience, sold-out screening of Connected to fun panels hosted by the BAWIFM to the very last laughs at Carrie Preston’s That’s What She Said — one thing’s for sure, this year, we served our beloved friends and family with a treasure trove of awe-inspiring, provocative movies. And they’re all directed by women. WOMEN IN FILM & TELEVISION – TORONTO (For Immediate Release Thursday April 19, 2021) Toronto, ON – Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T), in partnership with William F. White International Inc., is pleased to announce Monica Côté as winner of the 2012 William F. White Production Manager Mentorship. The competitive program provides an emerging Canadian female production manager with hands-on training and mentorship at William F. White’s world-class production complex in Toronto. “We’re grateful to partner with William F. White to offer this important mentorship for a second year,” says Heather Webb, WIFT-T Executive Director. “WIFT-T is committed to providing professional development opportunities that inspire, nurture talent, and promote diversity in the industry, and this initiative fulfills that aim by addressing the need for production training at the emerging level. Congratulations Monica!” Côté will join William F. White for ten days as an intern to learn about production equipment for digital projects, television and film equipment planning, resource management, and budget planning. She will also receive three direct mentorship sessions with established production managers Anna Beben (“Transporter”, “Firehouse Dog”, “Dan For Mayor”) and Kellyann Murphy (“Party Mamas”, “My House, Your Money”, “The Gavin Crawford Show”). “We’re thrilled to be partnering with WIFT-T on this important continuing initiative,” says Paul Bronfman, William F. White Chairman & CEO. “It’s a great opportunity to provide mentorship and advancement to Canadian women in our industry while reinforcing our longtime commitment to the next generation of production professionals.” In the last year, Côté has worked as a production manager on the transmedia film Call of Duty: Project Kingfish—now approaching 2.5 million hits on YouTube—and Shelter, a short film for Evil Genius Productions that will hit the festival circuit later this year. She also produced her own short film, Chimera. Côté is thrilled to be the recipient of the 2012 William F. White Production Manager Mentorship. “This mentorship provides a one-of-a-kind hands-on learning experience in all aspects of production planning,” adds Lowell Schrieder, Director of Marketing & Communications for William F. White. “It will ultimately help emerging talent build confidence and relationships, while opening doors for a career in production management.” Additional benefits include complimentary enrollment in the production management and production accounting modules of the WIFT-T Business Management for Media Professionals Program. For more information, please visit www.wift.com or www.whites.com. WIFTI 2012 Showcase (Posted: Jan. 1st, 2012) More Info @ http://www.wiftichapters.org/ —- 2010 Calgary International Film Festival Film Submissions (Posted: April 6th, 2010) More Info @ http://calgaryfilm.com/participate/submit/ —- Apply now for NSI Totally Television - TV series development (Posted: April 6th, 2010) —- Lessons in film distribution from The White Stripes (Posted: April 6th, 2010) More Info @ http://www.nsi-canada.ca/lessons_in_film_distribution_from_the_white_stripes.aspx
Halifax to serve as hub for Wooshii’s operations
ANNOUNCES WINNER OF 2012 WILLIAM F. WHITE PRODUCTION MANAGER MENTORSHIP
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Submission deadline: June 11, 2021
CIFF has gone paper-free and this year we will be accepting online submissions only! You must also register an account with calgaryfilm.com (if you do not already have an online account).
Applications are now being accepted for the NSI Totally Television training program. This program gives you the tools you need to develop your TV show and pitch it to broadcasters with the ultimate goal of getting it made.
Deadline: May 4, 2021
The White Stripes made a documentary and are using some cool ways to get screenings. Filmmakers should take note.