TIFF NEXUS

TIFF NEXUS PRESENTS LOCATIVE MEDIA INNOVATION DAY
Tickets on sale now to first-ever TIFF NEXUS conference presented as an Innovation Day in partnership with Digifest 2011; Full conference and ticketing details at tiff.net/nexus

Toronto – TIFF announced today the details behind the first-ever TIFF Nexus conference taking place on Friday, October 28 from 1:00pm to 7:00pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The Locative Media Innovation Day explores emerging themes and practices in locative and mobile media as well as showcases the results of the TIFF Nexus Peripherals Initiative creative jam. Locative Media is an emerging field at the intersection of GPS/mapping, augmented reality, mobile devices and content.  As the world moves into a trackable, sensor-rich and location-aware reality – the TIFF Nexus Locative Media Innovation Day looks at what kinds of social practices, entrepreneurial opportunities and artistic endeavors can be unlocked.  TIFF Nexus and Digifest 2011 Innovation Days chart this terrain during a full-day conference with a variety of forward-looking panel discussions, hands-on creative activities, respected special guests and networking opportunities.

Highlights of the conference include:

· Keynote Speaker: Bill Buxton Presents “Whereable Media”
Design guru and author of Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design, Bill Buxton joins Locative Media Innovation Day to discuss how the three rules of digital are more-or-less the same as those for real-estate:  location, location, location. 

· TIFF Nexus Hands-on Hour Presented by Autodesk
An engaging, hands-on creative session giving attendees an educational and entertaining introduction to some of the design technologies and tools driving the exciting world of DIY electronics, 3D printing and more.

· The Business of Locative Media with Michele Perras
Mobile designer and strategist Michele Perras of Transcontinental Media will be joined by other leaders in mobile including Jeff Zakrzewski, Chief Architect, Zynga Toronto, Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering, Xtreme Labs and Asif R. Khan, Founder and President of the Location Based Marketing Association, to shed light on how new business models are developing as a result of location-driven technologies.

· Unveiling of the TIFF Nexus Peripherals Initiative
Over the summer, as part of the first TIFF Nexus creative jam, select videogame developers and hardware/electronics hackers were invited by organizers from The Hand Eye Society and other TIFF Nexus Partners including Ryerson University, DDiMIT.org and Site3 coLaboratory to experiment in the area of interface design. This session unveils the results of this cross-sector collaboration and presents a behind-the-scenes look into their creative process.

· Spacing Toronto Presents Locative Services and Augmented Reality App Lightning Talks
Shawn Micallef, senior editor of Spacing Magazine introduces a series of lightning talks that will inspire attendees to try out some of the coolest geo-location based and augmented reality apps coming out of Ontario.

· Future Stories Presents a Hands-on Workshop with SnapDragonAR Augmented Reality Software
A guided immersion into SnapDragonAR, a unique tool for artists, educators, and storytellers of all ages. Attendees will experiment, prototype and tell new stories with this latest platform out of York University’s Future Cinema Lab.

· Networking Reception and Technology Demo
A networking reception allows attendees from the film, gaming and new media sectors to not only meet each other and the Locative Media Innovation Day presenters, but also get a closer look at the projects resulting from the TIFF Nexus Peripherals Initiative creative jam.

TIFF Nexus conferences are open to the public and each is followed by a networking event. Tickets for the Locative Media Innovation Day are on sale now for TIFF members and TIFF Nexus partners ($60) and on September 28 for non-members ($99). Student discounts are available. Full conference details and pricing information can be found at tiff.net/nexus.

Currently underway, TIFF Nexus’s second creative jam, The Difference Engine, is a game-making incubator that will introduce interested women from various media sectors such as film, interactive, fine arts, mobile and publishing to approachable, point-and-click game-making tools within a supportive, peer-mentorship based group. The Women in Games, Film and New Media conference will be held December 9 and is intended to address the gender imbalance across diverse media making silos. This event, produced in partnership with Women in Film & Television – Toronto, will demonstrate the results of the Difference Engine game-making incubator.

TIFF Nexus is a new ongoing initiative designed to equip a new generation of Ontario storytellers with the network, skills and partners that they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving and growing digital media landscape. The series supports Canada’s film, game, digital and new media communities as well as fosters integrations between academics, industry members and enthusiasts.

Funded by the OMDC, phase one of TIFF Nexus was designed by the TIFF Gaming and New Media Think Tank – a brainstorming and action group comprised of industry experts, practitioners and advocates, functioning to advise TIFF on gaming and new media programming – along with many new media and digital professionals. TIFF Nexus Programming Partners are Ryerson University, the Hand Eye Society, and Interactive Ontario. Additional Programming Partners are DDiMIT, Digifest 2011, Site3 coLaboratory, Ubisoft Toronto, and Women in Film & Television – Toronto. TIFF Nexus is sponsored by Autodesk. 

Further details on future TIFF Nexus creative jams and conferences will be issued over the coming months.

Digifest is Toronto’s international festival celebrating innovation and digital creativity. From October 26-30, Digifest will bring together some of the world’s best and brightest to showcase next generation digital art and design. Established and emerging designers, technologists and artists will come together during Digifest for presentations, incredible demos, interactive exhibitions and parties. 

TIFF Nexus was made possible through The Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund administered by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

TIFF Nexus is sponsored by Autodesk.