Over 200 Attend Reception to Celebrate the 8th Art

HAMILTON (February 24, 2012) – A crowd of over 200 people gathered last night in CHCH's Studio A to celebrate the eighth art form, digital media, and it's growing impact on Hamilton's economy. The event, hosted by The Art Gallery of Hamilton, Channel Zero, Hamilton Economic Development, Innovation Factory, McMaster University and Mohawk College, was an offering of community support to the new digital media artists that have discovered Hamilton as an ideal location to do business.

Master of Ceremonies Ron Neumann (Innovation Factory) welcomed guests to the event and then introduced a series of speakers who identified their interest in the growth of digital media in Hamilton: Councilor Jason Farr (Ward 2), Nick Markettos (McMaster University), Louise Dompierre (The Art Gallery of Hamilton), Romen Podzyhun (Channel Zero) and Jeremy Freiburger (Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts). Videos were also shown highlighting the creative industries in Hamilton and showcasing several digital animation and gaming companies in the city. The feature reel of the evening can be found at youtube.com/hamiltonecdev under the title Creative Hamilton – Reel.

“The Kauffman Foundation, which monitors areas that grow and redevelop by focusing on cultivating startups has unexpectedly found that communities that involve their creative sector in economic development are far more likely to thrive than those that donʼt,” said Ron Neumann in his opening remarks. “Hamilton has a great creative industry here, but not just at the creator level. The support systems are here as well”.

Guests included employees from Hamilton gaming and animation studios (including Pipeline Studios, Chuck Gammage Animation Inc., Snakehead Games, and Battlegoat Games), local digital artists, city officials, students from Mohawkʼs integrated animation program, members of the press, visual and performing arts community members, software companies, and members of Innovation Factoryʼs “innovation ecosystem.” The City of Hamiltonʼs Small Business Enterprise Centre, The Cossart Exchange, and the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts also came out to show their support for Hamiltonʼs blossoming digital media sector.

About Innovation Factory
Innovation Factory (innovationfactory.ca) is Hamiltonʼs not-for-profit Regional Innovation Centre, located in Hamilton, ON committed to connecting and enabling active collaboration between the cityʼs communities of science, business, government, academia and finance to accelerate the innovation process and amplify the economic and social impact of key new ideas and discoveries. Funded by the Ontario Network of Excellence
(ONE), we are focused on strengthening Hamiltonʼs next generation of job generators. innovationfactory.ca

About the Ontario Network of Excellence
Funded by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE) is Ontarioʼs innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies, and create jobs. For more information visit oneinnovation.ca.

Media Contact Keanin Loomis, iF Chief Advocate, keanin.loomis@innovationfactory.ca, 905.667.2610