The BC Arts Council and Creative BC Announce Recipients of Interactive Fund

VANCOUVER  BC (May 5,  2016) –  The Interactive Fund – a unique partnership between the BC Arts Council and Creative BC – will provide $641,000 to 14 BC companies to support the creation of original interactive digital media and software applications. This year there were a record number of BC projects supported under The Interactive Fund, an indication of the increased popularity of this program and its importance in supporting BC’s creative and economic growth.

Courtesy of Turtlebox Productions

In February 2016, the BC Ministry of Community Sport and Cultural Development launched the Creative Economy Strategy, which will foster new talent, improve access to markets, maximize private and public investment and enrich communities through arts and culture.

The strategy underscores that people working in the creative sector drive the BC economy and contribute to healthy and vibrant communities.  Building BC’s creative economy will attract new investment, foster innovation and create new jobs in BC.

“The BC Arts Council is pleased to partner with Creative BC on this important program, celebrating innovation in digital and interactive media and exploring multi-disciplinary collaborations,” said Merla Beckeman, BC Arts Council Chair.

Through the delivery of the Interactive Fund, which is supported by the BC government and the BC Arts Council, Creative BC plays an important role in supporting the implementation of BC’s Creative Economy Strategy.

“This program demonstrates the incredible depth and range of talent that exists in BC’s digital and interactive media industry and how important cross-sector collaborations are to building our creative economy,” said Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC.

“BC has become a world leading development hub made up of large global media companies and hundreds of smaller BC-owned companies who are creating innovative video games, mobile apps, virtual reality and augmented reality, animation and visual effects, social media, interactive marketing and e-learning, as noted by this year’s Interactive Fund recipients,” she added.

Courtesy of Charm Games

BC recipients will each receive up to $50,000 to support their projects.  These include the Surrey Art Gallery, RocketChicken Interactive Inc. and Mind Festival Learning Ltd. Additional BC recipients of the 2016 Interactive Fund include:  Fieldtripp Media Inc., Turtlebox Productions, Agentic Communications Inc., Tangible Interaction Design Inc., Jade Tong and Mary Castellanes, Charm Games Inc., Eden Industries Inc., Stellar Jay Studios Inc., Elective Media Inc., Wantoo Networks and Pug Pharm Productions Inc.

Read the full Press Release for more details.

For more information, contact:
Val Rosenthal, Communications Specialist, Creative BC
vrosenthal@creativebc.com
Tel: 604-730-2241

Slide Images
(clockwise from top left)

• KaBoing KaBoom, mobile game, Stellar Jay Studios Inc.
• Run Salmon, interactive app, Turtlebox Productions
• Surrey Art Gallery UrbanScreen, Sonny Assu, 1UP (2016), digital projection with video element. Courtesy of the artist, photographed by Blaine Campbell.