that New York does. So far, most of the people that I have called have given me the
telephone version of a blank stare when I talk about upcoming events or parties that
they might be putting on. Everyone has press information though. There is certainly no
shortage of that. But here's some info I've gleaned from those who would talk.
Jason Smith of Columbus Group Communications (http://www.columbusgroup.com)
told me that sometime in March, they will likely be having a virtual launch of their new
Toronto office. I assume that means that the Vancouver office will be participating via
teleconferencing, and I'll let you know as soon as I do if it happens.
During my many phone calls, one receptionist proudly told me about her son-in-law,
Patrick Sauriol's, web site. She made me laugh, so I decided to check it out.
(http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/homepage.html). She went on to explain that it has
been featured in Vanity Fair and it is rapidly becoming one of the most popular sites of
its type on the net. Essentially, it is a site about movies. From the 10 minutes or so I
spent on the page, I found information that I suspect would be hard to come by unless
you are involved in the industry. As most of us are not, this page is an interesting read.
Also to do with the Film/New Media cross over is a page that is based way to my
South. Information about a California based site called Next Wave Films
(http://www.nextwavefilms.com/) came to my attention. Apart from being excellent
timing, it was a surprise in that the last conversation I had with Tara Veneruso (one of
the 3 heads of the site), I got the impression that she had filed me under "weird" and/or
"potential stalker". (Can't say I blame her either. I was trying to organize a group of
like-minded entrepreneurs for brainstorming and networking but was completely
unable to express what I wanted, as at the time I had no clear idea of what it would
entail.) While the site seems to deal mainly with making a low-budget film in the
traditional way, when I met Tara, she was giving a talk on the viability of making films
for the Internet.
Finally, New Media BC held its second breakfast meeting on Thursday morning. The
guest speaker was financial analyst and Southam News columnist and broadcaster
Michael Campbell. He spoke about the future of New Media and British Columbia.
The enormous turnout at these breakfasts astounds me. There are several New Media
BC events coming up in the near future, and I am told that they will be on their web
page in the next couple of days. (http://www.newmediabc.com/).
