In Dragon’s Den style, three producers will each pitch their projects, with their marketing strategies, to our audience building experts with $10,000 in in-kind services from Innovate By Day at stake. Through the pitches and our experts’ responses, we’ll do a deep dive into the latest and best approaches to innovative and immersive cross-platform strategies for audience engagement.

The OTT landscape, often characterized by its biggest brands, offers many highly varied opportunities for content owners and creators. This panel will explore everything from new platforms developed by broadcasters, to the evolution of early-entry niche OTTs, to creator-driven channels, and more. In a constantly evolving environment, these leaders will explore the possibilities most relevant to content makers and owners.

One of the most challenging decisions entrepreneurs confront is whether to diversify their business. The risks and rewards can be extraordinary. We will explore this topic with a corporate finance advisor, and with three leaders who have successfully diversified across platforms, technologies and markets. They will discuss key questions that will help you cut through the issues and build your best business.

Offering a glimpse ‘behind the curtain’, this panel will explore the process of pitching, developing, and producing a property with Netflix. How does it differ from working with broadcasters? And what lessons can be learned from the experiences of those who have successfully produced with this digital juggernaut?

Producers and their partners are increasingly confronted by the challenge of talent scarcity as top names migrate towards players with deep pockets and unlimited shelf-space. This panel will focus on ways independent companies can compete. What are innovative strategies for attaching or incubating talent, and what roles do diversity and new voices play in this?

Keynote: The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism

The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts have not been updated since before the internet entered our homes. In many ways, they are the bedrock of our industry, and the government’s current initiative to review these acts could set a new course for the future. Canada’s key leaders are assembled for the first time to debate the critical issues at the heart of this review.

Opening address by CMPA President and CEO Reynolds Mastin

INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY DIRECTOR OF THE INDIGENOUS SCREEN OFFICE

NEW FORMS OF CONTENT