tacconference-2014

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the programming slate for its business-oriented Animation Conference (TAC), which runs alongside the film festival. In recent years, the festival has attempted to position the conference as a meeting ground for North American producers and networks. The 2014 conference, which will focus on “content creation and exploring the connections between the artistic and business sectors,” includes face-to-face business time, industry panels, one-on-one talks, and pitching opportunities.

The conference also offers a program called Fast Track, a “speed-pitching event where producers have the opportunity to meet privately with dozens of highly desirable executives in one shot.” While the notion of meeting a ‘highly desirable’ animation exec sounds about as fanciful as spotting a Sasquatch, the conference’s Art+Biz Day keynote will be delivered by a highly desirable artist, Vincent Waller, who is the creative director of SpongeBob SquarePants. I worked with Vincent many eons ago on Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon, and he is the consummate pro and an asset to any production. He’s sure to have something good to say.

vincentwaller-tac

Some of the Animation Conference programming highlights include:

  • Tom Warburton, creator of Codename: Kids Next Door in discussion with Chris Robinson, Artistic Director of OIAF
  • Marc Landsberg (Social Deviant) discusses how the explosion of social media content is driving consumer engagement
  • Mercury Filmworks President Clint Eland in discussion with Eric Coleman, Disney TV senior v-p of original series, and Mike Moon, v-p of creative, to explore how Disney Television Animation has been creating hit after hit
  • Case study: The evolution of Dora the Explorer to Dora and Friends: Into the City
  • Development exec Melissa Wolfe discusses children’s programming at Amazon Studios

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