REVOLVING DOOR:
Jean-François Pruneau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Videotron, is stepping down from his position effective June 4. After more than 20 years with Quebecor and in his current role since Jan. 2019, Pruneau is leaving the company to devote himself to personal investment projects. Going forward, Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau will assume the responsibilities associated with the role.
Torstar has announced multiple executive moves, including a new role for CEO John Boynton, who’ll become Vice-Chair of Torstar owner NordStar Capital, as well as President of Digital, with a focus on growing the company’s digital business. Boynton has been president and CEO of Torstar since 2017. Lorenzo DeMarchi, who was named Chief Investment Officer last year, will act as interim CEO. Ian Oliver, until now President of Metroland and EVP of Torstar, will become CEO and co-owner of a new group of companies, including Metroland Parcel Services, which launched last November and provides final-mile retail parcel delivery. He’ll be focused on growing e-commerce business. Pary Bell, Senior Vice President of Commercial Products & Sales Operations, Torstar, is the new President of Eyereturn Marketing.
Lina Kim has been named president at The Podcast Exchange (TPX) as founding CEO Jean-Marie Heimrath announces his retirement. Kim was formerly Managing Director at Havas Media Group. Heimrath plans to remain on the TPX board, providing counsel and guidance, but has relinquished the position of chairman to Ian Lurie, President, Radio at Stingray, which acquired a 30% stake in TPX in 2020. Founding the podcast monetization leader in 2017 followed a more than four-decade career for Heimrath that started in the music industry as a Promotions Manager for Island & Daffodil Records. He transitioned into broadcasting as the Communications and Promotions Director for Telemedia and CJCL Radio, going on to hold numerous executive positions with Standard Broadcasting, including serving as President of Sound Source Networks and Orbyt Media for 21 years and concurrently was a founder and partner in Toronto’s Clear Channel Group. Read more here.
Wes Hall, Executive Chairman and founder of Kingsdale Advisors is joining CBC Dragons’ Den for the show’s 16th season. Hall, who is also founder and Chairman of The BlackNorth Initiative, was recently named to Maclean’s Power List ranking of the 50 most powerful people in Canada. He joins Arlene Dickinson, Michele Romanow, Manjit Minhas and Vincenzo Guzzo, as longtime Dragon Jim Treliving and tech entrepreneur Lane Merrifield depart the show.
Raisa Patel is leaving CBC Ottawa to join the Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau. Patel has been an online writer and producer for CBC Radio’s The House since May 2019. Stephanie Levitz also joins the Star’s Ottawa bureau after 11 years working on Parliament Hill with The Canadian Press.
Ahmar Khan is rejoining CBC in a term position as part of the local Ottawa reporting team, following an arbitration decision in his favour in January. Formerly with CBC Winnipeg, an arbitrator ruled Khan was improperly fired after sharing with outside journalists how CBC managers compelled him to take down a tweet criticizing Don Cherry as “xenophobic” because it went against the public broadcaster’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. The arbitrator determined the termination was wrong because the information gathered to fire Khan came from a violation of his privacy when a colleague went through private messages on Twitter and Whatsapp after Khan remained signed in on a shared company laptop.
In my entire life, I have not taken a shortcut and while it would’ve been easier to take the money and seek employment elsewhere, I didn’t think that was the right decision for me. I’ve been informed of a “changing” CBC and I hope to be able to see what that’s like.
— ahmarskhan (@AhmarSKhan) April 27, 2021
Craig Silverman is leaving BuzzFeed News after six years. During his time as media editor with the publication, he and Ryan Mac were recognized with the George Polk Award for business reporting for their investigation into how Facebook was slow to remove extremist content. Silverman has been hired by ProPublica to cover voting, platforms, disinformation and online manipulation.
Sandy Heimlich-Hall is retiring from CFAX 1070 Victoria. Heimlich-Hall has been working as a reporter and anchor with the station full-time for the last five years after a 34-year run at CFJC-TV Kamloops where she was Assistant News Director.
Ria Renouf is leaving her anchor position at News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver next month. Renouf has been the station’s afternoon anchor since Jan. 2019. She’ll be staying with Rogers Sports & Media, joining the local CityNews reporting team.
Charlie Carey is joining News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver as a reporter and web editor with the station’s digital team. Carey is a recent Langara College Journalism grad.
Catherine Garrett is joining 980 CKNW Vancouver as a reporter/anchor. A 2019 BCIT grad, Garrett has held a similar position with Vista Radio in Prince George for the last year and a half.
Vasilios Bellos is joining Acadia Broadcasting’s stations in Thunder Bay, 99.9 THE BAY (CJUK-FM) and Country 105 (CKTG-FM), as a news reporter. Bellos is a recent graduate of the Radio Broadcasting Diploma program at Fanshawe College and also holds a BA in Criminology from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Simran Hoon has been named the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Toronto-headquartered QYOU Media subsidiary The Q India. Hoon, who will be Mumbai based, has held executive roles in advertising sales for over two decades with companies like Viacom, Zee, Disney/Star and Sony. She was part of the launch team of one of India’s most successful TV channels, Viacom 18’s Colors, which grew to become the leader in revenue across all Hindi General Entertainment Channels (GEC).
Rey Mena has been elevated to the position of Vice President, Product Design & Development at PromoSuite. Mena joined the company in 2018 to lead the design and development of the new PromoSuitePlus platform and will now also take on strategic oversight of PromoSuite’s entire product line. Mena’s media career spans over three decades and includes key leadership roles at Emmis Communications and Co-President of Emmis Interactive, the digital media division he founded in 2001. In 2014, Mena left the radio industry to launch branding and consulting firm, Menagery, Inc.
David Cohen, former Vice-President of Marketing Communications at Grass Valley, has been named TVU Networks new Global VP, Strategic Marketing. In his new role, Cohen will develop and oversee marketing strategy for TVU Networks renewed focused on accelerating the transition of its brand identity as it delivers on its cloud-based production and media supply chain vision. Cohen has more than 18 years of experience in the media technology industry. Prior to his tenure at Grass Valley, which included several years with Miranda Technologies, he was the president of the PR agency 202 Communications and led marketing activities for the former Harris Broadcast Communications division.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Radio Connects and Signal Hill Insights have released the latest Radio On The Move survey, exploring shifting consumer audio behaviour and the impact COVID-19 restrictions and more time spent at home have had on radio and music streaming. It finds that radio’s weekly reach is at 93% of what it was pre-pandemic in Feb. 2020, as time spent listening ebbed and flowed with changing lockdown restrictions. Over-the-air radio still has a reach of 63% – the most of all forms of audio – with its closest competitor music listening on YouTube (42%). Streaming of AM/FM radio is up with weekly listeners, from 14 to 18% year-over-year or nearly one-in-five Canadians, as more consumers embrace listening to the radio on smart speakers and smartphones. While 68% of Canadians still have a “regular” radio in their home, the shift to digital is accelerating. That growth is being driven by in-home listening where the number of those streaming AM/FM radio is up from 10 to 15% year-over-year. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved the purchase agreement between Acadia Broadcasting and HFX Broadcasting Inc., a subsidiary of Evanov Communications Inc., to acquire CKHZ-FM and CKHY-FM Halifax. Operating as Hot Country 103.5 and Jewel 105, Evanov Communications originally launched CKHZ-FM in Halifax in Aug. 2006 before later launching CKHY-FM in Oct. 2010. With the addition of the stations, Acadia will own and operate 17 stations across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario.
The Critical Care On the Air Radiothon on April 21 & 22 was broadcast on 28 radio stations across Saskatchewan, raising over $342,000 for STARS Air Ambulance. The first year for the event in support of STARS, which flew almost 900 missions in the province last year, will see funds raised go toward purchasing two new cardiac monitors and support ongoing operations at the service’s Regina and Saskatoon bases.
Corus Entertainment’s Curiouscast podcast network and Fela, the production company founded by Julien Christian Lutz (aka Director X) and Taj Critchlow, are launching new podcast ARTchitects debuting Wednesday, May 26. Hosted by Critchlow, Director X and Canadian director and actress Karena Evans – the group of creatives behind music videos for Drake, Coldplay, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar – the bi-weekly podcast will feature guests like director Dave Meyers (Missy Elliot, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles), artist and YouTube sensation Daniela Andrade, and director and filmmaker Benny Boom (Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent). Critchlow says the podcast will be an opportunity to celebrate those behind music video creation – an oft disrespected and overlooked art form despite spawning filmmakers like David Fincher, Spike Jonze, F Gary Gray, Melina Matsoukas and others.
Canadaland is introducing new political podcast, The Backbench, hosted by former National Observer and Toronto Star reporter Fatima Syed, and featuring a rotating roster of panelists that will include Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Jason Markusoff, Drew Brown, Emilie Nicolas, Jaskaran Sandhu, Murad Hemmadi, Leena Minifie, and Stuart Thomson. New episodes will drop every other Tuesday, beginning May 4.
Hot Docs is hosting an upcoming online event on May 27 with podcasters Anna Sale and Aminatou Sow. Sale is the host of WNYC podcast Death, Sex & Money which features cultural luminaries relaying intimate stories about topics most people are too squeamish, polite, or nervous to bring up. She’ll discuss her new book Let’s Talk About Hard Things, in conversation with Sow, host of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast and co-author of the bestselling book Big Friendship.
Benztown has released its seventh annual Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices in the U.S. and Canada. Among the Canadians on this year’s list are Lisa Keys, Erin Setch and David Kaye. Benztown also named a “Ones to Watch list” which includes Nanaimo-based voiceover talent Matt Fogarty and Toronto’s Amanda Madi.
LISTEN: Dani Stover and Matt talk about the former Indie88 (CIND-FM) and BlogTO podcast host’s love affair with radio on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Among other things, Stover also touches on the limited roles available to women in Canadian radio right now and what her future might hold.
CHOM Montreal staff collaborated last April on a rendition of Tom Petty’s iconic “I Won’t Back Down” at the outset of the pandemic. This year, the crew have covered The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” – the first song played on CHOM at station launch 52 years ago. Among those featured in the video are Terry DiMonte, Randy Renaud, Bilal Butt, Jason Rockman, Sharon Hyland, Hal Jaques, Pete Marier, Pierre Landry, Esteban Vargas, Jessica Dionne, Melissa Mastrogiuseppe and Mathew Wood.
SIGN OFFS:
Bruce Yaccato, on April 26, following a long illness. A journalist, writer, and filmmaker, Yaccato wrote for the Toronto Star and National Post, in addition to time spent with CTV News as a Parliamentary correspondent and Quebec City Bureau chief. He also did work with CBC as a documentary reporter for The Journal, most recently in 2009, working as a features producer on programs including Power & Politics. He rejoined CTV as a senior producer from 2011-12, before founding WordsPerfect Communications, and turning his storytelling talents to producing marketing videos and editorial content. Yaccato was a longtime contributor to Historica Canada’s online Canadian Encyclopedia. He also authored 2006 book “Screen Legends.” Inspired by City Lights host Brian Linehan, it explored the role Canadians played in early film and television.
TV & FILM:
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has handed out its 25th Annual Screenwriting Awards. Among this year’s winners are Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek) in the Comedy Series category; Tracey Deer & Meredith Vuchnich (Beans) in Feature Film; Penny Gummerson (Trickster) for Drama Series; and Jonny Harris, Fraser Young, Graham Chittenden and Steve Dylan (Still Standing) in the Documentary category. Special Awards were also presented to Kate Hewlett (Everything is Funny), winner of the Sondra Kelly Award, and Travis McDonald (Magnificent), who was awarded the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize. Morwyn Brebner, creator and showrunner of CBC series Coroner, was this year’s recipient of the WGC Showrunner Award. Find the full list of winners here.
Freshwater Production Studios is a proposed purpose-built film and television studio to be constructed on 24-acres in Greater Sudbury. In Phase 1, the 116,000 sq. ft. facility will feature three clear span soundstages (20,000 sq. ft., 20,000 sq. ft. and 18,000 sq. ft.) with 35’ ceilings, in addition to 23,000 sq. ft of production and soundstage offices we well as space for wardrobe, mill, and paint. The property is situated close to the Sudbury Airport, off Highway 17, in close proximity to Sudbury’s downtown core. It’s anticipated the studio will be ready for occupancy by Jan. 2023.
Bell Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, and TELUS Fund, three Canadian Certified Independent Production Funds (CIPFs), have signed on to a pilot project aimed at driving the discoverability of Canadian content. Spearheaded by Vancouver-based Magnify Digital, the Audience Development Pilot Project aims to share audience insights and standardize audience development requirements and reporting periods across the three funders. Magnify Digital’s new audience analytics platform, ViewerCentric, is a cornerstone of the initiative which aggregates and visualizes audience data from multiple sources to help producers track results. As the initiative progresses, ViewerCentric will build a database of audience analytics enabling insights and project performance benchmarks.
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has announced that The Paul Bronfman Family Foundation has joined Shaftesbury and AMC Networks as a Lead Supporter of The Norman Jewison Film Program. The foundation will invest $250,000 over five years toward the CFC’s signature program. A longtime friend and supporter of the CFC and a member of its Board of Directors, Paul Bronfman is the Chairman/CEO of Comweb Corp., Co-Chairman/Senior Advisor for William F. White International Inc., and Chairman of Pinewood Toronto Studios Inc.
Telefilm Canada has announced the opening date for its Export Assistance Program, as well as changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will open May 19 and close on Feb. 22 of next year, subject to availability of funds. In keeping with federal Travel Advice and Advisories, Telefilm is urging all Canadians to avoid non-essential travel and has amended program guidelines to exclude travel expenses from eligible costs. Guidelines, eligibility and assessment criteria are available on the program page.
Trailer Park Boys is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its premiere on Showcase on April 22, 2001. The show, that follows the misadventures of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles in Sunnyvale Trailer Park, has seen 13 seasons, three feature films, two animated series, two Out of the Park series, six specials and live concert tours throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Trailer Park Boys Jail, the 13th season of the show, can be steamed via the Trailer Park Boys/Swearnet app. The TPB brand plans to celebrate its 20th Anniversary throughout the year with a roster of licensing partnerships from publishing to apparel as well as the release of NFTs of Trailer Park Boys’ characters.
Black on the Prairies is a new multi-platform project led by CBC Saskatoon journalist Omayra Issa and CBC Radio host Ify Chiwetelu. It explores the history and present lives of Black people on the Prairies through their challenges, triumphs and contributions. Among those interviewed for the project was Saskatchewan Roughriders legend George Reed.
Radio-Canada has announced its first-ever drama production written, directed and produced by Indigenous creators. Pour toi Flora, a miniseries consisting of six hour-long episodes, will premiere on ICI TOU.TV EXTRA in 2022 before its linear-TV broadcast on ICI TÉLÉ as well as APTN. Written and directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau and produced by Jason Brennan for Nish Media, Pour toi Flora will examine the bitter legacy of residential schools in Quebec, inspired by true events and underscoring the innate resilience of uprooted children who persisted in the face of adversity. The series will be partly shot in Algonquin territory, with the support of the Kitigan-Zibi Indigenous community, in the fall of 2021 and winter of 2022. The lead cast members are Dominique Pétin, Marco Collin, Virginie Fortin, Samian and Mylène St-Sauveur, with Antoine Pilon, Théodore Pellerin and Eve Ringuette in supporting roles. Pour toi Flora will be presented in two languages on ICI TOU.TV EXTRA with the French-subtitled Anishinaabemowin version streaming for seven days before the original French version premieres. The miniseries will then be broadcast in prime time on ICI TÉLÉ and later on APTN.
Hot Docs has announced that mindfulness guru Dr. Deepak Chopra and his digital avatar, “Digital Deepak”, will participate in the opening night Q&A for Ann Shin’s documentary A.rtifical I.mmortality. The film, which features Chopra, explores the latest technological advancements in AI, robotics and biotech, posing the question: if you could live forever through AI, would you? The opening night Q&A is a free live event, and will be held Thursday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. on the Hot Docs website at hotdocs.ca.
Hot Docs is offering students currently enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution and seniors 60+ a selection of free films during this year’s online festival, available to stream nationwide. Starting Friday, April 30, one film will be available each day at 10 a.m. on the Hot Docs website at hotdocs.ca, with a limited number of streams available for each film. The first selection of films includes the world premiere of The Story Won’t Die (May 2) about a rapper, tortured by Bashar Al-Assad, along with other exiled artists and performers who supported the Syrian uprising, exploring resilience and resistance through art, dance and music; and APART (May 4) which follows three mothers in the U.S. Midwest who return home from prison to rebuild their lives after years of separation from their children.
Super Channel and Quebec-based esports organization, Able Esports, have announced a new partnership to collaborate on a series of exclusive live esports events to air on GINX Esports TV Canada and Able Esports’ Twitch channel. The content will initially be focused on a series of Fortnite tournaments, culminating in the “Able Cup” to be broadcast live on GINX Esports TV Canada on May 15. GINX Esports TV Canada is Canada’s only 24-hour esports channel featuring live events, news, and gaming lifestyle programming from around the world.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Netflix will locate its Canadian corporate office in Toronto with a temporary site expected to open as early as late summer. The streaming giant first announced plans to open a Canadian office in February. Toronto is already home to one of Netflix’s two Canadian production hubs in the Port Lands where series like The Umbrella Academy and The Queen’s Gambit have filmed. The Toronto office is expected to open with 10-15 employees, including a content executive who’ll work directly with creators. Netflix says it’s spent $2.5 billion on productions in Canada since 2017 and about $200 million a year in the Toronto area. “As we grow our business and presence all across Canada, we’re excited that Toronto will be our first local office. We’re looking forward to opening our doors and building on the great work we’ve started with our creative partners to bring more Canadian artists and stories to the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer, Netflix, in a City of Toronto release.
Mongrel Media is set to introduce a new subscription streaming service in Canada in partnership with Magnolia Pictures. Mongrel Home Cinema, priced at $6.99/month or $69.99 annually, will add 10 new independent films to the service on the first Tuesday of every month. Magnolia already offers its Magnolia Selects SVOD service in the U.S.
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) says Canadians embraced the 2020 Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) boom as they sought more digital entertainment options while staying at home. 42% of English-speaking Canadians and 29% of Francophones now have three or more SVOD services in the home with SVOD adopters tending to be younger, more educated and higher income earners. The report says four in five (80%) English speakers subscribe to at least one SVOD service. That falls to 67% among francophones. SVOD “stacking” is also becoming more popular with over seven in 10 anglophones subscribing to two or more SVOD services, along with nearly three out of five francophones. Read more here.
Torstar has ceased publication of its local news websites which had an ill-timed launch in March 2020. The local sites included Belleville, Kingston, Stratford, Cornwall, Windsor, Essex, and North Bay. “Unfortunately, the combined weight of the pandemic and the runway needed to get a new media business up and running has proven too steep a hill for now,” Bob Hepburn, Torstar Director of Communications, told InQuinte. “Torstar remains committed to local news and will continue to innovate and experiment with ways in which to provide vital local news to communities across Ontario.”
The Financial Post is introducing five new weekly newsletters — one for each day of the work week — covering key Canadian industries and sectors. A mix of news, opinion and analysis, topics include Energy; the Economy; Investing; Work, covering corporate culture, HR Tech and labour economics; and Finance, from crypto and lending to wealth management.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Bill C-10 amendments that remove an exemption excluding user-generated content from the Broadcasting Act are drawing concern from a range of critics. Originally, the bill exempted individual posting to social platforms like YouTube or TikTok, but that clause was removed by House of Commons Heritage Committee MPs on Friday. University of Ottawa Professor Michael Geist says removing the clause, is a “remarkable and dangerous step in an already bad piece of legislation” and without the exclusion “adopts the position that a regulator sets the rules for free speech online.”
Bell has announced the introduction of commercial 400G wavelength service employing Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology to deliver increased connectivity speeds and capacity required by large cloud and data centre providers. Now deployed across major spans of Bell’s 17,000 km fibre infrastructure, the company says 400G service will continue to roll out nationally in the coming months. 400G technology increases fibre capacity using less network hardware and more automation to deliver 4x the data speed and 50% more capacity per wavelength. By moving to 400G wavelength service, Bell says it’s supporting the accelerated adoption of bandwidth-hungry services and applications that require fast, high capacity, low-latency connections.
The Helix Fi 2 smart gateway is making its debut at Videotron, the first to offer Wi–Fi 6 technology aimed at enhancing the entertainment experience with greater speed, range and connectivity. TV terminals, wireless devices and compatible smart equipment can be connected to the device, with the new Wi–Fi 6 standard supporting more concurrent connections and nearly three times the speed of previous tech. The smart wireless network constantly optimizes itself to provide the best possible connection for each user.
RTDNA Canada has announced the finalists for its regional awards program, recognizing excellence in digital and broadcast journalism. East Region, Central Region, Prairie Region and West Region winners will be announced at the regional virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 18. The association has also launched a new mobile-friendly website.
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) has named Brooklyn Connolly, a journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, as this year’s winner of the CAJ-Investintech Data Journalism Scholarship. Her story on the growing number of Indigenous women in Nova Scotia jails was selected by the jury for demonstrating an ability to use data to uncover growing trends on societal issues. Connolly is currently interning on the news desk at the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
CBC President Catherine Tait has penned an op ed calling on the federal government to recognize “the particular threats” facing women journalists in upcoming legislation aimed at combating online hate speech. As noted in a 2020 UNESCO report, online attacks (and physical ones) against women journalists are on the rise. “A daily barrage of online misogyny, including threats of physical attack on them and their families, is toxic and terrifying,” writes Tait. “It threatens to silence, isolate, and force out of the industry many talented professionals. Racialized women journalists are especially vulnerable…Canada, a country committed to multiculturalism and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, bears a special responsibility to ensure that these voices are amplified and respected.”
Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) has announced that it won’t host its annual conference for the second year in a row, opting instead to focus on bringing the Banff event back in 2022. The WAB board of directors is following guidance from agencies like Alberta Health Services and the Public Health Agency of Canada as that province surpassed 20,000 active COVID-19 cases this week. Next year’s event will tentatively take place at Fairmont Banff Springs June 8-9. Read more here.
LISTEN: Louise Berube of NABS is on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast talking about helping the media, advertising and marketing industries navigate the other pandemic: mental health. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has published a new survey that finds that Canadians who follow the news at least once a day are more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available to them (61%), compared to those who do not consume news regularly (8%). The survey also indicated a clear link between Canadians’ enthusiasm for the COVID-19 vaccine and their trust in the news. The survey found that there is an equal confidence in the ability to spot false news among those who will and will not get the vaccine, suggesting that, despite the source, people believe what they read.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Bell has announced a strategic alliance with advertising tech company Xandr, to leverage its platform to deliver a proprietary omni-channel demand-side platform (DSP) for advertisers. The new Bell Media product, branded SAM DSP and powered by Xandr’s buying platform, Xandr Invest, will enable advertisers to plan, run and measure scaled, targeted campaigns using premium inventory over multiple platforms and channels. Available to all advertisers and agency partners in Canada, Bell will also leverage the platform for its own programmatic advertising needs.
SMPTE will launch its new SMPTE + series with “Expanding the Color Universe: The Next Frontier in Imaging,” a hybrid of interactive events and on-demand content exploring expansion of color systems beyond RGB toward the outer limit of what the eye can see and the “colors in-between the colors.” The first of four SMPTE + events slated for 2021, it will feature a half-day of live presentations, demos, and panel discussions featuring technologists, creatives, and NASA experts. Inspired by the experience of astronauts who returned from missions to realize that images captured of Earth fail to show the dramatic beauty and grandeur of what they actually could see from space, the event will include Dylan Mathis, communication manager for NASA’s International Space Station program, Baylor University researcher Corey Carbonara, and other experts discussing 6P Color innovations and the impact of an expanded color gamut on everything from space imagery to perfecting skin tones in modern cinematic productions. SMPTE + is free to SMPTE members. Learn more here.
