– Alliance, Atlantis hammer out details

With the excitement of the announcement over, executives at Alliance and Atlantis are now getting down to logistical details of their mega-merger.

With much of the integration expected to be completed by September, a steering committee and team leaders have been appointed to oversee the transition.

Atlantis president Lewis Rose and Alliance president of motion picture distribution and vice-chairman Victor Loewy are cochairing the committee.

Team leaders include Alliance president of filmed entertainment, David Ginsburg, Atlantis Films l.a. president Peter Sussman, Alliance Broadcasting’s Phyllis Yaffe and Bill Dawson as well as Atlantis vp human resources Janice Thompson, among others.

Sources say the companies will most likely operate separately at the upcoming mipcom while making their integrated market debut at natpe.

– Multimedia guidelines

Telefilm Canada’s five-year, $30-million Multimedia Fund is up and running, with ’98/99 guidelines now available at the agency’s Website (www.telefilm.gc.ca).

The fund has three main components – development, production and marketing – with Telefilm providing financing in the form of advances and interest-free unsecured loans. All Canadian multimedia companies are eligible, but Telefilm says small and medium-sized operations will be given priority.

A regionally based funding advisory committee with representation from both Telefilm and Heritage Canada will add new members this fall.

– Star Choice hits 100,000

DTH provider Star Choice has surpassed the 100,000 subscriber mark. The milestone was achieved ahead of schedule, according to Star Choice chairman Brian Neill.

‘This is not only a significant milestone for Star Choice, but it represents a significant milestone in Canadian television broadcasting,’ says Neill. ‘In less than 12 months Star Choice has leaped from zero market share to 100,000 subscribers.’

John Cassaday, ceo of Star Choice Communications, says the mark was achieved in part through Canadian retailers moving away from u.s. ‘gray market’ dishes toward ‘fully legal Canadian alternatives.’

In other news, Star Choice launched Viewer’s Choice Canada and Canal Indigo to provide English and French pay-per-view programming across the country.

Viewers will receive movies, live sporting events and concerts with a digital picture and cd-quality sound. Star Choice is broadcast digitally via satellite and allows viewers access to over 115 channels.

Also newly available on Star Choice are wsbk out of Boston and independent station ckvr.

Star Choice is majority owned by Calgary’s Shaw Communications.

– Mainframe loses $11.6M

Vancouver computer animation company Mainframe Entertainment posted an $11.6-million loss ($1 per share) in its first annual report. Revenues for the 12-month period were $17.3 million, a 7.5% decrease from the same period one year earlier.

Losses were exacerbated by one-time charges of $2.4 million relating to a revaluation of Mainframe’s investment in the cg series ReBoot. Also, revenues earned from the Beast Wars series were lower in 1998, administrative costs doubled, and a corporate realignment cost $1 million.

‘While our financial performance in fiscal 1998 was disappointing, the results are largely due to the significant investments we made in technology, research and development, our facilities, and our award-winning team of animators,’ says Chris Brough, Mainframe’s ceo and vice-chair, adding that 1998 was a transition year.

Mainframe has begun preproduction on 13 episodes of Weird-Ohs, a 3D computer-animated comedy.

– U.K. doc Immersion

Aug. 15 is the registration deadline for the Nov. 16-20 u.k. Industry Immersion (documentary) program in London. Participation is restricted to 25 Canadian producers.

The five-day program costs $850 and includes a series of panels, screenings, field trips and luncheons with top industry executives including decision-makers from bbc, Channel 4, itv and Channel 5 as well as u.k. cable and satellite services.

This program is being produced by the Canadian High Commission in London and the Paris office of Telefilm Canada in association with PTV Productions, London and Toronto.

– People

– Within a week of vacating his post as president and ceo of WIC Western International Communications, John Lacey has been appointed president and ceo of The Oshawa Group. Lacey will also join the board of directors of the supermarket retailer and food distribution company.

Replacing Lacey is Thomas Peddie, a recent addition to wic’s board. A chartered accountant by training, Peddie was most recently acting president of the CTV Television Network.

– Franklin Delaney has resigned as president and ceo of Television Quatre Saisons. His replacement is Wilbroad Gauthier, tqs chairman and a longtime collaborator of late Quebecor founder Pierre Peladeau.

Delaney has taken a new business development post in electronic media with Communications Quebecor, reporting to Erik Peladeau, chairman of Quebecor.

Meanwhile, tqs has named Jean Durocher, a former marketing exec with Telemedia, Reseau tva and Quebecor, as its new vp sales and marketing. He replaces Pierre Lanctot.

– Patrick Watson has been named commissioning editor for History Television. He will continue to be the host, narrator and commissioning editor for the Canadian biography series Faces of History (Great North Productions), which airs on History. He will also help evaluate program proposals and commission other programs for History.

Watson replaces Shelley Saywell, who has returned to independent filmmaking.

– Tim Hiltz has left his positions as chair and business manager of the B.C. Council of Film Unions.

– Marina Cordoni, former vp of international sales and marketing distribution for Norstar Entertainment, is the new head of sales and acquisitions for Toronto-based producer/distributor Portfolio Entertainment. She’ll be responsible for expanding the international sales division and seeking new program acquisitions to represent worldwide.

– In completing its acquisition of Vancouver’s Pacific Motion Pictures July 22, Rainmaker Entertainment Group has named a new director to its board: Peter von Gal, executive vp and coo of Hallmark Entertainment. To make way for the new board member, Robert Campbell has resigned as a director, but will continue in his position as engineering manager at Rainmaker Digital Pictures Group.

– Kevin Evans is leaving his position as chief journalist for television news and current affairs at CBC Vancouver to become vp, government relations, b.c., for the Retail Council of Canada.

– Showcase Television has named writer/film critic Cameron Bailey (Planet of Junior Brown) and filmmaker/actor Valerie Buhagiar (Highway 61, Roadkill) the new hosts of The Showcase Revue and The Showcase Late Revue, effective Aug. 21.