Baddeck, N.S.: The small town of Baddeck, n.s. might seem an unlikely locale for a high-tech conference, but from Oct. 19-21 its quaint Inverary Inn was the site of some very cutting-edge discussion as part of the Baddeck International New Media Festival.

In the shuttle bus on the way to Baddeck, located one hour outside Sydney, conference delegate Chris Smith of Telepix in St. John’s, Nfld. noted, ‘It’s like a cross between the Garden of Eden and Dawson’s Creek.’ That impression seems to have been shared by most of the 400 individuals from 11 countries who attended the festival.

The event, formerly known as the Atlantic Digital Media Festival, is four years old. Baddeck was the home of Alexander Graham Bell for more than 35 years, and festival executive producer J.D. MacCulloch says he and his staff, many of whom put in 18-hour shifts throughout the three days, still feel the inventor’s spirit looming over the Inverary. MacCulloch sees events like Baddeck as crucial to members of the fledgling new media industry.

‘We have to build some confidence in them and make them feel they are part of something bigger,’ he says, adding organizers believe it is important to keep the festival away from the concrete jungles. ‘We have always stressed that it be an easygoing, good-time kind of thing.’

Many of the delegates and speakers agree. Raja Khanna, president and ceo of Toronto’s Snap Media, says he is reluctant to take on new media speaking engagements, an exception being Baddeck, where he appeared on several panels this year.

‘I don’t really know what makes it work,’ admits MacCulloch with a laugh. ‘If we did know we’d probably ruin it. It’s really a place for people to talk about creativity, how to make better new media and how to make deals.’

Part of the Baddeck fest’s appeal is the intimacy MacCulloch and company have been able to maintain at the event. He is hopeful they will be able to keep the small-community feel, even as the festival grows and gets more attention.

‘We have to be careful that we keep true to what the event is about,’ says MacCulloch. ‘We have to recognize there is a limit to the size, and control the registration to make sure we have the right people.’

Audience interactivity

Many new media pioneers numbered among festival attendees. Some delegates were there to speak, and all were there to learn and network. Company reps seemed less interested in promoting their organizations than talking with the audience and trying to gauge where the interactive universe is at and how to make it better.

Speakers and delegates included Marty Levin (executive vp, AdRelevance, Seattle), Matti Leshem (ceo, AntEye.com, l.a.), Andra Sheffer (executive director of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, Toronto, and a hero to many in attendance), Suzanne Chapman (director of development, Alliance Atlantis Communications, Toronto) and Mitzie Hunter (ceo, Smart Toronto).

Many of the panels and seminars focused on the convergence of television and the Internet. With interactive tv, video-on-demand and personal video recording capabilities on the horizon, convergence proved a hot topic. David Purdy of Rogers Communications commented that the cable company hopes to be able to offer these features to subscribers in about 12 months.

What it will take to get broadcasters and new media content providers on the same page remained unresolved, funding proving one of the major issues for the content providers. Despite the existence of the Bell New Media and Broadcast Fund, producers are looking for other organizations to come forward offering equity to new media content providers as opposed to merely loans.

The stumbling block of financing figured in a panel chaired by Telefilm Atlantic region director Ralph Holt. Steven Comeau, president of Halifax’s Collideascope Digital Pictures; Khanna, Claude Dugas of Montreal’s impac, Vincent Honrodt of Germany’s Freshmilk and Iwan Williams of Glasgow-based Scottish Enterprise took part in a session in which each panelist had to put together a mock international coproduction.

‘It’ll be more like a wwf cage match,’ quipped Comeau at the onset.

Although no blood was spilled, issues were raised indicating new media copros may still be far from viable.

‘We’d get more money and more people, but the issues are how would we split up the work and how do we, as new media producers, get educated on the opportunities?’ said Khanna, one of the panel’s two content providers.

Comeau said Collideascope had an international copro in the works which fell through when the Nova Scotia government changed hands and eliminated the new media tax credit, scaring off would-be partners.

In addition to new media producers’ need for education on funding opportunities and revenue streams, it would seem that they, along with tv broadcasters, have to learn more about creating effective interactive elements for tv series. Conference-goers agreed not all programs lend themselves to interactivity, but some are perfectly suited.

Patrick Crowe was at the festival on behalf of Toronto’s ExtendMedia, which has been involved in the development of the interactive components of Life Network’s Dish It Out as well as cbc series Drop The Beat and Our Hero. He said traditional broadcasters and producers, with some gentle prodding from itv companies like ExtendMedia, are starting to understand the importance of an online presence.

‘Television producers know they need some kind of website, and when they come to us we educate them about the importance of looking at the broader context of interactivity and [asking] which platform they are deploying to specifically,’ Crowe says. ‘We are still months, maybe even years, from seeing broad public acceptance of the technology, yet we think it is incumbent upon us to start thinking about how to design those experiences.’

Some delegates went so far as to say traditional tv is dead or dying. In a session entitled Online Casting, Howard Rosen, co-president and ceo of multimedia company Roadhouse Productions/Gun for Hire, said his company’s short film Blind Eye has attracted a lot of attention from traditional producers.

Blind Eye offers the site visitor the ability to watch the film from any one of three characters’ points of view, changing them at will. It is a feature traditional tv producers cannot currently offer, and although many tv producers are openly dismissing the project, Rosen says they are privately monitoring the film’s popularity.

‘The numbers speak clearly to the fact that computer time is cannibalizing television time, especially among young people, but also among adults,’ says Roma Khanna, executive vp of Snap Media. ‘People are spending more and more time on their computers and surfing the Net, which will inevitably result in less time watching tv. So if you look at it purely on that level, it’s scary for a broadcaster.’

The New Media Awards gala was hosted by Ralph Benmergui on the fest’s final day. Drop the Beat from aac, Back Alley Films and ExtendMedia was among the Canadian winners, picking up the prize for best sales, marketing and promotion website as well as the best Canadian prize. Other trophy winners included Infopreneur’s Chilly Beach for best entertainment – animation, while Decode Entertainment’s Angela Anaconda On-Line took the Telefilm Canada New Media Award, best technical achievement prize and an honorable mention for best entertainment site.

The next Baddeck International New Media Festival is slated for Oct. 11-13, 2001. *

-www.baddeckfest.com