The Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design has an edge when it comes to turning out digital media minds, if the recent Canadian New Media Awards are any indication. Three students from the Vancouver school swept the nominations in the event’s Emerging Innovator of the Year category, with Jason DaSilva ultimately taking home the prize.

DaSilva’s films have screened at more than 30 festivals, and his 2004 project Lest We Forget fuses film with interactive web components.

According to ECI president Dr. Ron Burnett, one of the school’s strengths is its multidisciplinary approach, meaning a student who wants to do straight game design will also be exposed to painting, sculpting and industrial design.

‘From the start, we’ve been struggling with how you balance new media with old media – a balance between traditional forms and technical knowledge,’ he says, explaining that one of the problems with digital media education is that it tends to be highly focused, with students learning very specific skills or software.

‘The industry has told us that they’re tired of that kind of limited training model,’ he adds.

Emily Carr also boasts state-of-the-art facilities. Three years ago, the school received a $4.5-million Canada Foundation for Innovation grant to build the Intersections Digital Studio, which opened in January 2007. The 10,000-square-foot space offers the latest tech infrastructure, from digital video cameras to a motion-capture suite, G5 studio and thermal printers.

This level of support is indicative of how crucial digital media education is to future Canadian success – something government, training institutions and industry alike are taking seriously.

In both Ontario and B.C., significant new schools and programs dedicated to interactive media will launch within the year with both federal and industry support.

According to Glenn Entis, VP and chief visual officer of video game giant Electronic Arts World Wide Studios, which has an office in Vancouver, it is time for Canada to decide whether its digital media industry will mirror the film industry – with a large percentage of business generated by ‘making other people’s movies,’ or whether it will establish itself as an international leader in its own right.

‘You can’t achieve that without world-class education,’ Entis adds.

The Masters of Digital Media program, due to start in Vancouver in September, represents a step in the right direction. It is a joint initiative from Vancouver’s major post-secondary institutions, including the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and ECI.

‘What’s going to be unique about the MDM program is that it is a project-based graduate school centered on partnership with industry. It’s not just a footnote, but critical to the curriculum development and educational approach,’ says Entis. ‘We want the school to be a lightning rod for talent in B.C.’

EA has contributed a $1-million grant to the program, which will mark the opening of the Great Northern Way Campus, a joint undertaking of the four schools.

‘The fact that the Masters of Digital Media Program is the new campus’ first one makes a pretty significant statement about the role of digital media in Vancouver and in Canada,’ says Burnett.

Further east, the Ontario College of Art and Design will launch its Digital Futures Initiative in 2007/08. The new program, which receives $2 million in annual funding from the province, allows students to specialize in digital media and design.

According to OCAD president Sara Diamond, the move is a natural one for the university, made partially in response to demand from students, but also in response to feedback from the digital media industry.

‘Industry people have said they’re not seeing leaders who can think creatively, think in terms of how you read a program, bring elements together and work as a team, and as producers and directors,’ Diamond says. ‘They’re not seeing these people coming out of the learning centers right now.’

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