Five interactive media companies have come together to form the Newfoundland and Labrador Interactive Alliance to signal the growth of the industry in the region.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Interactive Alliance includes Best Boy Media Inc., Red Meat Games, Unified Softworx Inc., Celsius Game Studios and Other Ocean Interactive NL. By forming the Alliance, these companies hope to provide support for the interactive media industry as it expands in the province.

“We anticipate – and we very much want – to extend an invitation to other companies around the world that Newfoundland and Labrador would be an ideal place for them to come and do business,” Ed Martin tells Playback. The  president of the Alliance is also CEO of Mount Pearl, Nfld.-based Best Boy Media Inc., a vertically-integrated entertainment company working in television, film, interactive media and distribution.

The industry has worked closely with the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador to explore the possibility of introducing an interactive media tax credit, Martin says.

The government’s so-far favourable reaction to the idea spurred the formation of the Alliance, he adds.

“We feel that we are very, very close to having an interactive media tax credit,” says Martin. “That’s a game changer for us.”

Martin did not have any details on what the possible tax credit may look like. The Alliance won’t know for certain if the tax credit is approved until the provincial budget is released in April.

In addition to working with the province on issues affecting the industry, the Alliance also aims to work with educational institutions in the region, such as Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic, to help ensure graduates develop the skills needed to work in the interactive media industry.

“We all agree that we want more people in the industry here,” says Martin, noting that the five companies in the Alliance currently employ more than 60 people.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Interactive Alliance is not yet officially affiliated with the Canadian Interactive Alliance, but it plans to register with the organization, Martin says.