Baddeck, N.S.: The fourth Baddeck New Media Festival is in the books and, according to organizers, it was a great success.

Formerly known as the Atlantic Digital Media Festival, the event took place from Oct. 19-21 in Baddeck, n.s., roughly an hour outside of Sydney. While it seemed an unlikely setting for a conference dealing in technology, those in attendance appeared to appreciate the laid-back atmosphere created at the quiet Inverary Inn, which played host to the event.

The festival was home for three days to an array of new media gurus, novices and curious onlookers, who were given the chance to listen, learn and share creative ideas. JD MacCulloch, the festival’s executive producer, says 11 different countries were represented, with a final attendance tally of between 300 and 400 delegates. He says the original ideas behind the conference have still managed to stand the test of time, despite the fact that the attendance has grown a little more each year.

‘It is set up to focus and concentrate more on content and creativity rather than technology,’ says MacCulloch, also one of the festival’s original founders. ‘The technology is of course the tools it takes to get projects done, but we really want to show what makes great new media.’

Of the organizers choice of locations, MacCulloch offers, ‘The property lends itself to informality. Baddeck was the home of Alexander Graham Bell for over 35 years. He was a pioneer of the last century and he was very much a mentor for young people and very inquisitive, exploring all kinds of new things. I think his spirit is still here.’

The meat of the conference featured a number of influential speakers and entrepreneurs, including Marty Levin (executive vp of Seattle’s AdRelevance), Andra Sheffer (executive director of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund), Andrew Cochran (ceo of Cochran Entertainment), Raja Khanna (president/ceo of Snap Media in Toronto), Mitzie Hunter (ceo of Smart Toronto), and many others.

A host of topics was covered during seminars, speeches and workshops. Some of the highlights included discussions about online casting, the creation of new business models for online content, and the present and future relationships between new media companies and broadcasters. One noteworthy panel, moderated by Telefilm Canada’s director of operations for the Atlantic region, Ralph Holt, addressed new media international coproductions.

Many of the sessions sparked some good-natured debate (and veiled hostility) about how television and new media are going to come together in the future, as many broadcasters seem slow to explore the emerging options available to them within the realm of new media. However, three of the most commonly heard words from new media soothsayers during the conference were: broadcast, is, dead.

For the whole picture and more information about what was discussed over the course of the Baddeck New Media Festival, check back with Playback on Nov. 13 for our Special Report on Convergence. *