While the show by no means provided the buying extravaganza that other markets do, most Canadian attendees returning from natpe’s first annual Animation and Special Effects Expo, held May 8-11 in l.a., reported the trip to be a worthwhile information-gathering and networking venue.

As an acknowledgment of the exploding animation and effects side of production, the event was organized by the National Association of TV Program Executives as a market, exhibition and technology conference for international multimedia, tv, feature film, commercial and online professionals.

natpe president Bruce Johansen says the inaugural anifx exceeded organizers’ expectations, with 2,910 attendees from 29 countries and 86 companies exhibiting wares. ‘The show was better than anticipated,’ he says. ‘It was a great opportunity for people in all aspects of the business to come together under one roof.’

Johansen says some of the most favorable feedback was generated from the seminars and general sessions offered at the show. Seminars covered numerous aspects of digital production, licensing, merchandising and advertising, and speakers represented top companies in each field.

The expo also included a career fair and a seminar conducted by Robin King, director of the School of Communication and Design Technology at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont.

The Canadian exhibitor contingent included Calibre Digital Design, Mainframe Entertainment, Digitoon Imaging, Brunico Communications-owned KidScreen magazine, the Ontario Film Development Corporation and Paragon International.

Toper Taylor, Nelvana senior vp and member of the anifx board of governors, says year one of the show represents a large learning curve.

The event, he says, was less of a deal-making convention in terms of selling programming and more of an educational forum for the industry.

‘As a deal-making venue in its first year it was questionable as to the show’s success,’ says Taylor. ‘But so were other markets in their first years; there’s a long rope to tow.’

Taylor cites competition from other trade shows vying for buyers’ time and attention.

Nelvana did not exhibit but was represented on an international coproduction panel. Taylor says from an exhibition standpoint, the emphasis was on computer animation and special effects. The Canadian presence, he says, was ‘terrific’ in terms of quality panelists and number of producers on the floor.

Kirstine Layfield, senior vp of Paragon arm Accolade Releasing, says although growing pains were evident, the show was an important one for the company.

Layfield reports no sales were made but contacts were established which would not have been made at mip-tv or mipcom. ‘There definitely weren’t a lot of buyers,’ says Layfield. ‘There were more people on the production side, people looking to coproduce.’

Neil Williamson, vp of Toronto digital imaging shop Calibre, also reports a worthwhile trip. Calibre exhibited at anifx as a service shop providing high-end visual effects and as a producer. The company attended the show to build an international presence and to search out potential partners for its own properties.

The facility currently has three digitally based properties in development; one aimed at preschoolers, one called Dragons all Around for kids aged eight to 12, and an adult-oriented comedy being developed with Sunbow. Calibre was also recently commissioned to produce all the animation and effects for Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conquest from Atlantis and u.s. syndicator Tribune Entertainment.

Williamson says the show was smaller than he expected but the shop was able to connect with the desired big players ­ many of whom weren’t exhibiting ­ as well as to meet new prospects.

Williamson says no sales resulted from the visit, however the company established a significant number of leads for service work. He also cites the less than ideal timing of the event, which overlapped with the Cannes International Film Festival and fell at an intensely busy time of year for tv producers.

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association was on hand to distribute the Driving the Future cd-rom, a compilation of the work of 21 Canadian independent producers in the area of children’s programming.

Anabelle Slaight, head of Owl Communications and chair of the Children’s Committee of the cftpa, says American and international market representatives were ‘astounded’ at the offerings of Canadian producers. ‘I don’t think they had a sense of the force of the whole industry and the leading-edge expertise in kids’ tv,’ says Slaight.

Adds Nelvana’s Taylor: ‘From the Canadian perspective, the convention made clear that with vertical integration from the u.s., Canadian producers are at the precipice of becoming extremely important independent suppliers to the tv and film industry.

‘Part of this renaissance,’ says Taylor, ‘is Canada’s continued support from government funding and tax incentives. Americans are interested in coproducing, and with the expansion of American cable networks there will be less funding for those networks to support original programming, therefore new networks are looking for means to make their investment go further. Partnering with Canadians looks good to them.’

with files from cheryl binning and mary ellen armstrong.