The CFTPA is no more. Long live the CMPA.

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association has become the Canadian Media Production Association, a change meant to acknowledge the new multi-platform paradigm in the industry.

‘Independent producers create high-quality Canadian content and are at the heart of the feature film, broadcasting and content distribution system,’ Norm Bolen, CMPA president and CEO, noted in a statement. ‘The global shift towards digital technology and new forms of distribution means we have to change with the times. The new name embraces the opportunities for our members to create new partnerships and expand into the international marketplace.’

The new-look CMPA will be led by a new chair, as outgoing chair Sandra Cunningham turns the reins over to Tom Cox, managing partner of Calgary’s SEVEN24 Films. Beyond his long career in film and television, Cox is also at the tip of the spear when it comes to the digital movement in Canada – as evidenced by the launch (in partnership with Toronto’s marblemedia) of Distribution 360 earlier this week.

Speaking to Playback Daily from Banff, Cox said the time to position for the digital age is now: ‘The next 12 to 18 months are going to be instrumental in terms of building the next broadcast age, the next regulatory age, the next content creation age in Canada,’ said Cox. ‘Now is the time to get all hands on deck, really focus on the issues and drive things forward.’

Cox is certainly going to have his hands full, balancing duties as chair, his new role at Distribution 360 and existing duties at SEVEN24. Notes Cox wryly, ‘this is definitely going to be an era of multitasking.’

‘My hope as chair is that I can continue to energize the board, and find ways to strategically support our goals, our initiatives and our staff.’

This is not the first time the producers’ union has changed its identity in response to innovations in media. Launched in 1948 as the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada, the body became the Canadian Film and Television Association in 1974. In 1990, it merged with the Association of Canadian Film and Television Producers to form the CFTPA.