• Animation exec Rick Mischel has found a new home at Technicolor as EVP of animation and interactive services, a posting that puts the former Mainframe boss atop a unit that combines the video game and animation divisions that service game, broadcast and DVD titles. Mischel joins the Burbank outfit following the wrap-up of his time at Rainmaker where, following its purchase of Mainframe in 2006, he stayed on through 2007 to assist in the changing of the guard.

He remains atop Reach Games, the B.C.-based game shop he founded while at Rainmaker, which does similar work to the services wing of Technicolor. Going forward, he says new projects that come into Reach will be done through Technicolor.

• Jennifer Chen has been hired as the director of programming at Movieola and Silver Screen Classics, coming over from sibling Ouat Media Distribution. Outgoing programmer Shane Smith has joined in-flight entertainment outfit Spafax Canada as an executive producer.

• Hockey Night in Canada has added former L.A. Kings head coach Marc Crawford as an in-game analyst.

• Christine Shipton is now vice-chair for Ontario at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which has named its national board of directors for 2008/09. New branch representatives include James Hardie in creative support, David Gale for performers and Clement Virgo for directors.

• Tricon Films and Television has promoted Lia Dolente to manager of international sales and publicity – tacking Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece to her slate of Latin America, Africa and ancillary rights. Paul Lancaric adds Australia, New Zealand, central/eastern Europe and Asia to his duties as manager, international sales and acquisitions, while Solange Attwood comes on as sales executive for France, Benelux, the Middle East and French-speaking Canada.

• Consultant Gavin McGarry has moved to New York to join Joost’s global content acquisition and strategy team. McGarry was previously head of cross-platform business development at Endemol in the U.K. and a cross-media consultant in Toronto.