CASO Members receive a special discount on X-Summit tickets. For the full schedule and to register, visit: www.x-summit.com

Use Discount Code: XS20CASO
Recieve 20 percent off member and regular rates. (A huge value on member rates!) This will be in effect until Friday Oct 14.

X-Summit, co-produced by CASO and Interactive Ontario (IO), will kick off the evening of October 24 and take place October 25-26 at The Carlu in Toronto. X-Summit explores emerging opportunities where broadcast and interactive platforms converge. CASO and IO Members receive a special discount, and can receive the Early Bird rate until Friday Sept 30th. For the full schedule and to register, visit: www.x-summit.com


Featured Speakers:


Jonas Eneroth, Managing Partner, ProCloud Media which has launched Paramount Pictures' War of the Worlds and Star Trek. Executive Producer of Eidos' multi-award winning Deus Ex, Hitman and Timesplitters franchises.

John Kavanagh, SVP of Video Games, Paramount Pictures, designed, developed and licensed interactive games and technology to leading gaming companies including Sega, Nintendo, Atari, Apple, Commodore

Vince Gerardis, Co-Executive Producer, HBO's hit series Game of Thrones

Nathan Mayfield, CCO of Hoodlum, producers of award-winning transmedia campaigns for ABC's FlashForward and Lost, Pascal Langlois, Ethan Mars in the award-winning Heavy Rain & founder of Motives in Movement

Featured Sessions:

Cross-Media Synergy
When developing IP that has TV as a key foundation, is it best to develop the TV series first or the cross-platform plans/world building first? This session delves into whether a synergy exists in producing a TV show and an online plan at the same time.
Featuring: Ken Faier, El Presidente, Nerd Corps. Entertainment

Character Crossing: Developing Multi-Platform Characters
Drawing on examples from TV, animation, video games, and toys, this workshop will dive into key elements that will help a property and its characters move successfully between platforms.
Featuring: Leah Hoyer, Creative Producer, Levity Entertainment Group

The Green Light Series: Investor Round Table
This session will cover the fundamentals of cross-media monetization strategies. Martin Soltys works with entrepreneurs, producers, writers, directors and designers (of video game, mobile & web applications) to create and develop transmedia storytelling methodology and techniques, with the goal of delivering enhanced entertainment experiences for audiences, viewers, users and players of all ages and cultures.
Featuring: Martin Soltys, Founder and CEO, TransMedia Entertainment Corp.

This vid was passed around at the studio - liked it so much that I had to post. Check it out: Great Track, sick moves

Trivia Pursuit: WL - Hello RH.


I've been told that the things you care for most take time to grow and flourish - That it is through patience and sacrifice when you truly deserve the satisfaction of what you have long been seeking. And while I know this to be true of most everything I've been searching for, the world capsized when you walked in it.

My life's journey ended the instant I met you
- for moment's after,
reality escapes me and dreams carry me to my bed.
You are the light in my eyes,
You are all I need that carries me.



So present, I'm here - the elation of knowing a search is complete:
Inhale, exhale, inhale... can't believe its real.
- time is secondless,
while patience disappeared in a single kiss


Whatever happens from here
- will be as delicious as a jar of candies.

Just Say Yes!

Hey Everyone,

Morgan Toomb's ginormous heart is doing a charity event to raise awareness for women living in the Ngong Hills slums (Kenya, Africa) who have HIV/AIDS. In the spirit of empowerment, genius Morgan and her posse (which includes the Lovely Lida) has come up with a cool scavenger hunt that's about unlocking your own personal liberations... it's called, "Just Say Yes." It's simple, you have people pledge something you want to unlock in your life and as you break barriers and reach achievements... you also raise money for the charity. It's like running 5km for Cancer - only it doesn't have to be about physical endurance but it can be about the emotional... Your Yes may be to break poor habits or tell your boss you want a raise (No one's getting a raise at HoC)... it's about doing something you always wanted to do but left on the back burner... Time to turn on the lights.

"Just Say Yes" let's people know what you've always wanted but to scared or busy to do... and they help you achieve it though awareness and your commitment. Download and print your free Just Say Yes BIB and sponsorship kit from www.justsayyesto.org (or pick a pledge package up from your friendly event organizers)
1) OR Donate to the cause! Can’t come to the event but want to get involved?

Donate online at http://justsayyesto.org/donate/

Or, mail a cheque to: Just Say YES! 280 Grace Street, Suite #1, Toronto, ON, M6G 3A6

2) OR Donate goods or services for our silent auction!

Contact Morgan @ joyfulmorgan@gmail.com

AND If anything else... DJ Jerms is spinning at the latter half... So whether you can donate or come out to support, we can all get together and have a good night out.

Thanks and PLEASE PASS ALONG!

Finding Ground

A day is filled with decisions, some with more gravity then others. In many respects, the future are the children of each decision we make - It starts small, a twinkle of a thought, a question mark in your head. Then it grows of discovery and finding limits but trying to be boundless. At some point a decision reaches adulthood, entering the real world. There's always a moment just before a decision is made that your emotions levels you, bringing you to the knees of consciousness as you get a handle of what is about to happen. When a decision becomes reality, I think people feel it's like jumping off a cliff, you can't go back. But the truth is, decisions is like snow fall; each snowflake colliding and changing, floating and gaining speed, drifting and finding path... eventually it all reaches the same place: the ground. A decision will always reach the ground regardless of where you land. And, I believe this to be true, you can always walk when your feet are on the ground.

So whatever your decision looks like or how it enters reality, finding ground doesn't mean you won't be able to change. It's from that very ground your decision landed on that you can always walk to a new decision, changing and following a new journey.

It can be hard to make decisions but it's always harder not having your feet to the ground.

Thank you MT for showing me this and so much more.

5 Bday Brady Bunches of Banana-ness Party - Everyone Welcome!

Date: Friday May 6th, 2011
Location: Faces Nightclub
Addy: 224 Richmond St. W

Mention: Ryan, Mike, Demetri, TJ, Wes party
Cover: It's either going to be FREE, $5 or $10 pending on when you get there.... All peeps should be there before 11:00, fashionably late 11:30, Frick I can't get in 12:30 (Don't be that dude that calls me to come out and get you!)

A birthday is like the start of a new year; I habitually re-evaluate my past, make or stick to resolutions to my Year Up goals, and laugh at myself for all the follies I've made til this point. I think there's an age where you put so much pressure on yourself that you end up mocking yourself for not enjoying the moments that make up your character. For me, it's been these past couple of years. It's the chances to use what I've learned, the knowledge gained, and make a difference in this world - to entertain kids and their families. I'm not getting any younger so let's do this!

See you at the party!

Stop watching Discovery and go look for yourself...

I'm not particularly religious but I've always wanted to see with my own eyes, touch with my own hands, the statue of Christ the Redemption as he stretches out his arm across the city of Rio. I wanted to feel him welcome these beautiful people of Brazil every morning and kiss them good night each sunset. The statue really could be anyone standing a top the mountain peak hugging the world and, indeed, when you arrive at Christ's feet, tourists and locals alike inevitably get a picture with them spreading out their arms sharing the city with the savior.
There are so many great things to see in this world and it's good to scratch this one off the list. There's a saying, "If you got an itch, itch it." If you want to see something in some far off land, go see it! You'll love yourself for it.

It Doesn't Get Better

There are moments you wait for - The kind when you don't need to hear a single thing to understand. It's luminescence breaking the night drowning deep shadows as it starts time as if born again. It all reaches me and I can't help but surrender. Everything is quiet and still. I wait as you face me eye to eye knowingly in a few brief moments, you'll shine above - This is when I know... The day was made for me.

Thought this was pretty funny - A conversation between Trinity (Ryan's GF and Arun's pop - setting: summer cottage, everyone's favourite, Gary Owen.

Arun:

"Anne and I were recollecting a funny conversation my Dad and Trinity had at the cottage:

Trinity - Men in this day and age should split child rearing 50/50 with women and help out more at home.

Daddy Kanagasabapathy - (in heavy thick Indian accent) I fully and wholeheartedly agree. Especially when women are on their menstural period. During this time they are most unclean and should not touch the children.

Laurence, Anne and Ryan [laughing their asses off in the backGround, while Trinity is just shocked at my Dad. Meanwhile Jarrod and Arun are confused and sipping on salty Gatorade to help restore cognative ability]

Such fun times!!!!"

Can't wait for summer cottage 2011!

A few months back, the amazing Electric Playground people did an interview on our studio and the Co-Co Feature we are producing. As an added benefit, they let me do a spot on one of my favourite movies of last year. Check it out: I'm definitely not host material and they definitely made it look good. Special Thanks to Darcy!

From one place to the next... The world moves even when you're standing still

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm a Banana (or a Twinky depending on which day you catch my pops). I can understand Chinese/Cantonese but I really can't speak a lick of it. A CBC (Canadian Born Chinese): yellow on the outside, white on the inside, hockey playing, milk drinking cottage loving Asian.

So it's tough when you go back to where your parents first met, where "it" all began and not be able to order Chinese food... well, we call it food.
Hong Kong is a city of shopping, people, shopping, and people. Buildings etched into mountains as if born from its stomach. The crowds of black dots clambering and climbing over top of one another as concrete clouds hover over them. "Look left," paint the streets as a reminder of shoveling cabbies pass by grandfathered British Colony roads. "How can they shift gears with their left hand?" I ponder as another street filled with people and 1000-watt light signs overtake my last thoughts.
Every where I explore I can't help but think my mom and dad might have walked these same streets, holding hands at this park or eating mystery meat at this dive of a restaurant. How life would have been so different if they didn't jump ship. Looking from the city where your parents began their journey brings a history to the pavements that makes each breath still and quiet. My life began before I was born.
When you think you see reality, look a little deeper

Happy Holidays!

Be with family and don't be afraid to eat way too much turkey... It'll help you make a better new years resolution to stay fit.

"You can have all you want when you recognize all you need is within you."

Maybe it's urban living or how complicated we can make our lives but sometimes life feels like a continuous boundless search. A search to find the perfect house, perfect project, perfect couch to match that perfect rug you just bought. Waiting for perfect is exhausting for the most part so I've been a fool at times and jumped in two feet and a heart beat in the most unperfect of moments. Truth is, I've had epic failures on both being a perfectionists and random spontaneity but I've also learned the most. I'm not one to give words of wisdom but I've come to the conclusion that no matter what path you decide to search, it's always going to be a moment worth living.

I'm probably more reminding myself than anyone else. Life can seem random one second and utterly too scheduled the next; we can have clamoring in our heads pulling us in all sorts of directions - sometimes we just have to sit and listen until all that noise becomes one voice, your voice. That's when an answer will come; when you know you can have all you want when you recognize all you need is within you.

CASO - Computer Animation Studios of Ontario

For the past two years I've had the pleasure of sitting on the Board of CASO to represent our Industry and be apart of the community at large. The Board consists of all studio owners and executives alike with over 250 artists to smaller twenty person shops. It's never easy making money through artistic creativity nor is it easy balancing the need to express creative output with a strained budget. Listening to studios find new ways to reach higher levels of quality while keeping costs low is an all too familiar regime. Studio owners want the best for their artists and their clients. As the manner in which people digest content through a whole host of platforms, studio owners are constantly changing they way they do business. It is the speed of change that I feel CASO is most important. It's developing a community where owners and executives can share ideas and reach out to more people, clients and their employees. Ontario has the best in software development, world-class education system and seasoned professionals in all aspects in VFX and Animation. With the support of the Ontario Government, Sponsors and our members, I'm excited to act as President of CASO for the upcoming year and create strategic initiatives with the new Board of Directors.

There's much to do and I know all of us are up for the challenge.

Wes Lui
President, CASO

One Crazy Summer


As the city wakes up a little colder I couldn't help but look through my summer photos. It's been a busy year of renovations, loss in the family, addition of a niece, watching hockey at the Olympics in Van-city, drinking Caipirinha's in Sao Paulo, Brazil, talking about Ontario's Animation and VFX Industry in Seoul Korea... From cottage get-togethers to one of my best friends weddings to the late night weekends... And who can forget singing O'Canada at G20, this summer has been eventful.
From Sky diving to touching "double rainbows," to all white boat cruises and cruising around in the Camero, there's only a few things missing in my life: A Feature Film. The hockey, the tennis, The snowboarding, and the golf may keep me happy but producing a Feature is a dream... and who would we be if we didn't follow our dreams. COCO, here we come!

Falling 200kms/hr from 13000 ft. for over 50 seconds - Scratch that off my bucket list



There's always the dreaded "Moment of Truth" whenever you decide to chase a dream or face your fears. Sky diving was both a dream and a fear. It's not that I'm afraid of heights but its one of those things you say you'll do when you have time but never really ends up happening. I've got so many "I want to do when I have time," bucket list type of things. But reaching altitudes where oxygen masks are almost necessary and when you spread your arms, the air rushing against your body, that feeling of flying makes you realize chasing your dreams shouldn't wait for tomorrow. And facing your fears... it's really just courage waiting to be opened.

Time for me to "Man Up!"

Or maybe I've ate so much air I've gone mo-cheese-mo. Either way, it's dam good to feel alive.

Finding Seoul in Korea

Sometimes you have to travel half way around the world to find purpose.

The city is full and excited; the night is young, running away from the sunrise. But it will catch up, it always does. We dance as the music inhales the humid air. Then silence falls. Amidst the noise and smog, trees climb the sky. As sunrise overtakes the city lights, I find peace in the arms of wholesome proportions. Kind eyes and quiet lips, I sit still as if to pray. My thoughts reach my heart as if they are turning the same page for the first time in many moments. "Let go of the old," I hear. "You'll find what you're looking for." I could stay forever but I know sunrise is coming and I must go - reality becomes a sharp pencil that needs to draw the line. I look up at the sky because I know I've kept her there; Thanks for helping me turn the page.

Having a little Faith



Many of us our waiting for something good to happen in our lives. We think, "When I get this, I'll be able to achieve that..." so we wait... and wait. I've been a culprit of waiting for something good to happen to me my whole life; sometimes feeling I'm a victim instead of realizing my procrastination. There is a difference between having patience, knowing certain steps need to occur before the next, and simply not working hard enough and feeling it's beyond my reach. There's a difference between running the show and just plain running away.
I try not to be stupid but one thing I'm glad I'm stupid about is being not afraid to put it all on the line. Having a little Faith can push you through your most lamented fears. It's with Faith that you will stop waiting for things to happen and see that you can make it happen.
Faith comes in this world as small soul of a girl and see's you grin ear to ear as you watch her grow up; I'll see you smile. I've got Faith. My sister and family have Faith; I'm not afraid.

In all honesty sometimes it blows my mind that I get to be involved in creating some of the work we do. I work with such talented people that waking up for work is an easy task - even the dreaded Mondays.
In all honesty I also get scared that it is upon Ricardo and my shoulders to lead such a talented bunch. I do lose sleep when we have to make "hard" decisions to reduce costs which always seems to come in the form of layoffs. I want the people who work so hard here to grow a career here but I know at times objectives need to change to gain better footing.
In all honesty, I will do whatever it takes to build a studio filled with creation and scope. If we all have an understanding, we will have purpose. With purpose people, no matter what the position, will do their part for the greater sum. I will do my part as I know our guys do theirs.

Some of our latest spots

People, good people are always welcome in my life. And while I've met many, it's even better when a friendship blossoms. I haven't met a friend who hasn't gone through their own struggles and still have time to lend me their ears to hear my own and I the same. My friends give a source of strength and care all the while we shamelessly laugh at our own insecurities and falsehoods. We're not perfect and we have a good time knowing it.

I can't wait for more birthdays, it just gives me another year to make more friends.

"I do love this life."