ICE PLANET TV SERIES & MOBILE GAME RECEIVE BELL FUND NEW
MEDIA GRANT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO - SpaceWorks Entertainment Inc.,
is pleased to announce that its multimedia project Ice Planet,
a new sci-fi television series and video game enterprise,
starring Michael Ironside, has been awarded a Production Grant
by the Bell Fund, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. Mark
Terry, VP of Production for SpaceWorks Entertainment Inc., and
Ice Planet's Brand Manager is pleased with the Fund's decision.
"We're excited that the Bell Fund has approved this unique
project," he said. "This is the first time a mobile game and
television series will be co-launched and we're proud to have
the Bell Fund and Silverbirch Studios on board for this
industry initiative." Andra Sheffer, Executive Director of Bell
Broadcast and New Media Fund, said she found the project to be
very exciting. "SpaceWorks is a very successful production
company working with an equally successful mobile game
developer in Silverbirch," she said. "The mobile game component
in particular is very exciting because of its ability to port
to multiple devices and languages." SpaceWorks and SilverBirch
will begin production shortly with a game release date to
coincide with the broadcast of the first episode of Ice Planet,
the television series, later this year. "This is an important
milestone for SilverBirch and certainly a strong endorsement of
our Ice Planet game initiatives", said SilverBirch CEO Kevin
Birch. "Having the Bell Fund finance nearly seventy five
percent of our project costs further ensures that this game
will be up to our expected standards of quality and innovation,
with the greatest worldwide market penetration possible." The
game will incorporate characters and storylines from the
television series allowing for enhanced play to fans of the
series. The series is being distributed by CHUM International
and will be premiered in Canada on Space: The Imagination
Station and in the UK on the Sci-Fi Channel. The mobile game
will be available for download from the Internet as well as
from mobile device carriers. "All of our projects from here on
will feature this cross-platform, multimedia strategy," said
SpaceWorks VP of Business Affairs Demerise Lafleur. "It is
clearly the way of the future in entertainment and we're proud
to be the trailblazers for it." Ice Planet is a Canada-Germany
treaty co-production and a SpaceWorks Entertainment Inc. (a
D'or, Jackson and Rapovski Company, Canada) and Circles &
Lines GmbH (a Hey and Winnenbrock company, Germany)
co-production. The producers are G. Philip Jackson, Daniel D'or
and Paul Rapovski (Canada) and Frank Winnenbrock and Hendrik
Hey (Germany). Produced in association with CHUM Television.
NOTES TO EDITORS: About SpaceWorks Entertainment: SpaceWorks
Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian creative studio with depth in
international coproduction and independent film and television
financing. Since 1993, the creative team of Daniel D'or and G.
Philip Jackson has been critically and commercially acclaimed
for its diverse production and sales track record in television
series and feature film production. Market-sensitive
originality in content and style is at the core of the
SpaceWorks approach. Under the D'or / Jackson leadership, the
SpaceWorks team has produced more than 20 feature and series
titles. In 2002 they were joined by partner Paul Rapovski,
bringing further depth in production and greatly increased
capacity in Pacific Rim markets to SpaceWorks. About
SilverBirch Studios: Toronto-based SilverBirch, through its
SilverBirch Studios subsidiary, is a publisher, distributor and
developer of wireless entertainment applications including
games, ringtones, images and other content. SilverBirch's
application portfolio is comprised of both original and
licensed intellectual properties. After releasing the hugely
successful Warner Brothers movieto-game Constantine, the team
at Silverbirch has just completed production on the
muchanticipated Superman mobile game. About Bell Fund: The Bell
Fund provides grants to Canadian independent producers who
develop and produce outstanding television content complemented
and enhanced by innovative, interactive content designed for
digital delivery. These new media projects reflect
state-of-the-art technology and are helping traditional
television producers and broadcasters to discover the value
added benefits of a web presence. About CHUM International:
CHUM International ( www.chumtv.com/international) is the
development and distribution arm of CHUM Limited, one of
Canada's leading media companies and content providers. CHUM
International distributes CHUM-owned and independent
multi-platform programming worldwide and develops international
licensing arrangements for CHUM's original channel formats.
About SCI FI Channel (UK): Reaching over 3 million people each
week, SCI FI features a continuous stream of cinematic hits,
British TV premiere series and special events, bringing viewers
the best content from the worlds of the fantasy, paranormal and
horror programming. SCI FI is a channel service of NBC
Universal Global Networks, a division of NBC Universal. About
NBC Universal Global Networks: NBC Universal Global Networks
operates 11 entertainment television channels throughout Europe
and Latin America under four distinctive channel brands: SCI FI
(science fiction), 13th Street (action and suspense), Studio
Universal (24-hour movies), and Universal Channel (crime and
investigation). In addition to these channels, which have
become leading pay services in their individual markets, NBC
Universal Global Networks recently launched in Germany Das
Vierte, the company's first free-TV channel outside the United
States. Collectively, these networks reach over 70 million
households across 40 countries. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Mark
Terry VP, Production, SpaceWorks Entertainment Inc. and Brand
Manager, Ice Planet Tel: 416-465-5855 ext. 223 Email:
mark@spaceworks.tv
