Nominations span a record 20 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, The Philippines, and The United Kingdom, The competition has three rounds of judging over a period of 6 months, with participation from over 800 judges in 67 different countries.

“The International Emmy® Awards is a tough competition with over 1000 entries from 61 countries, this year.” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “The number and range of countries represented by this year’s nominees is astonishing and a testament to the growing strength and skill of television production around the world.”

In addition to the presentation of the International Emmy® Awards for programming and performances, The Academy will present two special awards. Veteran British producer Nigel Lythgoe, Co-creator and Executive Producer of So You Think You Can Dance & Executive Producer of American Idol, is set to receive the 2011 International Emmy® Founders Award. Subhash Chandra, Chairman Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, will receive the 2011 International Emmy® Directorate Award.

"I don't think that fan cult and fan culture is new. I think what we're seeing is how it unfolds and how it manifests in real time." - Photo by Dominic Schaefer

If there’s one thing Catherine Warren has learned from her media career, it’s how powerful an audience can be.

It’s what convinced her 10 years ago to launch FanTrust Entertainment Strategies, through which she has helped broadcasters, game companies and TV and film producers around the world to use digital media to build fan bases and drive revenue.

“The audience used to be looked at as an amorphous group,” said Warren. “They were not looked at as a community or as individuals who could provide things like viral marketing and context.”

FanTrust [Warren] has helped everyone from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to British Columbia Lottery Corp. expand their fan bases using the web and other communication channels.

When Nokia and Orange Telecom France formed a strategic alliance to increase video game use on their mobile products, they called on FanTrust to build game developer momentum for the alliance.

When the Public Broadcasting Service’s KCTS station wanted to penetrate the Canadian market, it turned to FanTrust [Warren] for the initiative’s finance and business strategy.

Warren’s reputation and roles in the media world continue to grow thanks to her ability to bring together the right content, communications channels and partners to build fan-base passion.

Among her loftiest roles is jury chairwoman for the experimental stream of the newly created Canadian Media Fund. The $27 million fund supports high-risk interactive digital media content and application creators.

During the stream’s first round of funding in October, 27 projects were approved for a total of $12.9 million.

Lynda Brown-Ganzert, another Vancouver-based digital media mover-and-shaker, who also sits on the experimental stream’s board [jury], describes Warren as a great synthesizer.

“Catherine has the ability to take things in what can be a pretty confusing space and link them together,” said Brown-Ganzert. “She’ll look at what’s happening around the world – different trends, emerging technology platforms and human behaviour – and she’ll weave it all together into a well-thought-out strategy.”

Warren is a jury member for both the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Emmy Awards, and the Rose d’Or, a European festival that recognizes quality television.

She has been a board member of the $18 million Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund for 10 years and is the fund’s communications chairwoman.

In September 2009, Warren was appointed to the board of the United Nations’ World Summit Award for New Media, which promotes digital content and information and communication technology applications that can improve lives.

More than 20,000 applications from 157 countries were included in the 2009 awards competition.

Excerpt from Curt Cherewayko’s article in the January 11-17, 2011 issue of Business in Vancouver.

Click here for the full article.

In the Interactive Fiction category, the recently completed Star Wars Uncut beat outDexter‘s extended digital experience and the Glee Coinicident.TV player for the award. Created by Casey Pugh, Star Wars Uncut was the only independent web production nominated this year.

Excerpt from NewTeeVee. Read the full article here.

The nominees for the Emmy Award for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Fiction are:

Photo courtesy of The International Emmy Awards

PARIS/NEW YORK, March 22,  2010  – Jason Priestley, best known for his role as Brandon Walsh on the hit series Beverly Hills 90210, will host The International Digital Emmy Awards on Monday,  April 12, at MIPTV in Cannes it was announced by The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The event will recognize excellence in the areas of Digital Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s and other content categories for cross-platform programming.

The International Digital Emmy® Awards 2010 are sponsored by Nokia and Ooyala.

Read the full press release

As in years past, the awards will gather over 200 professionals across the entertainment, mobile and Internet industries. Catherine Warren, FanTrust President and Academy member, will join other digital luminaries at the invitation-only ceremony.

“We are very pleased to be recognizing these nominees for their outstanding achievements in producing content specifically designed for delivery on a digital platform,” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy. “Digital programming is now a significant option for audiences around the world seeking out content.”

In addition to the presentation of the International Digital Emmy® Awards for Children & Young People, Fiction and Non-Fiction. The International Academy will present a special award – the Pioneer Prize, which is not an Emmy® but rather a special initiative from the Academy which honors an industry personality or organization. “The Pioneer Prize will be presented to Nokia, Inc. for its innovative contributions to the field of digital television and video broadcasting on a mobile device,” added Paisner.

Niklas Savander, Member of the Nokia Group Executive Board and EVP, Nokia Services will accept on behalf of the company.

“We are delighted to accept this prestigious award. As consumers’ digital consumption habits are increasingly going mobile, Nokia and the mobility industry at large is excited by the business opportunity it presents for us together with our content partners,” commented Niklas Savander. “Services like the groundbreaking Comes With Music service and the Ovi Store media distribution network are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in mobile entertainment.”

Read full press release

NEW YORK, September 17, 2008 — Global media leaders joined TV Globo, Sony and The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Brazil last week for International Academy Day in Rio, a three-day networking event inaugurated by Brazil’s President, Lula Da Silva.

In his welcoming speech, the President acknowledged the importance of democracy in media and the growing force with which television contributes to a national culture. He also talked about how many International Emmy nominations Brazil had received the last three years and expressed a hope there would be more.

“There is no better place than Brazil to define the interplay of culture and media,” said FanTrust President Catherine Warren, an international Emmy Award judge and Academy member. In a population of about 200 million, 7 out of 10 watch the nightly news on TV Globo, which broadcasts to a Super Bowl-sized audience 365 days of the year. “This kind of mass media leadership set the stage for our unparalleled global networking event, which united executives from companies as diverse as Hearst, Microsoft, MTV and HBO around deal-making in new markets, digital media and media for social change,” said Warren.

The opening dinner was held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and officially launched the first Academy Day held in South America with speeches from the President, the Governor of Rio, Sergio Cabral, the President of TV Globo, Roberto Irineu Marinho and the President & CEO of the International Academy, Bruce L. Paisner. Hosted by Brazil’s TV Globo, the largest network in South America and one of the leading producers of content in the world, participants included International Academy Members, other executives from media around the world and government leaders.

“Over the last few years, The International Academy has grown in stature to become a representative of the world’s media interests and a place to learn and understand,” said Paisner. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the world’s largest organization of global broadcasters and presents the International Emmy® Awards.

In addition to the President of Brazil’s address, program highlights of the three-day event included keynote speeches and panels hosted at Globo’s production center, a behind-the-scenes telenovela shoot at the broadcaster’s studio back lot as well as a visit to the Globo-sponsored Child Hope Center, Rio’s inner-city education project for underprivileged kids.

This was the third International Academy Day to be organized by the International Academy after Mexico City in 2005 and Beijing in 2006.

PDF version of press release

Below: Bruce Paisner (International Academy President & CEO), Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva (President of Brazil) and Roberto Irineu Marinho (President, Globo Group of Companies)

New York/Vancouver – March 31, 2008 – The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has elected FanTrust Entertainment Strategies President Catherine Warren to its membership. Catherine joins the world’s leading television and media decision-makers in promoting new strategies for the future development of quality global television programming, including interactive productions and broadcasting.

“The Academy is a catalyst for entertainment evolution and excellence and continues to set the bar for things like interactive television and digital media,” said Catherine, whose management consultancy FanTrust provides strategic advice to entertainment companies on digital financing, revenues, productions and audiences. “Joining this illustrious group of colleagues also offers unparalleled business relationships and intelligence for FanTrust and our clients on a global scale.”

In recent years, Catherine has also served as an international judge for the Interactive Emmy® Awards. Presented annually in Cannes, France, these Awards recognize outstanding achievements in interactive television, broadband, mobile and new media.

“Canada is world-class when it comes to digital entertainment and so I am particularly honoured to be counted among the Academy’s Canadian members,” she said. Three out of the four 2007 International Interactive Emmy® Awards went to Canadian digital media, a sector which is thriving in large part due to significant financing from the Bell Broadcast & New Media Fund, where Catherine has served on the Board for eight years.

About The International Academy

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with over 550 members from nearly 70 countries and over 400 companies. The Academy is a unique, independent organization comprised of the world’s leading television and media decision-makers who come together to exchange ideas, discuss common issues and promote new strategies for the future development of quality global television programming. The Academy organizes yearly, a series of events for its members and their guests which include board meetings, panels and presentations. The International Emmy® World Television Festival which traditionally takes place the weekend before the International Emmy® Awards Gala, features unique screenings, panels and presentations from around the world. The International Emmy® Awards Gala, held each November in New York City attracts over 1,000 international figures in broadcast, entertainment and media. www.iemmys.tv.

About FanTrust Entertainment Strategies

FanTrust provides broadcasters, TV & film producers, game companies and entertainment brands with strategies and tactics for digital media growth, including raising capital, distribution deal-making, revenue generation and cross-platform production and partnerships. FanTrust also helps technology distribution companies to package and provision for the media and entertainment industries. In essence, FanTrust serves as digital matchmakers, helping bridge different media and build innovative companies and IP. With a laser focus on the Fans, FanTrust helps clients capitalize on the digital audiences and committed consumers that interact with multi-platform content. www.FanTrust.com

About Catherine Warren

Founder and president of FanTrust Entertainment Strategies, Catherine Warren is a management consultant to the broadcast and digital media industry. Her work has influenced Fortune 500 clients, television and film producers, game companies, animation studios and telcos, providing them with new ways to captivate audiences, build revenues, secure funding and capitalize on innovation. Working in the United States, the United Kingdom, Western Europe and Canada for more than two decades, Catherine has published 25 books and magazine series for adults and children on science and computing as well as produced numerous award-winning Web sites and interactive broadcasts, including ORCA FM, the world’s first all-whales/all-the-time radio station (the original “pod”cast!) and the Gemini Award-winning CTVNews.com. A board member of the national the Bell Broadcast & New Media Fund since 2000, Catherine’s leadership includes identifying the winning concepts for broadcasting and awarding significant financing for TV programming, with $50 million invested to date in multimedia. She is also a new Board Member of the United Way Lower Mainland, Canada, elected June 2007. Catherine has a degree in physics from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she broke the story of multimedia on location
at M.I.T.

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To set up a media interview or for more information, please contact:
Brandi Sundby
FanTrust Entertainment Strategies Consultant
Tel: 778-896-0570 (Pacific Time Zone)
bsundby@fantrust.com