NEWS & UPDATES

BANFF AND PARAMOUNT+ IN CANADA ANNOUNCE 25 WOMEN-OWNED PRODUCTION COMPANIES TAKING PART IN THE 2025 BANFF SPARK: PRODUCERS EDITION PROGRAM

Toronto, September 9, 2024 - The Banff World Media Festival with partner Paramount+ in Canada is pleased to announce the 25 participants of the 2025 BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media: Producers Edition, who will be attending the 46th edition of the Festival on June 8-11, 2025.

BANFF Spark, a first-of-its-kind program, and originally launched in 2019, has already generated positive career growth for more than 200 women participants by helping them form strategic partnerships, hone their business skills, and grow their foothold in the global entertainment industry.

This edition of the program will provide participants with business guidance and a gateway to the Canadian and global film and television industry through comprehensive virtual workshops, curated meetings as well as travel funding and attendance at the renowned Banff World Media Festival's conference and marketplace.

This year's cohort comprises established producers who have been working in the industry in many cases for decades. Their goal is to scale up, attract partnerships and investment, grow their production slates and chart the path for their company's future success and sustainability. Through the program they will receive international recognition and high-level industry access to help them achieve their mandates.

Programmed through an intersectional lens, BANFF Spark aims to empower all women including women of color, Indigenous women, women with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ women, and non-binary individuals to advance both domestically, and across the global media industry.

"We are thrilled to work with these incredibly talented women. This cohort includes an impressive roster of multiple Canadian and international award-winning producers, and entrepreneurs with high-level production experience. We thank our program partner Paramount+ in Canada for sharing our commitment to strengthen equity in our industry and continuing to support women-owned businesses to scale up and make an even greater impact on the global stage," said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival.

"Paramount+ in Canada is proud to support and invest in the BANFF Spark Program, Producers Edition to continue its legacy of supporting diversity within the production community", said Vanessa Case, Vice President Content, Paramount+, Canada. "Evolution is crucial to our industry. It's not only necessary, but it's in our industry's best interest to find new female voices and provide tangible opportunities and learnings they can use for years to come and pass on to the next generation."

Learn more about the 2025 participants here.

June 11, 2024

THE BANFF WORLD MEDIA FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH PARAMOUNT+ IN CANADA TO REIGNITE BANFF SPARK

BANFF / TORONTO (Tkaronto), June 11, 2024 - The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Paramount+ in Canada to launch the BANFF SPARK Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media: Producers Edition. The program was announced today during the 45th edition of the Banff World Media Festival, taking place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel from June 9-12, 2024.

This national program is open to Canadian women from across the country, and is aimed at working toward gender parity in the media industry by supporting growth, investment, scaling, and sustainability of established and mid-career women-owned media companies. Twenty-five (25) women who own their own production outfits will participate in; a series of customized, virtual sessions covering high-level aspects of business strategy and planning, finance, and marketing best practices; one-on-one concierge meetings with individuals, and curated sessions during the 2025 Banff World Media Festival. They will also benefit from a significant marketing and promotional campaign to help build their business profile in the industry. Participants will receive a 2025 Banff World Media Festival pass, and a travel stipend to offset costs of attending the Festival.

“We applaud our new partner, Paramount+, for their commitment to advancing gender parity in our industry through their support of BANFF Spark. This first-of-its-kind program has already generated positive career growth for more than 200 women participants by helping them form strategic partnerships, hone their business skills, and gain a foothold in the global market. Although progress has been made, we are nowhere near an industry that looks equal for women, and even farther away from one that is equal for racialized women,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival.

“Paramount+ strongly believes that gender equity in Canadian media is imperative to advancing our industry,” said Vanessa Case, VP Content, Paramount+, Canada. “That is why we are proud to partner with the Banff World Media Festival to continue the BANFF Spark Program. We must continue to uplift the incredible women leaders we have and provide opportunities for them to progress to the next level in their careers.”

BANFF Spark provides business guidance, and a gateway to the Canadian and global film and television industry through the renowned Banff World Media Festival's (BANFF) conference and marketplace. Programmed through an intersectional lens, the initiative has a core mission to empower women of color, Indigenous women, women with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ women, and non-binary individuals to advance both domestically, and across the global media industry.

About the Banff World Media Festival:
Now in its 45th year, the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) and the Rockie Awards host one of the most important global conferences and content development marketplaces - gathering of top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. BANFF’s intimate, retreat-style event serves as a leading destination for development, co-production and co-venture partners and offers an unparalleled opportunity for international decision-makers to connect, map the future of the industry, and execute new business deals. Summit Series keynotes, Master Classes and renowned Showrunner Superpanels feature the industry’s most inspiring creative and business leaders and give global profile to the most talked-about shows. The Rockie Awards International Program Competition and Rockies Gala recognize the best content and most influential entertainment industry executives, talent and creators in the world. BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including: the BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, and the Indigenous Screen Summit and Pitch Forum. Together these programs have provided more than 700 opportunities for under-represented professionals in the Canadian media industry.

About Paramount+
This initiative is the sixth partnership Paramount+ in Canada has announced that reinforces its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the past year the company announced a partnership with inkcanada to Connect Emerging Writers with Industry Allies; a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film and the National Screen Institute Partner for the new ELEVATE program; and partnership with both The Shine Network Institute?(TSNI) for the?Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive and with the Pacific Screenwriting Program and the Indigenous Screen Office to Create the Indigenous Screenwriters Lab.

Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, South Korea, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com, and follow @ParamountPlusCA on social media.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Micol Marotti, Manager, Special Programs, Banff World Media Festival 
mmarotti@brunico.com, 416.567.1698

Paramount+ in Canada:
Laura Heath Potter; Laura.HeathPotter@paramount.com