Ryerson University Establishes the Innovative Storytellers Award Courtesy of marblemedia and Corus Entertainment
Toronto-based marblemedia and Corus Entertainment Inc. have come together to establish a new educational initiative for Ryerson University’s new Masters of Arts in Media Production program. The Innovative Storytellers Award is a $20,000 contribution over a five year period intended for an outstanding Ryerson University graduate student whose thesis explores how content creators can best use new technologies to connect to audiences.
Through a competitive process conducted by Ryerson University, the Innovative Storytellers Award will be given to an annual recipient for an initial term of five years. Supporting this monetary commitment, marblemedia and Corus Entertainment will offer the recipient up to five one-on-one sessions with key industry stakeholders who will provide the award-winning student with support and feedback to strengthen the overall graduate thesis project. Mentors will be selected from the areas of creative production, broadcasting, technology, legal, and sales and marketing.
“The overall intent of this award is to encourage students to use their studies as an opportunity to envision what the future might hold for Canada’s entertainment industry,” said Mark Bishop, marblemedia Partner, and recipient alongside Partner Matt Hornburg of Ryerson’s Isadore Sharpe Outstanding Recent Graduate Alumni Achievement award.
“Mark and I approached Corus when creating this award because we felt their corporate strategy was aligned with our own philosophy for cross platform storytelling,” said Matt Hornburg, marblemedia Partner who graduated from Ryerson University with Bishop in 1998.
“Corus is committed to fostering new talent within the industry and developing innovative approaches to content delivery in a changing media universe,” said Paul Robertson, President, Television, Corus Entertainment. “Sponsoring this Award is an exciting way for us to discover and support the next wave of broadcast talent.”
The first award will be given in September 2007. The award-winning thesis will also demonstrate that a creative prototype can be delivered on any or multiple platforms and should demonstrate an original model for storytelling. Each project is to be supported with a 10-page business and marketing plan that evaluates the current state of the industry.
“By offering graduate students the opportunity to work with industry experts, the Innovative Storytellers Award provides the kind of unique and experiential learning that Ryerson is recognized for,” said David Tucker, Chair of the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson. “At the same time, it creates a window for new and experienced minds to work together in exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the future of the Canadian media industry.”
For more information about the award, please visit: www.ryerson.ca/fcad/storyteller