Canadian Film Centre and Mind Pirate Announce the ideaBOOST/Mind Pirate Production Lab; Program Seeks Developer Superstars to Create Games and Apps for Wearable Technology Devices

Potential to be Among the First to Publish Games and Apps for Mobile Wearable Devices with Exciting New Callisto Technology

TORONTO and MENLO PARK, CA, Oct. 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Do you have what it takes to create the next blockbuster game or mobile app? Today the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and wearable technology company, Mind Pirate, announced the companies have partnered to create the ideaBOOST/Mind Pirate Production Lab: a program that will give select developers and/or companies the opportunity to create games and apps for the next consumer mega trend of wearable technology. Select products from the program may be published and brought to market at a future date. Together the program employs the framework of CFC's ideaBOOST accelerator program and the technology, expertise and vision of Mind Pirate.

Up to six U.S. and Canadian developers and/or companies will be selected to participate in a three-month boot camp where they will use their own programming prowess and Mind Pirate's next-generation game platform, Callisto, to create products for mobile wearable devices, like Google Glass.  Callisto does not release publicly to third parties until 2014, making ideaBOOST/Mind Pirate Production Lab program participants among the first in the world to get their hands on this next-generation technology.

"We are thrilled to be providing best of breed developers and/or companies with this unique opportunity. Through our digital entertainment accelerator ideaBOOST, the CFC is at the forefront of taking business mentoring techniques from the lean start-up movement and applying them to the media and entertainment industry. With the ideaBOOST/Mind Pirate Production Lab, we can direct these proven prototype development and lean business acceleration methods towards the creation of wearable technology experiences," said Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer, CFC.

"Having participated in ideaBOOST as a board member, I knew it would be an ideal forum to give developers the opportunity to create exciting, new experiences for the wearable technology megatrend using our Callisto game platform," said Shawn Hardin, Founder & CEO of Mind Pirate.  "Callisto is the only wearable technology game platform on the market; it gives developers the tools to create engaging experiences that merge the virtual and physical worlds. This program is perfect for developers who are ready to take the leap into the next-generation of gaming. We can't wait to see what kind of gaming experiences the ideaBOOST/Mind Pirate Production Lab participants will create!"

Callisto is the market's first and only tightly integrated client-side and server side game-focused platform that supports leading mobile devices with a special emphasis on "wearables" such as smart glass and smart watches. It enables developers to create engaging experiences that merge the virtual and physical worlds through rich applications that take maximum advantage of the native capabilities of the underlying hardware but at the same time preserve a consistent experience across device types. Interested parties can start submitting applications on October 2, 2013 by visiting http://ideaboost.ca/mindpirate. The application deadline is October 22, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. PST. The program will begin November 20, 2013 at the CFC headquarters in Toronto.

About CFC
Celebrating 25 years, CFC accelerates the careers of the brightest talent in film, television, screen acting, music, and digital media. A charitable organization, CFC is committed to promoting and investing in Canada's diverse talent; providing exhibition, financial, and distribution opportunities, and fostering industry collaborations and creative partnerships. CFC makes a significant cultural and economic contribution to Canada by launching the country's most creative ideas and voices to the world.

For more details, visit cfccreates.com

About ideaBOOST

ideaBOOST identifies early stage companies in the media and technology industry that are ready to take advantage of the accelerator process and the relationship building that ideaBOOST believes is essential to become market- or investor-ready in today's competitive media market ecosystem. Through an intensive four-month, part-time prototype development and audience engagement boot camp, ideaBOOST enables participants to build successful products and sustainable companies that stay in Canada and build employment. In addition to breeding entrepreneurs, IdeaBOOST aims to help convert high-potential Canadian digital content ventures into successful businesses and spurs innovation in the Canadian digital media sector. ideaBOOST is a program of the CFC with founding partners Shaw Media, Google and Corus Entertainment. For more information on ideaBOOST, visit www.ideaBOOST.ca.

About MIND PIRATE

Mind Pirate was founded in October 2012, and is based in Menlo Park, CA. The company is backed by leading investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Signia Venture Partners. The company takes full advantage of what is most unique about current smartphones and next-gen mobile computing devices to deliver cutting-edge games and technology. The company is making their technology platform, Callisto, available to third party developers next year.

SOURCE: Canadian Film Centre