TORONTO – Corus Entertainment Inc., Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) and The Banff Centre proudly announced today the 20 participants of the first Corus / CWC New Media Career Accelerator Program.

"We're very proud to be the sponsor of this exciting new Career Accelerator program," said Corus Entertainment President and CEO, John Cassaday. "Corus Entertainment has always had a strong commitment to advancing women in the workplace and supporting our employees in their professional growth. The New Media Career Accelerator Program will open up new doors and opportunities for the participants."
 

The Corus / CWC New Media Career Accelerator Program is an intensive six-day executive training program, funded by Corus Entertainment Inc. and offered in conjunction with the prestigious Banff Centre. It’s a challenging, leading edge course that will take participants through the technology, terminology, possibilities and power of new media under the direction of some of North America’s most-respected media experts and provide them with the insights and strategies they need to manage new media aspects of their job.

"Despite the leading role that many women play within the communications and broadcast industries in Canada, there are still too few women leading in new media content, technology and corporate development," said Sara Diamond, Executive Producer for Television and New Media and the Artistic Director of Media and Visual Arts, the Banff Centre. "We hope to change this! This program offers a sound grounding in new media content development and producing. For example, we will discuss interactive games, convergence content and business processes, legal strategies and trends. This is an opportunity for these women to network and support each other."

"Canadian Women in Communications is pleased to be working with Corus on this initiative", said CWC President, Stephanie MacKendrick. "This program will provide participants with the insights and training needed to plan and implement new media strategies. We have a successful track record in Career Accelerator programs for women, and this program will open exciting new doors for professional women in our indystry."

The 2001 Corus / CWC New Media Career Accelerator Program Participants are:

Corus Entertainment is one of Canada’s leading entertainment companies with 49 radio stations, specialty, pay, conventional and digital television services, and Nelvana Limited, an international producer and distributor of children’s programming and products. Corus is also prominent in the digital music market and various advertising service companies. A publicly company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) Exchanges.

Canadian Women in Communications is a national, bilingual not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the converging communications industry including radio, television and specialty broadcasting, telecommunications, cable, print, film & video, the Internet, new media and allied fields. CWC has over 1,500 members in 12 chapters across the country.

The Banff New Media Institute fosters artistic talent through its format of workshops and seminars, with an emphasis on collaboration between technological experts and artists from Canada and abroad. The Banff New Media Institute is part of The Banff Centre.

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