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Past Community Futures' Client Publishes Book on Business

HMMCIM Front Cover in 3D low res

"In 1993, I brought a new franchise to the Okanagan with the support of CDFC.  That business is still operating today, as are several others that I have developed over the past 22 years. I respect the CDFC organization and am grateful for the support offered by the organization and the staff.”

Tim Young, Author of How Much Money Can I Make?  Proven Strategies for Starting, Managing and Exiting a Canadian Small Business www.howmuchmoneycanimake.com

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Youth Mean Business Program Extended

Youth Mean Business Program Extended ... Again

Community Futures Central Okanagan delivers a youth entrepreneurship program entitled Youth Mean Business since August 2011. The pilot program period has recently been extended to June 19 for new applications. The new objective for July 1, 2015 - September 30, 2015 will be to help 2 aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their own business. Competition for the program is strong so it is important to get involved quickly to avoid being left out.

The YMB Program has been very successful and has assisted over 50 youth prepare for their business launch. The program is targeted at unemployed youth aged 18-29 who are not Employment Insurance (EI) eligible and have not had an EI claim for the past three years (5 years if maternity claim). Those that are accepted into the program can expect:

  • Financial support of up to $5,000 for agreed upon living supports, targeted support such as daycare or bus pass, seed business funding, training grants and a $500 completion bonus upon successful completion of the program
  • Support for completing the application to the program including participation in a 1 day Assess Youth Business Idea workshop
  • A personal interview to review applications
  • Support in developing a participation plan
  • Ongoing one on one counseling support to assist in developing a business plan
  • Group instruction to assist with preliminary business examination and detailed business planning
  • Mentorship and business introductions
  • Additional specialized business training where appropriate
  • Assistance to complete business plan and/or business examination
  • A resource centre to conduct research and development
  • Committee review final business plan
  • Recommendations regarding start-up, action plan and implementation including seed funding, education grants and access to financing
  • The full program is expected to take 3 months depending on how quickly the participant can complete their business plan

Next steps

  1. Participants register and attend the Assess Your Business Idea Workshop.
  2. Complete Youth Mean Business application based on results of the assessment workshop.
  3. Submit Youth Mean Business applications and schedule an interview
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Okanagan Young Professionals Collective Earns Provincial Community Project Award

KELOWNA CMA, BC – The Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission (COEDC) is the proud recipient of the Community Project of the Year Award from the British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) for its Okanagan Young Professionals (OYP) Collective program.  The award was presented at the BCEDA’s annual Economic Summit in Vancouver on April 28, 2015.

Established in February 2012, the OYP Collective, the first program of its kind facilitated by an Economic Development Organization in Canada, has become the collective umbrella that fosters and supports the existing community groups by opening the lines of communication, helping cross-pollinate memberships, as well as hosting its own outstanding events and activities, all with a focus and shared vision of creating a dynamic, vibrant and engaged culture that attracts and retains talented professionals in their 20’s and 30’s to the Okanagan Region.

The OYP has gained significant traction over the last three years:

  • To date the OYP has raised over $260,000 in funds and services for non-profits and charities.
  • Over 3000 volunteer hours of business service valued at $150,000 (accounting, web development, business planning, HR, etc.) have been provided to local not-for-profit agencies.
  • Social media reach has increased exponentially to 1019 followers on Twitter, 1162 likes on Facebook, 660 monthly website visitors, and 455 newsletter subscribers with a weekly reach of up to 1500.

The Community Project Award recognizes a community or regional partnership that demonstrates ongoing economic development work and activities.  Criteria for submissions include the extent of economic impact on the community; the development of strong relationships among participants; innovation, originality, cost effectiveness and relevance and transferability to other communities.  

To learn more about the OYP Collective visit www.investkelowna.com/our-programs  and www.oypcollective.com

For questions or more information please contact:

Corie Griffiths

Manager, Economic Development Commission

Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission

Regional District of Central Okanagan

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

250-469-6280  

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Academy Award®-Winning Digital Production Studio Joins Forces with 360° Immersive Technology Provider to Create Cutting-Edge Interactive Experiences

April 02, 2015 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Digital Domain Holdings Limited and Immersive Media have entered into a joint venture to create IM360, a partnership that brings together their industry-leading expertise to create ground breaking immersive entertainment. Digital Domain Holdings Limited is the parent company of Visual Effects studio Digital Domain, the creative force behind some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including “Iron Man 3,” the Transformers trilogy, “Maleficent,” the X-Men franchise and “Titanic.” Immersive Media creates fully immersive video experiences for companies like Disney ABC, American Express, Converse, Turner Broadcasting and Mountain Dew. With the new partnership, the two companies will change the landscape of visual content creation. The partnership immediately provides groundbreaking client-side applications and collectively the studios will pursue opportunities on the forefront of immersive video and virtual reality programming.

“New visual experiences are exploding across the world, impacting advertising, television, film and gaming, and Immersive Media have been at the forefront for years,” said Daniel Seah, Chairman and CEO, Digital Domain Holdings Limited. “To drive the content revolution, it’s crucial for us and our partners to be ahead of the curve. Immersive Media shares our vision of innovation, and this joint venture allows us to combine our unique complementary strengths.”

An Academy Award®-winning visual effects house with more than 20 years of experience in the motion picture industry, Digital Domain has lent its artistry to thousands of commercial, video game and music video productions. Digital Domain facilities include the state-of-the-art virtual production studio responsible for the Virtual 2Pac that debuted at the Coachella Music Festival. More recently at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier exhibition, Digital Domain’s work on the first photo-realistic, fully CGI rendered, 3D virtual reality film “Evolution of Verse,” debuted, which is also available for download via iOS and Android. With the Immersive Media partnership, Digital Domain looks to expand beyond computer-generated films into live action VR filmmaking.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the talented people at Digital Domain,” said Myles McGovern, President and CEO, Immersive Media. “It’s an exciting time for virtual reality and Immersive’s IP is essential in the growing VR space. The combination of these innovative companies will make immediate impact on the rapidly changing world of VR entertainment.”

Immersive Media recently launched a 360° virtual reality solution that includes a playback application, distribution network and content for head-mounted displays. The company also created the imLIVE platform which allows for the capture, production, stitching and publishing of virtual reality and high-resolution spherical video content, available on-demand or streamed live to mobile devices, VR headsets, broadcast and the web. Immersive Media technology was used in the acclaimed Taylor Swift Blank Space interactive music experience as well as CONAN360, which lets fans enjoy Conan O’Brien’s comedy show in 360 degrees.

About Digital Domain

Founded in 1993, Digital Domain (“original Digital Domain”) delivered innovative visuals for more than 100 movies including “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Iron Man 3,” “TRON: Legacy” and “Titanic.” Its artists earned multiple Academy Awards®. A creative driving force in media applications, original Digital Domain brought its artistry to thousands of commercial, video game and music video productions. The original Digital Domain also created digital humans for concert performances and co-produced the feature film “Ender’s Game.” From facilities in California and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, including its own state-of-the-art virtual production studio, the Digital Domain 3.0 Group (consisting of Digital Domain 3.0, Inc., Digital Domain Productions 3.0 (BC), Ltd. and Mothership Media, Inc.) enables the creation of extraordinary visual images in traditional entertainment and advertising.

Visit Digital Domain on the web at www.digitaldomain.com

About Immersive Media

Immersive Media is the pioneer and leading provider of 360°, full-motion, interactive video experiences. Immersive Media’s patented imLive Platform and full production services create high-resolution, immersive video for a variety of applications, delivered on mobile, desktop, broadcast, Oculus Rift and Gear VR. From branding and entertainment to mapping and defense, Immersive Media customers and agents produce the deepest, most engaging video experiences possible.

Visit Immersive Media on the web at www.immersivemedia.com

About Digital Domain Holdings Limited

Digital Domain Holdings Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 547). Digital Domain Holdings is a diversified investment holding company with its operating and investment businesses spanning Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Mainland China and other countries, encompassing such businesses as media entertainment, visual effects production, co-production of movies, property investment, trading, etc.

On 4 July 2013, the Group acquired Digital Domain 3.0 Group comprising Digital Domain 3.0, Inc., Digital Domain Productions 3.0 (BC), Ltd., and Mothership Media, Inc. Digital Domain 3.0 Group has a history of about 20 years and has manifested itself as the leading digital production company. As one of the biggest VFX service providers in the US media industry, it is mainly engaged in the production of VFX, animations and movies.

The Group will continuously explore business opportunities in our new domain of business, and will pursue other strategic investments, to create benefits for its shareholders and investors and to develop more business opportunities with greater potential.

Visit Digital Domain Holdings Limited on the web at http://www.ddhl.com/

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Catalyst For Growth Conference

catalyst for growth logo                                 womens enterprise centre logo

Have your say and learn how to feel like the bright capable person that others think you are!

We’re pleased to promote Women’s Enterprise Centre on an exciting and collaborative event to provide dialogue, celebration and inspiration. Following on from the highly successful BC Economic Forum held in Vancouver in October 2014, the Catalyst for Growth Event in Kelowna combines a lively working forum, a networking lunch and world-renowned expert on overcoming the Impostor Syndrome, Dr. Valerie Young. We are bringing together community voices for economic growth and to equip business leaders with the skills to step up and be more effective.

The Kelowna Catalyst for Growth Event is on May 22, 2015. Women and men are welcome - join us to help advance the conversation into action strategies for growth! Seating is limited. Register today or learn more at www.catalystforgrowth.ca

Catalyst for Growth Event Details:

May 22, 2015

8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Capri Hotel – Main Ballroom
General public: $79 (before May 1) | $99 (after May 1)
Tickets: Catalystforgrowth.ca/Register
Full url: http://www.catalystforgrowth.ca
Short url: Catalyst4Growth.ca

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Kelowna CEO a 'catalyst'

Original article by Castanet Story: 137459 - Apr 13, 2015 / 1:14 pm

Laurel Douglas, CEO of the Kelowna Women’s Enterprise Centre, was recognized by the Vancouver Board of Trade with the inaugural Wendy McDonald Award.

The award was given in the community catalyst category and presented April 8 in Vancouver.  

The awards were created in memory of the former president of BC Bearings Engineers Ltd. A force in Canadian business and a pioneer for women in leadership, McDonald left an impression on the board when she became its first female chair in 1990.

Douglas was chosen as the recipient based on her work through the Women's Enterprise Centre during the past 10 years. She and her team have assisted thousands of women entrepreneurs to start, grow and succeed in their business.  

A non-profit organization funded in part by Western Economic Diversification Canada, Women’s Enterprise Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015. Since Douglas joined as CEO in 2004, it has provided business loans and leveraged financing of more than $45.7 million to business owners in B.C. and has helped create or maintain more than 2,000 jobs.

“Under the strong leadership of Ms. Douglas, the Women’s Enterprise Centre has successfully become the leading business resource centre for women who are, or are considering, starting, purchasing or growing a small business in B.C.,” said Michelle Rempel, minister of state for Western Economic Diversification.   

Douglas is the only person from outside the Lower Mainland to be recognized with a Wendy McDonald award so far.

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Community Futures Central Okanagan Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Community Futures Development Corporation of Central Okanagan (CFDCCO) is pleased to announce that 2015 is the organization's 25th Anniversary. During the past 25 years, volunteers, staff, contractors, partners and clients of Community Futures have helped to shape Central Okanagan community development. "2015 will be a celebration of this success", states Barbra Johnston, Chairperson for CFDCCO, herself a client of Community Futures back in 1992. "Without early support from Community Futures, I am sure I would not be in business today and employing 80 people at Natures Formulae Health Products Inc." "Volunteering and leading CFDCCO is my way of giving back to the community that helped me to be successful" explains Barbra. "I look forward to hearing more testimonials from some of the thousands of people that CFDCCO has helped to start and grow their businesses".

During 2015, CFDCCO is planning to profile and publicize some of the clients from the past 25 years. If you would like to share your Community Futures stories with us, please contact our General Manager, Larry Widmer at 250-868-2132 ext. 223 or by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A Golf Tournament in September is also being planned for all of those interested in a fun afternoon and party to follow so look forward to hearing more details in the coming months.

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