Sessions for nextMEDIA in Banff took place over the course of 2 full days at the Banff Springs Hotel. For a complete look at the schedule, check here.
The following are my notes, roughly jotted as things rolled along, on a few of the sessions:

Keynote: Joanne Drake Earl, Current TV

Current is a global television network that gives you, the user, the opportunity to create and influence what airs on TV – citizen journalism participatory news.

• It’s hard to make money on the internet (ain’t that the truth)
• Current TV have a strong online business based on their TV presence – their TV success has fueled and funded their experiments online
• Current TV have asked themselves how to infuse their programming with user generated content and achieve participation on every level for their entire audience
• Two days after the New Orleans catastrophe, Current TV provided coverage before any national networks were on the scene
• Lessons learned: have a participation model, give content providers incentive up front, producers need direction
• Social media can be a healthy business
• Engage with a very active audience – safe, legal, high quality
• Sponsors want to engage and they can organically with their target audience of male 18-34 years, the early adopters and influencers – this audience helps them create and produce quality content that the sponsors will want to purchase
• They Want Your Content!!

Research Report: New Media Business Exploration Study
Earlier this year, the Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Association engaged Kisquared to undertake a landmark study of the new media business model. Vaughn Smith took a look at 5 new media companies in Canada, his take simply being: “I am a small new media company, looking for money”. Here are a few of his thoughts:
(note: He stated that it was extremely difficult to reach companies who were willing to participate in the research)

• Online distribution has changed marketing, sales and distribution models
• When these small companies open their doors for business, they have a limited or zero knowledge about the funding that is available
• There is a communication breakdown between new media companies and the funding associations
• 79% are unaware of private funding
• 38% new media companies have invalid URLs, outdated info, tough to navigate
• 56% projects are cancelled over the last year due to lack of funding
• There must be an improvement on the visibility of the government and private sectors that are currently engaged in new media funding
• Companies should actively pursue reasearch and development funding
• We need to bridge educational and new media associations

The Complexity of Interactive Production, Producing and Profiting From Digital Content in Canada and Abroad
Speakers:
Matthew Hornburg, marblemedia
Charles Zamaria, Bell Fund, Ryerson
David U.K., heavy.com
Sabrina Geremia, Google Canada
Moderator: Michael Kasprow, Trapeze Media

• To grow your audience online, the first step is to find your audience, get your eyeballs
• Monetize the opportunity
• Canada is blessed with having the most progressive broadcasters in the world (a rebuttal to this point was that our broadcasters are not near as aggressive as they could be and that we are far behind)
• It’s important to not be too precious about the protection of your brand online
• The user will play with your brand to a certain extent – be prepared for this. This is not a bad thing, as, ideally, it’s about developing a brand. The more a brand is out there, the better.
• A great example of one of the most successful models to date is marblemedia: they hold the rights to their content, they have the opportunity to exploit the digital and TV realms
• Fact: The Bell Fund cannot provide funding to a digital project unless it has a TV base – how can we change this? LOBBY THE CRTC TO CHANGE
• Is TV dying? There is a weakening, but if anything, the internet moving into the living room is driving and inspiring people to go back to TV (hmmmm…?)
• TV is supplemented by other mediums (internet) – TV is shifting, transforming, evolving
• There is one problem: there is not enough content online for the appetite… (yet)