28 May 2004

BAFTA LAUNCHES NEW TALENT AWARD

EIGF04 is delighted to announce the support of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for this year’s festival with the launch of the first ever BAFTA New Talent Award, recognising notable creative innovation, technical excellence and production achievements on an individual basis in the field of interactive entertainment.

The award, set to be presented by industry veteran Chris Deering, president of Sony Europe and chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, is designed to recognise and reward key emerging talent, distinction and originality in the creative sectors of interactive entertainment from game designers to animators to composers and sound designers. It aims to encourage the pursuit of excellence and applauds outstanding contributions by an individual who has been working in the industry for three years or less. It will be chaired by the current BAFTA Interactive Committee Chair, Grant Dean, together with EIGF representative Tamsin Aspinall, alongside a jury of six respected figures from the games industry.

Greg Ingham, chairman of EIGF04 and chief executive of Future Network plc said: “We started the Edinburgh International Games Festival to celebrate the cultural contribution of interactive entertainment, and to recognise the wealth of talent and creativity within our industry. We are thrilled that the British Academy has chosen EIGF04 as the forum for its first ever New Talent Award.”

Duncan Best, awards officer: interactive & games of BAFTA said: “This year’s Festival line-up is very exciting, the British Academy is very pleased to be involved with EIGF in promoting and rewarding new talent within the UK games industry.”

Grant Dean, chairman of the BAFTA Interactive Committee commented: “The British Academy has a rich history going back almost 60 years, and this new award highlights the British Academy's continuing mission to recognise and celebrate excellence in an industry that continues to push the boundaries of innovation, technology and design. The BAFTA Interactive New Talent Award will provide a showcase for outstanding talent in the making of handheld, PC and video games."

Chris Deering, president of Sony Europe and chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe commented: “I will be presenting this award not on behalf of a corporation, but as an individual who has worked in this industry for many years. On a personal level, I feel it is imperative to credit the individuals who will drive our industry forward into the future, to foster the next generation of creators and innovators, and therefore am delighted to take part.”

For further information and to book your place at EIGF04:
Please visit www.eigf.co.uk for more details. Your delegate pass entitles you to access all conference sessions, after show party, *Go Play Games and *Game Screenings.
*Dependant upon availability

MEDIA:
For further information on EIGF04 or to arrange interviews, please contact:

DEBORAH COSTER / EMMA COWIE
BARRINGTON HARVEY
Tel: 01462 456780
Fax: 01462 456781
Email: debi.coster@bhpr.co.uk / emma.cowie@bhpr.co.uk
Issued by: Barrington Harvey, Trooper’s Yard, Bancroft, Hitchin SG5 1JW


EDITORS NOTES

About EIGF04:
The art, form and business of interactive entertainment driving popular culture
EIGF04 (Edinburgh International Games Festival), running in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2004, will continue to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment highlighting the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries notably music, literature, television and film. Managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the business, including publishers, developers and two industry trade bodies; The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) the EIGF is financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and by sponsorship from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment.

About BAFTA:
The British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) is the UK's leading organisation dedicated to the promotion of excellence in the film, television and interactive industries. BAFTA is a membership organisation with over 6,000 members from within its represented industries.
Renowned for its high-profile Awards ceremonies, the prestigious BAFTA mask has long been seen as a symbol of excellence. Six major awards ceremonies are staged by BAFTA annually: Film, Television, Television Craft, Children’s film and television, Interactive and Games.


About Chris Deering:
Chris Deering is president of Sony Europe as well as chairman and CEO for SCEE. He graduated from Boston College with a Degree in Computer Science before moving on to gain an MBA in Marketing from Harvard Business School. From his early days at Gillette, Chris’ first experience in gaming was as vice president of international marketing (hardware and software) at Atari from 1982-1984. He then moved on to Spinnaker Software in Boston where he was vice president international. In 1985 he took his expertise to the video industry as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Columbia Pictures International Video Division in New York City for five years, followed by a four-year period as executive vice president and COO of Columbia Tristar International Video. It was during this time that Columbia became Sony Pictures. He became president of SCEE in 1995, and managed the introduction of PlayStation into Europe and its subsequent sales growth to reach the number one market position.
Effective April 2004, he assumed the role of chairman and CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. In addition to this he was promoted to president of Sony Europe, bringing his knowledge and experience to Sony's European electronics businesses.

back