July 4, 2016 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), today announced the appointment of René Bourdages as the NFB’s Director General, Creation and Innovation. Mr. Bourdages will take up his position on September 1, 2016.
His chief mandate will be to ensure that the NFB’s leadership in creativity remains a national and international benchmark. He will be overseeing the interactive studios in Vancouver and Montreal and both English Program and French Program (animation and documentary), in line with the specific objectives of each.
According to Mr. Joli-Coeur: “With daring and creativity comes risk. And to continue to be a leader in creativity and innovation, the NFB must keep on doing what it has always done: reinvent itself while at the same time remaining relevant to its audiences. With over 30 years’ experience in the audiovisual industry, both nationally and internationally, René has the daring and the experience to push our creative teams even farther and inspire a long-term vision of programming that will encourage synergies in the development of innovative projects.”
Mr. Bourdages added: “I’m delighted with the idea of contributing to the NFB’s leadership by heading up the creativity and innovation of one of the greatest A/V content labs in the world. The NFB must continue to be an exceptional showcase for our vitality and cultural diversity. Our organization must find new ways to amaze, move and touch people from every walk of life. Our teams must shine a light on stories that deserve to be told, on subjects that resonate with people both here in Canada and around the world. It’s a huge challenge that I plan to take up with great pride and humility, with the help of the artists and artisans of our 11 studios across the country and our many current and future partners.”
Mr. Bourdages’s career has seen him occupy highly strategic roles in major private and public media groups, including TVA/Quebecor, where he was Executive Vice-President, Broadcasting and Operations, Astral Media, where he held the position of Executive Vice-President of Programming, Sales and Marketing, and CBC/Radio-Canada, where he was President of the Merchandising Division.
He founded ELEVADO Media, a consulting firm advising fund managers and production companies regarding their investments in development, funding and strategic planning in North America. He is the author of the first book for investors on the funding of independent feature-length films (Investing in Films: The 12.5 Secrets Elite Investors Keep for Themselves), and he also executive produced the documentary Fukushima: A Nuclear Story (2015).
Familiar with the world of production, programming and innovation, he has been a speaker and moderator for years, at events such as the World Animation & VFX Summit, Digital Hollywood, the New York Media Summit and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). His key areas of interest are innovation and new trends in the audiovisual industry. In February 2016, he completed a study for the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec on the potential for setting up a centre of excellence for augmented and virtual reality.
Mr. Bourdages holds a Business and Management of Entertainment Certificate from UCLA and a certificate in corporate governance from Université Laval in Quebec City. He has been named to Canada’s Top 40 under 40 list.
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