Members of our production and recruitment team descended on Ottawa this year to represent Brown Bag Films at the 2023 Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF). Every year, Ottawa is transformed into the center of the animation universe thanks to the annual event that features five days of the world’s most cutting-edge, quirky and important animation. OIAF also brings together art and industry together in a vibrant hub, attracting artists, producers, students, and animation fans from around the world. 

This year’s festival ran from September 20 – 24, 2023, at a variety of locations across the city of Ottawa, including the ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Club SAW, Strathcona Park, the National Arts Centre, Château Laurier, and the Ottawa Art Gallery. 

Our Brown Bag Films Toronto Creative Director, Cory Bobiak participted in one of The Animation Conference (TAC) panels that took place on Thursday, September 21, titled 'Putting the AI in Animation'. Moderated by Kidscreen’s Ryan Tuchow, the session dove into how studios are using AI or exploring the options. The panelists discussed their initiatives and weighed in on the benefits and risks, and what to expect in the near and distant future. The Animation Conference (TAC) is OIAF’s animation business forum, designed for professionals in content creation, development, production, distribution and marketing. TAC brings together key players in North America and international markets and provides a forum for active networking, practical information exchange, and trade in a comfortable and intimate environment. This year’s TAC ran from September 20 –23, alongside the OIAF, and provides an opportunity for festival goes to get access to some of the world’s best talent in animation. 

Shout out to VP of Development and Production, Karen Fowler, from our 9 Story Media Group family, who also took part in a TAC panel on Wednesday, September 20. 'Co-production: Creating a Common Culture' was a vibrant session that featured several experienced co-producers, including Karen, who shared their best practices for good communication and creative collaboration during a co-pro. The panelists also dug into what to keep in mind to avoid co-pro roadblocks and reflected on pros, cons and the future of co-production in animation.

Finally, our Brown Bag Films recruitment experts and key members of our Production Leadership Team were on site at the Animation Exposé held in the National Arts Centre, on Saturday, September 23. Presented by OIAF, the Exposé, is a one-day series of events curated to enhance festival-goers experience and understanding of the world of animation. While some programming is geared toward the animation industry, the Artist Talks, recruiting opportunities, and sketching activities are all interesting to anyone looking to learn what’s new in animation, meet inspiring creators, find a way to study animation, or even connect with their dream job at a leading studio. Our recruitment specialists were on hand at the event to share tips and feedback on portfolios, and share with Exposé goes more about life at Brown Bag Films, and of course pass out some awesome BBF swag. Our entire team would like to extend a big thank you to the event organizers and all the talented individuals who took the time to visit our booth at this year’s Animation Exposé. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with our vibrant and creative community and were impressed by the diverse range of skills and passion for animation that everyone brought to our interactions. 

To learn more about Animation Expose, TAC and all the many other wonderful happenings that took place at this year's festival, visit the Ottawa International Animation Festival website here.