OTTAWA, January 26, 2018—The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) today announced that the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, will return to the 2018 edition of Prime Time in Ottawa. The Minister will join Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO of the CMPA, for an in-depth conversation on the state of the Canadian screen-based industries. The conference runs January 31 to February 2, 2018 at The Westin Ottawa.

“Canadians are fiercely proud of our creators and creative industry professionals,” said Minister Joly. “I am delighted to join industry leaders here at Prime Time to discuss how we can ensure that our screen-based industries continue to succeed at home and around the world. Through Creative Canada, the first-ever federal strategy to grow Canada’s creative industries, our government will support our artists and creators in doing what they do best: telling our stories and bringing our culture to life.”

This will mark the third time Minister Joly attends Prime Time in Ottawa. Since its inception more than two decades ago, the yearly conference has established itself as a staple event for business executives, innovators and thought leaders from across the film, TV and digital industries.

“We are honoured that Minister Joly has once again accepted our invitation to join us for a conversation about the implementation of her vision for the Canadian screen-based industries,” said Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO, CMPA. “During this time of intense change for our cultural landscape, the Minister’s voice and leadership have proven vital to the collective success of our sector.”

-30-

ABOUT PRIME TIME IN OTTAWA
The CMPA’s Prime Time in Ottawa conference is a national networking event for some 600 of Canada’s most prominent business leaders from the television, interactive media, feature film, broadcasting and telecommunications industries.  primetimeinottawa.ca

ABOUT THE CMPA
The Canadian Media Producers Association is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels. We work to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and to ensure a bright future for the diverse content made by our members for both domestic and international audiences. cmpa.ca

For more information:

Kyle O’Byrne
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
kyle.obyrne@cmpa.ca