Innovation Initiatives Ontario North

Facilitating Partnerships for Sustainable Economic Prosperity

The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre & IION would like to congratulate:

The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre in conjunction with Innovation Initiatives Ontario North is proud to announce that local film & television industry company, Cinevate Inc., has been selected as the winner of the first IION Pan Northern Innovation Challenge Award.

Selected from a small group of regional qualifiers from around the North, Cinevate is the new poster boy for Northern Ontario based economic development. Not only is their head office located in Thunder Baym but all of their products are built there too. Cinevate has succesfully carved themsleves an innovative global niche based entirely out of their own backyard.

Dennis Wood, President and CEO of Cinevate says, “The company’s mission is to equip filmmakers with the optimal tools to achieve their creative goals. In an address to a group of innovators at the Premier's Catalyst Awards last April, Premier Dalton McGuinty used the word ‘restless’ to describe the mindset of a typical entrepreneur. The feeling pervades everything we do here at Cinevate as we dispense with convention and focus (pun intended) on solving problems for our customers. With the incredible growth in the world of visual media, new technologies are upon us daily. Our success depends on the ability to assess impact, define problems and create solutions rapidly using a team-based approach to both design and manufacturing.”

Cinevate’s work focuses on adapting traditional optical filming equipment to work with newer digital technology. This hybrid of classic meets cutting edge provides filmmakers with extensive cost savings while enhancing both their creative capacity and the final product’s technical quality and visual appeal. The website at

http://www.cinevate.com offers numerous videos produced by customers demonstrating excellent results using Cinevate’s products. That website itself has been a key element in Cinevate’s success at global marketing.

Sincere congratulations should be extended to Stick it to the Man Technologies (SITTM) and Algoma Steel in Sault Saint Marie, Mirarco in Sudbury and JustParts.com in Thunder Bay for qualifying for the final evaluations.