ELTON AND DALTON 'ROCKET' STARZ ANIMATION TORONTO

The singer and the premier were joined by Starz, LLC, Chairman and CEO Robert B. Clasen, a handful of local VIPs and more than 50 members of the print, broadcast and online media. What brought them all to the studio in downtown Toronto was the premier's announcement that Starz Animation Toronto is the first ever media company to be awarded a grant from the government of Ontario's Next Generation of Jobs Fund.

The grant - nearly $23 million in Canadian currency - will enable Starz Animation Toronto to take on new assignments, initiate proprietary projects, continue to invest in the leading technologies and otherwise help create and keep new jobs in Canada. As Premier McGuinty noted in his comments to the more than 200 employees and guests at the studio on May 26, the fund "will help Starz Animation Toronto create a centre of excellence" in Toronto. He also thanked everyone at Starz "for the risks that you take, for the investments that you make, for the jobs that you create, for the families that you support, and thanks for the fabulous contribution you make to the quality of life here in Toronto."

In his comments, Sir Elton said that he and his partner David Furnish "were overwhelmingly blown away by the facilities at Starz." He went on to express his profound gratitude to everyone working at the studio and added congratulations to "all of you for your high standard of work."

The event, hosted by Clasen, joined by Starz Animation Toronto Head of Studio David Steinberg, who together accepted the grant on behalf of the company, drew coverage from Canadian as well as US media, consumer and entertainment trade media, broadcasters to bloggers. Here's a selection of the extensive coverage given the May 26 event. The CBC report, which was televised live from Tuesday's event, does an especially good job of capturing the high spirits and genuine warmth and appreciation that all of the participants felt. It was a great day for Starz. Click on the links for more details on this exciting event!

Links:

http://videos.torontosun.com/video/featured/toronto-and-gta/5745370001/sir-elton-teaming-with-starz/24320528001
http://www.thestar.com/videozone/640761
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/235302--rocket-man-helps-animators-reap-reward
http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/news/20090527/starz.html