Mission Statement, February 23, 2006

The Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO) is a new association dedicated to promoting and growing the Ontario Animation and Visual Effects industry.

As an advocate for the animation and visual effects industry in Ontario, CASO's initiatives can be broken down into the following areas:

OUR MANDATE

The Computer Animation Studios of Ontario is a newly formed, non-profit association representing Computer Animation and Digital Visual Effects companies located in Ontario, Canada.

CASO's mandate is to promote the interests of its members and to enlist the support of government and private sector partners with an interest in the growth of the computer animation and visual effects industry in Ontario.

1. International Promotion and Marketing:

Producers want to be assured that Ontario has a cohesive CG animation and visual effects community and it is important to demonstrate that this is the case. Membership in CASO will play a large role in helping to promote the industry and will also signal to producers that the industry is working together.

While it is important to promote the film and television business, CASO members are not necessarily tied to productions that film locally. CASO is well-positioned to actively promote the interests of the Ontario CG Animation and Visual Effects industry in local and international markets. It is worth noting that other jurisdictions have already managed to do this very successfully. As such, CASO will establish a long term business plan that may include all or some of the following:

2. Industry Statistics and Competitive Advantage:

Membership in CASO affords an opportunity for all members to present the 'big picture' of the animation and visual effects industry in Ontario. The sheer number of employees, total employee wages and overall value of the industry in Ontario is invaluable in securing government support and should not be underestimated. Positioning the industry as a coordinated and cohesive group signals to the government that this large industry, one that brings hundreds of millions of revenue dollars to the province each year, is united.

Additionally, CASO is well-positioned to compile and disseminate information about other competitive jurisdictions.

3. Promotion and publicity:

CASO will promote its association and member companies in the local market through various initiatives that include but are not limited to:

4. Education and Organizational Relations:

CASO believes that a strong industry is the result of a balance between healthy competition and creative co-operation. That being said, CASO will provide information and outreach to the film and television industry as follows:

5. Government Relations:

The Ontario Computer Animation and Special Effects (OCASE) tax credit played a role in building and maintaining the health of the Computer Animation and Visual Effects Industry in Ontario and was also CASO's formative issue. As such, CASO is committed to maintaining and enhancing the OCASE.

In its very first initiative as an association, CASO approached the provincial government and secured recognition on a critical issue on behalf of the industry. For the first time since the inception of the OCASE in 1997, the Ontario government recognized the industry and its concerns and removed the cap on eligible labour. It is important that the association continue to work effectively with government officials and secure support for its various initiatives. Two other goals of the association include:

  1. Modifying the legislation to remove the 'year prior' restriction on employees;
  2. Increasing the current tax credit from 20% to 25%.

CASO will also be working with the provincial government to improve the administration of the tax credit process and to apply clear interpretations of the tax credit process across the board. If successful, these changes will have a significant and positive effect on all Ontario CG Animation and Visual Effects companies. Therefore, CASO is committed to maintaining an ongoing and strong relationship with government officials in order to improve the CGI business environment.

Future initiatives will be based on the needs of the CASO membership. Other potential initiatives to move forward with the provincial government include:

At any time, CASO members may raise other issues or potential initiatives that they believe are critical to them as an organization for discussion and consideration by the association.

6. Membership:

As a new association, it is important that CASO gain the overall support and membership of the CG animation and visual effects community. At this time, voting membership is limited to companies that are primarily engaged in computer animation or visual effects.

Increasing the membership of CASO will effectively result in: increasing the resources that are available to the association in order to effectively lobby governments and the increasing the size of the organization will ensure CASO wields much more political influence.

As CASO is a new association, at this point we are open to input from other organizations. As such, membership could be broadened to include:

All of the above-mentioned companies make use of digital technologies in their productions and all of them contribute to building a strong animated and visual industry in Ontario. Membership in CASO offers all animation and visual effects companies the ability to advocate effectively by ensuring the industry speaks with a concerted and coordinated voice.