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StartUP SSM, Nothern Credit Union partner to host Startup Talks events

StartUP SSM, Nothern Credit Union partner to host Startup Talks events

Event to take place May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Steamfitters Lounge

StartUP Sault Ste. Marie and Northern Credit Union are partnering up to host Startup Talks events, celebrating and hearing from some of Sault Ste. Marie’s top entrepreneurs. 

The next event is set to take place May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Steamfitters Lounge (in the Machine Shop), where local entrepreneur and investor Kevin Rusnell, CEO of Dig Inc. and co-owner of Peace restaurant will “talk about his entrepreneurial journey since the age of 12, including his early roots in web design, and computer camps for kids and how he moved on to digital web analytics, becoming CEO and majority shareholder of Dig Inc.,” a news release issued today states. 

Seating for this in-person event is limited. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased here.

For more information, see the full release below. 

StartUP Sault Ste. Marie is thrilled to team up with Northern Credit Union to host Startup Talks events to celebrate and hear the entrepreneurial journeys of some of Sault Ste. Marie’s top entrepreneurs. Past entrepreneurs featured have included Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media and Joe Ruscio, President of Joe Ruscio Professional Corporation.

Join us on May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Steamfitters Lounge (in the Machine Shop), where our featured guest will be local entrepreneur and investor Kevin Rusnell, CEO of Dig Inc. and co-owner of Peace restaurant.

Kevin will talk about his entrepreneurial journey since the age of 12, including his early roots in web design, and computer camps for kids and how he moved on to digital web analytics, becoming CEO and majority shareholder of Dig Inc. Kevin is involved with several other local ventures and most recently, as co-owner, opened Sault Ste. Marie’s newest restaurant.

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions.

“The Sault has so many successful entrepreneurs and innovators, but we rarely find out firsthand, the steps they took to achieve success and the challenges they overcame to get here,” states Nevin Buconjic, president, StartUP Sault. “Startup Talks is our platform to learn more about local entrepreneurs and hear their stories directly. It is important and enlightening to hear the journeys of successful entrepreneurs. We are excited to hear Kevin’s story and celebrate local success.”

Seating for this in-person event is limited. Tickets are $5.00 and includes coffee, tea and snacks. Cash bar will be available.

Tickets can be purchased at the following link.

This event is also part of the inaugural Sault Startup Week in cooperation with the Millworks Centre for Entrepreneurship, Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, Northern Ontario Angels and more.

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Fathom Events, Spain’s Bosco Partner to Release Documentary ‘Alive’ in 700 North American Screens (EXCLUSIVE)

Fathom Events, Spain’s Bosco Partner to Release Documentary ‘Alive’ in 700 North American Screens (EXCLUSIVE)

Fathom Events and Spain’s Bosco Films are partnering to bring faith-based documentary “Vivo” (“Alive”) to about 700 North American locations on April 25.

Produced by Hakuna Films and directed by Jorge Pareja, “Alive” narrates four real-life stories filmed in Spain of people who tell how Christian’s Eucharist transformed their lives.

“Alive,” which previously bowed by Bosco in Spain and 14 Latin American territories, marks the Spanish indie distributor’s leap into the international market, where it’s been closing a bundle of exhibition agreements with local and international operators.

The peak in “Alive’s” international theatrical career comes with the U.S. release after the Fathom Events deal.

“In the event cinema business, we see that people come to the theater in groups, having a true community experience,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. 

“To be able to bring this same experience to the Spanish speaking community is very important to us. Our goal is to provide a variety of programming experiences to a wide array of audiences, nationwide.”

“We hope that this window open for Spanish cinema will no longer close,” said Lucía González-Barandiarán, Bosco Films founder.

“There is a huge boom in inspirational cinema in the U.S. Especially in the post-pandemic era, people are looking for other kinds of content and proving they are a loyal and big audience. The platforms, at least in Europe, have not yet realized the gold mine that exists behind that line,” she added.

Released in Spain on April 9, 2021, “Alive” reached the local box office’s top 10 with only six prints, averaging a healthy €5,582 ($6,231). By year’s end, it snagged a $269,021 box office, the third best result for a local documentary last year.

Bosco also launched the film in Mexican theaters in November, in 30 locations, debuting at the eighth position at the local box office. In Colombian theaters, the film has sold nearly 100,000 tickets.

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Lucia Gonzalez Barandiaran, Bosco Films
Courtesy of Bosco Films

“Alive” bowed in 14 Latin American territories after Bosco inked deals with regional exhibitors such as Cinemex, Cinemark and Hoyts, but also with local indie theatrical chains for territories such as Argentina and Uruguay.

The film has also been sold to indie distributor Rafael Film in Poland and to Saje for France, Belgium and Switzerland. Deals are in final negotiations in territories such as Brazil and Slovakia, while Bosco is in talks with operators in Germany, Austria and Korea. 

Bosco is already preparing the Latin American theatrical releases for this year of two more faith-based Spanish films: “Claret,” a biography of Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop and missionary Antonio Maria Claret, and “La sirvienta,” about Santa Vicenta María.

A fourth title acquired by Bosco to be released in the region is Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai’s French documentary “Lourdes,” which sold 250,000 tickets in France, handled by Mars Distribution.

Since its launch in 2017, Bosco has distributed about 20 films in Spain, at the same time providing communication and marketing services to companies such as Universal, Sony, Diamond Films, Flins & Pinículas, Vercine and Márgenes.

“We specialized in a niche film distribution, studying in depth the needs of an audience and seeking to respond effectively to them. This is what has kept us afloat,” González-Barandiarán said. 

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ECI looks to partner for community events

ECI looks to partner for community events

ABOVE: Ben Kain guides his daughter, Georgia, 17-months-old, in a toy car around the playroom course during a ECFE Family Fun Night event Tuesday evening at Fairmont Elementary School. There were over 220 people in attendance as the Kids Just Want to Have Fun committee partnered with ECFE.

FAIRMONT– The Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) is working on partnering with other like-minded organizations in Fairmont and the surrounding area to offer programming to families with young children. On Tuesday evening Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) partnered with Project 1590’s Kids Just Want to Have Fun Committee to put on a family fun night and over 220 people attended.

Michelle Rosen, Fairmont Elementary Co-Principal and Fairmont ECI Chair said that the idea to partner with other organizations actually stemmed from the annual Family Fun Fair.

In 2019, the Family Fun Fair, which is a joint venture between Fairmont Community Education and Recreation (CER), and ECFE, had its 34th year. The event served as an evening for local agencies that are advocates of families and young children to come together and offer exhibits, information and activities.

Of course in 2020 the March event was cancelled just several weeks before it was scheduled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, Rosen said that they were able to turn the Family Fun Fair into an online event.

“Parents could go online and go to different websites to get information about different early childhood events. They could also stop in at CER and pick up a kit of things to do,” Rosen said.

She said that while it went well, a virtual event isn’t ideal. She said in January of this year as they needed to start planning the Family Fun Fair, things were still up in the air on the Covid front.

“We weren’t ready yet to plan that,” Rosen said.

Instead, she and other members of the ECI Board considered all of the organizations in the community that are offering programs for families with young children.

Rosen said that looked at the fact that CER does a great job of having a lot of activities but sometimes people don’t know about about them and that the parent advisory board for ECFE does a monthly family activity and while some families know about it, others don’t.

She also mentioned that the Kids Just Want to Have Fun committee is looking for ways to bring activities for families, such as its annual father-daughter dance. Finally, Rosen said the Fairmont Opera House has also been adding more family events.

“It seems like we have all these different entities trying to do things throughout the year, so we thought if we all worked together, it would have more of a presence for families and kids than the one time Family Fun Night,” Rosen said.

She said that the ECI board sent an email out last month to organizations that have previously been involved in the Family Fun Fair, which total about 30, asking them to reach out and partner up.

“We’re trying to make a calendar for the year and each month highlights where these events are,” Rosen said.

She said they’re also in the process of hiring a Community Communication Coordinator with funds from the ECI account. This person will communicate with all of the different entities, put the events on the calendar and help get the word out.

“What we’d like is other area organizations that are doing early childhood events to team up together with us so we can help promote it with our Community Communication Coordinator,” Rosen said.

While the Community Communication Coordinator is yet to be hired, the first partnership on Tuesday evening went well.

ECFE has hosted a monthly Family Fun Night for parents and children ages 1-3 which includes a light meal, activities and crafts. Rosen said last month they had about 80 people attend. On Tuesday when ECFE partnered with the Kids Just Want to Have Fun committee, which allowed older kids to join, over 220 people attended.

“Hopefully we can keep this going with other resources we have in the community,” Rosen said.

She said maybe in the future they can partner with the Fairmont Police Department when it hosts its annual Fairmont Night Out or connect with 4-H in the summer in order to reach more people throughout year, rather than put all of their effort into a one night event.

However, she said they may do a Family Fun Fair again in the future but that they thought it was worth pursuing this first.

Rosen and the other members of the ECI Board and all those involved encourage any individual or group that is interested to reach out by contacting CER director Stephanie Busiahn at sbusiahn@fairmont.k12.mn.us or Rosen at mrosen@fairmont.k12.mn.us.



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