Third Annual ELAN Awards Recognize Technical Achievement

by Jessica Wall | Published July 11, 2008

Seth MacFarlane accepts his ELAN Award at the 2007 ceremony.

The self-proclaimed Oscars of the animation and video-gaming world, Canada’s third annual ELAN awards ceremony will take place on February 28, 2009 and it will be bigger and better than ever before. Fresh off the success of the past two years, the ELANS have recently announced an expansion to include Visual Effects awards categories and international submissions. The awards are described by Kelly Zmak, president of Radical Entertainment and a member of the ELAN’s board of advisors, as “a unique opportunity for the industry to honor and acknowledge the talents and artistry of the people who make games…The ELANS provide a perfect setting to celebrate this powerful form of entertainment and art.”

An awards show where most of the honorees are gamers might not sound so glamorous, but the ELANS have become one of Vancouver’s premiere events and its attendees embrace that status wholeheartedly. “The ELANS are a truly red carpet event. Everything is first class, with ‘A’ list hosts, tuxedos and evening gowns, and the upper echelon of industry big wigs in attendance,” says Anthony Brown, a member of the advisory board and the Managing Director of Business Development for the Seven Group, a company that has formed a partnership with the ELANS.

The respect that the awards have acquired in such a short amount of time is largely due to gratitude from the gaming and animation community for the recognition the ELANS provide them. As Brown notes, “Our company got more exposure from the ELANS than from any other event we have ever been part of. It’s about time that this industry was recognized for its contribution to arts and entertainment. We will be a part of the ELANS for many years to come.”