Pentamedia Graphics, IBM, SGI, Creek & River and COMPAQ are organising the biggest and the only annual symposium in the country for the entertainment industry on 8th and 9th March at Le Royal Meridien in Chennai, India.

This was announced on Thursday at a press conference held in south Mumbai. Conceived last year, the Entertainment Graphics Organization (EGO) is an annual forum for the global entertainment graphics fraternity to interact and review existing technology & trends.

"The computer animation industry has been steadily growing over the past few years," K Srinivasan, Director COO, PentaMedia Graphics, said. "From revenues of $ 850,000 in the 80s, the computer animation portion of the entertainment industry is expected to touch $ 40 billion by 2003. With this kind of growth prospects, EGO 2001 aims to provide participants a wealth of information on the latest happenings in the entertainment graphics arena. They would be able to learn and discover ground breaking technologies and put to use these technologies for their own endeavor," Srinivasan said.

"EGO 2001 is an excellent opportunity for Indian content creation organisations to interact with some of the world‘s best. It also offers them a platform to identify newer opportunities that they can address not only for the domestic market in India but the international market as well," Dr Prasad V Medury, Managing Director, SGI India, said.

The inaugural conference of the Entertainment Graphics Organization, EGO 2000, held last year, attracted almost 400 guests from the global motion picture, television, special effects and animation field. The delegates - from the USA, Canada, Europe, England, Japan and other Pacific Rim countries - included software developers, high-end computer animation producers who traveled to Kelabakkam to understand the latest status of the computer animation industry. Key presenters included Scott Ross, CEO, Digital Domain, Robi Roncarelli, Pixel Animation Directory, Kim Davidson, CEO, Side Effects Software, and Andrew Russell, BBC, among other eminent industry leaders.

EGO 2001 will have Robi Roncarelli and Scott Ross making presentations on the status of the global computer animation industry. Besides them, the symposium will have representatives from Side Effects Software, Aptech, Cable & Satellite Broadcasters, Razorfish, Inc., Disney, Rainbow, The William Morris Agency, 20th Century Fox Animation, Platinum studios, Hyperion Studio, BD Fox & Friends, Reliance Entertainment, Motion Picture of America, ESPN/STAR sports (India) and Television Asia.

Despite official denials from B4U Entertainment, industry sources confirm that there is a shakeout in progress at the company‘s headquarters in Mumbai‘s western suburb of Andheri. Apparently, some trimming is being resorted to.

Marketing head Soumitra Mukherji, who had earlier worked with Sony and then Mahindra & Mahindra, has decided to call it a day and has been on official leave. Another three executives from marketing are on their way out, besides a a handful of distribution executives. Another five to six executives from programming are also expected to go.

This certainly puts a question mark on the statements coming out of B4U that it‘s business as usual despite the recent arrest of co-promoter and film financier Bharat Shah for his alleged links to the underworld.