Filemobile Powers Video Contest Services for Penguin and Hockey Canada's Gold Medal Hero Contest

    TORONTO, ON, November 09, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Filemobile, Inc. (www.filemobile.com), one of North America's leading developers of interactive online software, has partnered with Penguin Canada to provide the video contest platform behind www.goldmedalhero.com, an interactive website developed by Penguin to promote Thirty Years of the Game at Its Best, which was published on October 25 in advance of the World Junior Hockey Championships in Calgary and Edmonton in January 2012.

Gold Media Hero.com, launched in tandem with the release of Thirty Years of the Game at Its Best, offers Canadians the opportunity to win tickets to the sold out 2012 World Junior Championships by uploading videos in praise of their personal gold medal heroes -- whether mom, dad, grandparent, coach, player or friend. The contest is a tribute to those who make a difference and a shout-out to Canadians of all ages to share their favourite moments and celebrate the game.

As part of the contest element of the website, contestants can register on the site, upload videos via mobile device, webcam or home computer, share their videos via Facebook, and vote for their favourite video entry via the contest site. Anyone can comment and vote.

Viewers can compete with friends, family or other entrants to earn the most votes. Votes and comments are tracked on the site and the top three videos will be adjudicated by Penguin Canada when the contest closes on November 25; the winning prize will be announced by December 2. Prizing includes transportation, accommodation and tickets for two to the quarter finals, the bronze medal finals, the semi-finals and the final World Championship game.

"We're excited to provide technology that helps Canadians celebrate the book and the 30th anniversary of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence," said Filemobile chief creative officer Steve Hulford.

"Our organization is not only about battling for gold medals at elite events," says Bob Nicholson, president of Hockey Canada. "We're there for every player and every family from the moment they first go to the rink. So we're delighted to be part of a contest that thanks families and friends and volunteers for their roles in helping young hockey players in their dreams of being the very best."

"We think this contest will appeal to Canadians for the same reasons they watch the World Juniors so avidly each year, and for the same reason they'll want to read Thirty Years of the Game at Its Best," says Penguin Canada executive editor Nick Garrison. "All three capture what's best about hockey."

User-generated video contests are a burgeoning new trend in online engagement and interactivity that adds an exciting element to websites, providing passive website visitors with a reason to get involved in the action.

Video contests help companies--from major brands to broadcasters--encourage their customers or viewers to engage and interact with their content, boosting website traffic and brand loyalty. Filemobile is a leader in online engagement, providing user-generated content management tools to a number of major U.S. and Canadian media outlets including Fox News, CBC, CTV, Global TV, CP24 and The Weather Network.

MEDIA:

For more information or to book an interview with Filemobile CCO Steve Hulford, contact:
Chris Atchison, Shockwave Strategic Communications
[email protected] - 416-616-8968

For further information on Thirty Years of the Game at Its Best and goldmedalhero.com, contact:
Steve Myers, Penguin Canada
[email protected] - 416-928-2420

About the Book:

Since its founding in 1981, Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence has delivered 16 gold medals and introduced names like Shanahan, Fleury, Lindros, Crosby, Stamkos and Toews to the national lexicon. The 2011-2012 World Junior Hockey Championship marks the program's milestone 30th anniversary. To celebrate, Penguin Canada presents Thirty Years of the Game at Its Best, a richly illustrated commemorative edition that shares stories from three decades of international junior hockey supremacy from the perspectives of the players, coaches and journalists who were there, including contributions from Stanley Cup and Olympic Gold winning coach Mike Babcock, TSN's Bob McKenzie and Gord Miller, The Globe and Mail's Roy MacGregor, the Toronto Star's Damien Cox and ESPN's Gare Joyce. The book is on sale now in retail outlets including Indigo, Costco, Walmart and independent bookstores across Canada. The ebook is scheduled for release on December 26.

About Penguin Canada:

Penguin Group (www.penguin.com), one of the world's largest English-language trade book publishers, has established divisions and key market positions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, China, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. The Penguin Group is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.

About Hockey Canada:

Hockey Canada is the governing body for hockey in Canada and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), with membership through its 13 provincial branch associations of over 700,000 players, coaches and officials. Hockey Canada is a not-for-profit organization that creates leading-edge hockey development programs for its members to deliver in communities across Canada, provides consistent rules and regulations and various other membership services from coast to coast, manages numerous regional, national and international hockey championships and events, and leads the operation of all teams that represent Canada in international hockey competition. Hockey Canada's mission is to "lead, develop and promote positive hockey experiences."

About Filemobile:

Filemobile Inc. is a New York and Toronto-based developer of interactive online software. The firm's user-generated content, social networking, video and online community-management products enable major brands, agencies, content producers, media companies and enterprise to power proven and flexible online experiences. Filemobile's proprietary Media Factory platform has been deployed by major corporations such as Fox News, Disney, World Bank, Bell Media, CBC, Maxim, MolsonCoors, Pepsi, Rogers, Shaw Media and Sun Life Financial to improve client engagement, build stronger brand awareness and power an exponential growth in client reach. For more information, visit www.filemobile.com.

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