A Thunder Bay film equipment company has won a $200,000 award for its innovation.

Cinevate Inc. won the Premier's Catalyst Award in the Start-up Company with the Best Innovation category on May 12 in Toronto.

“The funds, because they can be used for marketing and research and development, are going to make a difference – a big difference,” said Dennis Wood, president of Cinevate.

The award allows Cinevate to position itself for the future by continuing to invest in research and development while other companies can't due to a struggling economy, said Wood.

“It's such a timely injection of cash,” he said.

The company, which sells all of its products online, was already honoured at the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Awards in Thunder Bay earlier this month.

Cinevate's most widely recognized innovation is the Brevis35 lens adapter, which makes digital video look like film.

However, Wood admits technology will eventually phase out the Brevis35. To prevent being left behind the times, Wood plans to put a large portion of the $200,000 towards research and development to build new products.

“We're moving towards other products that we see as elemental in our success moving forward,” he said.

Other innovative products Cinevate carries include a linear tracking system, which uses new technology that allows a camera to slide more smoothly on a metal rail and a follow focus system that allows cameras that you normally have to focus manually to be focused automatically.

Wood is particularly proud of the follow focus system.

“It's being widely regarded as preferable to units that are two and three times its cost,” said Wood. “So we know we've got a really solid product there.”

Cinevate launched five new products in the last five months.

Aside from trying to make the highest quality products, Wood also tries to do as much manufacturing as he can in Northern Ontario.

“We have the best control of the things that we make here,” he said.
“The bulk of our dollars are spent here.”


www.cinevate.com