Imavision
Encyclopedia
Imavision, also known as Imavision Distribution, Imavision Productions and Imavision.com, is a Canadian company recognized for the acquisition of entertainment content for DVD
distribution on retail and institutional markets in Canada
, the United States and French-speaking Europe
. Imavision is also an important player in the production field, namely documentary
films and television series.
and later progressing to the DVD
format. More specifically, Imavision acquires documentary, television series, and film rights, edits these on DVD and then insures the distribution
of the products. More than a million videocassettes were sold in the first year of operation. In 1998, due to the rapid expansion of the company, Imavision 21 became Imavision Distribution and the offices moved to their present location, on Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal
.
to promote and distribute classic (i.e. nostalgic) television series from the 1950's on VHS, in particular those from the CBC Television
archives. Since then, Imavision has relinquished the outdated VHS and has focused exclusively on the DVD format.
After many important successes in DVD sales, such as Pokemon
(most copies sold in pro rata to the world population), The Little House on the Prairie (the classic television series most sold on DVD in North America), Alex Kovalev: My Hockey Tips and Training Methods, Quebec classics Les Belles Histoires des Pays d'en haut and La Petite Vie, and a documentary film about hockey legend Guy Lafleur
called Once Upon a Time...Guy Lafleur, Imavision is now among the leading companies in independent French-language DVD distribution in North America. The catalog of its products now contains almost 500 titles.
Imavision owns the building where it operates, located at 1313 Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal, in the province of Quebec, in Canada
. The administrative office and shipping center are situated on the premises, as well as the call center, which is open 7 days a week. The company has 24 employees working in the following fields: administration, acquisition and sales, production, stocking and shipping, direct marketing and communications.
was at the height of her popularity in Quebec. The company then turned towards the production of documentaries, namely the 13 episodes of the television series Epopee en Amerique : une histoire populaire du Quebec (1997) which won 3 Prix Gemeaux, awards of excellence in television programming. The list of productions also includes:
Moi j’me fais mon cinéma (1999) the last film from late acclaimed director Gilles Carle
Une révolution tranquille (2001)
Boxing, What a Fight ! (2008)
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
distribution on retail and institutional markets in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States and French-speaking Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Imavision is also an important player in the production field, namely documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
films and television series.
History
Imavision 21 was founded in 1995 by Pierre Paquet and the late Gabor Kertesz. The company, then located on Cote-Vertu Boulevard in Ville Saint-Laurent, specializes in the field of audiovisual distribution, first in VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and later progressing to the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
format. More specifically, Imavision acquires documentary, television series, and film rights, edits these on DVD and then insures the distribution
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
of the products. More than a million videocassettes were sold in the first year of operation. In 1998, due to the rapid expansion of the company, Imavision 21 became Imavision Distribution and the offices moved to their present location, on Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Presentation
Imavision 21 is the first company in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to promote and distribute classic (i.e. nostalgic) television series from the 1950's on VHS, in particular those from the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
archives. Since then, Imavision has relinquished the outdated VHS and has focused exclusively on the DVD format.
After many important successes in DVD sales, such as Pokemon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
(most copies sold in pro rata to the world population), The Little House on the Prairie (the classic television series most sold on DVD in North America), Alex Kovalev: My Hockey Tips and Training Methods, Quebec classics Les Belles Histoires des Pays d'en haut and La Petite Vie, and a documentary film about hockey legend Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
called Once Upon a Time...Guy Lafleur, Imavision is now among the leading companies in independent French-language DVD distribution in North America. The catalog of its products now contains almost 500 titles.
Organization
The president, Pierre Paquet, has over 30 years of experience in marketing, and 15 years experience in television programming and distribution rights.Imavision owns the building where it operates, located at 1313 Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal, in the province of Quebec, in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The administrative office and shipping center are situated on the premises, as well as the call center, which is open 7 days a week. The company has 24 employees working in the following fields: administration, acquisition and sales, production, stocking and shipping, direct marketing and communications.
Imavision Productions
Imavision Productions started out in 1993 with the release of the VHS En pleine forme avec Mitsou, at a time when the singer MitsouMitsou
Mitsou Annie Marie Gélinas is a Canadian pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host, and actress...
was at the height of her popularity in Quebec. The company then turned towards the production of documentaries, namely the 13 episodes of the television series Epopee en Amerique : une histoire populaire du Quebec (1997) which won 3 Prix Gemeaux, awards of excellence in television programming. The list of productions also includes:
Moi j’me fais mon cinéma (1999) the last film from late acclaimed director Gilles Carle
Une révolution tranquille (2001)
Boxing, What a Fight ! (2008)