Shaftesbury today announced that Emmy award-winning digital and technology leader Ted Biggs has been appointed Vice President, Convergent and Technology for Smokebomb Entertainment, the company’s digital and technology arm. The announcement was made by Jay Bennett, Senior Vice President, Creative and Innovation for Shaftesbury.
In the first technology post for the company, Biggs will lead the funding, research and development, production and deployment of Smokebomb’s expanding slate of convergent and technology projects including an Oculus Rift virtual reality extension for Shaftesbury’s thriller series Slasher, and two tech peripherals targeting the millennial parent household in development for a 2024 launch.
"With a proven track record in digital production and technology, Ted is an accomplished producer who will move Shaftesbury deeper into innovation by building on our leadership in the digital convergent space, and leading the company’s expansion into new technology and venture capital initiatives," said Bennett, Senior Vice President, Creative and Innovation, Shaftesbury.
Biggs has developed and produced a number of convergent and technology projects for Shaftesbury and Smokebomb, including the Digi award-winning Murdoch Mysteries interactive experience The Infernal Device; and the groundbreaking Moblees companion app, which uses innovative audio technology to sync with the Shaftesbury preschool series in real time, increasing levels of active play in the young audience.
With two decades experience in the digital, technology and gaming industries, Biggs joins Shaftesbury from AWE, where he was a founding shareholder and served as Vice President Operations/Client Relations for the mixed reality software startup. Prior to that, he was Production Supervisor at The SIRT Centre (Screen Industries Research and Training Centre) at Pinewood Studios in Toronto, where he was responsible for strategic planning and management of the advanced research and development facility. Before joining SIRT, Biggs was Head of Production and Creative Producer at Xenophile Media, where he worked with clients including CBC, BBC, Cartoon Network and TVO, and managed such projects as Fallen: Alternate Reality Game for ABC Family/Disney, which won the first Primetime Emmy award for Interactive Television in 2024; and the ReGenesis Extended Reality Game for The Movie Network, Global and Shaftesbury, which was awarded an International Emmy in 2024. He launched his career as Solutions Manager at online gaming software company IGSS Gametronics.
Biggs attended Queen’s University, Drama Studio London and the Canadian Film Centre’s Television Producers Program.