On 7 February, just over three years to the start of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) have started its search for an Executive Producer for the Games’ Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

“The ceremonies are an extraordinary opportunity to communicate the Olympic and Paralympic dream worldwide,” said VANOC CEO John Furlong. “They are critical to the success of the Games, as they reach out to the hearts of spectators and fuel the dreams of athletes. The Ceremonies will require the participation and tireless efforts of countless individuals and we are thrilled today to be commencing the search for our executive producer.”

Viewed by a worldwide audience of up to three billion spectators, the Games Ceremonies are mandated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Executive Producer will play a critical role in developing the Ceremonies vision and managing the team of producers, artists, designers and craftspeople who will bring the Ceremonies to life through imagination and the magic of state-of-the-art lighting, projection, sound and special effects. The Ceremonies will reflect the region, the people and the culture of Canada by highlighting the country’s creativity, linguistic duality, cultural diversity and Aboriginal heritage.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony will be held on 12 March 2010 at BC Place Stadium, followed by the Closing Ceremony on 21 March 2010 in Whistler.

More information and the official Request for Expressions of Interest and Statements of Qualifications can be found on the official webiste at www.vancouver.2010.com.