Paul Matthew Hoffert CM, BSc (born 22 September 1943 in Brooklyn, New York) is a recording artist, television performer, author of an off-Broadway musical and film composer. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto where he graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1969 the 26-year-old Hoffert co-founded Lighthouse, a rock group that sold millions of records and earned three Juno Awards as one of Canada's leading pop bands. His film music earned him a San Francisco Film Festival and three SOCAN Film Composer of the Year awards.

In 2001 Mr. Hoffert received the Pixel award as the New Media industry's “Visionary of the Year”.

Hoffert has parallel achievements in science and technology. He was a researcher at the National Research Council of Canada in the early 1970s and returned to research in 1988 as Vice President of DHJ Research, where he invented precursor algorithms to mp3 audio compression, as well as microchips for Newbridge Microsystems, and products for Mattel, Akai, and Yamaha.

In 1992, Hoffert founded CulTech Research Centre at York University, where he developed advanced media such as digital video-phones and networked distribution of CD-ROMs. From 1994 to 1999, he directed Intercom Ontario, a $100 million trial of the world's first completely connected broadband community that landed him on the cover of the Financial Post and in the Wall Street Journal. He is an expert in online content distribution.

Hoffert was awarded the Order of Canada [C.M.] in 2004 for his contributions to music and the arts. The Canadian Government citation reads: "[Mr. Hoffert] is multitalented, determined and a visionary. Paul Hoffert is a founding member of the rock group Lighthouse and an award-winning composer who has scored countless feature films and television productions. A teacher at the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University, he founded the University's CulTech Research Centre and is a renowned expert on new media and technology. A founding director of the Canadian Independent Record Producers Association and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, he was instrumental in bringing about the Gemini and Prix Gémeaux awards. He was the first artist to chair the Ontario Arts Council and he continues to lend his leadership to numerous arts organizations and to the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund."

Mr. Hoffert is known for expecting the unexpected. The Financial Post describes him as one of the New Mandarins along with Bill Gates. His incisive thinking brings clarity to complex issues and he is a sought-after consultant and keynote speaker.

Current Positions

CEO, Noank Media Inc.

Faculty Fellow at Harvard Law School

Professor of Fine Arts at York University (1984-)

Chair of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund (1997-)

Chair of the Guild of Canadian Film and Television Composers

Co-Leader, Lighthouse Rock Band, 1968-1974, 1993-

Previous Positions

Board Director, World Summit Information Society Awards (United Nations), 2004-2005

President, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, 1981-1982 [Dir. 1979-1980, 1983-1987]

Chair, Ontario Arts Council, 1994-1997

Research Professor, Sheridan College, 1999-2003

Director, CulTech Research Centre, York University, 1992-2000

Director of R&D, Rights Clearing House, Calgary, 2001-2004

Research Director, OnDisC Alliance, 2000-2003

President, Intercom Ontario (broadband research trial), 1994-1998

Director, DACARIE Audio Research Laboratory, York University, 1990-1992

Vice President Research, DHJ Research, 1986-1992 [VP Technology Transfer 1989-1992]

Researcher, National Research Council of Canada, 1969-1971

Current Boards

Guild of Canadian Film Composers GCFC

Glenn Gould Foundation, 2000-

The SOCAN Foundation, 1993-

Ontario Foundation for the Arts, 1994-

Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, 1999-

Ontario Arts Trust, 1999-

Bibliography

Music for New Media: Composing for Videogames, Websites, Presentations, and Other Interactive Media, Berklee Press, January 2007

The New Client: How Customers Shape Business in the Information Age, Penguin/Viking Canada, 2002

All Together Now: Connected Communities Will Revolutionize the Way You Live, Work, and Play, Stoddart Publishing, 2000

The Bagel Effect: A Compass to Navigate the Wired World, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Press, 1998

Internet Technologies Primer, CulTech Publishing, [co-author Dr. Peter Roosen-Runge], 1997

Inventory of Internet Technologies and Services, Industry Canada Publication, [co-author Dr. Peter Roosen-Runge], 1996

Understanding Music in Media, Hoffert Publishing, 1987

Hoffert Guide to Synchronizing Music, Hoffert Publishing, 1982

Archives

Paul Hoffert fonds, York University, Toronto (2005): paper documents, CDs, DVDs, audio tapes, video tapes

Museum of Science and Technology, Ottawa (2005): musical instruments, computer and research technology, awards, performance clothing