MIP Junior Wraps in Cannes

CANNES: MIP Junior wrapped up today, with a closing cocktail sponsored by the companies behind La Petit Prince, the first episode of which made its premiere at the market. 

The event kicked off Saturday morning with the workshop "How to Pitch!," which offered tips on how best to present your project to potential broadcast or distribution partners. Later on Saturday afternoon, a number of top buyers, including Julien Borde from France Télévisions, Debbie MacDonald from Nickelodeon U.K. and Tracy McAndrew from Disney Channels Worldwide, gave insight into what programs they are looking for to add to their schedules.

In addition to the Licensing Challenge, back for a seventh year, case studies were presented. The first of which featured Kristen Van Cott, the senior VP of creative development at Skechers Entertainment and co-executive producer at ZEVO-3. The second, entitled The 99: A Case Study in Diversity—The Power of Positioning, featured Dr Naif Al-Mutawa, the founder and CEO of Teshkeel Media Group, behind the new series The 99, distributed by Endemol Worldwide Distribution. 

MIP Junior also presented a Kids’ Jury Screening on Saturday evening, where 20 kids evaluated 15 programs across three categories: preschool, kids and pre-teen. 

The event also featured a spotlight on Korea, as 12 companies presented their programs to broadcasters and potential co-production partners.

The weekend activities closed with a keynote by Michael Poryes, the co-creator of Hannah Montana who is now working on a new show, Life with Boys, which is being represented by Classic Media, Nelvana and Helion Pictures.