Exclusive Interview: Turner Broadcasting’s Michael Carrington

PREMIUM: Michael Carrington, the chief content officer for Turner Broadcasting EMEA, tells World Screen Newsflash about Cartoonito’s expansion, global programming initiatives and his quest for quality kids’ comedy.

TV KIDS: What prompted the decision to take Cartoonito out into the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa?
CARRINGTON: Cartoonito had just existed in the U.K. as a dedicated preschool channel. The schedule consists mostly of acquired programs—the best preschool programs from around the world. It’s been running for a few years now and in the last 12 months we’ve seen a real connection with it; audiences are really starting to believe in it and we’re seeing parents have faith in the channel and kids coming to the programs. We’ve seen audiences grow, which is fantastic. [Cartoon Network is] in all the European territories, all of Africa and the Middle East, and when we looked at taking a portfolio approach, we didn’t have a dedicated preschool block or channel outside the U.K. So we figured that we could take all the knowledge that we have [from the U.K.] as well as most of the programming and take the channel out into the wider world.

TV KIDS: Is this EMEA Cartoonito service being programmed separately from the U.K. channel?
CARRINGTON: Yes. We’ll be rolling it out as a block of programs; the minimum block will be two hours in most countries and it could extend to four hours in some countries. That block will sit on Boomerang, wherever Boomerang exists. There are only two countries in our region where we don’t have it—the Middle East and Turkey. So in the Middle East and Turkey, this Cartoonito block will sit on Cartoon Network itself. And then in Italy and Spain we’re actually launching full channels. They’re very big markets for us. We have lots of kids watching Cartoon Network, and in those two particular territories we have a free-to-air channel called Boing, which has exposed our brands to a much wider audience than in most of our other territories. We feel that those two markets are particularly mature and they can cope with us launching full-blown channels. The ambition in the long term, of course, is that we would have Cartoonito as a channel everywhere, but we have to be sensible about our approach.

In terms of the brand, look and feel, it’s all the same, so it won’t matter whether you’re in Italy or Denmark or Hungary, your experience of Cartoonito will be identical. Although it’s targeting 3- to 6-year-olds, the focus is aspirational, so 5- and 6-year-olds. The feel of the channel is quite dynamic and [it’s not a] traditional preschool channel. We push the storytelling to a certain degree, so we have quirky programming like Bananas in Pyjamas, which is something that we bought for every country. Jelly Jamm is a co-production with Vodka Capital; it’s very dynamic, with CGI, and is a little bit in your face in terms of a preschool program. We’re just making sure that we have this great sense of humor, because as a portfolio of channels we’re taking the essence of Cartoon Network and trying to transform that into something that works for the younger audience. At the end of the day we know all about making kids laugh out loud, and that’s what we’re trying to do with Cartoonito.

TV KIDS: How do you work with your international colleagues on joint-programming initiatives?
CARRINGTON: Ninety percent of our original production comes out of our studio in Burbank, [which is headed by] Rob Sorcher [the chief content officer at Cartoon Network U.S.]. Each of our four regions has a Rob Sorcher. So I’m responsible in EMEA; Mark Eyers is responsible in Asia Pacific and Pablo Zuccarino is responsible for Latin America. It’s literally just the four of us and we talk with each other all the time. We [offer] input into Rob’s programming development strategy and his production strategy; we actually work with him and his creative executives on the shows. So, for example, the new series of Ben 10 is in production right now and we have creative input. Outside of the original production, there are of course co-productions and acquisitions and likewise each of us has an acquisition and co-production team and they [all talk to each other] very regularly. They discuss what’s in the market, what the trends are, what the gaps are in their own territories and regions. We will always look globally first, whether it’s original production or acquisitions. If we can’t make something work globally we look internationally—outside of the U.S. If we can’t make something work internationally then it goes into the regions and then territory by territory. So there is a big filter-down process. We’ve worked globally outside of our own productions. We’ve worked with producers and distributors and toy companies.

TV KIDS: You’ve rolled out your first global co-production made in the U.K. studio, The Amazing World of Gumball. How has it performed?
CARRINGTON: Amazing! [Laughs] Honestly, I am so thrilled with that production. For me it’s like going back to the launch of In the Night Garden and Teletubbies. It just feels so emotional. In the same way as those landmark series, it’s groundbreaking in that it uses 3D and 2D animation, mixing it with photorealistic images, and it has real character development. Gumball and Darwin, the two main characters, feel like real kids and so they connect with audiences in a way that other shows that just tell stories doesn’t necessarily do. It’s in the top five [on Cartoon Network U.S.]; it’s one of their best performing programs. It does just as well if not better in repeats. We are just thrilled by it. We’ve already commissioned season two, and we’re in preproduction now. At the same time, the development team [in the London studio] is working away. We do have two very strong ideas that we’re looking to put into production.

TV KIDS: Cartoon Network Asia does a lot of original animation. Does any of that make it to your region?
CARRINGTON: It hasn’t in the past because they concentrate on specific territories. A lot of their production is made for India or it’s made for China, and so the storytelling has been very focused on those particular territories; it hasn’t necessarily traveled outside. But we are working with [the team in Asia], and we’re involved with them in the next development round. We’re trying to identify programs that might reach outside of their own region. We would love for that to happen. They have produced a Johnny Bravo movie, which [will air on Cartoon Network globally], which is very exciting. That’s going to launch next year. There’s also a Ben 10 CGI movie [produced out of Asia, that] we’re all in for.

TV KIDS: As you head into MIPCOM, is there anything in particular you’re looking for?
CARRINGTON: We are on the hunt for comedy. Comedy is our big focus at the moment. We’ve got lots of action stuff coming out of the [U.S.] studio and we’ve got Adventure Time and Regular Show. But there’s a real [demand from] audiences right now in all of our countries for comedy. Something with a really unique visual style to help differentiate us from our competitors, but at the end of the day it’s good strong humor we’re looking for, and if it comes with a unique style, then that helps us.

TV KIDS: It’s difficult to find, though, isn’t it?
CARRINGTON: It really is. Two years ago it was impossible because everybody was making action-adventure shows, but this year we’ve been pitched more comedy, so I’ve got a good feeling if it’s not MIPCOM this year, certainly MIPTV next year should show some comedy jewels.

TV KIDS: You used to work at the BBC. How has the transition been for you, from public broadcasting to the commercial sector?
CARRINGTON: It’s been brilliant. I’ve loved every minute of it. My life at CBeebies was amazing and I had the most incredible time there, but the focus is very much on the U.K. I lived and breathed U.K.-focused programming, whereas here I sit on the international board, I’m part of the international process. I have 14 countries that I look after, so it’s much more outward-looking, and that has brought a really interesting approach to how I look at programs and talk to producers now.