Jennifer Monier-Williams

World Screen Weekly, April 19,
2007

VP of International TV
Distribution and Sales

Sesame Workshop

Jennifer Monier-Williams has
learned a lot of things in her role as the VP of international TV distribution
and sales at Sesame Workshop, not least of which is that judging kids’
programming can be a highly subjective process. Many buyers “have their own
mini focus group in their living room” with their children, says
Monier-Williams, who, as a mother, knows this all too well—“it’s not just
about the ratings.”

For Sesame Workshop, while
delivering strong ratings to its broadcast partners is key, so is entertaining
children with content that lives up to the high educational standards set by
the company’s flagship brand, the long-running Sesame Street. It’s a reputation that is renowned around the world, and
one that Monier-Williams was well acquainted with while working as the senior
VP of the Telescene Film Group, when she heard about an opening at Sesame
Workshop. Called by an executive search firm to enquire if she knew of anyone
who would be suitable for a distribution role at Sesame Workshop,
Monier-Williams thought, “What about me?” she says. The company agreed, and
since then, Monier-Williams has been generating sales on properties like Pinky
Dinky Doo, The Upside Down Show and Dragon Tales,
as well as Sesame Street and its
various spin-offs, including Elmo’s World,
Play with Me Sesame and The
Adventures of Bert and Ernie, the
first-ever animated take on the two best friends. “You get to see their feet
and their hands!” Monier-Williams says.

In addition to finished program
deals, Monier-Williams works on co-productions for international versions of Sesame
Street. She notes that Sesame Workshop has
a range of options available for international broadcasters interested in
tailoring the company’s content, from inserting short local segments into the
American version to larger projects that include the development of indigenous
Muppets. International co-productions are under way in France, India, Mexico
and Germany, among other markets. “We’re looking at Brazil, Italy, the
Caribbean, and at the U.S. Hispanic market,” she says. Monier-Williams is also
busy delivering branded blocks in Eastern Europe. She is now looking to take
those to Latin America and Asia.