TV Kids Festival Schedule

Keynotes slated for the TV Kids Festival include WildBrain’s Eric Ellenbogen, Mattel’s Richard Dickson, 9 Story Media Group’s Vince Commisso, Banijay Kids & Family’s Benoît Di Sabatino, POP Channels’ Francesca Newington, Chris Nee, Gabby’s Dollhouse creators Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, Star Trek: Prodigy’s Kevin and Dan Hageman, The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford, Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner and more.

The TV Kids Festival will also feature panel sessions spotlighting acquisition strategies, YouTube, development slates, British and Irish animation, financing, incorporating important social themes and other hot topics.

Running from February 7 to 10, the TV Kids Festival is a FREE event focused on the major trends in the children’s media business today.

Sign up for your free registration to attend here.

We have 39 fantastic speakers lined up for this event. You can see the full agenda below. The panels and keynotes will be available live and on-demand.

Don’t miss out on hearing insights from some of the kids’ content community’s leading producers, distributors, commissioners and creators.

Need to convert the times below for where you are? Click on the times above the name of each session to make sure you don’t miss a thing! 

Tuesday, February 7

• 9 a.m. EST
  The Decision-Makers
  Sky Kids’ Lucy Murphy, TFO’s Marianne Lambert, Paramount UK & Ireland’s Louise Bucknole and Future Today’s David Di Lorenzo on what’s shaping their programming strategies this year.
• 10:30 a.m. EST
  Inside Gabby’s Dollhouse
  Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey take delegates behind the scenes of the hit DreamWorks Animation series Gabby’s Dollhouse.
• 12 p.m. EST
  Keynote: Mattel’s Richard Dickson
  Richard Dickson, the president and COO of the toy giant, will discuss the crucial role IP plays in the company’s overall brand-building strategies.
• 1:30 p.m. EST
  Making Sense of YouTube
  Entertainment One’s Yannick Ferrero, pocket.watch’s David B. Williams, Cloudco’s Sean Gorman and Genius Brands International’s Paul Robinson will discuss how YouTube and other free video platforms factor into their brand and content-development strategies.
• 3 p.m. EST
  Creative Keynote: Chris Nee
  Since her breakout hit Doc McStuffins, Chris Nee has gone on to create and produce several acclaimed shows and is currently working on a slate of Netflix projects, including Ada Twist, Scientist.

Wednesday, February 8

• 9 a.m. EST
  Spotlight: U.K. & Ireland
  Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick, Magic Light Pictures’ Muriel Thomas and Sixteen South’s Colin Williams will discuss the challenges and opportunities in British and Irish animation today.
• 10:30 a.m. EST
  Keynote: 9 Story Media Group’s Vince Commisso
  9 Story Media Group’s president and CEO, Vince Commisso, will share his strategy for building on the company’s successes and further expansion.
• 12 p.m. EST
  Keynote: The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford
  As the president of television at The Jim Henson Company, Halle Stanfordoversees a slate that targets multiple age demographics across numerous genres and storytelling techniques.
• 1:30 p.m. EST
  Star Trek: Prodigy’s New Frontiers
  Kevin and Dan Hageman are behind the first animated series for kids set in the beloved Star Trek universe.
• 3 p.m. EST
  Getting Creative
  Sesame Workshop’s Kay Wilson Stallings, Nelvana’s Athena Georgaklis, Cyber Group Studios’ Ira Singerman and Boat Rocker’s Shaleen Sangha will share their approaches to crafting development slates that meet the needs of all players in the market today.

Thursday, February 9

• 9 a.m. EST
  Keynote: Banijay Kids & Family’s Benoît Di Sabatino
  Benoît Di Sabatino, the CEO of Banijay Kids & Family, will articulate his growth strategy for the company, which includes a dedicated distribution and commercial arm and production labels across Europe.
• 10:30 a.m. EST
  Money Matters
  As financing shows becomes more challenging, we’ll hear valuable insights from CAKE’s Ed Galton, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s Carlos Biern and Big Bad Boo Studios’ Shabnam Rezaei.
• 12 p.m. EST
  Keynote: WildBrain’s Eric Ellenbogen
  Eric Ellenbogen, vice chair and CEO of the leading kids’ and family content indie, will share how he is guiding the company through a fast-changing marketplace.
• 1:30 p.m. EST
  First Day’s Firsts
  Creator Julie Kalceff and producer Kirsty Stark will share how the Australian live-action series First Day is breaking barriers in its representation of transgender kids.

Friday, February 10

• 9 a.m. EST
  TV Kids Pioneer Award: POP Channels’ Francesca Newington
  For her savvy programming decisions at the Narrative Entertainment-owned POP Channels, Francesca Newington will be honored with the TV Kids Pioneer Award after sharing her content strategy with festival delegates.
• 10:30 a.m. EST
  Smarter Kids
  Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin, Toonz Media Group’s Bruno Zarka and The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company’s Kenn Viselman will deliver valuable insights on successfully incorporating curricula and important social themes in kids’ content.
• 12 p.m. EST
  Kidoodle.TV’s Streaming Edge
  The streaming platform’s chief content officer, Brenda Bisner, will reveal what’s driving its usage gains across multiple markets and platforms.
• 1:30 p.m. EST
  Creative Keynote: Emma Watkins
  After coming to fame as a member of The Wiggles, Emma Watkins is now working on a new series, Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign.