TV Kids Summer Festival Preview

From what buyers are looking for in the buzzy AVOD space to tips on crafting a well-honed brand-building strategy, the latest developments in cutting-edge animation and narrative techniques resonating with young audiences today, next week’s TV Kids Summer Festival is aiming to deliver the intel children’s media executives need to navigate this ever-shifting, dynamic sector. We’ve assembled a fantastic lineup of speakers—32 in total—for the third edition of the virtual event, which will stream online at www.TVKidsSummerFestival.com from June 6 to 9. (Stay tuned for the podcast version, which will be released after the festival wraps.) It’s not too late to register; you can still do so here.

The Tuesday agenda kicks off with our signature opening session focused on program buyers. This time, we’re spotlighting the AVOD space, hearing from Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner, HappyKids’ David Di Lorenzo, Canela Kids’ Maggie Salas-Amaro and Playground TV’s Daniel Nordberg. Next up, we take a deep dive into the thriving animation business in France with insights from Superprod’s Clément Calvet, Mediawan Kids & Family’s Julien Borde, Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin and HARI’s Sophie “Kido” Prigent. At noon EDT, Heath Kenny, chief content officer at Mercury Filmworks, and Chantal Ling, VP of original series and co-productions, will showcase the creativity at the heart of the animation studio. Next up, Disney Branded Television’s Ayo Davis will talk about her team’s strategy for producing content for kids, tweens, teens and families on Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior. The Tuesday schedule wraps with Nicolas Eglau and Andy Yeatman taking delegates inside Moonbug Entertainment’s pioneering new production and distribution models.

Cecilia Persson, the managing director of the children’s division at BBC Studios, opens the keynote lineup on Wednesday, June 7, outlining her strategy for bringing shows with the BBC stamp of creativity to platforms across the globe. Animation innovation will be discussed in the 10:30 a.m. EDT panel discussion with Cyber Group Studios’ Raphäelle Mathieu, Toon2Tango’s Ulli Stoef and Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Matt Bishop. After conquering the lifestyle content space with their beloved shows as the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott will deliver a creative keynote about bringing their signature style to the kids’ arena with their animated series Builder Brothers Dream Factory. Next, at 1:30 p.m. EDT, Banijay Kids & Family’s Delphine Dumont, ZDF Studios’ Katharina Pietzsch and Mondo TV Group’s Luana Perrero will share insights into what goes into resurrecting and rebooting classic properties. In our last keynote of the day, noted media cartographer and thought leader Evan Shapiro will share his unique perspectives on engaging with kid audiences today.

On Thursday, June 8, we’ll present the TV Kids Pioneer Award to Maud Branly, children’s acquisitions director and international TV channels children’s programming director at M6 Group, who will outline her content strategy in the 9 a.m. EDT keynote. Bertrand Villegas will deliver insights from The WIT Kids Garden about the linear, streaming and social media brands resonating with kids across the globe. The noon EDT creative keynote will be delivered by Brian K. Roberts, co-executive producer of Not Quite Narwhal, a new DreamWorks Animation series for Netflix. Next, pocket.watch’s David B. Williams and WildBrain’s Lara Ilie will offer expert insights on how kids’ content distributors should approach the FAST segment. The TV Kids Summer Festival wraps with a panel discussion on brand-building in a fragmented market with 9 Story Media Group’s Katrina Hitz-Tough, Aardman’s Rob Goodchild, Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier and Cookbook Media’s Rob Bencal.

You can see all the speaker biographies and the full schedule of events here.

Register here to ensure you receive your access details on Tuesday.