Mansha Daswani

Emmy-nominated writer and producer Chelsea Beyl took TV Kids Festival viewers behind the scenes of the brand-new Disney Junior series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.

Thunderbird Entertainment’s Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO; Matt Berkowitz, president and chief creative officer; and Richard Goldsmith, president of global distribution and consumer products, shared details on the company’s strategy to become a global studio at the TV Kids Festival.

TV Kids Festival continued this afternoon with Olivier Dumont, president of eOne Family Brands, discussing the unit’s approach to developing new IP and managing known franchises from the extensive Hasbro portfolio.

Philippe Bony, general manager of thematic TV channels at M6 Group and president of Gulli, received the TV Kids Pioneer Award at the TV Kids Festival today, where he spoke to delegates about the company’s winning combination of linear and digital platforms as it serves children and families.

Pierre Sissmann, chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios, and Coralie Boitrelle-Laigle, head of content for M6 Group’s kids’ channels in France, gave a behind-the-scenes look at the animated series The McFire Family at the TV Kids Festival today ahead of the premiere of the trailer for the show.

Sonia Manzano, best known for her long run on Sesame Street as Maria, and Ellen Doherty, the chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, took TV Kids Festival viewers inside the creation of the new PBS KIDS show Alma’s Way.

Deirdre Brennan, the COO of WildBrain, and Frank Falcone, the president and executive creative director at Guru Studio, discussed navigating the complexities of the kids’ business in the last session of day two of the TV Kids Festival.

Fred Soulie, senior VP and general manager of Mattel Television, participated in a keynote conversation with TV Kids’ Anna Carugati at the TV Kids Festival today, discussing how the toy giant is expanding its content slate.

Four-time Oscar winner Nick Park, a co-director at Aardman, spoke at the TV Kids Festival this morning about his journey as an animator and the enduring appeal of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin and CAKE’s Daniel Bays participated in a lively discussion on catering to preschoolers as day two of the TV Kids Festival opened today.