Children’s Global Media Summit to Spotlight VR & More

The 2017 Children’s Global Media Summit (CGMS) will feature a panel discussion about the future of storytelling for kids’ TV with regard to virtual reality and other technological innovations.

The What’s the Future of Storytelling? session will feature leading figures in virtual reality and technological innovation, including Gerard Grech, the CEO at Tech City UK; Jan Pinkava, the creative director at Google Spotlight Stories; and Resh Sidhu, the creative director for virtual reality at Framestore. The panel will discuss how VR has changed children’s perceptions of the world and will be hosted by Spencer Kelly, who presents the BBC’s flagship technology show Click.

The panelists will also address how innovative technology such as AI, AR, VR and holograms are being used to tell stories in new ways, and what this means for the so-called “Unlimited Generation,” those for whom the digital world has become a resource with unending possibilities.

Sidhu said, “I’m thrilled and honored to be part of the Children’s Global Media Summit. Virtual reality opens the door to a whole new level of immersion, but we must tread cautiously and we must understand this nascent medium to help it reach its full potential.”

The Summit will be chaired by BBC’s director of Children’s, Alice Webb, who commented: “The way children consume stories is rapidly changing and at CGMS 2017 it will be our job to decide in what direction that change is heading.

“Our task as content producers, technology providers and policymakers is to do what’s right for young people and ensure they can live the best life they can—and ultimately be supported, not overwhelmed, by the digital world.”

The Children’s Global Media Summit 2017 is curated by the BBC and will take place in Manchester from December 5 to 7.