Keynote: Warner Bros. Animation’s Audrey Diehl

Day two of the fourth edition of the TV Kids Festival wrapped with Audrey Diehl, senior VP of series at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, discussing her approach to finding new IP and extending classic brands.

Diehl’s remit runs across preschool, kids, teens and families at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios in the U.S. You can watch the keynote conversation with TV Kids’ Anna Carugati here.

“Warner Bros. is focused on delivering strong series for preschoolers, kids, families and adults based on legacy IP,” Diehl said. “That includes Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, Tom and Jerry and also the DC library. That’s been our primary focus since our inception. And then Cartoon Network Studios is globally known as a place to get great original, creator-driven content for kids and 20-somethings. I get the joy of both working with legacy IP and the fun of helping new folks or other established creators find new stories to tell with brand-new characters the world hasn’t seen before.”

Known IP is certainly in demand, Diehl said. “Given the massive pile of content in the marketplace, especially for kids, our buyers definitely feel like IP has an advantage. It has that built-in marketing. It has that name recognition. It’s hard for networks and streamers to spend a lot on marketing all the shows because there are just so many that come out every year. So, having that built in recognition of a Superman or a Bugs Bunny is just a huge advantage for them. I think we want to believe that original series can break through as well, and they have certainly over time. That’s how we got the IP that we’re using now, right? But yes, I think in this current climate, where buyers are a little more risk-averse, IP is definitely something that’s very beneficial to take out.”

On the approach to building a new show around a known brand, Diehl said, “We have a real responsibility as the people who work with characters that have been around for 80-plus years in some cases to maintain the legacy of those characters, to care for them in the same way that the originators of those characters have. We don’t want to take anything away. But at the same time, we can’t just do the same thing that they did. You can still watch those old cartoons and they’re still great. We try to think about what the core element is of that show or that character that we know audiences love and care about. What makes Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny? What makes Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo? We try to infuse that into every execution that we have, and then we try to bring new life to it at the same time.”

On launching new IP, meanwhile, “It needs certainly a fresh perspective and compelling take that maybe you haven’t seen before. Kids have access to everything that’s ever been made for them. You can’t do, ‘This is just like that other show, but different.’ An arresting visual style always helps. These days, what’s helpful is a show that can grab in dual audiences. Having a show that works for many audiences and speaks to different audiences in different ways is a plus and kind of a requirement for selling an original at the moment.”