m4e’s Hans Ulrich Stoef

Hans Ulrich Stoef, the CEO of m4e, tells TV Kids about the company’s current production and development pipeline and shares insight into what retailers are looking for in the competitive L&M space.

Since its inception, m4e has focused on turning children’s and family entertainment IP into fully developed brands, with extensions that go far beyond the TV screen. This includes a robust licensing and merchandising (L&M) business, in addition to the creation, production and distribution of original animated and live-action programming.

TV KIDS: What are some of the current drivers of m4e’s business?
STOEF: Our major brand is Mia and me. We are in the third season, which will be delivered by the end of 2016 or start of 2017. We are already in development on season four and a feature film on top of that.

We came to MIPCOM 2015 with the new preschool show Wissper, which has sold really well for us. We’re very happy to have Nick Jr. in the U.S. on board. We have Discovery Kids as our partner in Latin America, ZDF and KiKA for Germany, CANAL+ in Poland and many others throughout Europe. The commissioning broadcaster on that show is [Channel 5’s] Milkshake! The latest ratings showed that it’s performing 75-percent above the channel average, which is a phenomenal success.

We are going into a second season on Tip the Mouse, so we’re quite busy!

TV KIDS: Tell us about m4e’s foray into live action.
STOEF: We have a series in development called Me, Mum & Mystery. It’s a family-oriented co-viewing show based on a book that we optioned from Atlantyca IP Agency. During the development process, Atlantyca signed on as a co-producer as well. MIPTV was the first market where we introduced Me, Mum & Mystery to our broadcast partners in order to close the financing. This is our first trial on the live-action side. From time to time there will be more, but it’s not our core discipline. Our core will remain animation.

TV KIDS: Is there a certain volume you try to maintain for production and development each year?
STOEF: We are not a volume producer. It sounds like we have a large volume because we have so many series in development and shows going on simultaneously. We have 150 episodes in production, but it’s mostly second or third seasons of our existing brands.

We never had a very large development slate before. It takes a long time from [starting with an] idea until you can get it financed and produced, so we need to have a number of quality projects in development to make a long-term plan for the next six to eight years. That’s what’s happening for us right now. We believe more in quality than in quantity.

TV KIDS: What qualities does a property have to have to secure shelf space in the crowded L&M market?
STOEF: Retailers are looking for big brands. It helps if you have a series that’s been adapted from a very well-known book; that at least can open some doors. Retailers are also looking for famous brands that are coming from toy companies. On the other side, though, broadcasters don’t like this as much. They don’t want to just be a gatekeeper for the toys.

The key is to have a good balance between story, brand and digital these days. It’s not enough to just create a TV series based on a book. You need to add more to it in order to really attract [retailers] and the toy aspect needs to come in right from the beginning.

It’s so difficult. Sometimes retailers will say, We want to see something fresh and have a new toy concept. Then you come with something new and fresh and the next day they tell you, We need a pre-promoted brand in order to put you on the shelf. Everybody believes that the [licensing] of existing brands is the safest business, and I would agree. It’s not a guarantee for success, but it is the safest [strategy].

TV KIDS: What areas of the business will you be focusing on in the year ahead?
STOEF: For Mia and me we have many more markets that we’d like to crack. So far it’s doing really well in Italy, Germany, France and some Eastern European territories. Next, we’d like to go into Asia; this is a big priority.

We want to have a successful launch for Wissper. It has only started broadcasting in two territories so far, and we have another 45 territories where it’s been sold and still needs to launch. We will then be coming out with the first licensing and merchandising products in about 12 to 16 months.

We also need to fill the pipeline of projects for the coming years. We need to close the financing [on a number of them]. Coming from Germany, it’s not an easy task! We are not a country with a lot of subsidies and don’t get the necessary tax breaks in order to have a fair competition against other countries. So it takes a little longer [to put the financing together].