MIPJunior Highlights Include Keynotes & Screenings

PARIS: This year’s MIPJunior, from October 15 to 16, will see a number of conferences, screenings and keynotes, including from Deirdre Brennan, Corus Kids’ VP of content, and Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Mattel’s chief content officer.

Brennan’s keynote will take place on Saturday, October 15, at 4:45 p.m. She will share some of her adventures in the world of children’s broadcasting. She will also discuss her view on the risks and opportunities facing the industry today, and explore the responsibility to audiences of the future. The next day will see the keynote from Balsam-Schwaber at 4:30 p.m. She will talk about global trends and innovations shaping the future of the kids’ business.

Two MIPJunior World Premiere TV Screenings are slated to take place. Splash and Bubbles, from The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Enterprises, will screen on Saturday. Grizzy and the Lemmings, from Hari International, will be exclusively shown to MIPJunior delegates on Sunday.

The MIPJunior conference program will explore the future of kids’ content and new storytelling, including sessions on international co-productions and licensing and merchandising. There is also the MIPJunior International Pitch, backed once again by Abu Dhabi Media Company’s Majid Entertainment, taking place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Among the speakers set to attend MIPJunior panels are Arne Lohmann (ZDF Enterprises, Germany), Lisa Olfman (Portfolio Entertainment, Canada), Sean Chu (WeKids Asia, China), Layla Lewis (Nickelodeon, U.S.), Hitendra Merchant (YoBoHo HooplaKidz, India), Pontus Torpvret (SVT, Sweden), Catherine Fulton (Viacom Media Networks, U.S.), Henrietta Hurford-Jones (BBC Worldwide, U.K.), Helene Juguet (Ubisoft Motion Pictures, France) and Finn Arnesen (Hasbro Studios, U.K.).

Lucy Smith, the director of MIPJunior, commented: “New distribution platforms are changing the game, playing by different rules and creating a new dynamic in the whole kids’ content industry. Through this vibrant conference program, matchmaking and networking events, and an extensive screening library, MIPJunior allows industry executives to identify and promote innovative content capturing the hearts of young viewers across cultural borders.”