TV Kids Festival Preview

World Screen made its first moves into the virtual events space last February with our inaugural TV Kids Festival. With close to 2,000 registered participants and 24,000 views of the sessions—involving 30-plus speakers—we knew we couldn’t wait to do it again.

Taking place February 1 to 4, this winter’s TV Kids Festival (like last year, we’ll have another one this summer) has enlisted 32 speakers from across the business—production, broadcast, streaming, distribution, L&M—to share their thoughts on where the kids’ content landscape is today and where it’s heading. If you haven’t registered yet, you can still do so here; it’s free!

The festival kicks off on Tuesday, February 1, with the one question all distributors are looking for an answer to: What do buyers want? In our opening panel, WarnerMedia’s Adina Pitt, KiKA’s Sebastian Debertin, M6 Group’s Maud Branly and CBC’s Marie McCann will share their strategies for finding the best properties the international market has to offer. Next, Peter Gal, chief creative officer for television at DreamWorks Animation, will take part in a keynote conversation about the studio’s approach to developing resonant, compelling content for platforms worldwide. Our first creative keynote will be delivered by Joe Brumm, whose Bluey has won the hearts of preschoolers across the globe. Next up, we’ll hear from Josh Scherba, president of WildBrain, on how the kids and family giant is evolving amid changes in the market. And the day’s sessions end with Eric Berger, who led the team at Common Sense Networks to create the brand-new AVOD service Sensical.

The Wednesday schedule begins with a special session on preschool programming, featuring Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin and CAKE’s Daniel Bays. Next up, TV Kids Festival attendees will be treated to a keynote conversation with Nick Park, the Oscar-winning co-director at Aardman whose current slate includes a new Wallace & Gromit movie for Netflix. At noon, Fred Soulie, senior VP and general manager of Mattel Television, will weigh in on the toy giant’s content approach. Next up, Sesame Street icon Sonia Manzano will join Fred Rogers Productions’ Ellen Doherty to showcase the brand-new PBS KIDS show Alma’s Way. Closing the day, Deirdre Brennan, COO of WildBrain, and Frank Falcone, president and executive creative director at Guru Studio, will participate in a candid conversation about navigating the complexities of the kids’ business today.

Day three of the TV Kids Festival opens with an inside look at the new show The McFire Family with Pierre Sissmann, chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios, and Coralie Boitrelle-Laigle, head of content for M6 Group’s kids’ channels in France. Then, Philippe Bony, general manager of thematic TV channels at M6 Group and president of Gulli, will discuss what’s driving the success of his division before being presented with this year’s TV Kids Pioneer Award for his contributions to the kids’ business. The day also includes a keynote conversation with Olivier Dumont, president of eOne Family Brands, about the treasure trove of properties he oversees. Later, we’ll hear from Emmy-nominated writer and producer Chelsea Beyl about the new Disney Junior series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. The last session of the day will take festival attendees inside the expansion strategy at Thunderbird Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons with Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO; Matt Berkowitz, president and chief creative officer; and Richard Goldsmith, president of global distribution and consumer products.

The Friday slate of events starts with a spotlight on France’s thriving animation segment, featuring a panel discussion with Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu, TeamTO’s Corinne Kouper and Zephyr Animation’s David Sauerwein. Then, we’ll hear from Hans Bourlon, CEO and co-founder of Studio 100, which operates across all segments of the kids’ business, from animation studios and a distribution arm to theme parks, TV channels and a successful L&M operation. The powerhouse keynotes continue into the afternoon with Chris M. Williams, founder and CEO of pocket.watch, and Brenda Bisner, chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV. And stay tuned for the last session of the day, as Anna Carugati, our group editorial director, offers up a closing message and checks in with a pair of delightful young ones in the extended TV Kids family about what they’re watching!

You can see the full schedule here and sign up for your free registration here.