TV Kids Summer Festival Agenda

Running from June 7 to 10, TV Kids Summer Festival is a FREE event focused on the major challenges and opportunities at play in the children’s media business today.

Sign up for your free registration to attend here.

We have 20-plus fantastic speakers lined up for this event. You can see the full agenda below. The panels and keynotes will be available live and on-demand.

Don’t miss out on hearing insights from some of the kids’ content community’s leading producers, distributors, programmers and creators.

Need to convert the times below for where you are? Click on the times above the name of each session to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Tuesday, June 7

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  Buying Savvy
  Leading programmers weigh in on wish lists, rights negotiations and more in this session featuring Paramount’s Layla Lewis, POP Channels’ Francesca Newington, Sensical’s Bethany Boles and De Agostini Editore’s Brenda Maffuchi.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT 
  Keynote: Warner Bros.’ Amy Friedman
  As the head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros., Amy Friedman oversees creative and strategic guidance for the slate at Cartoon Network and Cartoonito and the development and production of kids’ and family content for HBO Max.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  Keynote: ZDF Studios’ Katharina Pietzsch 
  A director in ZDF Studios’ junior department, Katharina Pietzsch will highlight the company’s extensive live-action slate. Stay tuned for a sneak peek at new content from ZDF Studios following the keynote.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT 
  Meeting the Metaverse
  David Kleeman, senior VP of global trends at Dubit, will offer up some tips on how IP owners can tap into the new creative and commercial opportunities presented by the metaverse before catching up with WildBrain’s Anne Loi on how that indie giant is exploring this new landscape.
• 3 p.m. EDT 
  Keynote: Sesame Workshop’s Ed Wells & Kay Wilson Stallings
  Ed Wells, executive VP and head of global media and education, and Kay Wilson Stallings, executive VP of creative and production, will discuss how the organization is expanding its slate while staying true to its mission of helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

Wednesday, June 8

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  Where’s the Money?
  Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu, MIAM! animation’s Hanna Mouchez and Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick will share their perspectives on financing shows today.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT 
  Keynote: BBC’s Patricia Hidalgo
  The director of children’s & education at the BBC, Patricia Hidalgo will outline the pubcaster’s approach to serving British kids across CBBC, CBeebies and iPlayer.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  Keynote: The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford
  An Emmy-winning television producer, Halle Stanford serves as president of television at The Jim Henson Company, leading the development and production of a slate that includes Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on Apple TV+. Stanford will be joined by special guest Gobo Fraggle, and stay tuned following the keynote for a screening of the hit preschool series Word Party.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT 
  Creative Keynote: Bruce W. Smith
  A multiple award-winning animation artist, Bruce W. Smith will discuss the origins of his hit Disney Channel series The Proud Family and the process of bringing the beloved clan back for the Disney+ show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
• 3 p.m. EDT 
  Keynote: Nelvana’s Pam Westman
  Pam Westman, the company’s president, will articulate its approach to developing and sourcing content and mining its extensive library of IP.

Thursday, June 9

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  Window Watching
  Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, WildBrain’s Caroline Tyre and Guru Studio’s Jonathan Abraham will discuss their approaches to crafting distribution strategies that maximize IP across the value chain.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT 
  Keynote: Super RTL’s Thorsten Braun 
  The CEO of Germany’s leading commercial children’s broadcaster, Thorsten Braun, will share how he is navigating the portfolio, now fully owned by RTL Group, in a rapidly changing environment.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  TV Kids Pioneer Award: Jules Borkent
  Jules Borkent, managing director and executive VP for international kids’ and family brands at Paramount Global, will be honored for his achievements in the children’s media business following his keynote.
• 1:30 p.m. EDT 
  Keynote: Gaumont’s Nicolas Atlan
  As the president of Gaumont U.S., Nicolas Atlan is using his deep experience in the children’s media business to continue expanding the French studio’s thriving animation segment.
• 3 p.m. EDT 
  Latin American Playground
  We’re spotlighting the competitive kids’ media landscape in Latin America in this panel featuring Nickelodeon’s Migdalis Silva and Grupo Globo’s Luiz Filipe Figueira.

Friday, June 10

• 9 a.m. EDT 
  Gaumont’s Bionic Max
  Max, a malfunctioning bionic guinea pig, and his goldfish buddy, JC, escape from their laboratory into the bustling streets of Woodchuck Woods. Adapting to the urban jungle is no small feat for our pair of intrepid misfits, who try to fit in with the local wildlife while living madcap and clumsy adventures. Stay tuned for two episodes, one at 9 a.m. and one at 9:30 a.m.: “Great Escape” and “Last Resort.”
• 10 a.m. EDT 
  ZDF Studios
  A sneak peek at new content from ZDF Studios.
• 10:30 a.m. EDT
  The Jim Henson Company’s Word Party
  Catch two episodes of the wildly popular Word Party, an interactive preschool show that invites viewers to help care for four adorable baby animals as they sing, dance and play their way through their daily routines, learning new and exciting words along the way.
• 11 a.m. EDT
  Guru Studio’s Big Blue
  Whenever there’s trouble, Captain Lettie and the Calypso Crew are there to help save the Big Blue and protect its quirky residents. On every mission, there’s always big adventure, plenty of laughs and even an occasional dance party! This fun-loving crew always sticks together, and with the help of a magical ocean fairy named Bacon Berry, they just might unravel the mysterious secrets of their underwater universe!
• 11:30 a.m. EDT
  Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street Mecha Builders
  Mecha Elmo, Mecha Cookie Monster and Mecha Abby are ready to problem-solve the most out-of-this-world situations. Using their robo skills, the Mecha Builders are here to help—it just might take them a few tries before they save the day!
• 12 p.m. EDT 
  Future Today’s HappyKids
  Presenting a sizzle reel of Future Today’s HappyKids channel.
• 12:30 p.m. EDT 
  Dandelooo
  A look at new content from Dandelooo.