VIDEO: Creators’ Superpanel & Kids Trendsetter Awards

Jonathan Shiff, Angela Santomero, Tom McGillis and Ben Bocquelet weighed in on the keys to creating successful shows for kids during the Creators’ Superpanel session at MIPJunior moderated by World Screen’s Anna Carugati before each receiving a Kids Trendsetter Award.

The fourth annual World Screen Kids Trendsetter Awards were presented to these leading creators in recognition of their contributions to the children’s programming business.

Santomero, the creator of Blue’s Clues and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and chief creative officer at 9 Story Media Group, came to television after gaining a Master’s degree in child development and psychology and instructional technology and media. “I studied for this job,” she said.

Bocquelet, the creator of the Cartoon Network hit The Amazing World of Gumball, said his background was more “run of the mill,” having gone to animation school and working his way up to a showrunner and director. “I just had to wing it!”

Shiff is behind the tween live-action hits H2O—Just Add Water and Mako Mermaids, among others. The former property lawyer landed a post as a legal advisor on a prime-time show “on the basis that they would train me as a producer.”

McGillis founded Fresh TV with Jennifer Pertsch after working at Nelvana, and together the duo created the hit Total Drama Island franchise, among several other series.