{"id":22449,"date":"2022-02-11T10:52:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T15:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap\/"},"modified":"2022-02-14T09:04:50","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T14:04:50","slug":"tv-kids-festival-recap-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/","title":{"rendered":"TV Kids Festival Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many themes emerged from our fantastic TV Kids Festival last week. The need for a greater focus on diversity and representation in kids\u2019 content. The value of known IP. The complexities of working with streamers, from mulling whether to do a global rights deal or taking a more strategic, market-by-market approach to figuring out which AVOD services are worth the effort. The importance of coming up with new financing models. The best ways of managing creativity and talent. But perhaps the most apparent theme was just how much people in the kids\u2019 business genuinely love working in the kids\u2019 business. You could see it across every single one of our 20 sessions\u2014involving a total of 32 speakers (plus two delightful children in the extended <\/strong><\/a>TV Kids<\/em><\/strong><\/a> family<\/strong><\/a>): a firm desire to elevate the content and find smarter, savvier ways of making shows that will amuse, entertain, educate and mold young minds across the globe.<\/p>\n

Missed any of the sessions live? You can access the entire festival on-demand here: <\/strong>TVKidsFestival.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We, of course, opened the festivities with a panel seeking to answer the question all distributors want an answer to: What do buyers want? In the Hit Seekers session<\/strong><\/a>, WarnerMedia Kids & Family\u2019s Adina Pitt, KiKA\u2019s Sebastian Debertin, M6 Group\u2019s Maud Branly and CBC\u2019s Marie McCann highlighted what\u2019s working for them and what they\u2019re looking for. Pitt, VP of content acquisitions, partnerships and co-productions for the Americas at WarnerMedia Kids & Family, noted that the importance of alliances has been \u201camplified quite a bit because the ecosystem is broader, and the consumer requires that much more content than what we used to pick up. The frequency is greater, and the volume is greater.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debertin, head of international content acquisitions in the programming and management department at KiKA in Germany, noted that the pubcaster is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. \u201cYou can imagine the shopping list for programming gifts for the audience and ourselves is long and huge!\u201d<\/p>\n

Branly, children\u2019s acquisitions director and international TV channels children\u2019s programming director at M6 Group, said that the company\u2019s need for content continues to grow. \u201cIn the last year, we acquired more nonlinear rights. We started to make acquisitions for exclusive SVOD rights. We have to adapt our acquisition strategy because the kids\u2019 habits are changing very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCann, senior director of children\u2019s content at Canada\u2019s CBC, said that companies pitching to her should consider \u201cwe\u2019re buying for a four-hour television block, so the scale is different. We\u2019re not looking for hundreds of hours of content. We\u2019re looking for marquee brands or highly original, unique offerings that are breaking ground somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

DreamWorks Animation has a stable of marquee brands alongside new original IP, Peter Gal<\/strong><\/a>, chief creative officer for television, told delegates in his keynote session. \u201cWe try to have a healthy mix at all times. Sometimes it feels like the business is pivoting one way or the other. Sometimes, the market feels very driven by people only wanting known IP with a built-in marketing advantage. But a few months later, one of our buyers will surface and say, \u2018We\u2019re craving something new, we want to break new IP.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred Soulie<\/strong><\/a>, senior VP and general manager of Mattel Television, highlighted the gains at the toy giant\u2019s content arm. \u201c2021 was the biggest year on record for Mattel and Mattel Television on the content side. We debuted more than nine series and specials based on our iconic IPs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking a holistic, 360-degree approach to brand-building popped up in several sessions, including the keynote from Josh Scherba<\/strong><\/a>, the president of WildBrain. \u201cWe have a unique set of capabilities,\u201d Scherba explained, referencing its \u201clibrary of world-class IP, our best-in-class creative development, our production facility in Vancouver, our experience and expertise in digital distribution as well as traditional distribution. At WildBrain CPLG, we have global expertise in consumer products and licensing. All of those aspects give us the ability to take IP from the ground floor, amplify it, build it up and ultimately [get it] onto retail shelves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivier Dumont<\/strong><\/a>, president of eOne Family Brands, discussed the unit\u2019s approach to developing new IP and managing known franchises from the extensive Hasbro portfolio. \u201cOur slate covers the full spectrum of demographics and genders, always with a strong commercial angle to them. We\u2019re looking to develop properties with significant licensing and merchandising potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Hans Bourlon<\/strong><\/a>, co-founder and CEO of Studio 100, discussed how the company has expanded its rich library into numerous avenues, including a successful theme park business. \u201cOur group is unique in that we combine the production of live-action and animated series with the leisure business like theater shows and theme parks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris M. Williams<\/strong><\/a>, the founder and CEO of pocket.watch, showcased the company\u2019s approach to developing IP for a digital-first generation. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a tremendous amount of success taking YouTube content, repackaging it, reformatting it, upscaling it to more premium-feeling content, and then distributing it broadly across over 40 different platforms in 80 countries. Everywhere we put the content, it performs, always.\u201d<\/p>\n

We also took a deep dive into the burgeoning AVOD space. \u201cThe last few years for AVOD have been quite intense!\u201d said Brenda Bisner<\/strong><\/a>, the chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV. \u201cKidoodle.TV has had a major role to play in that happening. As we look at the AVOD landscape, there is a need for a focus on differentiation, value-add and, of course, partnerships that are supportive. The focus for us is to keep growing and supporting families and kids globally while elevating our relevance in the AVOD space with our partnerships and brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Berger<\/strong><\/a>, the CEO of Common Sense Networks, outlined the strategy for Sensical, which just arrived on the scene last year, highlighting that it is the \u201conly streaming platform designed around interest-based learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Festival delegates also heard directly from the creators responsible for bringing joyous characters to kids across the globe, including the Oscar-winning Nick Park<\/strong><\/a>, who shared insights about his journey into stop-motion animation and the enduring appeal of Wallace and Gromit. Pierre Sissmann, chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios, and Coralie Boitrelle-Laigle, head of content for M6 Group\u2019s kids\u2019 channels in France, gave a behind-the-scenes look at the animated series The McFire Family<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Joe Brumm<\/strong><\/a>, the creator of Bluey<\/em>, discussed why the series is beloved by preschoolers and parents alike. Sonia Manzano, best known for her long run on Sesame Street<\/em> as Maria, and Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, took TV Kids Festival viewers inside the new PBS KIDS show <\/strong><\/a>Alma\u2019s Way<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. And Chelsea Beyl<\/strong><\/a> articulated the approach to bringing the charm of the iconic Disney animated feature Alice in Wonderland<\/em> to preschoolers with the brand-new show Alice\u2019s Wonderland Bakery<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We devoted an entire panel to overall trends in preschool<\/strong><\/a>, with Serious Kids\u2019 Genevieve Dexter, Jetpack Distribution\u2019s Dominic Gardiner, Dandelooo\u2019s Emmanu\u00e8le P\u00e9try-Sirvin and CAKE\u2019s Daniel Bays participating in a lively discussion on crafting that perfect mix of entertainment and edutainment. We also looked at the latest developments in French animation<\/strong><\/a> with Cyber Group Studios\u2019 Rapha\u00eblle Mathieu, TeamTO\u2019s Corinne Kouper and Zephyr Animation\u2019s David Sauerwein.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss the super engaging conversation between Deirdre Brennan, the COO of WildBrain, and Frank Falcone, the president and executive creative director at Guru Studio, on strategies for engaging kids today<\/strong><\/a>, including the importance of crafting new and innovative marketing plans to cut through the clutter. And get an inside look at Thunderbird Entertainment\u2019s strategy for becoming a global content studio<\/strong><\/a> via this panel featuring Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO; Matt Berkowitz, president and chief creative officer; and Richard Goldsmith, president of global distribution and consumer products.<\/p>\n

We presented this winter\u2019s TV Kids Pioneer Award to Philippe Bony<\/strong><\/a>, general manager of thematic TV channels at M6 Group and president of Gulli, who put the challenges and opportunities of catering to kids like this: \u201cKids are changing faster and faster. What is fascinating is that now when you are launching a new show and start the first sentence on a white page, you know that you are working for the next generation. You need to be able to anticipate their behaviors, their tastes, their interests, which are changing so quickly. You know [it will be] several years before you can broadcast the show and that a lot of things will have changed. It\u2019s interesting to try to anticipate that. You need to be lucky because you never know which way the world will go. So, it is really exciting to work for children and try to help them discover this new world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch all of these sessions at <\/strong>TVKidsFestival.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at the major themes that emerged from the TV Kids Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":22450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21],"tags":[5723],"class_list":["post-22449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-tv-kids-festival","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nTV Kids Festival Recap - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TV Kids Festival Recap - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A look at the major themes that emerged from the TV Kids Festival.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-11T15:52:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-14T14:04:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/07\/TVKidsFestival-122-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/\",\"name\":\"TV Kids Festival Recap - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-11T15:52:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-14T14:04:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/tv-kids-festival-recap-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"TV Kids Festival Recap\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\",\"name\":\"TVKIDS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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