AVOD, SVOD, FAST channels, podcasting, games, live experiences, toys, books\u2014there\u2019s an endless array of mediums for IP owners to play with as they look to foster meaningful connections with kids across the globe. Making sense of this landscape while also concerning yourself with delivering safe, uplifting content that speaks to young ones of all backgrounds and abilities is no easy feat. The second edition of the TV Kids Summer Festival aimed to make that process just a tad easier by serving up a wealth of insightful, relevant keynotes and panels from June 7 to 10.<\/p>\n
Missed any of the sessions live? You can access the entire festival on-demand here: <\/strong>TVKidsSummerFestival.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n As has become a tradition for our virtual kids\u2019 summits, we kicked off the event last week with an engaging panel discussion featuring four amazing programmers (all female!) in the Buying Savvy<\/a> session, in which Paramount\u2019s Layla Lewis, POP Channels\u2019 Francesca Newington, Sensical\u2019s Bethany Boles and De Agostini Editore\u2019s Brenda Maffuchi shared their acquisition wish lists and discussed increasingly complex rights negotiations<\/a>. Next, another powerhouse female executive in the kids\u2019 business, Amy Friedman<\/a>, the head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros., highlighted the success of the Cartoonito block, the expanded live-action slate and the importance of co-viewing<\/a> for the portfolio she oversees. Katharina Pietzsch<\/a>, director in ZDF Studios\u2019 junior department, highlighted the strengths of the company\u2019s live-action slate for tweens and teens<\/a>. The afternoon agenda began with Meeting the Metaverse<\/a>, in which Dubit\u2019s David Kleeman brilliantly outlined how IP owners can extend their brands into the metaverse<\/a> before engaging in an illuminating conversation with WildBrain\u2019s Anne Loi on how that indie giant is exploring this new landscape. We ended the day with Ed Wells and Kay Wilson Stallings<\/a> showcasing Sesame Workshop\u2019s expanding slate and its focus on diversity and inclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Day two of the TV Kids Summer Festival opened with a lively discussion in the Where\u2019s the Money<\/a> panel, as Serious Kids\u2019 Genevieve Dexter, Cyber Group Studios\u2019 Rapha\u00eblle Mathieu, MIAM! animation\u2019s Hanna Mouchez and Monster Entertainment\u2019s Andrew Fitzpatrick shared their perspectives on how financing models are evolving<\/a>. Viewers then heard from industry veteran Patricia Hidalgo<\/a> about how she is guiding the BBC\u2019s beloved children\u2019s and education initiatives<\/a> and the value of public-service media for kids. Continuing the theme of impactful content for children (and powerhouse female executives in this business), Halle Stanford<\/a> defined The Jim Henson Company\u2019s \u201chope punk\u201d approach to content development<\/a>\u00a0and its emphasis on \u201ctransformative television.\u201d Viewers were then treated to a fantastic keynote conversation with Bruce W. Smith<\/a>, creator of the beloved The Proud Family<\/em> and its recent Disney+ revival<\/a>. The day\u2019s events wrapped with Nelvana\u2019s Pam Westman<\/a> (did I mention a theme here?) on the company\u2019s approach to developing and sourcing content and mining its extensive library of premium IP<\/a>.<\/p>\n We opened the third day of the TV Kids Summer Festival with the Window Watching<\/a> session, a super fun and informative conversation between Jetpack Distribution\u2019s Dominic Gardiner, WildBrain\u2019s Caroline Tyre and Guru Studio\u2019s Jonathan Abraham on how best to manage distribution strategies on an IP<\/a>. The executives noted that free-to-air outlets are still vital, a theme reinforced by Thorsten Braun<\/a> as he showcased Super RTL\u2019s continued success as a commercial kids\u2019 broadcaster<\/a> in Germany and highlighted its evolution from a linear platform to a multiplatform one. We then honored Jules Borkent<\/a> for his many contributions to the business with a TV Kids Pioneer Award. Borkent accepted the honor after telling TV Kids Summer Festival delegates about his evolving programming remit at Nickelodeon and Paramount+<\/a>. Next up, Gaumont\u2019s Nicolas Atlan<\/a>showcased the storied French studio\u2019s approach to crafting kids\u2019 and family titles<\/a> and its emphasis on aligning with top-notch talent. As the conference agenda wrapped, we put our focus on Latin America<\/a>, with Nickelodeon Latin America\u2019s Migdalis Silva and Grupo Globo\u2019s Luiz Filipe Figueira discussing how they are evolving their strategies to meet their audiences wherever they are<\/a>.<\/p>\n The TV Kids Summer Festival naturally closed with a spotlight on some of the great content and services available in the market; don\u2019t miss the screenings of Gaumont\u2019s <\/a>Bionix Max<\/em><\/a>, The Jim Henson Company\u2019s <\/a>Word Party<\/em><\/a>, Guru Studio\u2019s <\/a>Big Blue<\/em><\/a> and Sesame Workshop\u2019s <\/a>Sesame Street Mecha Builders<\/em><\/a>, plus sizzle reels from ZDF Studios<\/a>, Future Today\u2019s HappyKids<\/a> and Dandelooo<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A look back at the insightful keynotes and panels from the second edition of the TV Kids Summer Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":23325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21],"tags":[5973],"class_list":["post-23324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-tv-kids-summer-festival","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n