MUNICH: Sebastian Debertin, KiKA\u2019s head of fiction, acquisitions and co-production, reveals what is resonating for the German kids\u2019 broadcaster.<\/p>\n
Explaining his role, he says: \u201cI look for acquisitions and co-productions for all genres from national and international sources. Germany, France, the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Scandinavia, Canada, Australia and the U.S. are the main [territories]\u00a0where our programs come from. Having said that, I also have two co-productions with Asian partners, from South Korea and from Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his priorities, Debertin says, is KiKA\u2019s support for an initiative called Der besondere Kinderfilm (Special Children\u2019s Films). \u201cIn a joint effort by ARD, ZDF and KiKA, together with the film industry and media policy-makers, and supported by funding bodies, children\u2019s films in Germany are to be given an improved and enhanced presence,\u201d Debertin says. \u201cKiKA is involved in this in terms of editorial input, joint development and co-investments.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for upcoming shows that he is excited by, Debertin cites Super Wings<\/em>, an animated preschool co-production with CJ E&M of Korea and Josh Selig\u2019s Little Airplane. \u201cIn the past, Asian countries were known mainly as service partners, but I am happy that the creativity from Asia now puts this region more and more in the driver\u2019s seat. Partners like CJ E&M in Seoul or One Animation in Singapore are coming up with great ideas that resonate with our audience in German-speaking Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Likewise on the co-production front, Debertin cites titles like Belle & Sebastian<\/em> with Gaumont Television and ZDF. He is also looking forward to The Insectibles<\/em>, a KiKA, Discovery Kids Asia and ZDF Enterprises co-production targeting 6- to 9-year-olds.<\/p>\n Regarding acquisitions, Debertin says a big part of KiKA\u2019s success has been a refusal to buy kids\u2019 shows in bulk. \u201cOur shows are hand-picked, which is why they work so well on KiKA platforms. At the end of January, for example, The Jim Henson Company\u2019s Doozers<\/em> achieved ratings of 74.6 percent and Little Princess<\/em> also continues to deliver huge ratings. Q Pootle 5<\/em> by Snapper Productions delivers a fantastic fresh look at aliens, while family audiences love Animaccord\u2019s Masha and the Bear<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n On what content owners should know when pitching KiKA, Debertin says: \u201cBe brave and come up with the next smart and clever concept for kids 6 to 9, whether animated or live action. There is a big demand for such shows by broadcasters, as I have learned from my exchange with international colleagues, public and commercial alike.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KiKA\u2019s head of fiction, acquisitions and co-production, reveals what is resonating for the German kids\u2019 broadcaster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,21],"tags":[451,452],"class_list":["post-9978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-kika","tag-sebastian-debertin","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n