Kidscreen February/March 2022

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engaging the global children’s entertainment industry FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

engaging the global children’s entertainment industry

Survey says...

The global kids industry weighs in on the state of the business

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Return to live?

Strategies for preparing for an experiential renaissance

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KIDSCREEN | February/March 2022

CONTENTS February/March 2022

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moves

The List—Everything on our radar this month from Hasbro’s CEO, to the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. screen

As more animators look to unionize, there could be a ripple effect for all studios. consumer products

Location-based brand extensions are undergoing a renaissance as families look for fresh experiences. kid insight

Want to reach the fastest-growing group of kids in the US? Better understand their parents first.

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Brave New World’s cute-and-interactive robot Snorble is singing, dancing and telling stories to make sure kids have sweet dreams.

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It’s all up from here for Gigglebug, thanks to a new vertical toon.

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What’s big now and what’s about to be huge in kidtech.

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tech

Forget chalk boards, families are turning to AI technology to get kids back on the learning curve.

Exploring your issues with this year’s Kids Industry Survey

our sold cover sports an ad for eOne’s My Little Pony: A New Generation,

while our editorial cover features The Sound Collector from Eagle Vs Bat.

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KIDSCREEN | February/March 2022

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022 • VOLUME 26 • ISSUE 1

So long, and thanks for all the baby sharks first official day on the Kidscreen team was on a Sunday in Miami. I flew over on a plane packed full of Canadian kids TV vets, though I didn’t know it at the time. I recognized a few faces when I arrived at the Intercontinental for Kidscreen Summit, but the event quickly turned into a whirlwind I could barely remember.

Fast-forward seven months, and I was on a plane to Cannes, surrounded by more kid industry execs. I have a distinct memory of seeing a pair of them huddled around a tablet making last-minute changes to an animation pitch deck for MIP Junior.

In less than a year, I had the opportunity to visit Miami, Las Vegas, Cannes, Los Angeles and Miami again.

I don’t think people outside of the kids industry have a true appreciation for how much you guys travel.

(Of course, the pandemic put a kibosh on most global conferences, and we’ve spent the past two years huddled around computers yearning to connect again. Sadly, we cannot be with you in Miami this February because of ongoing COVID-19 surges— though our virtual conference will hopefully help tide you over until the rescheduled event in July.)

Your jet-setting ways are almost a metaphor for kids content. Truly fantastic children’s programming has the ability to travel the world—much like the content creators who make them. Your British TV show about sentient numbers can resonate with kids halfway across the globe. An anthology about African folklore can be a hit in Australia. A toon starring a loveable monster from Japan can be beloved by kids in the US. As a child, I did not realize that my favorite TV shows weren’t all made in Canada (though many were, of course). As an adult, I don’t know if I really paid attention to it until it was my job to do so.

But that’s ok. You aren’t doing it because you want adults in the room to recognize your nationality. Children have never been more global, and the kids entertainment industry has always been a little bit more worldly than people give it credit for. The financial model of children’s entertainment has always been—by its nature—international (it’s hard to get a show fully financed in a single country). And that means that you’re probably better positioned than most to weather the streaming storm front that’s rolling across the world of film and television.

I’m flying off to my next adventure, and I don’t have any deep and meaningful parting thoughts except this: There are universal truths, no matter where a kid lives, and I admire the responsibility you all shoulder in shaping these young global citizens. You know the role content will play in a kid’s life and the lasting impact it might have on their development—and you do not take that lightly. You understand your duty to showcase a better world, one that is inclusive and representative of the audience consuming your content. You bring optimism and joy to what you create, but you don’t shy away from difficult topics. You take your role in bringing up kids to heart. And I think that’s pretty cool.

The pandemic is wearing on, so please take care of yourselves. And most importantly, please continue to shepherd this next generation as they discover the people they’re going to become.

—Megan Haynes

PUBLISHER Jocelyn Christie jchristie@brunico.com

EDITORIAL & CREATIVE EDITOR & CONTENT DIRECTOR Megan Haynes mhaynes@brunico.com ART DIRECTOR Taylee Buttigieg tbuttigieg@brunico.com COPY CHIEF & SPECIAL REPORTS EDITOR Elizabeth Foster efoster@brunico.com FEATURES & SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Jeremy Dickson jdickson@brunico.com NEWS EDITOR Ryan Tuchow rtuchow@brunico.com INTERN Zeenya Shah zshah@brunico.com CONTRIBUTORS Alexandra Whyte (Toronto), Madeline Di Nonno (Los Angeles)

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & ADVERTISING SALES (416) 408-2300 or 1-800-KID-4512 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Nelson Huynh nhuynh@brunico.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Lia Minquini lminquini@brunico.com MARKETING COORDINATOR Apeksha Verma averma@brunico.com

CORPORATE PRESIDENT/CEO Russell Goldstein rgoldstein@brunico.com EVP/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Mary Maddever mmaddever@brunico.com DIRECTOR FINANCE & ADMIN Michelle Plaskon mplaskon@brunico.com CREATIVE SERVICES & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Adriana Ortiz aortiz@brunico.com MANAGER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Christine McNalley amcnalley@brunico.com CUSTOMER CARE To order a subscription visit www.kidscreen.com/subscribe. To make a change to an existing subscription, please contact us by e-mail: support@kidscreen.com Fax: 416.408.0249 Tel: 416.408.2448.

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ISSN number 1205-7746. Opinion columns appearing in Kidscreen do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or its parent company Brunico Communications Ltd. All letters sent to Kidscreen or its editors are assumed intended for publication. Kidscreen invites editorial comment, but accepts no responsibility for its loss, damage or destruction, howsoever arising, while in its offices, in transit or elsewhere. All material to be returned must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. © Brunico Communications Ltd. 2018. ® Kidscreen is a registered trademark of Brunico Communications Ltd.

Watch for the next issue May/June 2022 • Street Date: May 13

Kidscreen.com

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MOVES | February/March 2022

Light it up Since setting up their own shop last year, former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs have been heating things up at Candle Media. After its 2021 acquisition of CoComelon and Blippi owner Moonbug Entertainment and Reese Witherspoon’s prodco Hello Sunshine, and the investment in Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s prodco in 2022, Candle Media is gearing up for further growth with new executive hires. In January, former Disney exec Salil Mehta and UTA alum Brent Weinstein joined as CFO and chief development officer, respectively. They are focused on building new business for the burgeoning prodco with a focus on social media, the creator economy and e-commerce. With popular kids brands and veteran talent under its roof, Candle Media could catch fire as a major player in the kids media landscape.

THE

LIST

Ten things on our radar this month

More than a collectible craze

Enter the Kidaverse

The industry has been expanding kids brands into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) all year, and companies like TIME Studios and Exile Content Studio are now turning to NFTs as a source of inspiration for original content. But it remains to be seen how far these digital trinkets will evolve beyond their collectible roots.

...And speaking of blockchain assets, Genius Brands International is gearing up for the launch of SVOD Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse, which will also offer a range of NFTs based on its popular characters. Bolstered by the content gained from several recent acquisitions, GBI could be positioned for major growth.

February/March 2022 | MOVES

Hasbro’s head honcho

Hasbro has appointed Chris Cocks—current president and COO of digital gaming division Wizards of the Coast—as CEO, effective February 25. Virtual gaming will likely be a focus for the toyco moving forward, given that Wizards reported significant revenue increases in Q1 (up 15% to US$242.2 million), Q2 (up 117% to US$406.3 million) and Q3 2021 (up 32% to US$360 million).

Meet the metaverse

Kidcos keep turning to the metaverse—omni-experiential online spaces—for new content, and Roblox is reaping the benefits of the craze as companies like Spin Master, MGA and Dubit launch new offerings on the platform. As more companies jump onto the metaverse bandwagon, it’s crucial that kid and brand safety are part of creating this new space for IPs.

Déjà déjà vu

Looks like it’s time to pack away your suitcases and pull out the sweatpants. Just as industry folks were starting to feel optimistic about returning to live events, along came Omicron to dash everyone’s spirits. But with major live events—including Kidscreen Summit and New York Toy Fair—postponed or cancelled, what will these ongoing disruptions mean for virtual business?

Consumer insights

After a massive rise in media consumption in 2020, viewing actually slowed down last year. According to data from Advanced Television, global media consumption was at a 15-year high in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. And though COVID-19 rages on, many have returned to work and school, slowing gains to 1.6% last year (more reflective of pre-pandemic patterns), down from its 3.1% high in 2020.

Honoring animation

Pixar pushed

Diving into digital

The re-branded Children’s & Family Emmy Awards plans on adding new categories to accommodate recent growth, thanks to the Individual Achievement in Animation category, which received the most entries across all National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awards programs last year.

Disney skipped the big screen for three of Pixar’s latest titles—Turning Red, Luca and Soul—instead choosing to launch the films on its streaming service. And while the pandemic has certainly affected theaters, the move could have more to do with maintaining the number of people who pay to use Disney+.

Pinkfong is diving deep into the digital world.

The South Korean company has two digitalfirst series in development and is expanding into digital comics for the first time with the teenage fantasy series Moon Shark. Will it be enough to move the Baby Shark producer away from its bread-and-butter brand?

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MOVES | February/March 2022

Kidscreen checks in on the content needs of international buyers. For more on this type of intel, check out our Global Pitch Guide at kidscreen.com.

Disney Branded Television Rick Clodfelter Content acquisitions and partnerships lead Looking for: Our content should celebrate families, inspire curiosity and include authentic and diverse characters, emotional storytelling and a touch of Disney magic. Priorities include preschool animation, animated comedies for older kids and live-action series and movies.

Style: Multi-camera live action and all varieties of animation

YouTube Originals, Kids & Family Craig Hunter Global head of preschool & families

Demographic: Preschool (two to fives), kids ages six to 11 and families Format: Depending on the content, 52 x 11 minutes or seven minutes, and 26 x

two- to three-minute seasonal shorts.

Buying strategy: Open to co-development, pre-buys and library deals. Ideally,

we’re looking for exclusive global opportunities with franchise possibilities.

Recently acquired series: Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes, Miraculous Tales of

Ladybug and Cat Noir, Ghostforce

Peacock Kids Kristofer Updike VP of development, original kids programming

Looking for: Shows that can resonate global-

ly and feel uniquely suited for YouTube. This might be through leveraging existing talent, tapping into endemic trends or communities, or using storytelling techniques and aesthetics that feel at home on our platform. We also look for programming with a “view and do” sensibility, centering on the goal of inspiring children’s real-world exploration and critical thinking during and/or after viewing. We aim to empower kids with themes that support their unique strengths and passions.

Style: All types of animation and live action Demographic: Preschool, school-age kids

and families Looking for: Original and IP-based preschool and bridge content emphasizing

themes of diversity, music, social-emotional learning and laughter. We want to represent all families by equally balancing gender, racial and cultural elements through entertainment and educational content. We also occasionally look for seasonal and stand-alone specials in the preschool and family space.

Style: All types of animation Demographic: Primarily preschool (two to five) and bridge (four to seven) content Format: Preferences are for five-, seven- and 11-minute lengths, delivered both

individually and as half hours. Episodic orders vary.

Buying strategy: We receive pitches for IPs or original content in early stages,

and like to have a strong hand in shaping a series. We are looking for pay-TV, SVOD, AVOD and digital rights exclusive to the US. We are open to co-development and co-producing opportunities.

Recently acquired series: Babble Bop!, Curious George, Where’s Waldo?

Format: Preference is for orders of up to 15 episodes. We’re flexible on duration, but we’re not looking for content less than five minutes long.

Buying strategy: We’re looking to produce

original content, preferably with a prodco already attached. We can either partly or fully finance a production. Our originals are developed/produced out of the US, Canada, EMEA, APAC and LatAm. We take globally exclusive premiere rights, but are open to allowing second windows on certain platforms.

Recently acquired series: Tab Time, Growing with Lottie Dottie, Pinkfong Wonderstar

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MOVES | February/March 2022

Digging up a classic Nearly 50 years after the classic ’70s preschool show The Magic Garden first hit the airwaves, its original hosts are ready to make an updated comeback.

BY: ZEENYA SHAH

hat happens when two teachers with a passion for children’s learning, a love for music and backgrounds in television come together? They make a preschool series, of course.

That’s what Carole Demas and Paula Janis did in the early ’70s when they started working on The Magic Garden. The slow-paced, live-action show followed along as Demas and Janis sang folk songs and told stories to flowers. The series ran for 12 seasons on WPIX-TV in New York, and spawned musical albums and standalone specials, which aired as recently as 2013.

Now, Demas and Janis—along with Christine Ferraro, Eric Peterson and Carol-Lynn Parente

from Hot Spaghetti Productions—think it’s time to remake the classic series.

“An updated version that encourages imaginative play is desperately needed in today’s digital age,” says Ferraro.

While working on PBS KIDS’ Hero Elementary in 2020, former Sesame Workshop alums Parente and Ferraro hooked up with Demas and Janis, who had been headlining a live concert at the time. The group decided to combine their experience to bring The Magic Garden back, with a few tweaks for today’s modern audience.

Hot Spaghetti is in development on an 11 x 30-minute 3D-animated remake, and has raised more than US$100,000 in financing. The team is working on a proof-of-concept short, which they will begin shopping this year, says Parente.

In order to take advantage of nostalgia around the original show, Parente says the remake will focus on themes from the original series, such as friendship and self-created fun.

Animation should help to modernize the brand and appeal to the appetite of the current market, adds Ferraro. Original stars Demas and Janis will continue to be part of the series, voicing a pair of talking sunflowers.

The original relied on a format that many preschooler programs continue to use today, says Parente. This includes repetition and recognizable intervals like music and story time, and arts & crafts activities that help keep preschoolers engaged.

“We felt [the format] was still relevant,” says Parente. “It didn’t really matter whether you knew the [original] show or not.”

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Mattel TV breaks tradition In an effort to diversify its storytelling, the toyco’s television division is readying its first series not based on an existing Mattel property.

BY: JEREMY DICKSON

ith upcoming CG-animated Netflix series Deepa & Anoop, Mattel Television wants the industry to know that toys and consumer products aren’t prerequisites for the type of content it produces.

Created by Munjal Shroff, Lisa Goldman and Heather Kenyon, the music-driven

series is Mattel TV’s first show not tied to an existing Mattel property.

Set to premiere globallyin mid-2022, Deepa & Anoop follows along as a sevenyear-old girl and her color-changing elephant friend tend to guests at her family’s bed and breakfast.

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MOVES | February/March 2022

Mattel TV’s SVP of global content, Christopher Keenan, and SVP and GM Fred Soulie are executive producing the 18 x half-hour series. Vancouver-based Kickstart Entertainment, which worked with Mattel on Enchantimals, is the project’s animation service partner.

To date, the toyco’s television division has only produced shows tied to Mattel IPs, such as Masters of the Universe and Barbie. But with more than 30 series in development (and 20 in production), its pipeline is home to a number of properties that Mattel TV either optioned or created, says Soulie.

“We tend to focus on our existing brands, but we also want to be known as an original storytelling studio. So we’re always on the lookout for other projects we can pitch to buyers,” says Soulie. “Because we are a toy company, some folks come in and want to get a master toy partner attached—we see a lot of projects with that angle. But other times, studios and creators just want to co-produce with us.”

Keenan first discovered Deepa & Anoop four years ago, and was drawn to its authentic characters and cute aesthetics.

“It usually takes a lot of time to option a show, but with Deepa it happened very fast,” says Soulie, who joined in 2018 after the project was acquired. “At the time, we were seeing a lot of original and authentic local content being produced, so it really fit with what the marketplace was doing.”

The show was ultimately picked up by Netflix last October. The streamer was a natural fit because of its commitment to diverse content and global growth, adds Soulie.

Once in production, Mattel TV extended the project’s focus on diversity by hiring voice actors of Indian descent. “We feel it’s important to show diversity on screen and behind the scenes,” says Soulie. And among the show’s 18 original songs are several large-scale musical numbers presented in the Bollywood tradition.

In terms of marketing and discoverability, it has yet to be determined if any episodes or clips of the show will premiere on YouTube prior to the show’s main platform debut, but Soulie is open to the strategy to get more people interested in Deepa & Anoop.

Later this year, Mattel TV plans to continue its original storytelling strategy by announcing more animated and live-action shows not based on Mattel IPs, though Soulie declined to share details at this time.

“People tend to view us as a toyco first, so changing that mindset comes from creating great content that can stand on its own,” he says.

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MOVES | February/March 2022

We can’t get enough of...

Charles Vaucelle THE BIG GIG: Creative director of French animation studio Superprod

Jeremy Dickson

PREVIOUSLY: Director for Hachette’s Studio 58

Features & Special Projects Editor

AN ARTISTIC REUNION After nearly five years away, Charles Vaucelle has returned to French

Netflix’s new series Arcane is an animated masterpiece from Riot Games and French prodco Fortiche, and you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy it.

animation studio Superprod as its creative director, with a remit to work with the management team on creating show concepts for the international market. “This is a position I’ve wanted since I started in this business,” he says.

A CREATIVE TWIST Vaucelle started his career 24 years ago in advertising as a junior art director in Paris. He quickly discovered that, while he loved to doodle, the ad side of the business held little interest for him. He made the jump into kids entertainment, which he saw as perfect fit for someone who just wanted to draw things.

ANIMATED CAREER MOVES In 1999, he joined Xilam, where he directed series including A Kind of Magic and The Daltons. He has also created characters for Oggy and the Cockroaches and is the mind behind Rolling with the Ronks and Zig and Sharko. In 2015, he joined Superprod, before moving on to Hachette in 2018.

STRETCHING THE IMAGINATION Now back at Superprod, Vaucelle is excited to be able to create new things every day with a talented team at his side. “The producers here gave me carte blanche to come up with ideas,” he says. “It’s a group that has the means to develop ambitious and quality projects.” And while he loves series, he eventually wants work on an animated movie.

“On a film, we have more time to generate emotions and spectacle.” —Zeenya Shah

Elizabeth Foster Copy Chief & Special Reports Editor As if her total domination of the holiday music chart wasn’t enough, Mariah Carey is taking over Christmas completely with a new kids book.

Ryan Tuchow

By Jim Benton

Know your audience

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News Editor I’m eager for Pixar’s upcoming feature Turning Red—not only is it a fun story with strong toyetic potential, but it’s also set in my hometown of Toronto.

LAUGH, LEARN & GROW WITH

Discover more shows at Moonbug.com

For Sales Enquiries: hello@moonbug.com | For Licensing Opportunities: adam.steel@moonbug.com Moonbug™ Copyright © 2022 Moonbug Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Tencent Kids Originals

February/March 2022 | SCREEN

Who’s afraid of the

BIG BAD union?

Animation studios in Canada are unionizing for the first time, and there’s been a surge of interest in the US. As more animators look to unions to raise wages and change working conditions, will there be ripple effects for companies that don’t get on board?

BY: ALEXANDRA WHYTE

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

hen Emily Gossmann was hunting for her first job after graduating in 2013, professors gave her a piece of advice: “Look for the old guys.”

“I call them an indicator species—like frogs in a pond or something like that. The idea is if the old guys are here, then this show probably isn’t too bad to work on,” says Gossmann.

Nearly a decade into her career, Gossmann—an animator at Titmouse—realized that finding a good place to work wasn’t always that easy. Instead, she has watched many of her colleagues, former classmates and friends burn out and leave the animation industry altogether.

This generation wasn’t going to stick around to become the “old guys” because, while the expectations around animation have evolved, the pay and other working conditions largely have not, she says.

Gossmann and her Titmouse colleagues wanted to change that, so they unionized.

In September 2021, Titmouse’s Vancouver studio became the second animation studio in Canada to ratify a union agreement, joining Montreal-based Oasis Animation, which signed its own deal in June. Other studios in North America are following suit, including Nova Scotia-based Jam Filled, which had its first union drive earlier this year.

While the entertainment industry at large is heavily unionized, and countries like France and

the UK have had animation unions for a long time, the industry in North America has largely been an outlier. There are some unionized pockets. For example, LA’s Animation Guild (TAG)—a local IATSE branch—represents animation employees of large studios such as Disney and DreamWorks and the smaller shops that service them.

But things are changing. “There’s definitely a growing interest following the success of the ratification vote at Titmouse,” says IATSE international representative Jeremy Salter.

“More and more, workers are coming forward wanting to talk about how to improve their working conditions with a union.”

In the US, support for unions more broadly has risen to a 65% approval rating, according to polling company Gallup. While many attribute this increase to the pandemic, animators say the push at the animation studios actually started long before COVID-19 swept the globe.

In 2019, a crowdsourced online Animation Wage Share analysis found that animation workers in Western Canada were burning out and leaving the industry after an average of five to 10 years—a very short career for the entertainment industry.

“Studios are hiring young people and relying on them to use that young energy to work a lot of unpaid hours,” Gossmann says.

“A lot of work is done on the backs of kids fresh out of school who don’t know how to recognize unrealistic expectations.”

So when Titmouse’s union (local 938 branch of IATSE) hammered out its agreement with the executives, one of the most important collective bargaining points was to get entry-level employees a pay bump. Oasis Animation’s union president Calvin Brett says his union group pushed for a similar raise.

Higher wages are typically what scare employers about unions. A starting animator at a non-unionized studio makes around US$30,000, whereas an employee of the same seniority who is a member of TAG would make closer to US$75,000, according to its master agreement. At the recently launched Oasis and Titmouse unions, parties negotiated a more palatable US$40,000 for entry-level employees. Union reps, including Gossmann and Brett, say they recognize that while US$75,000 might sound nice, the reality is those agreements have been in place (and steadily rising) since the 1950s. Imposing the same collective agreement costs on studios without a history of unionization would be unrealistic.

“An overnight change like that isn’t going to be sustainable for anybody,” says Gossmann. “Companies like Titmouse have shows [that are planned] out months— sometimes years—in advance. If you suddenly ask them to double or triple your wages, it’s going to be [like getting] blood from a stone. Even the most kind-hearted boss can’t make money just appear.”

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

The Vancouver studio of Titmouse—the animation company behind series like Arlo the Alligator Boy (pictured left) and Hanazuki: Full of Treasures (pictured right)—became the second studio in Canada to ratify a union agreement in September 2021

The pandemic made people say, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to try.’

—Emily Gossmann, Titmouse Increased wages may actually be a benefit to employers, says Jason Foster, PhD and associate professor of human resources and labor relations at Athabasca University. When wages go up, a company’s workforce usually becomes more stable with less turnover, which saves employers money in the long run, he says. This is especially true when an industry reaches critical mass of unionization (usually around a third of any given industry).

When a region achieves critical mass, buinesses often have to follow suit or risk losing out on talent and work, says Foster.

Los Angeles has already reached that critical mass. TAG has been around since the 1950s and represents approximately 6,000 members. Because the union is transparent about its collective agreement, most companies in the area follow the same pay scale, which keeps studios from outbidding each other for talent.

This means TAG can focus on other issues, like talent acquisition and retention, says Steve Kaplan, a business representative for The Animation Guild.

“We hear from a lot of people who want to come to Los Angeles because of the working conditions,” says Kaplan. “I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that animation work outside of LA continues to

stagnate or be depressed as far as working conditions are concerned.”

However, despite the positives, it’s still an uphill battle to convince organizations to allow unionization.

“The single biggest downside for a business is control,” says Athabasca University’s Foster.

“When you have a unionized workplace, the scope of management’s control over the workers—and how things happen in the workplace—diminishes because you have to negotiate that. You lose the ability to unilaterally make decisions on certain things.”

On the flip side, unions can create a system that provides more power to the smaller studio, particularly when dealing with larger clients, says Foster.

Take, for example, a client that wants a big change to the show made late in the game.

Animators are often recruited to work longer hours, sometimes for months at a time, to get things done. Having a union in place means there’s a contractual obligation that wages, work hours and conditions remain predictable, says Foster. Overtime is required to be paid at a higher rate, if it’s allowed at all.

Studios with a union in place can shift the onus back onto their clients to pay for changes, especially the ones that need to be done quickly.

“These union agreements make it easier for us to advocate on the artists’ behalf to the clients that determine the budgets and the schedules,” according to Titmouse founder and president Chris Prynoski in an email to Kidscreen.

The increased unionization of the animation industry may also mean a mindset shift for business owners, says Foster. While they might not be able to compete on price anymore, that doesn’t mean a unionized studio can’t be competitive.

“In an industry where quality really matters, the studios that are unionized might actually gain a different kind of competitive advantage—[they could] be more reliable in meeting timelines, and the quality of the work could improve,” says Foster. “If you’re the cheapest, but cutting corners and missing deadlines, then that’s not good for business.”

It’s too early to know if more studios will unionize in a wave that ripples across North America, or if this will just be a blip.

“I think we’re in a big generational period of labor growth,” says Titmouse’s Gossmann.

“I think we’re in a North American-wide labor push where people are doing a lot of things that they didn’t feel emboldened to do before. The pandemic made people say, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to try.’”

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

Reach for the top

Gigglebug is flipping the traditional storytelling format on its head with Tadpoles—a new vertical show with a universal theme.

BY: ALEXANDRA WHYTE he rules are made to be broken, or so the saying goes. Yet there are certain rules in film and TV that are rarely challenged—chief among them is that on-screen stories need to be told horizontally. Finnish animation studio Gigglebug is looking to break free of this tenant with its newest series in development, The Super Epic Tadpole Journey to the Surface of Croak Creek (or Tadpoles, for short).

The 78 x seven-minute show for kids ages four to seven follows a pair of tadpoles as they make their way from the bottom of the pond to the surface, facing obstacles like alligators and hungry fish along the way.

Based on an idea generated by character designer Said Omar Eshaq and storyboard artist Romain Beuriot, at a glance Tadpoles would seem to be a typical kids show that stars two small animals desperate to grow.

Look deeper, however, and you’ll see that everything else is flipped on its side.

The story will be told in vertical aspect ratio, which means everything from storyboards to scripts need to shift to tell the story vertically, says Beuriot.

“In a typical character’s journey, the artist uses a technique where the cartoon is always walking from the left to the right of the screen,” says Beuriot. “We’ve changed it so the characters are going up instead.”

Even the smallest of details, such as the direction characters’ eyes point, needed to be rethought.

“It’s totally different,” says Beuriot. “You’re [storyboarding] something that you do every day, but you normally do it horizontally. You have to see everything differently.”

Gigglebug’s CEO Anttu Harlin challenged his employees with creating a vertical story in May as a way of stretching their creative

muscles. In the mix were ideas filled with skydivers and castles, but Eshaq and Beuriot’s universal concept of kids growing up—while literally venturing upwards—stood out.

Harlin vetted the concept with his own kids, and each night they’d ask to hear more, which showed him the story had legs.

Gigglebug fast-tracked Tadpoles’ development, and plans to pitch it at Kidscreen Summit Virtual in March. The creative team has a pitch deck and a storyboard for the first episode ready, and is working on an animation test. They’ve also developed a companion mobile game to accompany the IP. Gigglebug isn’t breaking entirely new ground. Mobile-friendly social platform Snap has been commissioning vertical content native to its platform for a few years now, with only middling success. The now-defunct Quibi famously tried to make mobile-first content—which could all be watched vertically—the norm. And, of course, people watch vertical content on their Instagram Stories every day.

While the prodco will target mobilefriendly platforms like YouTube and TikTok, Harlin doesn’t want to close the door on more traditional linear or SVOD partners that have horizontal aspect ratios. Even if the story is told on a horizontal screen, enough of the storytelling and design is vertical that it will still be a differentiator for the series, and that will help draw audiences in, he says.

“We’re going to do a bit of a roadshow with all of the players we don’t know that well,” says Harlin. “We don’t know if they’re commissioning this [type of content], but we’ve trail-blazed before, so we’re going to give this new route a go.”

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

Eagle Vs Bat takes off Armed with a distributor, broadcasters and a desire to experiment, the prodco hopes its first project’s focus on sound will speak volumes to deaf kids and broadcasters looking to reach them.

BY: RYAN TUCHOW ledgling UK prodco Eagle Vs Bat is counting on experimentation to be the wind beneath the wings of its first project, The Sound Collector.

Serious Kids is distributing the 60 x five-minute series, which received funding from the UK’s Young Audience Content Fund.

The Sound Collector revolves around a young boy who is hard of hearing but loves sound so much that he records the different things he hears in everyday life for playback later.

The series will play with audio, but it will also feature moments of silence and emphasize everyday noises in order to get kids thinking about what they hear. Delivery is planned for February 2023.

Italian studio Enanimation has signed on as a co-producer, and UK-based Mackinnon

& Saunders is working on the animation. RAI (Italy) and ITV (UK) have already picked up the series for their territories.

While it highlights hearing impairments, the show’s real focus is on sound, says Eagle Vs Bat co-founder Tom Angell.

The goal is for kids to experience episodes with their ears as much as their eyes, so that they realize there is beauty in the noises they often take for granted, he says.

Deaf kids will hopefully see themselves reflected authentically on screen in this series—which serves a need for more content highlighting disabilities—and putting sound at the forefront of the project will help it stand out in the market, says Angell.

Audiences and buyers are always keen to consider new concepts, and The Sound Collector’s unique perspective is what led

to the deals with RAI and ITV. Serious Kids CEO Genevieve Dexter says these early buyins will help make it easier to sell the show internationally.

Eagle Vs Bat’s penchant for experimentation will be applied to live-action shows and adult content next.

While co-founders Angell and his wife Erica (née Darby) don’t have much experience in either of those genres (Tom has roots in music production, while Erica has worked on kids toons), their willingness to try new things is a strength they hope will lead to innovative projects.

“We want to stretch new muscles and introduce new ideas into the market by developing more projects where sound and what the characters are experiencing is the focus,” says Erica Angell.

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

Top: Graphilm’s Maurizio Forestieri and Anna Lucia Pisanelli and its feature The Custody.

Bottom: A Productions’ Katherine McQueen and Mark Taylor and its series JoJo & Gran Gran.

Cyber Group scales up On the heels of acquiring three companies, the Paris-based studio is betting on a local IP blitz and a bigger real-time animation pipeline to future-proof its global business.

BY: JEREMY DICKSON alk about a growth spurt. As part of its ongoing international expansion plan, Paris-based Cyber Group Studios has acquired a controlling interest in two established animation studios—A Productions in the UK (Jo Jo & Gran Gran) and Graphilm in Italy (Nefertine on the Nile)—and Scrawl Animation, a new Singapore-based venture.

Financial terms of the deals have not been disclosed, but the acquired companies’ senior leadership teams will remain intact.

The acquisitions are expected to help Cyber Group strengthen its 15-project development

slate, consolidate resources, and improve its financing and speed-to-market capabilities, says president and CEO Pierre Sissmann.“The vision was to identify best-in-class companies that share [our] values that could form a bigger group within ours,” says Sissmann.

Bristol-based A Productions’ expertise in uniquely British preschool content, as well as its commitment to diversity and inclusion, were big draws for Cyber Group.

Well-known for its 2D/CG animation and live-action service work, A Productions was particularly attracted to the prospect of doing

more original productions, says managing and creative director Mark Taylor.

“We’ve dipped our toes into our own IP development, but you need a lot of resources to do it well,” says Taylor. “The very appealing part of the deal is Cyber’s commitment to investing in our new IPs, which will then plug into [its] wider distribution and sales network.”

Meanwhile, Cyber Group’s decision to acquire Rome-based Graphilm also came down to shared values and culture, and an attraction to the prodco’s creative talent. The two companies previously partnered on Graphilm’s 2D-animated kids series Nefertine on the Nile.

The deal will allow Graphilm to cement its position as a top animation studio in Italy, says executive producer Anna Lucia Pisanelli.

Cyber Group also plans to leverage A Productions’ and Graphilm’s established relationships with their local pubcasters (BBC Children’s and RAI, respectively).

“By co-producing with ourselves, it enables us to find more resources and immediately talk to major broadcasters,” says Sissmann.

Getting closer to broadcasters in Asia is another key part of Cyber Group’s acquisition strategy—hence its decision to take a majority stake in Scrawl Animation, a real-time animation shop recently established by Scrawl Studios, Cyber Group’s co-pro partner on toon series Zou and Mademoiselle Zazie.

Scrawl Studios also has an affiliated outpost in China.

Scrawl Animation has been unofficially operational since Q4 2021, with projects already in the works. Its key objective with Cyber Group is to develop its real-time pipeline, which will help it to compete regionally, internationally and in rapidly emerging sectors like extended reality, says Scrawl Studios CEO and Scrawl Animation director Seng Choon Meng.

With this acquisition, Cyber Group plans to export real-time animation projects to Asia, as well as the UK and Italy. One of Cyber’s realtime animation shows, Bee Prod/Webedia co-pro Alex Player, is currently being made in collaboration with Graphilm, RAI, France Télévisions, Scrawl Animation and an as-yetunnamed broadcaster in Singapore.

Moving forward, Cyber Group is eyeing companies in Spain and Latin America for acquisition potential as well.

“If we can build a group that is multi-local and has strength in its own regions, ultimately, with best practices, we’ll create better local and global content,” says Sissmann.

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SCREEN | February/March 2022

An early peek at shows on the development track

Mojo Swoptops PRODUCERS: Blue Zoo (UK), Tararaboom (UK) STYLE: 3D animation FORMAT: 52 x 11 minutes BUDGET: US$10.5 million STATUS: In development, with a pitch bible and pilot script available. The partners are currently looking for presales and financing.

DELIVERY: June 2024

Mojo Swoptops is a car helping her community with nothing but creativity, enthusiasm and a wardrobe of accessories that let her do just about anything. Mojo can swap her top at a moment’s notice to take on challenges—such as donning a cement mixer to stir cake batter or putting her helicopter hat on to trim the hedges. In every episode, Mojo and her best friend Bo the mechanic find new ways to solve problems. The show is based on a ’70s book series of the same name by writer Cindy Black and illustrator Rich Ward.

3 to 6

Chefclub Friends PRODUCER: Chefclub (France) STYLE: 2D animation FORMAT: To be confirmed, but likely 52 x 11 minutes BUDGET: Approximately US$8 million to US$9 million STATUS: In development now, with a bible, one script and five synopses in the can. Chefclub’s next priorities are looking for broadcast presales and production partners.

DELIVERY: 2024

5 to 7

A love of cuisine and a sense of curiosity as hearty as their appetites drives a group of kids to learn about the world through food. From Swiss fondue to Vietnamese spring rolls, these young gourmets travel the globe making friends with chefs and discovering new recipes. Chefclub, which makes cooking videos for families, has tapped longtime kids TV producer Maia Tubiana (The Jungle Book) to help them whip up the new show. And MarieLaure Marchand, Chefclub’s SVP of business development, is on deck to executive produce.

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CONSUMER PRODUCTS | February/March 2022

Photo courtesy of Kentucky Educational Television

Live, in three, two…one?

Cooped up for months at a time, kids and families are ready for some fresh experiences, which means IP owners are preparing for a live and location-based brand extension renaissance.

BY: ELIZABETH FOSTER

hether it’s watching a live show in a theater or walking onto a ride at a theme park, location-based brand extensions are some of the most immersive ways for fans to engage with properties.

According to California-based market research firm Grand View Research, the location-based entertainment market was valued at US$3.05 billion in 2020.

And now, after so many months stuck at home during the pandemic, there is something especially magical about families gathering together again to experience their favorite brands.

February/March 2022 | CONSUMER PRODUCTS

The Fred Rogers Productions team creates distance between costumed characters and families by holding drive-through events

For experiential companies, the last two years have led to significant learnings and the launch of many new strategies to adapt live entertainment offerings during an ongoing pandemic.

And while new COVID-19 variants warrant continued caution, brand owners and event producers have transformed their plans for 2022 in order to deliver new and improved experiences for kids of all ages.

For Pennsylvania-based Fred Rogers Productions, maintaining live and locationbased brand extensions in recent months was all about giving kids their space.

The team executed drive-through events that required families to remain in their vehicles, and organized storytimes that saw costumed characters sit apart from kids in order to comply with social distancing mandates. The Daniel Tiger costume was even outfitted with a mask to encourage younger children to keep their own face coverings on during events.

The company also used this strategy for its collaborations with partners like the Pittsburgh Downtown Park. Pre-COVID, its Holiday KidsPlay event was hosted in a large heated tent; but in 2021, it was reorganized to

be completely outside, with a focus on the new Selfie Garden.

The garden was styled with backdrops from series like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie. Instead of costumed characters, the space was filled with cutouts of fan-favorite characters in winter finery.

Children were able to immerse themselves in the worlds of their favorite shows without coming into close contact with anyone outside of their family bubble.

“It was something short-term that we could adjust quickly to still bring excitement to our audience, while keeping them safe,” says Matt Shiels, VP of business and legal affairs for Fred Rogers Productions.

And while this distancing strategy was initially employed as an immediate solution to the problems presented by the pandemic, the company’s upcoming initiatives will continue to feature built-in distancing mechanisms.

Looking into 2022 and beyond, Fred Rogers is focused on partnerships to grow its live and location-based portfolio. Museums are of particular interest since their commitment to education aligns with the prodco’s own mission, and the team is planning more museum stops in 2022 than it made in either 2020 or 2021. Fred Rogers has an ongoing relationship with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, for example, which will drive the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Grr-iffic Exhibit to keep touring throughout this year.

“We are hoping to do more with museums in the next few years, and these experiences will take place outdoors if possible,” says Suzanne Masri, VP of marketing, communications and engagement for Fred Rogers. “They’ll have a larger footprint, giving more space between activities. Where it’s maybe been more compact in the past, now we’re encouraging partners to set things up in a location where there’s a lot more room for the events.”

Museums also benefit from timed ticketing, which helps control the size of crowds without sacrificing sales. In addition to controlling capacity and audience flow, timed ticketing creates an opportunity to launch flexible pricing models based on low-traffic time periods. The team is looking to incorporate timed ticketing into other experiential entertainment as well, including events with costumed characters.

Restructuring live and location-based brand extensions to create this level of

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flexibility is crucial to relaunching in-person events in 2022, says WOW Explorations CEO Donna Friedman Meir.

The San Francisco-based company was fully funded and gathering a team in early 2020 to begin preparations for the launch of live event WOWtopia. This interactive experience features activities that highlight different regions around the globe and their cultures, such as climbing Mount Fuji or ziplining over the Amazon.

But WOWtopia, like the rest of the world, was put on hold, and Meir spent the bulk of 2020/2021 rethinking her launch strategy.

Initially, the plan was to bow first in the US before going global. However, restrictions varied so widely from city to city—along with ongoing complications related to the politicization of the pandemic—that an international pivot became prudent.

“There has always been interest in WOW in China and Europe,” says Meir. “I am in the midst of negotiating a deal with licensing agents who want to rep WOW globally, so there’s a chance we might actually start outside of the US.” To determine which regions would be the best fit, Meir is examining current reopening plans, along with several other factors such as resident market size (with a focus on family density), the level of attendance for previous cultural attractions, the saturation of similar content offerings, and tourism statistics (to guarantee a stream of new attendants outside of the local population).

Territories including Korea and Japan have been determined to be good prospects, for example, because of their focus on educational experiences for kids.

When WOWtopia is ready to launch—in whichever market Meir determines best serves the event—she has also developed a new budget to provide as much flexibility as possible.

“We have a COVID contingency now,” Meir explains. “It’s a meaningful budget to deal with the implications on the operational side as well as the increase in wages, the cost of goods and ongoing supply chain issues. It’s so hard to determine which of these issues will last and which won’t, so we just put an overall contingency into our budget to deal with them as they arise.”

Building flexibility into its business plan is also how New York-based Round Room Live managed to relaunch live shows in

While shows are still planned in advance, Round Room Live is only announcing dates to parents 60 to 90 days ahead of time

2021. After the Delta variant led to postponements, the Round Room team revised its strategy to announce fewer shows with shorter notice in order to limit the amount of potential rescheduling and cancelling. All shows are still planned well in advance, but audiences are made aware of performances approximately 60 to 90 days beforehand.

“Between Baby Shark Live! and Blippi The Musical, we’ve announced 89 performances for 2022,” says Stephen Shaw, co-president of Round Room Live. “With Baby Shark, we would typically announce an entire year-long tour. At this time, we’re not prepared to do that. We announced the first 35 dates, which covers approximately two months. Over the last two years, our fans have endured so many rescheduled shows, postponements and cancelled tours. We don’t want to get people excited about shows until we’re sure we’re moving forward.”

North American shows for Blippi The Musical and Baby Shark Live! begin this month. Stemming from five live tours, Round Room is planning to perform more than 600 shows in 2022, with additional events to be announced much closer to opening curtain. This marks the company’s busiest schedule to date. At press time, the shows were set to run as planned, though the Round Room team is monitoring state and venue regulations in reaction to the Omicron variant.

One area where there is very little flexibility, however, is in the implementation of safety measures in theaters. Proof of vaccination

or negative test results, temperature checks upon arrival, contactless entry, frequent disinfection, capacity reduction and mask requirements are all policies that have been established by various venues. The Round Room team works with venue partners and their local governments to ensure that all measures are fully implemented by staff and accurately conveyed to audiences.

Close communication with the parents buying tickets has proven to be especially important in recent months as requirements evolve frequently and with very little notice.

For example, certain US markets didn’t initially require proof of vaccination, Shaw says. “Then one day, guidelines came down that people did need that proof to enter the show. We had to make pretty dramatic changes to our own operations in terms of staffing [to make sure enough employees were in place to accommodate those checks] and messaging our consumer base.”

In addition to keeping fans informed, staying connected with audiences is crucial in order to rebuild comfort with—and trust in—live and location-based brand extensions.

“We’re in the business of putting large groups of people together,” says Peter van Roden, SVP of global themed entertainment for Warner Bros. Entertainment Group. “We think about safety all the time anyway. When the pandemic happened, safety was already second nature for us.”

In addition to making sure families are aware of all the new safety precautions being put into place for various

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A joint venture with Superfly X in New York, The FRIENDS Experience succeeded in 2021 by keeping crowds small

Warner Bros. plans to take advantage of the growing demand for experiential entertainment in its parks and hotels

experiences—including concerts, restaurants, hotels and theme parks—Warner Bros. is also working to analyze the comfort level of fans.

Over the past two years, van Roden says the focus for Warner Bros. has been on smaller, more intimate offerings rather than onbrand extensions that involve large crowds.

For example, The FRIENDS Experience it created in partnership with New York-based entertainment company Superfly X allows

fans to step into set recreations and see props and costumes from the beloved TV series. The experience launched in 2019, and despite capacity limits amid ongoing lockdowns, it welcomed more than 300,000 guests in 2021.

This type of pop-up event is a low-risk offering for audiences and creates an opportunity to begin rebuilding a level of comfort with in-person entertainment. However,

while Warner Bros. was working on these smaller brand extensions, van Roden says the team was simultaneously preparing to take advantage of an increased demand for live and location-based offerings post-pandemic.

This was serious, long-term planning with a focus on major projects like hotels and theme parks.

“Everyone is talking about this unbelievable, pent-up demand to get out and do things,” van Roden explains. “Moving forward, we believe full capacity will be even bigger than pre-pandemic.”

According to data from Grand View Research, the location-based entertainment market is expected to reach US$30 billion by 2028 (with a compound annual growth rate of 34% from 2021 to 2028).

Until that full return to in-person entertainment occurs, however, Warner Bros. is preparing to take advantage of audiences’ appetite for gathering together during this in-between period by launching elaborate outdoor offerings.

“We have a new Harry Potter experience in the North of England that’s an outdoor wandering experience, so it’s perfect,” van Roden says. “We started developing it before the pandemic, but we accelerated it because it was clear it could really benefit [from the current climate].”

Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in Cheshire is a nighttime woodland trail experience that lets fans “cast” their own spells and interact with magical creatures (both projected and animatronic) from the famous Wizarding World franchise. In addition to lights and sounds, the experience also includes audio clips from the film series.

Since launching in October 2021, it has hosted more than 130,000 guests.

Focusing on events like walking tours and concerts that can be held outdoors, and therefore accommodate larger crowds, is a natural answer to the question of how companies can carry on during this in-between stage, van Roden says.

“We won’t go back to normal tomorrow— that’s not realistic. Immediately following the pandemic, it was about survival; but that very quickly turned into planning. What are the immediate next steps to get people back through the door? But even more so, what are the opportunities coming out of this, and how can we set ourselves up to take advantage of that?”

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CONSUMER PRODUCTS | February/March 2022

Dreaming of electric sheep Built to help kids get to sleep, interactive robot Snorble is about to hit the market with original stories baked in, and there are plenty of licensing opportunities for kids IP owners.

BY: RYAN TUCHOW dentifying a need to make bedtime fun, Mike Rizkalla, CEO of techco Brave New World, is stepping into the kids space with a new interactive robot and a same-name startup to bring it to market.

Snorble is a cuddly nighttime friend who can sing, dance, tell original stories and interact with children. In 2021, Snorble the start-up raised more than US$200,000 via a kickstarter campaign to launch the AI-driven toys in North America this October with a companion range of picture books and apparel.

On the content side of things, the Snorble team has developed several bedtime stories for their robot to tell.

These relaxing yarns are all about mythical creatures in the magical land of Lullaboo, and they’re designed to lull kids to sleep. The algorithm changes up details, so each kid hears a unique story.

Leading Snorble’s content push is former Disney Imagineer Brian Collins. In his role as executive creative director, Collins has developed the robot’s lore and fleshed out Lullaboo. The team will look at expanding these concepts into additional products and adaptations going forward, says Rizkalla.

Snorble also changes its personality when kids dress the bot up in different costumes.

For example, a sensor in the unicorn outfit makes the screen that acts as the bot’s face look like that of a unicorn—horn and all— and the costume unlocks stories featuring the legendary creature.

Two costumes will be available at launch, but the team plans to expand this range down the line.

Rizkalla is also looking for licensing partners interested in versions of Snorble featuring the faces of their characters.

To keep kids safe, Snorble doesn’t connect to the internet, and parents only need to input basic data into an app in order for the robot to track their child’s bedtime rituals—such as how long they spend brushing their teeth or when they wake up.

While its initial focus is on helping kids get to sleep, Snorble also features content designed to teach them about healthy lifestyle factors like exercise, mindfulness and meditation routines. Longer term, the goal is to expand the bot’s focus to help kids form a number of healthy habits, says Rizkalla.

“There are some forms of interactions for kids through devices like Alexa and Google Home, but none of them really connect with the child,” he says. “With Snorble, there’s the opportunity for us—and other brands—to turn characters into AI that can become a teacher and best friend for many kids.”

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CONSUMER PRODUCTS | February/March 2022

ZAG wants counterfeiters to walk the plank The company’s new anti-piracy division uses artificial intelligence and algorithms to identify suspicious consumer products based on its brands.

BY: ELIZABETH FOSTER ven superheroes need a hand sometimes, which is why ZAG Entertainment recently launched an anti-piracy division to safeguard the intellectual property rights for its brands, content and consumer products. To start, the LA-based animation studio is focusing on eliminating counterfeits related to its flagship IP Miraculous—Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

“We have not had a lot of big issues with piracy so far. But because we are growing, we are trying to be preventative,” says Julian Zag, EVP of global operations and head of consumer products. “The issue with counterfeits is not just that we aren’t getting the royalty.

It’s also that the consumer products are low-quality. When fans buy these items, they are disappointed and don’t have the same experience with the brand that they would have with [official merchandise].”

As ZAG brands like Miraculous and Ghost Force continue to grow—and ahead of this year’s release of feature film Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening—the team decided to put

mechanisms in place to identify and address counterfeit consumer products.

Marie-Claire Trinh Van Hi and Bei Zhou were appointed as global brand protection analysts for the division when it launched in November, reporting to VP of global e-commerce Christophe Vallade and working alongside SVP of legal and litigation Ben Johnson.

In addition to spearheading legal investigations to curtail counterfeit content and merchandise, Trinh Van Hi and Zhou will monitor e-tailing platforms—which are busier than ever as parent spending continues to migrate online—to identify counterfeit products.

It’s a big expense to launch this type of anti-piracy effort, but many in the industry would consider it an investment in future earnings. Data from market research firm Statista found that sales of counterfeit goods in 2020 led to US$1.57 billion in losses for the toys and games sector. And research from software company Red Points pegged revenue generated in 2019 from counterfeit

toys at US$32.3 billion in the US and US$44.6 billion in Europe. Toys and apparel are the most counterfeited categories, according to the ZAG team.

ZAG is also using algorithms and artificial intelligence to identify suspicious activity. The technology was developed over the course of a year and a half, and the algorithms pull from a database of ZAG’s licensing agreements to determine if a product is sanctioned or not.

If the item is deemed suspicious, the division receives an alert.

“It’s a team effort. We collaborate with all of our partners,” Zag says. “We implemented a process where everyone—from licensees to retailers to broadcasters—reports each month on anything they’ve seen.”

Moving forward, all of the data gathered by the algorithms on which platforms and regions are most likely to generate reports will be amalgamated so the division can be more targeted in its anti-piracy efforts. For now, these products are being dealt with one by one.

“First we send a notice to the seller to gather information on a potential licensing agreement. They have 24 hours to report any information, but if they don’t respond in that time, we automatically work with our legal department to remove the item from the platform in question and file a claim immediately,” Zag says. “Many companies look to settle with the counterfeiters, but our policy is that we will not settle. We go immediately into litigation.”

Ideally, counterfeiters will be less likely to target ZAG brands once it becomes clear there will be no negotiations. Zag says the anti-piracy division needs to grow in order to accommodate further expansion for brands like Miraculous, as well as to protect new properties as soon as they launch.

“We plan to grow the division with more analysts and more litigators all over the world,” he explains. “This is the way to protect properties and make sure the fans are always satisfied.”

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CONSUMER PRODUCTS | February/March 2022

Product trends on the road to retail

Brands get into the groove Chris Byrne, president of Byrne Communications, looks at why some kids consumer brands are releasing original songs these days, and whether or not these tunes will be music to children’s ears.

SLINKY LUCKY CHARMS SING From Barney to Baby Shark, music

has always played an important role in children’s entertainment. But recently, a number of kid-focused consumer brands have also been getting into the groove.

Cereal brand Lucky Charms, for example, launched an album called Magically Delicious in August. Featuring eight original songs, including “The Clover Jig” and “Horseshoe Hoedown,” the album is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify. Each song pulls inspiration from a different musical genre, including K-pop and rock & roll.

DANCE “In this marketplace, people are

looking at everything they can do to expand their brand,” says Byrne. “Music is certainly a great way to do that, because it has been a part of brands since there’s been advertising. Kids properties have a whole history of theme songs and jingles that became a part of pop culture, and there’s a whole generation of people who grew up with those jingles. Now, original music is about creating those earworms and reinforcing the brand any way you can.”

MOVE In August, Florida-based toymaker Just Play launched a campaign to develop a new jingle for its Slinky toy line.

Fans were invited to visit the brand’s SoundCloud page, where they could access the toy’s original jingle and use musical elements to create their own remix.

The campaign launched via TikTok and Instagram on August 30—also known as National Slinky Day—and served to kick off Just Play’s new partnership with advertising agency Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners. To date, more than 3.5 million people have given the remixes a listen on TikTok. GROOVE “It’s not free, but comparatively, making music is a cost-effective way to develop content and put it on platforms,” Byrne says. “The reason it’s less expensive is that you’re not shooting live-action content or producing animation. And the way technology is now, you could sit in your basement with a laptop and produce a song. The barriers to entry and distribution are low because once you have the song, you can put it on YouTube, on social media channels and on platforms like Spotify.”

FAR OUT TOYS SHIMMY California’s Far Out Toys upped the ante and set up a whole record label to support its move into original music.

Far Out Records, a subsidiary of its creative production division Far Out Studios, launched in November with the release of a song called “Give a Little Glo” from TikTok creator McKenzi Brooke. A music video, which also features the stars of Far Out’s YouTube series The GLO Show, is available on VOD network Kabillion. Far Out Records collaborated with Grammynominated songwriter and producer Tor Hyams to write and produce the song.

SHAKE “I think the biggest pitfall to pro-

ducing original music is obviously putting out bad music,” Byrne says. “It’s crucial that you understand what music genre will appeal to your consumer, and match the kind of music you’re making to the personality of your property. Making music requires the same type of brand analysis that you would do for any new animated or live-action content. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is to make music—if it doesn’t work, then you’ve thrown away that money.”

February/March 2022 | KID INSIGHT

What Hispanic parents want The fastest-growing kid population in the US can’t be ignored. And neither can their parents.

BY: MADELINE DI NONNO media consumption continues to skyrocket among parents and children alike, we’d be remiss to ignore the change in population demographics and its impact on television.

Let’s start with the growth of the US Hispanic population. As of the 2020 US Census, more than one in four children under the age of 18 was of Hispanic descent.

Yet, when it comes to popular content and children’s programming, the Hispanic community continues to be highly underrepresented. (One recent study by Common Sense Media found that Hispanic characters make up just 5% of speaking roles across all film and television.)

As consumption rates grow, what does this large, yet ignored population want to watch?

You’ll have to ask their parents. Edye—the fastest-growing Spanish Language SVOD for preschoolers in the US and LatAm—and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media recently conducted a survey of Hispanic parents and caregivers of kids ages two to eight, who come from Spanish-dominant/fluent homes in the US, Mexico and Colombia, and who watch Spanish-language TV regularly.

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KID INSIGHT | February/March 2022

80% say it's important for their child to see people of different backgrounds as lead characters

74% say it’s important that all genders and ethnicities are represented in programming

58% say they want content that celebrates the richness of their family’s race, heritage and values

52% say they look for shows that normalize disabilities

35% want to see shows that reflect different sexual orientations

It’s important to consider the parental viewpoint here: More than 50% of respondents said their kids always or mostly watched TV with a parent or guardian in the room. Just 3% said they let their children to watch TV by themselves. There are some interesting regional differences: 4% of US parents let their young ones watch without them, whereas just 2% of Mexican parents and 1% of Colombian parents permit unsupervised viewing.

Age-appropriateness is the top driver with parents when it comes to choosing content for their kids, with 61% saying they decide with no input from their children. This was a bigger factor in Mexico and Colombia, where age-appropriate content was a top reason for picking a service provider or channel offering, compared to the US, where it ranked third. Hispanic parents also opted for content that helps develop social and emotional skills such as trustworthiness (81%), is educational (80%), models kindness and friendship (75%), and encourages kids to use their imagination (66%).

When it comes to how Hispanic kids are watching and where, nine out of 10 parents who own a tablet allow their children use it, compared to 64% of those with a smartphone. Nearly a quarter of respondents let their kids watch up to 30 hours of TV per week, while 11% watch 30 or more hours.

Netflix came out on top for platform use, with 86% of US parents, 87% of Mexican parents and 81% of Colombian parents subscribed to the SVOD. Disney+ followed close behind (78% US, 72% Mexico, 64% Colombia), with YouTube/YouTube Premium in third (63% US, 62% Mexico, 68% Colombia). And while only 44% of Hispanic parents in the US have cable, 64% of Colombian parents and 58% of Mexican parents do.

In many ways, parents across the US, Colombia and Mexico are similar. We found that 80% agree it’s important for their kids to see people of different backgrounds as lead characters (81% US, 83% Mexico, 78% Colombia), and that 74% want to see programs that celebrate diversity (76% US, 74% Mexico, 70% Colombia). Additionally, 74% feel it’s important that all genders and ethnicities are represented in the programming their children watch (73% US, 75% Mexico, 73% Colombia).

There were some small regional differences, however. On average, 58% said they

want to watch content that celebrates the richness of their family’s race, heritage and values, yet only 49% of US parents identified this as an important factor in their programming choices, compared to 63% in Mexico and 68% in Colombia.

Parents prefer gender-neutral (67%) over gender-specific (50%) content, driven largely by Mexican and Colombian parents. By comparison, Hispanic parents in the US opt for gender-specific (52%) over genderneutral (40%) programming.

Beyond self-representation, 81% of parents feel it’s important for their kids to see people of different ethnic backgrounds as lead characters, and 73% say it’s important that all genders and ethnicities are represented. More than half (52%) want content that normalizes disabilities, and 35% would like to see shows that reflect different sexual orientations. When it comes to representation, there’s clearly a demand among Hispanic parents.

This research is significant, not only for the insights into how Hispanic parents in the US and Latin America see diversity and inclusion in children’s content, but also because it provides a roadmap for understanding the current views on diversity and inclusion for what will be the majority of the US population in just a few years.

As content creators, we need to remain relevant to the growing Hispanic population, and also be vigilant in how we represent the diversity within this community in children’s content. Hispanic identities aren’t the same, yet they are often represented as one group.

How we engage and inspire young Hispanic viewers as they grow into adults will influence how they shape the future of our society and world.

Edye’s director of programming, Erika Vogt, and The Geena Davis Institute surveyed 600 parents of children ages two to eight across the US, Mexico and Colombia in December 2021.

MADELINE DI NONNO is president and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Follow the GDI at @geenadavisorg and Edye at @edyetv on social media.

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February/March 2022 | TECH

Learning smarts AI is shaping the future of digital learning as parents—seeking help in the face of online schooling—turn to tech companies for help. Are they ready?

BY: ZEENYA SHAH

OVID-19 posed plenty of challenges for folks around the world, but parents of school-aged children had a particularly hard time. As millions of students were forced to attend virtual school, many parents were too busy with their own WFH woes to keep constant tabs on what their kids were doing.

Many schools, likewise, were ill-prepared for the realities of digital learning, and keeping kids engaged in virtual lessons was difficult.

It came as no surprise, then, when declines in learning relative to previous years were observed in students. In June 2021, market research firm Ipsos surveyed US parents with school-aged kids on the future of education.

Prior to the pandemic, 81% said their kids’ learning was adequate. But that faith in the

system deteriorated as the pandemic dragged on—just 59% felt confident that their children’s schooling was meeting standards in 2021. Even if the pandemic comes to an end, 55% of parents expressed concern that their kids might not be able to catch up.

UK-based economic research firm Institute of Fiscal Studies surveyed parents in England between April and May of 2021 and found that around one in four thought it would take more than a full school year for their kids to catch up to where they would have been without the disruptions.

And despite a widespread return to inclass learning, many parents still feel they need to fill in the gaps created by time outside of the classroom.

A report from research institute The Learning Counsel found that US families spent 25% more on curriculum resources and networks in 2020 than they did in 2019, for a cumulative spend of US$35.8 billion.

It’s a growing market opportunity, and ed-tech companies using AI-assisted adaptive learning technology may be well-poised to make the most out of this heightened demand for personalized education.

LA-based Age of Learning—the company behind ABCmouse.com and Early Learning Academy—uses artificial intelligence (also known as machine learning) to identify where children are in terms of their personal trajectory, says chief innovation officer Sunil Gunderia. For US$9.95 per month, the

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TECH | February/March 2022

subscription service for two to nines offers programs for reading, math, science and art.

With AI, ABCmouse.com measures a child’s progress, pulling data from their current knowledge, strengths and weaknesses in order to create customized lesson plans.

The personal learning pathways may dive deeper into topics kids are struggling with, or may advance a child to the next learning module early if it identifies they have a strong grasp of the topic. The AI also tracks whether a child has mastered the lesson to determine if they can move forward to the next session. Each is tailored to the individual, and includes pre-recorded sessions, direct instructional content and real-time feedback, says Gunderia.

As more kids head back to school in person, Gunderia says teachers can access the digital education programs for free in their classrooms. The same artificial intelligence that delivers individual personalized learning tools allows educators to track their students’ goals and provides individualized programs for each child or for the entire group.

Madrid-based Lingokids has been using similar machine learning technology on its educational play app since it launched in 2016, according to company CEO Cristobal Viedma.

For US$59.99 a month, the subscription education service targets children ages two to eight and covers topics like literacy, reading, writing and mathematics.

Lingokids’ AI technology creates “learning pathways” that help kids acquire knowledge

progressively. Similar to Age of Learning, these customized routes recommend games and activities for a child depending on their interests, age, completion rates and the skills they need to reinforce—as identified by the AI. The technology collects data that shows Lingokids what components users like the best and what formats they are interacting with the most, allowing it to further refine its offerings.

To ensure the safety of their users’ information, Viedma says Lingokids doesn’t collect pictures or addresses, though it does need certain data points—like a child’s age, for example—to make sure they receive content that is age-appropriate.

While AI requires specific types of information to operate (i.e. did the child answer correctly, are they completing the lesson plan), Viedma says the biggest challenge with the tech is that Lingokids doesn’t hear from children directly.

“Since the algorithm is based on interest and on the child’s progress, the challenge here is that we don’t get to ask the child what exactly they prefer and why,” he says.

The limitation isn’t slowing its growth, however. Earlier this year, Lingokids raised US$40 million, which it will use to expand its international presence and broaden its offerings in science, technology, math and core subjects. Some of the money has been earmarked for new hires to bolster the content, engineering and development teams.

Lingokids also plans to expand its emotional intelligence, empathy and critical thinking programs by developing audio content focused on mental health and mindfulness, says Viedma.

Another company that is rapidly expanding globally is Bangalore-based BYJU’s, which has been using AI to offer personalized learning for kids and teens since 2014.

“Personalized learning has a significant impact on our ability to improve outcomes, as children develop at varying paces. Our goal is to provide students of all abilities the instruction they need at a style and pace that suits them best,” says Teri Rousseau, VP of strategy and marketing.

With more than 100 million global users, BYJU’s offers monthly subscriptions for grades one to three (US$46), grades four to 10 (US$400) and older children (between US$460 and US$1,120).

Lingokids’ machine learning technology recommends games for kids based on their age, interests and skill level

By tracking a user’s progress to determine how well they understand concepts, Rousseau says BYJU’s technology leverages AI to help students learn at home as if a teacher or parent were guiding them step by step.

In BYJU’s Magic Workbooks, for example, the AI scores a child’s worksheet to determine completion and provides kids with real-time feedback from the app’s characters.

The characters acknowledge if the student has answered a question correctly, prompting them to try again if not.

Seeing a significant demand for personalized learning, BYJU’s has been on a buying spree. It most recently acquired Austriabased online learning platform GeoGebra, an interactive online math and science app that offers lessons from elementary to university level. While the education platform will continue to operate independently, BYJU’s plans on integrating GeoGebra’s learning tools (such as math tests, apps and ready-made courses) into its own services, and will explore new products and formats as well.

“Until recently, education was very standardized with a one-size-fits-all model,” says Rousseau. “But personalization is no longer the exception; it is becoming the expectation. In the future, there [will be] even deeper levels of personalization. I believe we will be able to provide the right type of response, feedback and tutorials that meet the child where they are at and deliver the help they need in the style of learning that suits them best.”

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FEATURE | February/March 2022

What’s Now

VS

What’s next Kid-focused tech has evolved to better meet children’s changing needs, and looking at recent trends can shed light on what the most significant innovations will be in 2022 and beyond. Kidscreen spoke with tech experts in a variety of sectors to determine what is about to take the kidtech world by storm. From eSports blending with virtual reality, to audio content becoming interactive, this is an exploration of what’s big now and how it’s poised to become even bigger.

BY: RYAN TUCHOW

February/March 2022 | FEATURE

Now: eSports eSports are scoring big with kids and the industry serving them. Teams have formed for popular family-friendly games like Overwatch, producers are streaming episodes of their shows on Twitch, and companies like Dubit are launching their own gaming competitions through Roblox.

The global audience for online video game competitions was around 474 million in 2021—an increase over 2019’s 400 million—and it could get as big as 577 million by 2024, according to data from market research firm Statista. The audience for eSports is still a bit niche, with only around 234 million enthusiasts worldwide in 2021. But online gaming competitions are on the rise, and Statista expects that number to climb to more than 285 million by 2024.

Next: VR eSports Combining the competitive nature of eSports with the immersion of VR could be what brings both technologies to the next level. The VR market has grown in the last few years as the price of headsets has become more accessible, and families have embraced the tech in greater numbers. The consumer headset market is set to reach US$5 billion by 2023, up from US$2.6 billion in 2020, according to ABI Research. eSports has the power to bring fans together around brands and teams. Match that with VR’s potential to create animated locales where competitors can get physical (think along the lines of a real-life obstacle course that becomes a deadly forest for players in VR), is a winning recipe for unique and exciting new content.

Once the gap between content creation and the production of VR headsets is closed, VR eSports will take off in a big way, says Ryan Delk, a former associate with early-stage sub-Saharan investment fund Savannah, which has backed successful companies such as telecom biNu. Delk has also advised companies like Lyte and Convert Kit, and is CEO of Primer, which creates interest-based communities for students.

“VR has made a big leap in the last two years, and I suspect it’s one more year before it’s on every kid’s Christmas list. Once that happens, I think we’ll see a big acceleration in the titles that are popular in competitive gaming and eSports moving onto VR.”

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FEATURE | February/March 2022

Now: Roblox A metaverse where kids can explore and create their own virtual worlds, games and brands already exists—it’s called Roblox. The popular sandbox gaming platform is home to more than 43 million daily active users.

Kidcos are just now embracing the game for what it is—a co-creation tool where brands can interact with kids in a playful way. Companies getting in on the action, including Spin Master and WowWee, are building on the “maker” trend of encouraging kids to create their own inventions and toys by letting them build their own worlds and interact with their favorite IPs. For example, MGA Entertainment launched a Roblox game based on its popular L.O.L. Surprise! brand that allows players to explore the dolls’ world with their friends.

Next: Metasocieties The term metaverse has been floating around in the industry lately, but the next big thing kidcos need to watch out for is how kids will create metasocieties, says Emma Chiu, global director at trend research firm Wunderman Thompson Intelligence. Chiu spearheaded a report looking at the metaverse in 2021, and her annual prediction list (The Future 100) has been featured in publications like Vogue and The Telegraph.

Metasocieties are communities that social issue-focused kids will create themselves within the metaverse. The idea is that kids want to bring their personalities, interests and networks online with them to reflect their personal values. As the metaverse develops (and as more tech companies become “metaverse companies”), the digital natives of Gen Z and Gen Alpha will work to bring identical versions of themselves— complete with their values and missions—onto existing platforms like Roblox, and also into new digital hangout locales. Kids won’t just join

new virtual worlds; they’ll help shape them by championing their favorite social causes, such as diversity and environmentalism.

As kids adopt the metaverse to create their own communities, these metasocieties will become the new hubs where kids will discuss the IPs that mean the most to them. Beyond just marketing to these communities, brands will need to draw from lessons learned about how to engage kids through their passions, and they should be thinking now about how they can help kids form virtual societies that are safer, and in some ways, better versions of their real worlds.

“Kids content will become democratized because kids from all over the world will be connected in a way that defies geographic location,” says Chiu. “Their real-life values will be reflected in these online communities, and as people connect, they will nurture and educate each other and build societies from scratch.”

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FEATURE | February/March 2022

Now: Podcasts

Podcasts were on the rise even before kids were locked indoors. But when the pandemic hit, the demand for audio-only programming skyrocketed. Now the market is expected to balloon to US$76 billion by 2028 as families tune into content that gives kids’ eyes a break, according to insights firm Grand View Research. Podcasts fill that need in a big way—so much so that kidcos like Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network all created their first kids podcasts last year, and PBS KIDS launched a podcast accelerator to develop and launch pilots.

Next: Interactive audio content

But audio shows—which, like TV shows, are passive experiences—have a lot of room to grow.

Podcasting’s next big step is to become fully interactive. Building content that lets kids use their words to not just access content but co-create, influence and become a part of stories, games and experiences is unexplored territory, says Mitch Joel, founder of long-running investment company Six Pixels Group. Joel is a writer, presenter and consultant who has advised companies such as Google, Walmart and Microsoft on consumer and tech trends.

As speech-recognition tech develops, creators can build on interactive shows like Netflix’s Minecraft: Story Mode to the point where kids can guide the actions of their favorite character with nothing but a word. Amazon started to dabble in this space in October with audio ads in its Alexa-enabled devices that let consumers ask for more information about products.

“Being able to connect to brands without touch can create a more frictionless experience,” Joel says. “We’re talking about a generation that expects to be able to interact with content, and the most natural way for them to do that is by speaking.”

Now: Robots

Robots are all the rage in the industry, taking over TV in new shows such as DreamWorks’ Doug Unplugs and Mondo TV’s Annie & Carola, and hitting toy shelves as products like Digital Dream Labs’ Cozmo robots. From the biggest tech companies to a bevy of startups, kidcos around the world are looking to create new bots that teach and entertain kids.

And while robots aren’t new, lower price points and evolving technology is helping these computerized companions evolve into more powerful educational tools for kids.

Next: Personalized AI

The next step for robots isn’t making them cuter or having them teach kids coding. It’s making them capable of understanding and connecting with children on a deeper level.

For edtech companies, having a virtual companion that can encourage kids and help them learn in a personalized way is the key to making education more meaningful, says Neal Shenoy, CEO and co-founder of BEGiN, the early-learning company behind HOMER. Shenoy also founded [212]MEDIA, the venture capital firm that backed successful companies like LiftMetrx, which was acquired by Hootsuite in 2017.

As speech-recognition tech and machine-learning evolve, the result will be artificial intelligence that responds differently to every kid—though companies will have to be careful to address concerns that arise around privacy and safety.

“Tech has struggled with kids’ pronunciations and fluency, but imagine a world where kids—even preschoolers who haven’t learned to read—can ask their devices about facts and feelings,” Shenoy says. “It can be a co-parent and help children learn everything from math to literacy at their own pace.”

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February/March 2022 | FEATURE

survey

Kids Industry By: Jeremy Dickson and Megan Haynes

or a second year running, Kidscreen checked in with more than 480 creators, producers, distributors and buyers about the state of the kids entertainment market and attitudes towards work life in general.

And using last year’s survey results as a benchmark, we were able to start tracking changes for the first time.

In terms of what keeps you up at night business-wise, discoverability, understanding consumption habits and getting face-time with buyers all ranked higher than last year’s chief concern, which was decreasing budgets.

And the unpredictability of COVID-19 didn’t even make the top-five list this year, getting edged out by finding and keeping talent.

More personally, job satisfaction remained pretty high, with 74% of respondents putting it at high or above average. And entry-level salaries seem to be going up, with 8% fewer respondents in the “less than US$40,000” bucket than in 2020.

Target demographics for kids programming seem to be aging down somewhat. When we asked respondents to ID their primary audience this year, babies and two- to five-year-olds were up by a combined 16% compared to 2020, while six to 11s, tweens, teens and families were steady or down year over year.

But 77% of kids content buyers said their 2021 budgets stayed the same or increased over 2020, so that bodes well for investment potential. And the most common production budget range was US$500,000 to US$1 million, so production value is trending on the high side. Want to know what else is trending? Read on to find out.

Methodology: Respondents from the global kids content industry participated in this online survey between October and November 2021.

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FEATURE | February/March 2022

Demographic shift How old are you?

18%

2%*

29%

26 to 35

under 26

30%

36 to 45

17%

46 to 55

3%

56 to 65

Over 66

*In 2020, 5% of respondents were under 26

What’s your gender?

Where do you live?

65%

56%

44%

Female

24%

North America

Europe

1%

The Middle East

Male

4% Asia

1%

Africa

2%

South America

1% Non-binary

4%

Australia

How do you identify your race or ethnicity?

1%

Arab

7%

Hispanic or Latinx

1%

South/Southeast Asian

6%

Asian

1%

Indigenous

6%

Two or more races

3%

Black

2%

Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian

71%

White

Where do you work?

26%

What’s your title?

16%

15%

16% 13%

9% 4% President/ Executive CEO producer

SVP/VP

Director

Manager

Associate

2% Assistant

Freelancer

9%

A broadcaster

51%

A production company/studio

6%

A distribution company

5%

A toy or licensing company

4%

A tech company

February/March 2022 | FEATURE

What’s on your mind?

DISCOVERABILITY

dilemma

The things that keep you up at night BUYERS

EVERYONE ELSE Discoverability ( 2)

Streaming competition Discoverability ( 1)

VS.

Audience retention ( 1)

Understanding consumption habits ( 3) Decreasing budgets ( 3)

Understanding consumption habits Decreasing audience/viewership

Getting face-time with buyers ( 1) Keeping/finding talent

NEW

NEW

Your company’s top-three priorities remain unchanged from 2020

1

To ramp up production on existing projects

2

To sell existing IP/catalogue content

3

To diversify content offerings through new genres, formats or channels

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION PROGRAMS 45% of respondents said their company had implemented new ones, 26% said they already had programs in place, and 36% said there is still more work to be done.

The most common new initiative was...

35%

Sensitivity or anti-bias training

27%

28%

Implementing minimum hiring standards

Training and mentorship programs for racialized, disability or LGBTQ+ communities

“The golden thread that connects everything is a genuine commitment to representation.”

—Amy Friedman, Warner Bros.

today’s oversaturated marketplace filled with big brands, getting eyeballs on other types of kids content—especially original IPs—is more imperative than ever. Discoverability, in fact, was the top industry concern last year for producers and distributors.

Canadian prodco 9 Story Media Group knows a thing or two about launching new original properties successfully, and recently went through the process with its Netflix series Karma’s World. Created by rapper/ actor/producer Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and inspired by his oldest daughter, the CGanimated kids series about a young Black girl finding her voice hit the streamer on October 15, 2021.

Before launch, the project had all the makings of a hit, but even with big-name talent and high production values, 9 Story knew it had to design and execute a smart discoverability strategy, says Candice Chambers, VP of franchise management.

“We recognized we needed to be where the kids are, so we launched a robust YouTube strategy from the beginning, which included paid media,” says Chambers. “The [YouTube] channel launched a month before the premiere on Netflix, and featured profiles of each main character that matched the production quality of the series.”

9 Story also leaned into Netflix’s support by dropping the first episode, clips and a music video on the Netflix Futures YouTube channel just 11 days prior to the show’s launch. The strategy paid off with the first episode getting more than two million views in its first two weeks on the AVOD. The show also benefitted from Bridges’ engagement with his 13.2 million followers on Instagram, and his live talk-show appearances on programs including Good Morning America, Ellen and The Late Late Show with James Cordon.

One key thing to keep in mind is there isn’t a one-size-fits-all discoverability approach that works for every property, says Chambers.

“What works for Karma’s World is going to be totally different than what works for another franchise. You have to look at what your content is, who your partners are, what the franchise is about, and lean into that.”

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PR ESC HOOL

pivot

hen Cartoon Network and HBO Max launched their new Cartoonito preschool block last fall, parentco WarnerMedia Kids and Family sent a big message to the rest of the industry about the importance of investing in content for today’s youngest audience.

The block featured 20 original titles at launch—including Bugs Bunny Builders (Warner Bros. Animation), Jessica’s Big Little World (CNS) and Ladybird Lu (9 Story Media Group)— with an additional 50 more slated to join the lineup within two years.

And many other companies are focusing more on preschool, too—72% of respondents said their primary audience is two to fives, an 8% increase compared to 2020.

The six to 11 set is still the most targeted audience at 76%, with families (51%), tweens (38%) and teens (32%) rounding out the list.

The rapid growth of streaming has been a big reason for the rise in younger-skewing content, says Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros.

“The ascension of streaming opens up the need to serve everybody in the household,” she says. “And if you are not serving the youngest person in the household, you are missing out.”

Going forward, Friedman says some of the key themes and formats that will resonate with preschoolers next year include music as an avenue to different types of diversity; multi-levelled humor; joyful, meaningful stories and characters; live action; and CG and 3D animation.

“Beauty is also important from a visual perspective,” she adds. “There are some incredible artists around the world who not only know and love the preschool [demographic], but have also been experimenting in the space. It’s all about delivering visually stunning content that’s both meaningful and joyful.”

So what did you make?

Branching out 38% of you said you’re trying new genres, formats and styles—a 5% decline over 2020. For those of you who are shaking it up a little, live action, tween/teen content and adult animation seem to be where you’re experimenting.

Companies got two greenlights on average over the past 18 months, and put an average of 6.5 shows in development.

What genres do you produce?

69% Action-adventure

63% Educational

16% Mystery ( 11%)

78% Comedy

39% Fantasy

14% Non-verbal

12% Documentaries/reality

8% Game shows

23% Sci-fi

27% Drama ( 11%)

8% Horror

19% Slapstick

Where does IP ownership live?

Where does your content live?

We asked what stake your company has in its IPs on average, and this is what you said.

SVODs 57% Linear TV 54%

73%

Production companies

YouTube 41% AVODs other than YouTube 30% Mobile/apps 26% My own/direct-to-consumer channels

63%

Broadcasters

51%

Distribution companies

9%

Who is your primary audience?

14%

Babies

( 8%)

72%

Two to fives

( 8%)

76%

Six to 11s

38%

Tweens

( 7%)

32%

Teens

( 1%)

51%

Families

( 1%)

February/March 2022 | FEATURE

Budget breakdown

ON A

The most common production budget range per half hour:

US$500,000 TO US$1 MILLION

Investment potential for new content seems to be holding steady, with 62% of broadcasters saying budgets stayed the same in 2021. Good news—fewer broadcasters reported shrinking budgets.

15%

62%

Increased

22%

Stayed the same

Decreased

Let’s talk salary!

2021

2020

Less than US$40,000

16% 24% US$40,000 to US$55,000

13% 11% US$56,000 to US$75,000

14% 15% US$76,000 to US$100,000

18% 14% US$101,000 to US$150,000

16% 20% US$151,000 to US$200,000

10% 8% US$201,000 to US$250,000

6% 3% More than US$251,000

8% 5%

ONE IN THREE of you got a raise last year, compared to ONE IN FIVE in 2020

shoestring lthough the majority of producers and distributors responded that both their production and development budgets stayed the same last year compared to 2020, decreasing budgets was still the second-biggest industry concern after discoverability, as well as the second-biggest job stressor after work/life balance.

These results are indicative of the challenges facing Shambhoo Phalke, a business development consultant with Indian prodco Popcorn Animation Studios.

Founded in 2010, Popcorn is a 2D animation studio with offices in the cities of Pune and Satara that produces original kids series—including Disney Channel India’s Oye Golu and Sony YAY!’s Happy Lucky—and does a fair bit of domestic service work.

Popcorn’s production budgets haven’t changed dramatically, but local channels and OTT platforms are paying less for content and demanding higher production values, cutting into the prodco’s margins—particularly when they also insist on exclusive local commissioning rights, says Phalke.

“When platforms pay for the whole IP, it reduces our revenue potential,” says Phalke.

“However, platforms of late are more willing to be flexible with rights, which allows us to be more universal with our characters and stories [so we can] sell shows internationally.”

Compounding these challenges, the studio is now taking on 40% less service work than before the pandemic. One of the main factors leading to this drop-off is the fact that the majority of Popcorn’s rural animators are grappling with poor internet and power connectivity, which causes delays in content delivery. “We went from easily delivering six 11-minute episodes per month to only three or four episodes,” says Phalke.

“However, we are balancing out the loss with more pre-production jobs on new IPs for third parties.”

This work—which includes designing characters, storyboards and animatics—is mostly coming from local corporate clients like Indian e-commerce company Firstcry and logistics company Blue Dart, rather than animation companies. But it’s helping Popcorn survive, says Phalke.

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FEATURE | February/March 2022

Shifting work attitudes To WFH or not to WFH? 32% work from home with no plans to return to the office

48% have or will have a hybrid work environment

To do your job better you need...

10% have returned or plan to return to the office full time

Your job satisfaction is...

61%

More resources

( 2%)

41%

More time

( 2%)

35%

39%

High

39%

Better relationships with partners

( 2%)

25%

Stronger analytics/insight

( 5%)

20%

Better talent

( 4%)

Above average

22%

Average

3%

Below average

1%

Low

“The industry will kill

istself by not of itself.”

taking care

—Denis Doré, Squeeze Animation Studios

Your biggest work stressors are...

Work/life balance

Budgets

Motivation

Workload

Staying current

TO DO

45%

Up 1% from 2020

35%

Down 1% from 2020

WO R K /L IFE

balancing act or the second year in a row, our survey respondents said work/life balance is their greatest job stressor.

The concept has always been extremely important, but it’s even more crucial now, due to the ongoing talent shortage that higher demand for animation has caused, says Denis Doré, co-founder and CEO of Canada’s Squeeze Animation Studios (Cracké).

26%

Up 3% from 2020

23%

Down 1% from 2020

More than half (52%) of US employees across all industries, age groups and experience levels are reporting burnout, according to a 2021 report from job search site Indeed.

And this is up by 9% from a pre-COVID survey.

“Talent has a lot of options at the moment.

So we need to take care of our people, keep our teams happy, [and] make sure new talent will want to stay long term,” says Doré. “Yes, everybody asks about salaries. But at the end of the day, work/life balance is the key. It’s something people are rediscovering even more now that they can work partly from home.”

22%

Up 3% from 2020

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Squeeze has ramped up efforts to provide a more flexible working environment for teams at both its Montréal and Québec City studios, and the strategy will continue into 2022 in order for it to stay competitive.

“We give the power to the staff to organize their weeks the way they want, whether it’s working from home five days a week or two,” says Doré.

“Our supervisors also have the responsibility to ask that staff come in if, for example, we need to figure out a big problem, or for onboarding new team members.”

February/March 2022 | KIDSCREEN

WHO KNEW?

One Animation’s Sashim Parmanand took a break from content to train at...

LE CORDON BLEU! hen it comes to kids content, perhaps nothing is more important than getting creative and cooking up something new. In 2009, One Animation CEO Sashim Parmanand decided it might be fun to take a little time out and train at the professional Parisian culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. “[At the time], I’d been on a lot of cooking holidays in Italy, Spain and France,” says Parmanand. “It’s very informal—you have a glass of wine in your hand, and you’re talking and laughing with family and friends. I sort of had the misconception that Le Cordon Bleu would also be like that.”

Parmanand has always associated the kitchen with fun times because she first fell in love with cooking as a kid in Hong Kong. She remembers her mom would seek out unique ingredients to make dishes from all around the world.

“My mom made Italian pasta and hung it all over the kitchen on washing lines,” she laughs. “I think it’s a real bonding experience with your family as you’re growing up and learning recipes that have been passed down generation after generation.”

Training at Le Cordon Bleu was significantly less relaxed, however. While there was a translator available for students taking the basic course, all participants—regardless of their familiarity with the French language—were expected to

spend hours each day perfecting various kitchen skills during the weeks-long course.

“The first six or eight classes, they just had you chop vegetables. Cuts like 3mm x 1mm triangles or 1mm x 1mm cubes. A lot of French cooking is about precision, so you have to practice until you reach that level of perfection,” Parmanand says.

There was also significant focus placed on timing to make sure everything was ready at the exact same moment, she says. Even if you don’t exit Le Cordon Bleu as a Michelin Star-worthy chef, Parmanad says you’ll be an expert in time management. She continues to make use of the skills she picked up in Paris while cooking dishes like roast duck legs or quiche.

And as much as she loves to cook and says the opportunity to train at Le Cordon Bleu was a dream come true, Parmanand admits that working in the children’s entertainment industry is significantly safer than being a professional chef.

“When you’re in the kitchen, it’s treacherous. There are so many sharp objects and hot surfaces. I remember a lot of people burned their hands because you have so many components [on the go at the same time],” she says.

“You can actually get injured if you’re not conscious of what’s happening, but it really was so much fun.” — Elizabeth Foster

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