BBC Studios Kids & Family’s Mission to Serve the Youngest

Cecilia Persson, Managing Director of BBC Studios Kids & Family Division, discusses the studio’s upcoming animated projects and plans for the future.

Can you tell us a little bit about your position and what you look for in projects at BBC Studios Kids & Family?

Cecilia Persson: I am the Managing Director of BBC Studios Kids & Family, which is the newest division of the BBC Studios content powerhouse, a global company with bold British creativity at its heart.

Our mission is to serve the very best to the very youngest by creating content that leaves a lasting impression and has the power to make a difference to the lives of kids and their families. Whether they are quietly moving or laugh out loud funny, the projects we look for must be able to move the audience and leave them hungry for more. They must be distinctive and bold with universal themes and great characters and stories at their heart.

We are also looking for projects that we can develop into global franchises which can be enjoyed by audiences all around the world and having the commercial expertise of BBC Studios at our fingertips really helps us to exploit this.

Also, due to our unique structure, we have a very flexible way of working and are able to work with partners to produce animation in different ways, whether it be through investment as a co-producer with indies, such as Hey Duggee, and Bluey or in-house produced shows like JoJo & Gran Gran and Supertato

Can you guide us through the various projects you are currently overseeing at the company?

On the animation front, our current priority is continuing to grow the world-beating brands in our existing portfolio which include the afore-mentioned Bluey, Hey Duggee, JoJo & Gran Gran and Supertato. We also have a strong development slate with a range of projects both pre-school and older that we are very excited about.

What will you be focusing on at Annecy?

I will be attending Annecy with a strong team this year including Edward Barnieh our new Head of Development. I am delighted that BBC Studios Kids & Family is hosting a Studio Focus session where Bluey creator Joe Brumm alongside, director Richard Jeffery and animator Mark Paterson to discuss the evolution of the Heelers’ joyous world, loved by adults and kids alike, from sketch to screen and beyond.

Aside from that I look forward to talking to existing and potential new partners about our animation development portfolio including pre-school series Flip, Flap and Zip Currently in development with Finnish production company Haruworks, this new preschool series, inspired by unboxing videos, taps into children’s unbridled curiosity.

Alongside our partnership with Big Deal

Films to develop an animation series based on the hilarious Little Bad Man books about a mischievous wannabe rapper and his crazy friends and family, penned by best-selling authors; YouTube sensation Humza Arshad MBE and his writing partner Henry White.

What do you think makes the BBC Kids & Family’s animated content stand out in this competitive field worldwide?

Our content has the power to connect with and move the audience. Whether that be by the quietly ground-breaking portrayal of family and community in JoJo & Gran Gran, the laugh out loud heroics of Supertato or the subtle, deadpan charm of our global cult hit Bluey.

What is your take on the global animation scene in 2023 and beyond?

As ever, funding remains an issue for the global animation community and with budgets squeezed and rates inflating it is becoming harder and harder to get projects off the ground and then find and retain the right talent to make them. One approach we have found successful is offering mentorships both internally and with our creative partners which allow us to attract more diverse and novice talent and retain them by moving them onto other productions and recommissions. Another issue of increasing concern for the animation industry is the increasing use of AI technology in animation which has the potential to have a lasting and quite detrimental impact on the industry and its very talented, specialised workforce and of the content created. ◆ https://productions.bbcstudios.com/ our-production-brands/kids-family