TV Kids March 2024

TV Kids Festival 2024 Recap

Summer Fest iva

The TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL is a four-day must-attend virtual event taking place a week prior to Annecy/MIFA.

Set to be held from June 4 to 7, 2024, the fourth edition of the TV KIDS SUMMER

FESTIVAL will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the major trends in the children’s programming business. It will be streamed live and available on-demand for two months on TVKidsSummerFestival.com.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or Dana Mattison at dmattison@worldscreen.com.

val

CONTENTS

QUEST FOR THE BEST Our signature session on leading programmers returned with Disney’s Rick Clodfelter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Zia Sands, BBC Children’s Anna Taganov and SVT’s Helena Nylander.

YOUTUBE’S LAUREN GLAUBACH As director and global head of youth partnerships and programming at YouTube, Lauren Glaubach shared insights on how best to work with the leading video platform for kids.

TV KIDS PIONEER AWARD: LUCY MURPHY This winter’s TV Kids Pioneer Award recipient, Lucy Murphy is responsible for the Sky Kids linear channel and an expanding lineup of on-demand shows on the pay-TV platform in the U.K. and Ireland.

WILDBRAIN’S JOSH SCHERBA In his first TV Kids Festival appearance since becoming president and CEO of the kids’ media company, Josh Scherba showcased WildBrain’s thriving multiplatform brand-building strategies.

THE BIG PICTURE This super panel heard from BBC Studios Kids & Family’s Cecilia Persson, Paramount’s Lauren Marriott, Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu and 9 Story’s Alix Wiseman about navigating the challenges of the ecosystem today.

TOM ASCHEIM An industry veteran who led some of media’s most iconic kids’ brands, including Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, Tom Ascheim shared his expertise on engaging with youth audiences.

PBS KIDS’ SARA DEWITT As senior VP and general manager, Sara DeWitt leads the number one children’s educational media brand in the U.S.

IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford, Mediawan Kids & Family’s Julien Borde and Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin shared their perspectives on landing commissions with public broadcasters.

CAKE’S ED GALTON Ed Galton, CEO of CAKE, weighed in on how the boutique independent outfit is approaching the latest shifts in the kids’ business.

MONEY MATTERS With a squeeze on budgets, we spotlighted new and emerging funding models with APC Kids’ Lionel Marty, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, Thunderbird Entertainment’s Richard Goldsmith and Sixteen South’s Alexandros van Blanken.

MATTEL’S MICHELLE MENDELOVITZ Just a few months since taking on oversight of Mattel Television Studios, Michelle Mendelovitz discussed the toy giant’s expanding content slate.

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY’S AUDREY DIEHL Audrey Diehl articulated her strategy as senior VP of series at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.

MASS EXPOSURE What’s the best way to maximize your IP on YouTube? We heard valuable insights from HARI’s Sophie “Kido” Prigent, pocket.watch’s Brian C. Janes, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment’s Jo Redfern and C To The B Productions’ Claude Brooks.

FULL STEAM AHEAD Sesame Workshop’s Susan Scheiner, ZDF Studios’ Oliver Grundel and Bejuba! Entertainment’s Tatiana Kober discussed incorporating science, technology, engineering, arts and math into kids’ content.

IN THEIR FEELINGS Social-emotional learning took center stage in this panel discussion with Atlantyca Entertainment’s Claudia Mazzucco, Acamar Films’ Mikael Shields, Lion Forge Entertainment’s Koyalee Chanda and MIAM! distribution’s Mélanie Errea.

ERIC FOGEL The TV Kids Festival wrapped with a conversation with Eric Fogel, executive producer of DreamWorks Animation’s Megamind Rules!

QUEST FOR THE BEST

Our signature opening session on leading programmers returned with Disney’s Rick Clodfelter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Zia Sands, BBC Children’s Anna Taganov and SVT’s Helena Nylander.

Read the recap here.

I n each platform, the majority of views are driven by a handful of shows. Fewer, bigger, better is embedded in our strategy. ” —Anna Taganov

We don’t want to be talking down to our audience. We don’t want to be referencing things that feel outdated. It should feel fresh. It should feel energetic. It should feel exciting.”

—Zia Sands

We like to be first in line, but we’re hap py to share down the road with a limited holdback to build that awareness and have that content in as many places as possible.”

—Rick Clodfelter

We are a very cautious publicser vice company, so there’s a lot of content on the market that doesn’t fit us. That’s why it’s important to be a part of [projects] at an early stage.” —Helena Nylander

LAUREN GLA YouTube’s

As director and global head of youth partnerships and programming at YouTube, Lauren Glaubach shared insights on how best to work with the leading video platform for kids.

Read the recap here.

LAUBACH

First, if you’re not on YouTube, join us. YouTube really is the best place where kids go to discover new characters, new IP. It’s also where they go to go deep on their favorite characters and stories.

Two, if you are already on YouTube, lean into multi-format. Across long-form, video-on-demand, shorts, live—you have the ability to tell your story in the format that makes the most sense and to reach your audience no matter what they’re doing. They’re going to find your characters, find your story. It’s great to be everywhere they want to be. The third thing I

would say is experiment and have fun.”

LUCY MURPH TV Kids Pioneer Award:

This winter’s TV Kids Pioneer Award recipient, Lucy Murphy is responsible for the Sky Kids linear channel and an expanding lineup of on-demand shows on the pay-TV platform in the U.K. and Ireland.

Read the recap here.

PHY

We use the linear channel to introduce new shows. In this age of a very crowded environment and ‘discoverability’ being the buzzword, a linear channel gives you an opportunity to introduce a new show and create an appetite for it that can then be translated into the on-demand environment.

Linear also gives us an opportunity to create mood and energy, which you can’t really do on-demand in quite the same way. Our linear channel gives us the opportunity to follow the rhythm of a young child’s day. We also recognize that we have different aged children available at different times of the day. We’re constantly thinking about what families are doing and what kids are doing. How are they feeling at this moment? And what can we give them that is just perfect?”

JOSH SCHERB WildBrain’s

In his first TV Kids Festival appearance since becoming president and CEO of the powerhouse kids’ media company, Josh Scherba showcased WildBrain’s thriving multiplatform brand-building strategies.

Read the recap here.

RBA

To get to this next stage of growth for our own and partner IP, we needed a simplification and a focused approach. We started by taking a look at all of our in-house capabilities and distilling them down into their core objectives. That’s how we landed on the three pillars of content creation, audience engagement and global licensing…. It used to be that linear broadcasters were the key curators of video content. Now, kids are doing their own curation; they go from screening something on an SVOD service to YouTube to non-YouTube AVOD and then over to gaming platforms—whether it be Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite. For brand owners to really understand this and have a holistic strategy is a huge advantage.”

THE BIG PICTURE

This super panel heard from BBC Studios Kids & Family’s Cecilia Persson, Paramount’s Lauren Marriott, Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu and 9 Story’s Alix Wiseman about navigating the challenges of the ecosystem today.

Read the recap here.

You need to be a partner that can bring several aspects to a property, particularly if you’re trying to get an original idea away. ” —Cecilia Persson There’s a need for AVOD rights, catchup, etc. We’re seeing less demand for exclusivity in favor of more rights nonexclusively and a preference for building franchises. ”

—Lauren Marriott

The shape of the whole thing is changing—how it’s delivered, levels of exclusivity. That opens possibilities to being creative and nimble. ”

—Alix Wiseman

Right now, being a small independent is harsh. We’re pretty lucky. But we need to be smart as well to make sure that we are creative enough, both businesswise and editorially. We need to invest in development to have a wide variety of content to be able to interest a wide range of potential partners.” —Raphaëlle Mathieu

TOM ASCHEI

An industry veteran who led some of media’s most iconic kids’ brands, including Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, Tom Ascheim shared his expertise on engaging with youth audiences today.

Read the recap here.

HEIM

Almost every show we know that’s successful for kids does well across multiple platforms. People usually pick their platform and the show they want to watch on that platform, even if it’s available in multiple places. I’ve seen that research repeated over many, many shows for children, for teens, for adults. One would think that the best and ideal strategy is to get it as many places as possible. It also used to be easier to make money as a content creator than it is today. A place like YouTube, while wonderful for exposure, is not a great place to make money unless you’re a very successful influencer. So, using a place like YouTube for exposure but finding a more traditional or a more well-paying platform for how you monetize your content also seems key to keeping the ecosystem viable.”

SARA DEWIT PBS KIDS’

As senior VP and general manager of PBS KIDS, Sara DeWitt leads the number one children’s educational media brand in the U.S.

Read the recap here.

WITT

It’s more important than ever that we’re here—that the U.S. has an accessible, engaging media option for kids that’s also noncommercial and isn’t feeling the same pressures in the same way. We are trying to think about how we are having an impact on kids and making sure that we can reach as many kids as possible throughout the country…. We want to help people think about how they can use media for positive things. We want to create media that inspires kids to keep exploring and learning beyond the screen and to help people understand that they can leverage that media for learning at home. There is content out there that is high quality, educational and developmentally appropriate for kids.”

IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford, Mediawan Kids & Family’s Julien Borde and Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin shared their perspectives on landing commissions with public broadcasters.

Read the recap here.

For children whose families can’t afford Disney+, Netflix, you name it, they can always rely on the public broadcasters to enrich and educate their children. Times have changed, but their intention hasn’t. I think it’s their superpower.” —Halle Stanford

In Europe, we are lucky to have very strong public-service channels. They are critical for us to produce quality premium content. I’m a big believer that in the future, they will continue to care about children, and that in a more commercial environment, they will be asked by local governments to do more.” —Julien Borde

I have a very strong belief in the role and value of public-broadcasting systems because their goal is not to make money or to make a profit; their goal is to service and give food for thought for children to grow up, to understand themselves. They have to reinvent themselves. But their role is huge.” —Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin

ED GALTON CAKE’s

Ed Galton, CEO of CAKE, weighed in on how the boutique independent outfit is approaching the latest shifts in the kids’ business.

Read the recap here.

We’re small enough and nimble enough that we can withstand the down cycle because we’re not laden with debt and we’re not employing hundreds of animators. We still have a strong distribution business. When content is not getting produced, there’s still a need to fill platforms with content. That’s where the distribution business becomes handy. Finished content, library content becomes more important. We use that as an opportunity to wait until the market gets a little bit better, and then we can bring content that’s new. We choose our projects pretty well. We do see opportunities in small pockets here and ther e . ”

MONEY MATTERS

With a squeeze on budgets, we spotlighted new and emerging funding models with APC Kids’ Lionel Marty, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, Thunderbird Entertainment’s Richard Goldsmith and Sixteen South’s Alexandros van Blanken.

Read the recap here.

We often forget that we’re in the attention economy, not in the kids’ TV business. We’re chasing their attention. TV only can go so far with getting their attention—it has to be really beloved properties.” —Frank Falcone

The streamers know that they want to have awareness, and that means sometimes sharing exclusivity or having non-exclusive rights.” —Lionel Marty

There are lots of discussions now about co-funding series. We’re doing deals where we’re both putting up money and we’re sharing rights. That is one of the silver linings of the situation now.”

—Richard Goldsmith

Five or six years ago, finance plans were never this complicated. The models are evolving, and having to share rights and IP and accessing tax credits in other countries is becoming imperative for us as a studio.”

—Alexandros van Blanken

Mattel’s MICHELLE ME

Just a few months since taking on oversight of Mattel Television Studios, Michelle Mendelovitz discussed the toy giant’s expanding content slate.

Read the recap here.

MENDELOVITZ

The momentum coming off of the Barbie film has just energized everybody to another level. I’m so excited about the opportunity to be able to elevate these brands, even beyond what people’s expectations are. We will be working with best-in-class creators across the board.

We’ll be in live action, animation, unscripted. You will see a slate that is supercharged within the next year as we’re delving into different areas and ways to surprise people. In storytelling, we want to make sure that when [people] get to the end of an episode or a series, they feel like they have been taken to another place and seen something that they feel is iconic in a different way, in a positive way. We’re going to take that to the forefront of our storytelling.”

Warner Bros. Discovery’s AUDREY DIEH

Read the recap here.

Audrey Diehl articulated her strategy as senior VP of series at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.

EHL

We have a responsibility as the people who work with characters that have been around for 80-plus years in some cases to maintain their legacy, to care for them in the same way that the originators have. We don’t want to take anything away. But at the same time, we can’t just do the same thing that they did. You can still watch those old cartoons and they’re still great. We try to think about what the core element is of that show or that character that we know audiences love and care about. What makes Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunn y? What makes Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo? We try to infuse that into every execution that we have, and then we try to bring new life to it at the same time.”

MASS EXPOSURE

What’s the best way to maximize your IP on YouTube? We heard valuable insights from HARI’s Sophie “Kido” Prigent, pocket.watch’s Brian C. Janes, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment’s Jo Redfern and C To The B Productions’ Claude Brooks.

Read the recap here.

It’s gone from outlier to being a nonnegotiable part of that flywheel. It’s part of a bigger jigsaw puzzle as brand owners and brand builders. Your content needs to be where kids are hanging out. YouTube is a vital part of that.” —Jo Redfern Exposure on YouTube means that kids— and parents and carers—anywhere at any time can find you . It’s massively important.”

—Sophie “Kido” Prigent

You have to have a plan for uploading videos on a regular basis. Having a full season can be nice. But if you don’t have that 16th video after those first 15, your audience is not going to stick around.”

—Brian C. Janes

One of the big things for Snoop Dogg and I when we came up with Doggyland was to make sure that we launched it on a platform that was free for everybody.” —Claude Brooks

FULL STEAM AHEAD

Sesame Workshop’s Susan Scheiner, ZDF Studios’ Oliver Grundel and Bejuba! Entertainment’s Tatiana Kober discussed incorporating science, technology, engineering, arts and math into kids’ content.

Read the recap here.

There’s a growing need for

children

to develop

skills in science, technology, engineering and math from an early age. TV shows can be a complementary tool to formal education and encourage curiosity and positive attitudes toward STEM and STEAM subjects.

” —Susan Scheiner

Parents and educators understand that fostering early interest in these areas can contribute to a child’s academic success and to better future career opportunities. In addition, as technology becomes more integrated into everyday life, there’s a desire for content that aligns with educational goals while remaining engaging for young audiences.

”

—Oliver Grundel

In preschool, there are so many shows that incorporate STEM. But the 5-to-7 age group is where you can have a lot of fun because the kids are still really curious. You can throw in little facts—those repeatable moments off-screen are really important to hammer in the [lessons].”

—Tatiana Kober

IN THEIR FEELINGS

Social-emotional learning took center stage in this panel discussion with Atlantyca Entertainment’s Claudia Mazzucco, Acamar Films’ Mikael Shields, Lion Forge Entertainment’s Koyalee Chanda and MIAM! distribution’s Mélanie Errea.

Read the recap here.

Parents need help. Children are more exposed than ever to a constant flow of audiovisual content that is not so well controlled. Children have to find a way to enhance their [self-esteem]. Our role is to give them inspiration.” —Claudia Mazzucco

If you’re equipping

them with stories that are giving them a hinterland beyond their lived experience, you’re giving them equipment. You’re nourishing them in a way that nothing else can.” —Mikael Shields

That bucket of socio-emotional is massive. There’s an argument to be made that all stories are socio-emotional, at least the good ones.” —Koyalee Chanda

We want to entertain kids, but give them keys to live better together and build a better world. Social-emotional learning can be integrated through two mediums: relatable characters and personalities, and stories.” —Mélanie Errea

ERIC FOGEL

The TV Kids Festival wrapped with a conversation with Eric Fogel, executive producer of DreamWorks Animation’s Megamind Rules!

Read the recap here.

Fans will be delighted to learn that Megamind still has a hard time pronouncing certain words. In addition, both the movie [Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate] and the series will delve deeper into Megamind’s world and his mythology. He will also be reuniting with a fanfavorite character from the original film. I think it’s going to be very satisfying seeing these two characters come together again. We’re also introducing a brandnew character named Keiko Morita, who brings a teenager’s point of view to the show and teaches Megamind a few of the modern conventions. We realized pretty early on that it’s really funny seeing Megamind playing off a teenager.”