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TVKIDS
WWW.TVKIDS.WS
APRIL 2018
MIPTV & INTERNATIONAL EMMY KIDS AWARDS EDITION
Co-Productions / STEAM Series / Girl-Led Shows / Hasbro’s Stephen Davis Sesame Workshop’s Jeffrey Dunn / Superprod’s Clément Calvet / Turner’s Adina Pitt
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10 TV KIDS
CONTENTS
Mind the Gender Gap I recently came across a staggering statistic from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media: on average in TV and movies, there is only one female character for every three males. Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Joanna Padovano Tong Managing Editor Sara Alessi Associate Editor Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Nathalia Lopez Sales & Marketing Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids © 2018 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.ws
As I reflected upon this epically uneven proportion (which, now that I think about it, really shouldn’t have been too surprising), I came to the realization that the same three-to-one ratio actually applied to the interviewees in the article I was writing about girl characters in kids’ TV shows—out of ten executives that I spoke with for the piece, only three were women! Another gender imbalance is referenced in this edition’s feature on STEM/STEAM-themed children’s content, which points out that only a very small percentage of women work in the field of engineering. So even though it’s 2018 and forward-thinking countries around the world are being led by women, clearly society as a whole still has a ways to go in terms of closing the gender gap. But, thankfully, there is progress being made toward striking a better balance, including in the TV industry. And it’s about time! The more girls see themselves represented on-screen in strong, positive roles and in programming that encourages them to take an interest in science, technology, engineering and math, the more likely they will be to realize that they possess just as much potential as their male counterparts. Then hopefully by the time today’s young viewers grow up, women will finally be paid equally and treated respectfully by men in power. This issue includes a special report on co-productions in the kids’ space, with several distributors discussing their best practices when it comes to these multicountry alliances. There are also interviews with Hasbro’s Stephen Davis, on how the company develops brand blueprints to extend its key properties to multiple platforms, and Sesame Workshop’s Jeffrey Dunn, on the strategy he implemented at the storied educational TV producer. Turner’s Adina Pitt shares her acquisitions remit for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Superprod’s Clément Calvet reveals what’s new at the buzzy French production house. And Fresh TV’s Jennifer Pertsch discusses the latest installment of the hit Total Drama franchise, Total Drama Daycare. —Joanna Padovano Tong
FEATURES
32 TEAM SPIRIT Leading producers and distributors discuss the ins and outs of managing co-production partnerships.
32 40 GO GIRL! Kids’ producers and distributors are defying stereotypes with a new wave of powerful female characters.
48 FULL STEAM AHEAD Broadcasters and platforms are eager for shows that successfully incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
INTERVIEWS
56 Hasbro’s Stephen Davis
60 Sesame Workshop’s Jeffrey Dunn
62 Superprod’s Clément Calvet
64 Turner’s Adina Pitt
66 Total Drama’s Jennifer Pertsch
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12 TV KIDS
4K Media
Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS / Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions / Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie At MIPTV, 4K Media is launching the newest Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. The sixth installment of the franchise is set in a world of VR, AI and high-speed dueling. 4K Media is also showcasing the movies Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions and Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, both of which are now available for broadcast and digital distribution in most territories, excluding Asia. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie looks on as the heroic Yugi squares off against archrival Kaiba in a dangerous adventure. 4K Media continues to make the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! library, which also includes Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, YuGi-Oh! ZEXAL, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, available for distribution outside of Asia. The Yu-Gi-Oh! trading-card game and the new Duel Links app continue to engage fans as well.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions
9 Story Media Group
Luo Bao Bei
Let’s Go Luna! / The Diary of Bita and Cora / Luo Bao Bei Earlier this year, 9 Story Media Group acquired New Yorkbased Out of the Blue Enterprises. “Joining forces broadens our development capabilities, increases our consumer-products reach and extends our presence in the U.S.,” says Natalie Osborne, 9 Story’s chief strategy officer. The company’s MIPTV slate includes such new titles as Let’s Go Luna!, an animated show for PBS Kids that follows the adventures of three friends as they travel the globe with their parents’ performance troupe. “The series encourages kids aged 4 to 7 to explore and appreciate cultures from all over the world,” says Osborne. Other highlights are the newly acquired stop-motion series The Diary of Bita and Cora, which comes from Spain’s TV ON Producciones, and Luo Bao Bei, an animated show aimed at viewers between the ages of 4 and 7.
“9 Story has an incredibly strong, multinational team, world-class content and is well-poised to expand in both existing and emerging territories.” —Natalie Osborne
Ameba
BoBoiBoy / Skinnamarink TV / The Moblees Set up in 2007, Ameba is a streaming service that specializes in content for children between the ages of 3 and 10 as well as their families. Reaching millions of viewers on more than 300 streaming platforms, Ameba’s catalog of 5,000-plus titles features a combination of animated and live-action programming, including both new and classic shows. Among the titles available on the service are BoBoiBoy, a sci-fi action/adventure series from Animonsta Studios, centered on a boy with elemental-based superpowers that he uses to protect the planet. There is also Skinnamarink TV, a liveaction classic from 1997 that “is still a favorite with families,” according to Tony Havelka, the president of Ameba. Another highlight is The Moblees, which “promotes healthy, active living and delivers a positive message,” adds Havelka.
“We are always looking for great family content to stream to our growing audience base.” BoBoiBoy
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—Tony Havelka
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14 TV KIDS Kiddets
CAKE Kally’s MashUp / Kiddets / Piggy Tales: 4th Street From Glee’s executive music producer Adam Anders comes Kally’s MashUp, a teen show that debuted on Nickelodeon in Latin America late last year. “Its original score with all songs shot in English combined with an outstanding level of quality gives this unique format huge global potential,” says Ed Galton, the chief commercial officer and managing director of CAKE. Kiddets, meanwhile, is a sister series to the international hit The WotWots. Piggy Tales: 4th Street, the latest addition to the Angry Birds franchise, is a nondialogue program that features characters from The Angry Birds Movie and is aimed at viewers of all ages. Piggy Tales: 4th Street follows the “lovable, simple-minded green pigs going about their daily lives on the streets of Pig City— where anything can happen,” says Galton.
“Kiddets is expanding The WotWots franchise, which has proven universal appeal, airing in over 100 territories worldwide.” —Ed Galton
Cyber Group Studios
Gigantosaurus
The Pirates Next Door / Sadie Sparks / Gigantosaurus The animated comedy The Pirates Next Door, which Cyber Group Studios is offering to international buyers at this year’s market, is geared toward children between the ages of 6 and 10. The company is also promoting Sadie Sparks, another animated comedy, this one meant for the 6-to-11 demo, and Gigantosaurus, an animated action comedy for younger viewers aged 4 to 6. “We are coming [to MIPTV] with even more new series in development targeting all age groups worldwide with great characters,” says Pierre Sissmann, Cyber Group’s chairman and CEO. “We are looking forward to sharing these new programs with our broadcast partners.” He adds: “We want the market to know that we are proud to distribute third-party programs and to structure the strongest partnerships with independent producers worldwide.”
“We will present high-quality programs for all our buyers…in many different genres, including comedy, adventure and action.” —Pierre Sissmann
Distribution360
Treasure Champs
Treasure Champs / Genius Genie / Are You Ready? Commissioned by CBeebies, Treasure Champs is an upperpreschool series promoting such values as generosity, empathy and honesty. “Treasure Champs has been uniquely produced in that it can be licensed as a straight acquisition in its original version or as a modular format, where the animated segments can be used alongside each featured ‘treasure’ and interlaced with local live-action shoots,” says Diane Rankin, Distribution360’s senior VP of international sales and acquisitions. Genius Genie, an animated preschool show, is also a highlight for the company. “Through the fun-filled episodes, children learn all about handling life’s little problems and the lessons that you take away from them as you grow up,” says Rankin. Then there is Are You Ready?, which Rankin describes as “a series all about life’s big little ‘firsts.’”
“What is common to each of these series is the message of positivity and empowerment that the programs transmit to their audience.” —Diane Rankin 178 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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16 TV KIDS
Entertainment One Family & Brands Cupcake & Dino: General Services / PJ Masks / Peppa Pig The new animated comedy Cupcake & Dino: General Services is meant for young viewers between the ages of 7 and 12. The show, created by Pedro Eboli, has been commissioned as a Netflix original. It follows the adventures of two brothers working in the competitive general services business. Entertainment One (eOne) Family & Brands is offering that title to international buyers alongside PJ Masks, “which has quickly become a hot TV property around the world,” says Monica Candiani, the executive VP of content sales for Family & Brands. Another highlight is the globally successful preschool series Peppa Pig. “Humor has definitely been a key ingredient for the success of Peppa Pig, which continues to expand into new markets—more recently, China, Japan and India,” she adds.
“Comedy travels really well and it’s central to many of eOne’s children’s and family shows.” —Monica Candiani Cupcake & Dino: General Services
Federation Kids & Family Find Me in Paris / Squish / The Ollie & Moon Show The second season of the live-action hit Find Me in Paris is on offer from Federation Kids & Family. “Find Me in Paris has an amazing quality not usually found in tween drama, thanks to a huge budget, a great cast and production team, and on-location filming in Paris,” says Monica Levy, the company’s VP of international sales. “This is proving very appealing to buyers in all major markets.” Other highlights are Squish, an original animated comedy about an ameba trying to survive in the cutthroat world of single-celled organisms, and The Ollie & Moon Show, a cartoon with a presence in 160-plus territories. “We are always open to new partnerships to help us create strong new IPs and are actively seeking new third-party properties for distribution,” adds Levy.
“We will continue to expand our kids’ and family production slate, concentrating on high-end, premium concepts that have long-term as well as cross-platform potential.” —Monica Levy
Gaumont
Squish
Bionic Max
Bionic Max / Belle and Sebastian / Furiki Wheels In development with Gulli, Bionic Max is a 2D buddy comedy targeting young viewers between the ages of 6 and 11. The show follows two friends as they escape from a lab and have to learn how to blend in with the animals of Central Park. Gaumont is showcasing the title at MIPTV alongside Belle and Sebastian, an animated program based on the original live-action show from the 1960s. “The series is about a courageous young boy from the Alps who befriends an exceptionally large and generous dog that is unwanted by most because of her size,” says Vanessa Shapiro, the company’s president of worldwide TV distribution and co-production. There is also Furiki Wheels, a slapstick comedy geared toward the 6to-11 demo about a hyperactive young sloth.
“Our goal is to create a range of compelling and engaging children’s projects that will become part of the Gaumont heritage.” —Vanessa Shapiro 180 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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18 TV KIDS
Genius Brands International Rainbow Rangers / Llama Llama / Kid Genius Network Jennifer Garner leads the voice cast of Llama Llama, a bookbased animated series in Genius Brands International’s MIPTV slate. Deb Pierson, the company’s senior VP of global content distribution and marketing, and president of the Kid Genius Cartoon channel, describes the show as “a beautiful, gender-neutral series for preschoolers that has been resonating with parents and young children since it premiered on Netflix.” Debuting this fall on Nick Jr. in the U.S. is Rainbow Rangers, which Pierson says is “a unique and empowering adventure series targeting young girls.” Genius Brands is also actively seeking content for its Kid Genius Network digital platforms, including the Kids Genius Cartoon channel for viewers between the ages of 6 and 11, and the Baby Genius TV channel, geared toward toddlers to preschoolers.
“This promises to be a banner year for us, with Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama being delivered into the content and retail marketplaces in the U.S.” Llama Llama
—Deb Pierson
GoldBee
ToonMarty
ToonMarty / School of Roars / Chop Chop Ninja A busybody who likes to stick his nose in everyone else’s business takes center stage in ToonMarty, from the GoldBee catalog. The show was recently snapped up by such broadcasters as CITV in the U.K. and France Télévisions for France 4. “The series turns every cartoon trope on its ear— having a grand time with things like idea lightbulbs, smoke trails or chase scenes,” says Christophe Goldberger, the company’s managing director. “Its references to classic cartoons and superheroes make it easy to get to genderneutral buddy comedy.” Also on offer is ZDF Enterprises’ School of Roars, an upbeat comedy made by Dot To Dot Productions, and Chop Chop Ninja, an upcoming adventure comedy from Sardine Productions and for which GoldBee is currently seeking presales.
“We are proud to present our universal slapstick comedy ToonMarty, which rolled out successfully last year on Nickelodeon internationally.” —Christophe Goldberger
Hasbro Studios
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic / My Little Pony: Equestria Girls / Hanazuki: Full of Treasures The My Little Pony franchise is still going strong for Hasbro Studios, which is promoting the animations My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls to international buyers. The former, set in the village of Ponyville, follows the adventures of Twilight Sparkle and her friends as they discover the magic of friendship. The latter sees the characters learn what it means to be superheroes while also dealing with the challenges of attending high school. The company also continues to enjoy success with the Tranformers franchise and will be offering up the animated series Transformers: Cyberverse and Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy at the market. Other highlights featured in Hasbro Studios’ MIPTV slate are Hanazuki: Full of Treasures and Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
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20 TV KIDS
INK Group Moonzy / The Barkers / Masha and the Bear A little alien who finds a new home in a forest on Earth is the central character in Moonzy, a new animated highlight in the INK Group catalog. “Already a massive success in Russia, where it is the top-rated show on the Carousel channel, Moonzy is produced by multi-award-winning director Sergey Selyanov and promises to be the biggest Russian project since Masha and the Bear,” says Claus Tømming, the company’s managing partner. Speaking of which, INK Group is also promoting Masha and the Bear at MIPTV. “Masha and the Bear is a global heavyweight that is now broadcast in almost every country in the world—via both pay and free-to-air channels,” Tømming adds. Then there is The Barkers, a comedy about a canine family on vacation at a country house.
Moonzy
“All of our shows are projects that combine distinct originality with a really strong story, as this appeals not only to international media buyers but most importantly to kids.” —Claus Tømming
Jetpack Distribution
The Wolf
The Wolf / Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed! / Kitty is Not a Cat The animated series The Wolf, on offer from Jetpack Distribution, is inspired by the popular book that has sold 5 million copies around the globe. “It’s full of adventure as the wolf is constantly trying new things,” says Dominic Gardiner, the company’s CEO. Also on Jetpack’s MIPTV slate is Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed!, based on the long-running U.K. comic The Beano. “The CGI version retains all of the original magic and offers something new,” says Gardiner. Kitty is Not a Cat, meanwhile, is about a young girl who is adopted by a household of felines. “Kitty is Not a Cat is another one of our top shows and reverses a traditional narrative,” adds Gardiner. “Kitty thinks she’s a cat, and it’s up to cats to help her become human!”
“We’re delighted to present The Wolf, which is a brand-new show based on the critically acclaimed book.” —Dominic Gardiner
Mediatoon Distribution The Minimighty Kids / Lucas etc. / Little Furry
Little Furry
Characters learn how to overcome challenges in the educational comedy The Minimighty Kids, which has been enjoying success on TF1 in France and Clan in Spain. “The Minimighty Kids is a great example of a program that teaches us—in an entertaining and fun way—to overlook our defects and turn them into positives,” says Jérôme Alby, the managing director of Mediatoon Distribution. Lucas etc. is a live-action comedy following an imaginative teen as he moves in with his stepfather. “The program addresses the life of a blended family, which is such a pertinent theme in today’s society,” says Alby. There is also Little Furry, a non-dialogue animated preschool series. “Toddlers will grow, explore and learn with this endearing character who speaks his own language, just as children do,” adds Alby.
“The core values of family, friendship, teamwork and tolerance are ever present in these series.” —Jérôme Alby
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22 TV KIDS
Mondo TV Group Heidi Bienvenida / Invention Story / Robot Trains Two seasons of Mondo TV Group’s first-ever live-action franchise are available at MIPTV. Season one, Heidi Bienvenida a Casa, and the second installment, Heidi Bienvenida al Show, are “teenage life represented on screen,” says Micheline Azoury, the company’s head of acquisitions and TV sales. “Teen comedy-drama is a popular genre these days and one that many broadcasters are keen to include in their schedules. This show has that winning formula, delivered by a highly experienced team.” Invention Story, meanwhile, is a co-pro from Mondo TV and Henan York Animation done in 3D CGI. Another highlight is Robot Trains. Mondo TV is co-producing season two of the series along with CJ E&M. “We are engaging with experienced, creative partners, as well as producing inhouse, and this approach is already bearing fruit,” Azoury adds.
Robot Trains
“We are strengthening and enriching the portfolio we offer to broadcasters from all over the world.”
—Micheline Azoury
Rainbow 44 Cats / Winx Club / Regal Academy The latest addition to Rainbow’s catalog, 44 Cats is a CGI preschool comedy series that follows the daily adventures of felines Lampo, Milady, Pilou and Polpetta, who are all part of a music band called The Buffycats. The four kittens transform a garage into their “Clubhouse.” There is also the long-running animated series Winx Club, about a group of fairies who battle evil forces. Season eight of Winx Club is slated to premiere in 2019, marking the 15-year anniversary of the series. Regal Academy follows Rose Cinderella and her classmates, who are all related to fairy-tale characters. “Regal Academy is a great comedy for 6- to 9-year-olds that appeals to a very balanced audience in terms of gender,” says Iginio Straffi, Rainbow’s founder and CEO. “It’s fresh, funny, original and incredibly entertaining, so kids across the world love it!” 44 Cats
“It’s our job to satisfy the demand—from both broadcasters and audiences— for high-quality storytelling, so that is why we care so much about the quality of our shows.” —Iginio Straffi
Saban Brands Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel /Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise. Saban Brands is celebrating the milestone with Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel, including a special anniversary episode. “With 25 continuous years on the air and nearly 900 episodes, it’s an incredible milestone,” says Frederic Soulie, the company’s executive VP of global distribution and consumer products. “Power Rangers and its 25th season is a great example of how the messages of teamwork, inclusivity and diversity appeal to fans of all ages.” The company is also presenting Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty from the creative talents behind The Fairly OddParents and SpongeBob SquarePants. Saban Brands is debuting the comedy in partnership with Funrise. Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty delves into the importance of friendship and self-expression.
“At MIPTV, we look forward to celebrating Saban Brands’ current milestones but also connecting on many of the new properties we have in development.” Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty
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—Frederic Soulie
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24 TV KIDS
Serious Lunch Operation Ouch! / Art Ninja / Ronja, the Robber ’s Daughter Two long-running series make up part of Serious Lunch’s MIPTV offering. The company is launching season seven of Operation Ouch! and season four of Art Ninja. “Internationally, they have been reaching new major markets,” says Genevieve Dexter, the company’s founder and CEO. “Operation Ouch! is nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award at MIPTV. The German version, Operation Autsch, begins transmitting on KiKA this year, and in Holland, the local format Top Doks starts production on its third season. Art Ninja has been spreading its reach on Discovery Kids through Asia, the Middle East and Australia, as well as performing very well on Canal Once in Mexico.” Then there is the animated series Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter. “We are also excited to be announcing the addition of a fifth brand in our stable this year,” Dexter says.
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter
“Ronja, the Robber ’s Daughter has really caught the SVOD and EST/DVD box-set wave for serialized programming and is a timeless classic.” —Genevieve Dexter
Sesame Workshop
Cookie Monster ’s Foodie Truck
Sésamo/Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck/The Magical Wand Chase Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and the rest of the Sesame Street gang have all-new adventures in Sésamo. They learn about math and science, where food comes from, and explore their emotions. “Sésamo, locally produced in Latin America and featuring a curriculum and content tailored for kids in the region, is available in Spanish and Portuguese,” says Ed Wells, Sesame Workshop’s senior VP and head of international media and education. In Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, the titular character and his friend Gonger collect ingredients for special recipes. Abby Cadabby takes center stage in The Magical Wand Chase, “a Sesame Street special that serves as a great supplement to the weekly content, and it can be aired in prime time,” says Wells. “It features everyone’s favorite fairy, her furry red monster friend and the rest of the Sesame gang.”
“Cookie Monster ’s Foodie Truck is incredibly timely, as we’re seeing huge growth in the food-truck industry.”
—Ed Wells
Sinking Ship Entertainment The Unlisted / Dino Dana / Endlings Geared toward young viewers between the ages of 8 and 12, The Unlisted is a brand-new live-action adventure series on offer from Sinking Ship Entertainment at the market. The show, which is being made by Aquarius Films (Lion), is in production this year for delivery in 2019. Another highlight from Sinking Ship is Dino Dana, the next installment of the dinosaur franchise that first began with the international hit Dino Dan. “We are also about to go into production on the feature film,” says Marilyn Kynaston, the company’s head of sales and distribution. In addition, there is Endlings, a new liveaction and CGI-blended series from J.J. Johnson (Annedroids, Dino Dan) that is meant for 8- to 12-yearold children. That show is also in production this year.
Dino Dana
“Sinking Ship specializes in live-action/CG kids’ series. We have won 12 Emmys.” —Marilyn Kynaston 188 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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26 TV KIDS
Sony Creative Products Pingu in the City / Mofy / Gaspard and Lisa Pingu in the City, being presented by Sony Creative Products, offers a fresh take on the original story about a cheeky penguin. Another highlight is Mofy. “It is a ‘cotton’ stop-motion animation in full HD, where the sets and models are made from fluffy cotton puffs,” says Hitoshi Hasegawa, the company’s president. There is also the animated series Gaspard and Lisa, about 6-year-old best friends who experience the wonders and challenges of school, family and friendship. “Outgoing, curious and devoted to each other, Gaspard and Lisa are the center of each other’s lives and the rest of the world usually finds itself caught up in their adventures,” Hasegawa says. “And while the two may sometimes disagree, in the end, they’re always there for each other, because that’s what best friends are for.”
Mofy
“We would love to have new partnerships with players around the world, but especially those in Europe, as these animations originated from the region.”
—Hitoshi Hasegawa
Studio 100 Media & m4e Arthur and the Minimoys / Tip the Mouse / Maya the Bee Arthur and the Minimoys, based on the movie trilogy from director and producer Luc Besson, will be ready for delivery this summer. “The CGI series carries Besson’s signature style and powerful storytelling to TV screens with a broad appeal to kids from 6 to 9,” says Martin Krieger, the head of global distribution at Studio 100 Media & m4e. The combined company’s MIPTV slate also features 26 brand-new episodes from the second season of the preschool series Tip the Mouse. Another highlight is Maya the Bee, which Krieger notes “already has a proven international track record. We intend to continue [Maya’s] story of success with 52 new episodes and a second feature film that we’ve recently released successfully in numerous territories.” The first season of Maya the Bee was sold in more than 170 countries.
Maya the Bee
“Our mission in the kids’ entertainment world is to bring brands to life that are contentdriven and entertain kids and families on every platform and wherever they are.” —Martin Krieger
SUNRIGHTS Beyblade Burst / Beyblade Burst Evolution In Beyblade Burst, viewers are introduced to the story of Valt Aoi and his friends, a group of passionate Bladers. SUNRIGHTS is showcasing this installment, as well as season two, titled Beyblade Burst Evolution, at MIPTV. “The action and adventure continue in Beyblade Burst Evolution, as Valt Aoi, runnerup at the Japanese National Tournament, travels to Spain after being scouted,” explains Natasha Gross, the company’s director of TV sales and licensing. She adds that the underlying themes are “relatable to most kids, no matter where they live in the world. It’s about competition, hard work, friendship and sportsmanship—familiar parts of the daily life of any active kid. Watching this series, they find themselves identifying with Valt and his quest for the championship, whether he faces setbacks or enjoys the sweet taste of success!”
“These series continue to reach and entertain a growing legion of fans around the world as their themes of spirited competition both engage and rally viewers.” Beyblade Burst
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—Natasha Gross
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28 TV KIDS Clay Time
Superights Pat the Dog / Joker Joe / Clay Time Following the success of the first season of Pat the Dog, Superights is offering up a second installment of the animated show. “This new season will feature specials and fillers in addition to seven-minute episodes,” says Nathalie Pinguet, the deputy general manager of sales and acquisitions at Superights. Also on offer is the new 3D CGI comedy series Joker Joe, developed by Superprod. Joker Joe is an adaptation of a comic book that “will focus on Joe, an irresistible little boy with an overactive imagination, who will bring a series of gags on top of hilarious adventures at home and at school,” Pinguet adds. Another highlight is Clay Time, an edutainment series for preschoolers that encourages viewers to develop their imaginations with modeling clay. Each three-minute episode is accompanied by tutorials.
“We are proud to offer a premium, diversified catalog—covering all demographics, genres, techniques and lengths—from first-class producers around the globe.”
—Nathalie Pinguet
Xilam Animation
A New Kind of Magic
Mr Magoo / A New Kind of Magic / Oggy and the Cockroaches In the slapstick comedy series Mr Magoo, everyone in the neighborhood loves the titular character, even though the cheerful man often inadvertently causes disasters. Xilam Animation is also presenting its long-running flagship slapstick comedy Oggy and the Cockroaches. The show follows the antics of Oggy and the three bugs, who have been clashing since the beginning of time. “Slapstick comedies can easily travel internationally,” says Morgann Favennec, the executive VP of development and global sales at Xilam Animation. She adds that “introducing new projects to key broadcasters” is a main focus for the company at MIPTV. In addition to Mr Magoo and Oggy and the Cockroaches, Xilam’s slate features the comedy A New Kind of Magic, about a fairy and an ogre who have to settle in the real world with their children.
“Xilam’s catalog has iconic characters, with brand names that have become a reference for millions of children and families.” —Morgann Favennec
Zodiak Kids Lilybuds / Joe All Alone / Tee and Mo A group of magical gardeners is featured in Lilybuds. “We are very proud of this great new production about a community of tiny, magical gardeners and their daily (and nightly) adventures in this stunning and vibrant park,” says Delphine Dumont, Zodiak Kids’ senior VP of sales, acquisitions and coproduction. “We wanted to create a show that addressed the universal need for children to get back in touch with the outdoors.” In Joe All Alone, meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy is left at home to fend for himself while his mother goes on holiday. “We strongly believe that this British drama, rooted in a real world, will appeal to an international audience thanks to its brilliant cast and great production values,” Dumont says. Zodiak Kids’ slate also features the preschool show Tee and Mo, about a toddler monkey and his mom.
“Lilybuds is a nature-focused preschool comedy show about teamwork and friendship that definitely has all the ingredients to become an international success.” Lilybuds 192 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
—Delphine Dumont
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Studio 100 & m4e’s Tip the Mouse.
David Wood hears from leading producers and distributors about managing co-production partnerships. he co-production partnership, a familiar feature of the kids’ TV production landscape for decades, is showing few signs of going out of fashion. That is not surprising. As broadcasters increasingly face squeezes on their program budgets, co-pros remain a crucial way to raise production finance. “Broadcaster contributions are under pressure,” reports Jo Daris, the chief content officer at Studio 100 Media & m4e. “They ask for more rights and pay less than a few years ago. That puts a lot of pressure on other financing mechanisms, like soft money or tax incentives. The access to those incentives is often linked to having an official co-pro, in line with bilateral treaties, creating additional obligations to all partners involved and making outsourcing work to Asia much more difficult.” One unintended consequence is that the logistics of coproduction seem to be getting more complicated, Daris adds. “There seem to be more pieces to the puzzle now and [the financing] takes longer to finish. This results in co-productions often being repeats of previously tested models: ‘If it worked last
T
time, let’s not go through the hassle of finding partners somewhere else, let’s copy and paste what we did before.’ ”
PLUGGING THE GAP Jean-Philippe Randisi, the CEO of Zodiak Kids, points out that one major change that has served to make co-pros more complicated is the scarcity of master-toy-license advances. Ten or fifteen years ago, you could have launched a new series on the back of a licensing-and-merchandising advance and a couple of main broadcasters in major territories. Nowadays, because the market is so dominated by Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, the space for a new entrant is very limited. “Big players in the toy business—Disney, Hasbro, Mattel—are now producers themselves and retailers won’t give space to new IP unless they think it can compete with those companies,” says Randisi. “Any L&M money is now likely to come later—when you are in production or in season two or three—when you can see if a show is a big success.” One trend that has helped compensate for decreased L&M activity in kids’ co-pros is the growing impact of Asian players.
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9 Story partnered with Netflix and Scholastic for The Magic School Bus.
As Christine Brendle, the CEO of Hong Kong-based FUN Union, declares, “We see a growing pool of talent and production studios in the Asia-Pacific region and we can expect to see more characters and stories coming from South Korea, China and Japan, which are giants and involved in many copros. Interestingly, much more is now going on in India, Malaysia, Singapore Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and other Asian countries. This region is becoming a huge epicenter for co-pros.”
NEW PLAYERS
with EU partners. “It might work out to be a bit more expensive, but it’s easier to manage,” says Randisi. The benefits of co-production are clear to most producers and broadcasters. OTT services, however, are not as active in such alliances yet. Streaming global players wield large program budgets and are typically looking to bankroll the entire budget for a show in exchange for rights in all territories. That has meant that as OTT players concentrate on building their kids’ content libraries, many shows that might otherwise have been co-produced across different territories are instead born out of much simpler commissioner-producer relationships. Take 9 Story Media Group’s deal with Netflix to reboot The Magic School Bus. “The Magic School Bus was one show that, if we hadn’t done a deal with Netflix, we would have had to coproduce to make it work,” says Vince Commisso, co-founding partner, president and CEO of 9 Story. “Territory splits don’t really work for Netflix as they are global players.”
It’s a trend that Jillianne Reinseth, the VP of creative affairs at Entertainment One (eOne) Family & Brands—which coproduces the preschool superhero series PJ Masks with Disney Junior and France 5—also picks up on. “We’re seeing more original series coming from countries that were previously better known for animating purely on a service level. Original series from these regions were mainly broadcast locally but didn’t travel well. Now there’s more of an East meets West and North meets South approach to kids’ co-productions, with characters and plots having more universal themes to appeal to a global market.” At the same time, Zodiak’s Randisi detects another contrary trend towards more localized co-production, certainly in Europe. “There’s a definite upside and a downside to [European] coproduction with Asian studios. There are certainly cost savings, but the significant downsides are that communication is more complicated, it’s more difficult to keep track of what is happening on the ground and editorial ideas sometimes get lost in translation.” Those hiccups, combined with the strengthening of support for kids’ production in key European territories and quotas for European-produced content, have led to a revival in co-producing Mr Magoo is a French commission for Xilam that presold to Cartoon Network Asia. 198 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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Gaumont, PVP, Congedo and Fandango are partners on Trulli Tales.
Commisso adds that the OTT platforms’ minimal interest in kids’ co-production may not always be the case. “As their subscriber bases grow strongly, it makes sense to fully finance— and tempt subscribers with original kids’ content. But as growth ultimately tails off, we might see OTTs get into co-pro themselves,” he predicts. “They will put less money into content and producers will seek to diversify some of the risks.” OTTs aside, if the overall trend is for more complicated coproductions, it’s increasingly essential for partners to be able to manage projects successfully. The keys to making co-productions work haven’t really changed, explains Commisso. “They need financing from more than one territory because program budgets are usually too big for finance from one,” he notes. “You need partners who know each other well, who have developed some kind of understanding. Communication is critical with co-pros, so you need a group of people on both sides who are all in sync professionally and get along well personally.”
Reinseth at eOne also emphasizes the importance of dialogue between partners. “Frequent and open communication is the best way to stay on top of the production and ensure we’re all moving in the same direction. At eOne, broadcaster notes are shared with all production partners to take into consideration all of our stakeholders’ requirements. Weekly calls, especially by Skype so we can communicate face to face, are great for relationship-building during the development process.”
CAN WE TALK?
FUN Union’s Brendle adds, “Sometimes it’s a matter of finding the right medium for communication as well. When we first started working with China’s CCTV Animation [on Krash and Hehe], we were debating over details and direction and it appeared our views were diverging until we started working with visual examples and realized we had both been talking about the same thing all along.” Another golden rule is a clear division of services, Commisso notes. “Say a 26-episode series has 12 important processes,” such as character design, storyboarding, production, post-production, marketing or distribution. “One partner does six of the processes across the whole series and the other the rest. That way you develop expertise by specializing and exploiting economies of scale, as does your partner. Dividing up the episodes is a terrible idea. The risk is that you end up not making the same show because you will be using different directors and writers. And you lose the opportunity of both teams becoming really good at different disciplines.” Nicolas Atlan, the president of animation at Gaumont, likens a co-production to marriage. “If you’ve chosen the right partner and genuinely like the project and you have some chemistry with the people involved, then you can solve any problems that crop up.” Cupcake & Dino: General Services is a partnership between eOne Family & Brands and Brazil’s Birdo Studio. 200 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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Zodiak Kids Studios inked a co-pro deal with Discovery Kids Latin America for Lilybuds.
Gaumont’s latest co-pro is Jack Zero, a preschool series created by Alexander Bar and co-produced with his company, Milk Cow Media. It joins Trulli Tales, with PVP in Canada and Fandango and Congedo in Italy; and Belle and Sebastian, also with PVP Canada, on the French studio’s slate. “Co-pros can become complicated—in an ideal world it would be just my team and me,” quips Atlan. “But let’s be realistic: co-productions are often the best way to get a show financed. But you have to think of more than just the money that a partner might be bringing to the table,” he insists. “Ask yourself what strengths potential partners have in their own territories,” Atlan continues. “PVP is a great co-producer for us in Canada and DreamWorks is great on Noddy Toyland Detective. They are both strong and well connected. We look for a mix of finance, artistic potential and a strong relationship with their host broadcasters.” Marc du Pontavice, the chairman and CEO of Xilam Animation, has historically avoided co-production to protect the studio’s IP, but with his facilities at full capacity, he is having to look at co-producing afresh. “I think it’s a luxury to say, ‘I don’t want to co-produce and deal with multiple partners.’ But I am skeptical when it comes to multiple co-production territories. That’s because it makes it more difficult to get everyone to share one vision—especially when multiple broadcast partners each have their own agenda. This can weaken the vision and everything can get more complicated and expensive.”
VISION PROTECTION Du Pontavice stresses there should be one creative lead. “Although the views of other co-pro partners have to be taken into account, there has to be one vision. I am also a strong believer that there should be one company in charge of commercial activities—when it comes to distribution, a division of territories usually results in a weakening of the marketing strategy. Ideally, the distribution partner should have an equity position in the property so that it is incentivized and has a bigger interest beyond the commission.” Daris at Studio 100 & m4e adds, “The first prerogative for successful collaboration is a clear understanding and alignment at the creative level. Even when investors are involved that are only putting in cash, there has to be a unified vision of where the production is going.”
Reinseth of eOne notes, “Financing is important of course, but it isn’t the primary driver of our collaborations. The creative collaboration is at the heart of each of our series and we believe that’s the key to its success. From the very beginning of development, we work to align ourselves with our co-production partners to ensure that the tone and creative vision are coming through. Finding a production partner who believes in your series as much as you do is critical to producing a successful show.”
OFF THE RAILS It’s probably safe to assume that in co-productions—as in any form of production—things can go wrong. “Misunderstandings or different interpretations based on vague deal terms and democratic principles—‘both parties need to agree’—happen in almost every production,” Daris says. “So discuss everything in detail in advance of signing an agreement, and make the agreement as detailed and complete as possible,” he recommends. “But there’s always something you forgot to discuss in advance because it seemed self-evident.” Zodiak Kids’ Randisi agrees. “We try to remove problematic ambiguities before committing to projects, but there can still be differences of perception behind the same words from different partners,” he warns, adding that projects involving multiple broadcaster partners need special attention. “One broadcaster will tend to take the lead on editorial and the others will follow that lead once everyone is comfortable with the basic characters, design and positioning,” Randisi continues. “But while everyone might agree at the beginning, parties may have different views of elements that come later in the process—during the writing typically—regarding what is age-appropriate, what is gender-appropriate or whether the script contains the right educational elements. Some may want it to be educational; others might think that’s boring and don’t want any of it. You need to make sure that there is enough overlap between what the different broadcasters want at the outset.” Daris concludes that differences of opinion can be resolved if there’s a structure in place to deal with them. “There has to be one leader who has the power to overrule for the benefit of the production, the schedule and the budget. A successful co-pro is not managed like a democracy, but at its base it’s a deep, open and democratic discussion about every parameter and stage.”
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Kids’ producers and distributors are defying stereotypes with a new wave of children’s shows featuring powerful female characters. By Joanna Padovano Tong ale characters outnumber females three-to-one on television, per the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. It’s a ratio that has remained fairly unchanged for the past several decades. And it’s not just a lack of representation that is of concern. “Gender stereotyping is an inherent problem in today’s entertainment landscape, and children are the most vulnerable recipients of depictions that send the message that girls are less valuable and capable than boys,” the organization says on its website. But the times they are a-changing, slowly. “In today’s world, there’s been such a shift in awareness and recalibrating values and trends, and I think the way that girls are looked at and want to be looked at is strong, empowered, aspirational and intelligent,” says Andy Heyward, the chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International. According to Dominic Gardiner, the CEO of Jetpack Distribution, it’s important for creators to make sure that female characters are “smart, strong and in the lead, while avoiding any clichés—victims, princesses, falling down, twisting their ankles, etc. I know this sounds like something from the ’70s, but it does [still] happen.” And there’s more than just the shallow princess stereotype being perpetuated in kids’ programming. “I’ve been working with broadcasters that go, Please, let’s not have the girl being the sensible voice of reason [or] the nagging older sister because it’s boring and we’ve seen that too many times already,” says Tom van Waveren, the CEO and creative director of CAKE. “Let’s have the same kind of diversity in female characters that we have in male characters.” David Michel, the managing director of Federation Kids & Family and president of Cottonwood Media, mentions some other clichés: “There’s a kind of caricature of the valley girl, the bitchy girl, the nerdy girl with glasses.... That’s the negative that should be avoided, but it’s very much still there.” Among the female-led series repped by Federation Kids & Family is The Ollie & Moon Show. “That’s about two buddies,
a girl and a boy, but the girl is really the lead in the show and the boy is kind of the follower,” says Michel. There is also Find Me in Paris, centered on a time-traveling ballerina, and Love, Divina, a soap opera for teen girls. “Society doesn’t need more shows with girls pictured as either vanilla princesses or tomboys,” adds Claus Tømming, the managing partner at INK Group. “We need to introduce a new type of female character, and it doesn’t even take imagination to do that. It’s a great pain to come up with another young duchess or an overachiever because it’s been done so many times before. How about creating a girl as she is in real life: observant, passionate, strong, aspiring—why keep reinventing stereotypes? Just stop and look around!”
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT Move over, damsel in distress; there’s a new breed of girl characters in kids’ television. Take, for instance, Genius Brands’ Rainbow Rangers, which focuses on seven female heroes with the very important jobs of serving as Earth’s first responders. “It’s about empowerment of young girls,” says Heyward. “Of course there are all the tools of good storytelling that you would expect—crisis, conflict, humor, jeopardy—that make these episodes come alive.” “This business is evolving along with the real world, and girls are [being] given different kinds of leading female characters so they can choose which one they feel closer to,” says Luana Perrero, the head of TV sales at Rainbow. In 2004, the company launched Winx Club, which Perrero says encourages female viewers to “embrace the positive values conveyed by the content.” Now a global hit, the fantasy series follows the adventures of six fairies living in a magical land. Among other things, Winx Club teaches girls about empowerment, friendship and how to empathize with other girls “who share dreams and must work hard to achieve them—exactly as the heroines do on screen,” notes Perrero. The show is one of several examples of children’s series that portray the power of female camaraderie—girls working
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negatively when we present a girl-driven show,” he says. “Before, a number of networks would say, Uh-uh, if it’s girldriven, don’t even present that to us. That doesn’t happen anymore and that’s a good thing.” Cyber Group houses such girl-empowering series as Mirette Investigates, Sadie Sparks and Mademoiselle Zazie. “When we produced Mademoiselle Zazie, no one was looking for a female-led show,” says Sissmann. “It was not that successful until 2014-15, when people turned around and said, We need female-led character shows. And they started buying massively all over the world.”
BALANCING THE SCALE
Rainbow’s longrunning Winx Club features six fairies who fight the forces of evil.
together and building each other up instead of tearing one another down as a result of feeling competitive or jealous. Due to concerns about low ratings, broadcasters did not always welcome kids’ series with strong female characters. According to Pierre Sissmann, the chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios, while there has not necessarily been that much more of a demand for girl-led programming as of late, there is significantly less of an aversion to it when compared with attitudes just ten years ago. “The big difference between today and yesterday is that people are not reacting
“My generation—people who have children that are going to college right now—grew up in a world where the male perspective was always put front and center, and I think we have evolved into something that is much more balanced,” says CAKE’s van Waveren. “We have about 12 shows in different stages of development and I would say that we’re exactly at a fifty-fifty split when it comes to girl-led or boyled. And that’s across different demographics and genres.” That balance is not specifically planned, he notes, since the company simply chooses whatever projects it connects with the most. “We’re being offered more shows that are putting female characters at the center of them not because [creators] feel there is a fashion for it or the market is requiring it, but just because that is the story they want to be telling—and that makes it all the more powerful.” Among CAKE’s most successful series featuring strong female characters are My Knight and Me, the Total Drama franchise and So Awkward. The company is also developing a new show, Mama K’s Super 4, about four Zambian girls who work together to save the day. Jetpack’s Gardiner has noticed a slight uptick in appetite for shows that place girls front and center, but says it’s not “a dramatic, overwhelming demand,” just more “recognition of having more balance than before.” He adds: “We’ve seen a lot of younger female characters coming through. In the
Jetpack’s character-driven comedy The Sisters explores the relationship between 7-year-old and 13-year-old siblings. 206 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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it’s been very much a boy-led franchise, it’s now got strong aspirational [female] characters, so girls can love it too.” Back in 2000, when he was at Marathon Media, Federation Kids & Family’s Michel co-created Totally Spies!, which is perhaps one of the first noteworthy girl-empowering kids’ series. “At the time, it was almost impossible to pitch a show with a girl lead,” he says. “The answer that we got every single time we would pitch the show was, Boys [have] the most control in the TV room and they will never watch a show with a female hero. And they were proven wrong not only with this show but with a lot of other shows. But I think it’s still something that’s hovering over channel programmers’ heads.”
LEADING THE WAY
A female cat takes the lead in Federation Kids & Family’s The Ollie & Moon Show.
older-kids area, I still think that most broadcasters are either pretty balanced, gender-neutral or they have a slight boy bias.” The company’s portfolio boasts the girl-led animated comedy The Sisters. Other series on offer from Jetpack, such as Talking Tom and Friends and Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed!, also contain powerful girl characters. In Talking Tom, “Angela is a very strong, aspirational, sparky female character that kind of balances out Tom and his slightly egocentric point of view,” says Gardiner, while in Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed!, the show’s brand-new female characters have been so successful that they’ve actually been added to the comic strip. “There was a lot of love for them, so they’ve now become little breakout stars of their own. They’ve created a very balanced series. Whereas I think, historically,
Another series that has helped lead the way for femaledriven children’s content is INK’s Masha and the Bear. “Masha launched the whole trend when the character was first introduced to the market a decade ago,” says Tømming. “Celebrated series with female protagonists like Doc McStuffins or Sofia the First arrived years later.” The company also has a new show called Maouia Princess of Cordoba, which will feature a “highly nuanced female lead” who overcomes many challenges, including her own selfdoubt, to achieve personal growth. “We like to think the audience is hungry for role models made of flesh and blood rather than glitter and pixels,” he adds. “Female characters have always been front and center in the My Little Pony franchise and in the long-running animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” notes Nina Scales, the VP of international sales distribution at Hasbro Studios. “They have become so popular that we grew the Pony franchise in 2013 with the launch of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. Dealing with the ups and downs of life in high school, our female characters handle any crisis that is thrown at them.” Hasbro Studios’ catalog also includes Hanazuki: Full of Treasures, the company’s newest girl-led animated series. Mondo TV Group also houses a number of series with female leads, among them Sissi The Young Empress, the
The adventures of a Russian girl and her best friend, a retired circus bear, take center stage in INK Group’s Masha and the Bear. 208 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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The lead character in Mondo TV’s Sissi The Young Empress resists traditional standards of etiquette.
Heidi Bienvenida franchise and Angel’s Friends. “Today, the girls’ empowerment topic is important and a message that we need to start teaching girls—and boys—from a very young age,” says Micheline Azoury, the company’s head of acquisitions and TV sales. “In some previous shows dedicated to girls, we used to see a big focus on beauty. The trend today is geared more towards a different direction, [including] inner beauty rather than outside…but also being smart and contributing equally to boys in any situation.” Kiva Can Do!, in Lacey Entertainment’s portfolio, is another example of a children’s show telling young girls that they are capable of accomplishing whatever they set their minds to. The titular character is “caring, nurturing and follows her heart, but she also can do anything that a boy can do,” says Brian Lacey, the company’s president. “Kiva Can Do! represents a significant departure from other girls’ content in that Kiva does not conform to a male stereotype to be empowered. Kiva tips these gender stereotypes on their heads and gently reminds children that anything they can dream, they can do.”
STORYTELLING FIRST While it is, of course, important for there to be genderbalanced kids’ programming—after all, there are just as many little girls in the world as boys—storytelling must still be the main priority for a show to cut through in the crowded children’s television marketplace. “It doesn’t make any difference whether it’s a girls’ show or a boys’ show; it has to be a good series,” says Cyber Group’s Sissmann. “One of our biggest developments today is our first superhero show featuring two girls as the heroes; it’s a good story and that’s why we picked it up. I think that ten years ago, we would have said, Well, nobody’s going to buy this. That’s not even a thought today. So we’re looking at boys’ and girls’ series irrespective of the gender.” “I look for things that are enriching to kids and that still have very strong characters and strong stories,” notes Genius Brands’ Heyward. “It’s not girls per se or boys per se—I’m just looking to find good characters and good stories and see wherever they take us.” A good way to achieve rich storytelling that avoids repetition and stereotypes is having more of a gender balance in
the writers’ room, adds CAKE’s van Waveren. “It doesn’t mean that you need to be a woman to write about girls or a man to write about boys, but if you’re going to have a series with characters of mixed genders, it makes total sense to have a writers’ team that has mixed genders as well.”
WAKE-UP CALL In line with the demand for greater representation for women across the media industry, it’s likely that there will be more girl-led kids’ shows in the future. “It’s the right thing to do,” says INK’s Tømming. “It’s about time to not just ‘respond to demand’ but to redress the balance. Wake up, people!” In a perfect world, there would be fifty-fifty balance, says Jetpack’s Gardiner. “The equilibrium is what we’re aiming for. Sometimes the way the market works is we have these swings from one extreme to another, and so if somebody identifies a gap, then you’ll suddenly see a rush of series. Ultimately, the audiences are deciding what’s going to stick around, but I do think there are certainly plenty of people trying to create not just token female characters.” “Previously girls tended to be portrayed as playing second fiddle to the male lead, whereas now we have [more] series featuring females that are fearless, smart and strong,” says Hasbro’s Scales. “This generation of kids will grow up with positive female role models and an understanding that girls can do anything and be anything.” As long as there is enough of a gender balance, children don’t mind if a show’s star is male or female. “I don’t think kids care about the gender of the characters; I think they care about the type of storytelling,” Federation’s Michel says. “You can have 100-percent female storytelling that’s very emotion-based [or] you can have very male storytelling with more action, etc., but if you have a little bit of both, they don’t care that the hero is a boy or a girl.” Overall, it seems that compelling storytelling is a surefire way to make a successful kids’ show that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of gender—except, perhaps, when young boys are going through their infamous “girls have cooties” phase, which, although there’s no cure for it, is almost always temporary.
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Portfolio’s The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
Broadcasters and platforms are eager for shows that successfully incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts and math. By David Wood TEM/STEAM has become such a hot topic for parents and educators in the U.S., it has its own “holiday.” On National STEM/STEAM Day (November 8), teachers are encouraged to put a particular emphasis on the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as the arts. Not surprisingly, several TV series have emerged that are built around making STEAM curriculum fun for young viewers. These shows are popular with kids, parents, producers, distributors and broadcasters alike. Kids like viewing them, their parents are happy to let them watch the shows because they are educational, and the industry likes them because they rate well and have a long shelf life.
S
LITTLE LEARNERS The fact that parents of preschoolers like shows with STEM or STEAM themes is particularly critical, says Joy Rosen, CEO and co-founder of Portfolio Entertainment. That’s because preschool is the only age group in which the parents are in complete control of what their kids watch. Rosen, whose company makes the science edutainment series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, adds, “It’s
all about the global zeitgeist of a new generation of millennial parents who are trying to give their kids a leg up in the world.” Rosen says that it’s not just parents who have warmed to the potential of STEM and STEAM-themed kids’ TV. New commissioners in the shape of OTT networks have emerged, she observes. “OTT networks have demonstrated a growing interest in more responsible, more considered kids’ content, rather than the kind of thing you might see on YouTube. They are trying to become more network-like, more sophisticated if you will. In short, they are trying to show parents that they are a viable alternative to the traditional networks, typically the state-controlled broadcasters such as CBC, the BBC and PBS.” These shows are also gaining in popularity because of their ability to counter gender imbalances in STEAM subjects. “Within society as a whole, there is a need to get girls and women involved more in science and engineering—only 10 percent of the engineers in the world are women,” observes Bob Higgins, the executive VP of kids and family at Boat Rocker Media. That’s why Bitz & Bob—part of the portfolio of shows now in the Boat Rocker slate following its acquisition of the
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Calm Island’s Badanamu Cadets is accompanied by a digital learning platform for preschoolers.
FremantleMedia Kids & Family business—features engineering adventurer Bitz, an 8-year-old girl who devises engineering solutions to problems and explores the scientific principles of engineering along the way. “With the Bitz character, we are attempting to make engineering fun and relatable to girls through imaginative play,” Higgins says of the CBeebies commission. “In each episode, something happens that requires Bitz to engineer a solution. Each show has a moment where Bitz pulls down her goggles and we see what her solution is.”
INVISIBLE LEARNING Higgins adds that great care was taken to ensure that Bitz & Bob is as entertaining as it is educational. “In making Bitz & Bob, we have learned to avoid stopping the story too much by getting into the scientific principles of engineering. We found that over-explaining didn’t work from an entertainment point of view. We figured out ways to tick the main points so a child could walk away understanding what had happened without losing interest. We have complemented the show with a full web experience, where kids who want to learn more can go online and find out more about the principles in greater depth. The show is aspirational, funny and entertaining—at the end of the day, we are making a kids’ comedy and the educational stuff is the cherry on the cake.”
It’s a point echoed by Genevieve Dexter, founder and CEO of Serious Lunch, which distributes three STEAM shows—Operation Ouch!, Horrible Science and Art Ninja— aimed at older kids. The most important thing is “invisible learning”—the idea that educational content should be masked and interwoven with lots of entertainment. Kids are so busy being amused that they don’t realize they are also learning something. The secret of Horrible Science, Dexter says, is that there’s a little bit of everything in there. “Shocking science, special effects, comedy, music. It’s a varied, entertaining format with quite a high budget for a kids’ factual show.” Beyond Productions’ new magic science show Wow! That’s Amazing, co-produced with Super RTL in Germany, also relies on the invisible learning principle. Munia Kanna-Konsek, the head of sales at Beyond Distribution, explains that Wow! That’s Amazing demonstrates tricks that kids can try at home or that will make them feel cool at school. “But the illusions and magic tricks rely on principles of physics, chemistry and math, so it’s also teaching them stuff, although they don’t realize that they are being taught.” Portfolio’s Rosen notes that “there’s a whole generation of writers and specialist consultants now—certainly in North America—adept at marrying great STEM content with entertainment. We use science specialists to inform us of the facts and educational consultants to make that information age-appropriate. You have to distill it down to very simple terms for the very young. What we have learned is that if it’s not told in a way that a 4-year-old gets—if it’s over their heads—they will turn off.” Ultimately, she says, kids shouldn’t “feel like they are at a science lecture.” One surefire way of attracting older kids to educational content is to make it “as revolting as possible!” jokes Dexter. “Horrible Science focuses on gory and unpleasant aspects of science; it can be pretty ghoulish, so much so that many adults find it difficult to watch.”
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“Science and technology are the big ones because they lend themselves to teachers showing how to do them in the classroom or kids trying them at home. Subjects such as history or art can be a little more difficult in the international marketplace because the focus of history or art varies from country to country.”
SUBJECT MATTERS
Art Ninja is one of three STEAM-based shows represented by Serious Lunch.
But Dexter adds a cautionary note: “The cultural tolerance of revolting content varies quite a lot, even in Europe. If I were to make a huge generalization, I would say that Southern Europe and France seem to have a lower tolerance for general vileness, but there’s no doubt that the British, Scandinavians and Germans like nothing more than a good fart joke!” When making STEAM television shows, some topics are easier to sell than others, says Kanna-Konsek of Beyond, which represents such shows as Numberjacks, Get Squiggling! and The Dengineers.
Boat Rocker’s Higgins agrees, noting, “Whereas history, literature or art change from culture to culture, math, science and engineering principles don’t. Wherever you are, the facts are the facts.” Portfolio’s Rosen says it’s no accident that STEAM shows focusing on science and nature are the most numerous. “Science is a much easier, much broader field to create content around.” The production format also matters. Beyond’s Kanna-Konsek believes that live action works best because it helps kids to identify with characters on-screen and encourages them to emulate what they see. “But animation can also be a useful tool when seeking to teach morals and values,” she adds. “Excuse the pun, but get the chemistry right and STEAM and STEM shows can enjoy a long shelf life because the content continues to be relevant,” KannaKonsek continues. “Our do-it-at-home series Backyard Science has been going since 2003 and is as relevant today as it was 15 years ago.”
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Roberts, founder and CEO of Calm Island. In Korea, for example, up to 22 percent of household income is spent on education. In China, the preschool education market is worth $55 billion.
GETTING DIGITAL
Science, technology and engineering feature prominently in Beyond Distribution’s The Dengineers.
Demand for STEM and STEAM content is being bolstered by the emergence of Asia as a very vibrant market, with China, in particular, set to become increasingly important. Rosen points out that Portfolio recently made major sales to Chinese SVOD services, including The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! and DOKI to iQiyi, one of the biggest digital platforms in China. There is strong demand for both science- and nature-based edutainment in Asia, Rosen adds.
EDUCATIONAL VALUES The huge appeal of STEM and STEAM in Asia is the cornerstone of the business plan for Calm Island, a South Korean and U.S.-based educational content developer. “The reality is that the private education markets in Asia are far, far deeper than in Europe,” observes David
Calm Island’s 52×11-minute CGI-animated learning adventure series Badanamu Cadets is aimed at engaging 4- to 7-year-olds in STEAM topics. Its ultimate purpose is to provide a pathway towards educational apps, such as Calm Island’s Bada’s Learning Adventure. The subscription platform teaches reading, music, science, math, coding and art and features more than 50,000 activities and exercises organized into structured learning paths. Roberts argues that while television is the best entertainment platform, he believes that STEM and STEAM educational objectives are best delivered through VOD experiences and multimedia apps. “Some of the concepts in STEM are hard to explain purely visually,” Roberts says. “Education is more effective in applications where kids can interact and experiences can be better tailored to individuals. One of the things we are beginning to see is the creation of smart VOD platforms, and that’s very relevant to the provision of STEM learning materials.” He predicts that the next big leap forward in kids’ education will be the development of artificially intelligent robots to teach children. “We’d like to have a Badanamu robot who would walk to your house, talk to your child and teach them. The potential for AI in areas such as STEAM is just phenomenal. It’s extraordinarily effective at teaching math and English, and as the AI and voicerecognition technology improve, I’m sure AI will become more dominant.”
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By Mansha Daswani
As it has evolved from just a toy manufacturer to a company dedicated to “creating the world’s best play experiences,” Hasbro has instituted a brand blueprint for each of its franchises. Centered on storytelling and consumer insights, the brand blueprints have allowed the company to reinvigorate long-running franchises and create new ones that extend from toys and games to consumer products and entertainment experiences. Stephen Davis, executive VP and chief content officer, tells TV Kids how Hasbro is using those brand blueprints to create multiple touchpoints for kids and families around properties like Transformers, My Little Pony and more.
TV KIDS: What have been some of the significant strategy shifts at Hasbro Studios over the last year or so? DAVIS: We announced a deal with Paramount Pictures to produce and distribute content based on our brands. We’ve been very focused on moving that new relationship forward. We’re going to collaborate with Paramount on live-action and animated films and television. It’s a phenomenal opportunity for us to control more of our strategy and, more specifically, to produce content around our brands that is consistent with our brand blueprint and brand priorities. It gives us the ability to calendarize the release dates of our movies in partnership with Paramount. And we have a very active voice at the table with Paramount on how our movies are marketed. Being able to communicate with our retail partners, sometimes two or three years in advance, is super important to creating the kind of environment where we can activate our brand blueprint across all aspects of our business. We also, in the spirit of our ongoing commitment to building our entertainment and storytelling capabilities, recently brought on Greg Mooradian, who ran Fox 2000, as president of Allspark Pictures. He’s responsible for activating and driving our strategy in live-action film and television. And then Meghan McCarthy has expanded her role substantially—we elevated her to [oversee] Allspark Animation, which is our label for animated film and television and digital content. She has been with me at the studio for almost nine years—I hired Meghan originally as one of the writers on the first episode of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic animated series. She has been such an amazing influence on the studio. We had the release of Transformers: The Last Knight. We were very pleased with the performance, particularly at retail. Transformers is growing substantially, driven by storytelling across multiple platforms. The great thing about Transformers is we have touchpoints in the broadest demographic. In preschool we have the Transformers: Rescue Bots television series. Transformers: Cyberverse is our tween/teen show. There’s fan-based content on Machinima, and then, of course, our four-quadrant movies. That’s paying dividends for us. We are now getting ready for the next Transformers film at the end of this year with Bumblebee, which stars Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena. And we had our first My Little Pony animated feature film, My Little Pony: The Movie, which has also performed incredibly well for the brand. That’s just a few things! TV KIDS: How did Hanazuki: Full of Treasures come about and how have you positioned it in the marketplace? DAVIS: Hanazuki is the company’s first story-driven lifestyle brand. It’s one of the first times where we’ve incubated a brand-new brand. It’s been a story-led strategy. We
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Hanazuki: Full of Treasures is a new brand from Hasbro that launched with a series on YouTube.
created over 200 minutes of content that we posted on YouTube, supported by a significant licensing, merchandising and marketing program. It is stunning, the animation is super cool and the characters are colorful and unique. It allows us an opportunity to reach kids in that digital ecosystem where they’re sampling and consuming so much content. There isn’t anything else like it on YouTube and from what we can see globally on digital channels. We’ve rolled it out successfully. We’re getting ready to start what we would consider our second season, although on digital you keep rolling episodes out on platforms. Later in 2018, we’re going to be posting some new content, and we’ll match that with a linear strategy as well. We’re going to be rolling it out on a number of linear channels internationally. We’ve been very pleased with how it has performed, both as a story-driven brand as well as how it’s activated our brand blueprint across our toy and game and consumer-product portfolios. TV KIDS: What’s the process for constructing a brand blueprint on each property? DAVIS: If you think about the brand blueprint as a wheel, at the center of the wheel we place storytelling and consumer insights. We adapt our storytelling and how we activate our brand blueprint based on consumer insights. We do a lot of social listening, a lot of social scraping. We talk to our consumer base daily in lots of forms and formats, in person through focus-group testing and social media. We study the ways kids are consuming our content in a theatrical environment, television environment and digital environment. Storytelling and consumer insights activate our brand blueprint across toys, games, consumer products, lifestyle licensing, digital gaming, immersive entertainment experiences, television and film. And although the basic tenets of what I just described in a brand blueprint don’t change, it’s about activating all those areas in an immersive way. Obviously, we evolve the strategy based on insights. It’s a dynamic process. Although we’re a large company, we’re very nimble and have a process that allows us to move at a rapid pace and to be proactive as well as reactive to changes in consumer tastes based on insights and feedback. It’s kind of our secret sauce!
TV KIDS: Kids are taking greater control over their viewing habits and are creating more content on their own. How does that inform everything you’re doing at Hasbro? DAVIS: If you look at Nerf, for instance, there is a tremendous amount of content created by our fan base—kids who love what has become a lifestyle brand. [For Nerf] 97 percent of the content on digital channels is user-generated. We only post about 3 percent of the content, which, as a storyled company, is not typical! Nerf is a great example of where kids have adopted a brand, been immersed in this “Nerf Nation” lifestyle, boys and girls, and it has stimulated them to create their own content. They are effectively the content creators and the programmers for Nerf. I think we’re seeing that across multiple brands. TV KIDS: You have so many long-running brands. What’s been the key to keeping them relevant to kids over the years? DAVIS: First and foremost, it starts with great storytelling and great characters. We have an amazing creative group— both in the studio as well as in our brand and design teams. They work closely to ensure that we are telling innovative and fresh stories, building worlds around interesting characters that continue to inspire consumers, and traveling across the multiple touchpoints of engagement. Transformers is a great example of that. It’s a brand that has been around for 30 years and has expanded throughout the years across multiple touchpoints—including publishing, animation, film, video games and consumer products— and a very broad demographic. That helps us to keep brands fresh and alive. We can innovate in lots of different areas. My Little Pony is the same. We launched a show in 2010 reimagining that brand from its 30-plus-year heritage. We’re going to be making our 200th episode this year. It’s been successful in introducing a new audience in a different way to the brand as well. You have to recognize that every few years we get a new audience, so we have to be sure that we are listening to that consumer, to that mom, to that dad, about things that are important to them. We are being proactive and disruptive in the way that we present our brands to the consumer in a more immersive way.
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By Mansha Daswani
Next year, Sesame Street will mark its milestone 50th anniversary. Sesame Workshop’s flagship production, which is focused on preschoolers, has helped multiple generations of kids with their ABCs and 123s and created lifelong fans of its iconic Muppet creations like Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Grover, Elmo and many more. Sesame Workshop has also, since the ’70s, been adapting Sesame Street internationally, reaching kids worldwide with lessons in their own languages from Muppets born out of local cultures. While its mission hasn’t changed, Sesame Workshop has had to adjust its strategy over the years amid financial pressures on public broadcasting and shifting consumption habits. That included inking a deal with HBO for first-run rights to Sesame Street in the U.S. Jeffrey Dunn, the president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, tells TV Kids about the strategies he put in place to make sure the nonprofit organization can continue its purpose of helping kids be “smarter, stronger and kinder,” in the U.S. and across the globe.
TV KIDS: Tell us about the transformation plan you put in place at Sesame Workshop when you joined in 2014. DUNN: The biggest change I’ve made is to make us relentlessly mission-focused. We were a TV show with a mission. Now we’re a mission-driven organization with a TV show. I had two major goals when I arrived: the first was to get the workshop on a firm financial footing. We needed to acknowledge the financial reality of our situation, given the changing media landscape. The second was to take a TVcentric organization and make it more diversified. When we evolved our mission to “helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder,” we asked ourselves how we could best achieve that mission. We decided the best way was to be great makers of content for all platforms, great researchers of kids’ and family educational media behavior, and instigators of others who share our mission and with whom we can partner for greater impact. TV KIDS: As you approach the 50th season of Sesame Street in 2019, what have been the most significant evolutions for the show? DUNN: The most significant recent change was in 2014, before our partnership with HBO, when we moved from an hour to a half-hour format, which is better suited to today’s preschool audience. We also recently pared down the show to focus more on core characters, and to include only one curricular topic per show. But the truth is, we are constantly evolving, constantly experimental, never complacent. That keeps us relevant. We added HBO and Univision to our U.S. distribution mix. Sesame Street has aired uninterrupted on PBS since we first started almost 50 years ago. The audience fragmentation that everyone is grappling with creates a challenge for us in achieving our mission of reaching and helping all kids. So adding a behindthe-paywall partner like HBO and a demographically targeted partner like Univision have been key to both reaching our audience in today’s fragmented media world and also providing a revenue stream to replace lost DVD and character licensing revenues. There is a great deal of research that goes into everything that we do. We start by canvassing educators about kids’ needs and topics we should address each season. We then hold curriculum seminars to bring in experts to work with our writers and producers. Our style is to have our characters model the behavior we are trying to teach. Sometimes, as we did with Julia (the first Sesame
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Street Muppet with autism), we think the only way we can credibly convey the learnings is to create a new character. TV KIDS: Tell us about the gains in your global business and the various international versions of Sesame Street. DUNN: The very first international production, Sesamstrasse, began in Germany in 1973. Today, we reach kids in some way in about 160 countries—often with local productions, produced in-country with local content and characters. We always work with local educators to develop the curriculum. In Afghanistan, we developed a girl Muppet, Zari, to help promote girl empowerment and gender equity; in South Africa we created Kami, the first HIV-positive Muppet, to explain to children how this disease could and could not be transmitted and to help them cope with grief and loss. Now, with the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation, we are going to help refugee children and families in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. These are some of the world’s most vulnerable children, and if organizations like ours don’t help them overcome the trauma of conflict and displacement, humanity could end up with a lost generation in a critical part of the world. We believe that reaching these kids can help build a more peaceful world for us all. TV KIDS: Do you anticipate more collaborations such as the one with CBBC for The Furchester Hotel? DUNN: Yes, we expect to continue to expand beyond Sesame Street to produce other shows, always with educationally nutritious content. Esme and Roy, a new coproduction with Corus and Nelvana, is now in production for HBO, and we have others in development that we expect to announce shortly. TV KIDS: Tell us about the Writers’ Room initiative. DUNN: I am so proud of Brown Johnson [executive VP and creative director] and Kay Wilson Stallings [senior VP of creative development] for creating this! The Sesame Street Writers’ Room is a fellowship competition to find and develop new and diverse screenwriters. We give promising new writers coaching and mentoring from industry experts who can really help give them the kinds of critical lessons that are so important early in one’s career. We were delighted with how this program was embraced by both aspiring talent and industry veterans who wanted to help. Our first year was a tremendous success—the two winners are already writing scripts for us—and the second competition is underway. TV KIDS: There’s a second Sesame Place opening by the fall of 2022. Do you anticipate further expansion of your theme-park business? DUNN: That would be our preference. Last year was Sesame Place’s best year ever. Theme parks give families a unique and powerful way to experience our characters. Building more parks will enable us to connect with even more families and provide funding that supports our nonprofit mission. Every dollar we earn goes into supporting our mission and helping educate children. TV KIDS: What kinds of businesses are you looking to invest in with Sesame Ventures? DUNN: Sesame Ventures invests in start-ups that are missionaligned with us. We partner with the best emerging
companies innovating in education, health and social welfare for kids. We recognize that by ourselves we can only help so many kids become smarter, stronger and kinder. But if we partner with others who are also focused on helping children, our impact can expand dramatically. And, we have expertise and resources that can increase the odds of success in a start-up. In the same way that the creation of Sesame Street gave birth to a whole generation of new TV shows and networks, we’d like to help create a series of new ventures using new technologies. This also helps keep us on the cutting edge of what young entrepreneurs are achieving with technology, so there is a knowledge transfer and we benefit as well. Sesame Ventures has now invested in over 40 companies. We are using the proceeds from the 2012 sale of our stake in Sprout to NBCUniversal to fund this work. TV KIDS: What are your major goals and opportunities for Sesame Workshop in the next 12 to 18 months, and what do you see as your biggest challenges? DUNN: Right now, three things keep me up at night: ramping up our project in the Syrian response region, the toxic environment that today’s politics has created for kids, and the ever-changing media landscape. We are a small, independent nonprofit organization and we have to compete in a rapidly consolidating and evolving industry landscape, where others have far more scale and resources. So, we fight as the underdog. We have to stay focused, but also be nimble and urgent. I firmly believe that we are at a moment in history. Technology, demographics and politics have changed the landscape so much. Years from now, I think historians will reflect on the first quarter of the 21st century as a pivotal time for mankind. As William Wordsworth memorably wrote, “The child is father of the man.” In other words, if you want to see what a society is going to look like 20 or 30 years from now, see how it is treating its children today. There is so much at stake. We intend to lead and be a positive force for change.
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A second Sesame Place, a theme park built around Sesame Street characters, is expected to open by fall 2022.
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TV KIDS: Take us back to the beginning of Superprod. What was your motivation for setting up your own company, and what gaps did you want to fill in the marketplace? CALVET: I created the company with my associate Jérémie [Fajner, managing director] in October 2010. I had worked for almost 15 years in animation at various companies. I thought it was time for me to start [my own] adventure. That’s the reason we did it. I also wanted to be able to tell stories, of course in animation but also in live action. We’ve been doing several things, including live action and stage plays. It was a way for me to diversify. We also decided to produce everything from France. Our model before was only to develop and sell our products, and we would sub-contract the production. It’s been three years now since we have created our own studio, and we produce 100 percent in-house. That’s made a difference. TV KIDS: There are lots of production companies in France, many of which use external distributors. Why was it essential for you to establish Superights as a venture that would sell your own products as well as third-party series? CALVET: I’ve always been active in distribution. There was a distribution branch in the companies that I worked for in the past. One of my first jobs in the industry was as a lawyer in charge of all the contracts for international sales, at France Animation a long time ago. Having your own distribution company gives you the ability to have a clear vision of the market in general. We often get our inspiration from the sales team, who relay back to us the needs of the buyers, market after market. When we go and create our own shows, we often rely on that analysis.
By Mansha Daswani
In France’s thriving and competitive animation sector, Superprod has rapidly carved out a name for itself with hits like Helen’s Little School and Pat the Dog, which are represented by its distribution company, Superights. Founded by Alphanim alums Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner, Superprod is active in both animated series and feature films, while also building a live-action scripted business. Calvet tells TV Kids about Superprod’s positioning, its approach to storytelling and production innovation and its ambitions for the future.
TV KIDS: How do you approach crafting your development and production slates? Is there an ideal size for you? CALVET: Development is the key area of the business. Even if the show is not produced, it’s always a tremendous plus to evolve and be able to make better shows. So we never limit ourselves in terms of development. Each time we feel we have a good idea or we think there’s a fantastic book on the market, we tend to start developing it. We have a lot going on all the time. And the market is constantly changing. It’s also the best way for us to always be ready to present a project that people need. We think there’s an infinite possibility of great projects. We’re very concentrated on the artistry and the high quality we can provide on every show we develop; we really feel that there’s an appetite [for that] from the market as well. At any one time, we might have six to ten projects in development. Regarding production, it’s a different story. As I mentioned, we now
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produce everything in-house, and we try not to go beyond [a staff of] 200 people in our studios between Paris and Angoulême. We have a constant flow—some are doing preproduction, others are doing post-production. And we’re also very active on the theatrical side. TV KIDS: I know the animated film business model is very different from television. How are you managing that side of the business in terms of financing and production timelines? CALVET: We created the company because we had an appetite to tell stories. Even if you develop great TV projects, there’s a limit to what you can do. Cinema is a different market—different buyers, a different way to produce, a different approach, different marketing strategies and so on. For us, it was a way to expand and express ourselves differently. At Alphanim we did three. At Superprod we’ve done four. We have others going on. It’s been very important for us. It is a longer process. You don’t have the same volume; you don’t develop as much, you don’t produce as much. But you always have at least one in production, and somehow feature-film production is [to animation what] Formula One is to cars. We have great technology to produce our shows with because we have been able to test it on a bigger scale on the cinema side. The financing is much more difficult. In France, even though we have a great system of incentives, it’s very difficult to compete against live-action feature films, which get most of the interest and the money from the market. But still, we are a strong country of great animators, so we try to develop things that will appeal to the market. The most recent one, which will be released in France in March, is an adaptation of White Fang by Jack London. That’s a book we loved to read when we were kids. It’s in the public domain. It’s a story that people know well. Even without a big budget—it’s still a lot of money—we thought we could achieve something that would please the audience, aside from the fantastic titles from Pixar and Disney. The next one we’re doing is an adaptation of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid. TV KIDS: What are some of your new projects on the TV side? CALVET: We’ve just delivered Helen’s Little School and Pat the Dog. We are going to launch production of the second season of Pat the Dog. All the TV series we’re developing are CGI, by the way; that’s another important move we made recently. We’re going to launch a series called Joker Joe, which we developed with M6 in France. And then we have another show in development with France Télévisions called Osmond. And the new thing is that we are doing some service work for major studios. TV KIDS: What are some of the biggest challenges for you as a French producer and distributor, and where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth? CALVET: These are not the worst days. We’ve been experimenting with all the opportunities with the new platforms— Netflix, Amazon, etc. There’s good competition in the market. Everybody wants to get the best projects, and we have decided to position ourselves at the high-quality end of the market. Of course for a French producer, everything starts with a sale to a French network. The first element of our business is to get the projects commissioned. Then it’s to make sure we can deliver the best quality, and that’s why
we’re doing everything in-house, ensuring we have better control over what we do. On the theatrical side, it’s getting exciting. We’ve been producing some smallbudget films, mainly in 2D hand-drawn animation, for years. French producers are now able to produce more ambitious movies with bigger budgets. I think the next era of French animated cinema will see some ambitious CGI-animated movies with bigger budgets produced in France, with increased support from the CNC—specifically dedicated to animation—and the government. TV KIDS: Have your storytelling techniques evolved as animation technology has changed? CALVET: We have never adjusted the stories to technique— it’s the opposite. At Superprod we don’t have a dedicated pipe into which everything should fit. We focus on the storytelling and the concept we develop and then, when we know what we want to do and what we want to achieve, we start thinking about the pipe and the workflow. There are so many great tools that you can pick from today and make the show you want to make, according to the story you want to tell. Maybe at the early stage of CGI, you had to limit yourself or adjust your storytelling. These days, all the tools that are on the market provide so much freedom. It’s really a question of artistic vision. If you have the vision, you can master the tools to deliver the result you want. That’s why we have a lot of developers in-house who are always testing new tools and technologies. 4/18 WORLD SCREEN 227
Superprod’s slate includes Joker Joe, which was developed with M6.
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TV KIDS: What have you learned from the different ways children interact with Cartoon Network content and does that inform the type of content you co-produce or acquire? PITT: One of the things we’ve learned is that everything has to allow for multiple touchpoints. We have to ensure multiplatform storytelling and that has been tremendous learning. When we think about the content we are acquiring, we challenge our producers to try to put themselves in the shoes of the person who is receiving their content. If you have a child who is consuming content in multiple ways, then you have to create a narrative that is native to each one of their platforms. It might be at the inception, when you are thinking about your brand— you’re not just thinking from a linear perspective or a nonlinear perspective; it’s much more holistic than that, it’s both linear and nonlinear. It’s a different challenge and that’s where collaboration very early on is required between networks and producers. It’s about partnering early on and developing how we’re going to map out your brand over time. TV KIDS: Are you noticing any trends in children’s programming? PITT: I am very excited to see that people are focusing on kindness. They are focusing on friendship, diversity and inclusion. I’m seeing a lot of female empowerment characters—which is fantastic—but they’re not excluding the boys. I’m seeing people being thoughtful about how they put together their storytelling. I could also talk about reimagined classics being a trend and live action, but I think it’s more interesting to talk about how producers and creators are paying attention to what is happening in the marketplace and in the world. They’re saying, I want to tell a story that is going to impact kids, make them laugh, make them think and almost teach without being educational, and be very positive. TV KIDS: If children are exposed to these themes in an entertaining way when they are young, they will remember them. PITT: Absolutely. We are paying attention to how these characters feel and look and how they speak and interact. Whether it’s a human character or an animal or an alien, it doesn’t matter. There are some universal themes that people are touching upon, which gives me great hope in terms of what this community is doing right now for the kids’ space.
By Anna Carugati
Adina Pitt sees a lot of children’s programming from all around the world and has a unique perspective on emerging trends. In her position as VP of content acquisitions and co-productions for Cartoon Network and Boomerang at Turner, she sources shows that can complement in-house productions. As she tells TV Kids, children today have numerous entertainment options and content must be offered on all the screens and devices they use.
TV KIDS: Are there any new acquisitions or co-productions you would like to mention? PITT: The one I could call out is the new generation of Total Drama. That is a brand that has been part of our channel for many years. To go back to Fresh TV and CAKE and take a new creative approach to some of the kids’ favorite characters and make them a little bit younger and have a different storytelling approach was really exciting. Total Drama is very, very funny and it was a full-circle moment where you get to see a brand that we didn’t make internally, but
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feels so much a part of who we are at Cartoon Network. There is such a great brand association with us that it’s exciting to see what they are doing and I’m looking forward to that hitting our platforms soon. TV KIDS: Compared to when you started in the business, what added or different challenges do channel brands face today? PITT: This is probably one of the biggest questions. It’s always about great storytelling and giving our consumers what they want. We live in a multiplatform world and finding the right balance between our show brands and our channel brands is a constant. Now more than ever, what we try to do is either create or acquire content that stays true to our brand and hopefully extends our reach. You want to make sure that you are setting a trend and you are relevant to your consumer. It’s an evolving business, but if you think about it, the shows that rise to the top are the ones that connect with the consumer in the most meaningful way, and that is great storytelling.
TV KIDS: What’s missing from the market? PITT: As somebody who sees so much content, it would be that thing that we didn’t know we needed until we see it. When someone comes to us and says, I’m taking this approach, I’ve created these characters, I’ve created this experience, that’s that aha moment where you say OK, we’re going to try this. At Cartoon Network and Boomerang, we’ve never shied away from taking risks, so I would hope that what’s missing is that white space—as producers look at the landscape and I see a lot of common themes, maybe they pivot and go in a different direction and come to us with those ideas. I’m delighted to say that some of the stuff that was missing is now present, as I called out before, some of those themes that people are bringing to the table are very exciting.
TV KIDS: Is it much more complicated to establish a show brand in today’s media market than it was 10 or 15 years ago? PITT: We work very closely with our marketing teams to have these discussions for each individual piece of IP. I would encourage producers to have a franchise approach to the IP that they are developing and to look more holistically at what they are doing. If you reach your consumers everywhere they are and you are telling the stories they want to see, chances are you’re going to have a hit, and that is what the world is striving for. Of course, establishing a brand is difficult, kids have a lot of choices. You have to stand out in a very fragmented market. But that being said, the role of the shows we bring in from third parties is to complement and hopefully scaffold the originals that we are creating. It’s a constant ebb and flow of stopping and assessing, Are we doing this right? Are we hitting them at the right place? How can we perfect this? There is no one method we use for each property. Each property is its own entity and requires its own strategy. TV KIDS: What’s new at Boomerang? PITT: I am super excited that we launched an OTT service. It offers yet another place where we can reach our consumers and offer them great unique content through our partnership with Warner Bros. We have also added some third-party IP that fits in nicely with these iconic characters and shows like Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. That offers us an opportunity to appeal to perhaps a younger demo and be perhaps a little more gender-neutral. Widening our Boomerang [lineup] allows us—not just from a demo perspective but certainly from a genre perspective—to experiment a little bit more and maybe go a little bit younger. 4/18 WORLD SCREEN 229
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DHX’s Mega Man, which is based on a video-game franchise, lands on Cartoon Network this year.
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make a parody that kids would have fun with. They took to the format immediately, and they started cheering for their favorite characters and investing in the elimination competition. They adopted it as their reality show, and we would get messages from fans who were devastated when their favorite character was kicked off. TV KIDS: How much reality TV did you have to watch? PERTSCH: A good bit! [Laughs] And a lot of them have archetypal characters—you can hear them in casting: we need a villain, a diva, a complainer! We followed a lot of those conventions because we knew the kids were so familiar with them and they would respond. We cast teen versions of those characters, and then we brought them to life with the animated version of a “confession cam,” where you have cartoon characters speaking directly to the camera. The viewers felt like they were getting right inside a character’s head. What made it work were the characters and having lots of drama without the overt backstabbing of reality shows. Cartoon Network and Corus both took such a huge risk greenlighting this show. Scheduling a serial animated show was a huge pain for a network back then. They were taking a chance, and it paid off. It being serialized helped—it made it appointment TV for kids. The first season was so successful, we brought that cast back and threw them into a new situation. And then we went back to the island with a new cast. We did an all-star season, that was fun. One of our favorite seasons after the first one was our last one, The Ridonculous Race.
By Mansha Daswani
As shows like Survivor began to dominate the television landscape, Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch at Canada’s Fresh TV decided that kids needed a reality show they could call their own. A spoof of the genre, the animated comedy Total Drama Island enamored kids across the globe and was followed by four additional seasons and a spin-off, Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race. This year sees the launch of a prequel, Total Drama Daycare. Pertsch, co-creator and writer on the show, tells TV Kids about the continued success of the franchise, which is represented by CAKE. TV KIDS: What was the inspiration for Total Drama Island? PERTSCH: This was back in the brand-new heyday of reality shows. Corus asked us to ride the reality wave. They saw it capturing the imagination of tweens throughout Canada. It took us a year to develop. An animated reality show— how does that even work? We finally decided to go for it and present the animated version of a reality show without explaining that it wasn’t real. We just figured that kids are smart enough to be in on the joke. And they totally followed. Making it animated allowed us to take it to the next level when it came to crazy challenges. The goal was to
TV KIDS: How did Total Drama Daycare come about? PERTSCH: Cartoon Network wanted to keep it going. They said, it’s ten years later, we’re looking at a different generation of viewers, we want to age it down a little bit. So they came to us and said, think outside the box. We thought, we’re always pushing logic out the back window, let’s push it all the way out and make a prequel! We can age our cast down and put them all in daycare. We couldn’t believe how many stories we had to work with. Who knew there was so much drama in a daycare? [Laughs] We took 11 favorites from our original cast and aged them down to 4. And then we added Jude from 6teen [another Fresh TV production], just to be crazy! We were still able to draw on their central character traits and mine tons of ridiculous stories. We eliminated the contests and structured it more like a workplace comedy. We kept the confessional. Every episode stems from one of the kids’ wants or needs. TV KIDS: How did you adjust the storytelling to go from a 22-minute format to an 11-minute format? PERTSCH: Eliminating the contest took off many, many pages. In Total Drama, we would usually have two contests per episode. Working our way through that took a lot of time. It’s faster paced. There are fewer B stories. We’re trying to keep each episode focused on one character’s wants and a few other characters helping them, rather than trying to service all characters at once.
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