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WWW.TVKIDS.COM
SEPTEMBER 2021 EDITION
Pubcasters / TV Kids Screenings Festival / Cartoon Forum Preview
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CONTENTS
The New Face of Kids’ TV
PUBLIC INTEREST Executives from leading kids’ pubcasters on their content needs.
You’ll find our inaugural TV Kids Screenings Festival in this edition, and I have to say, of the many virtual events I’ve put together in the last few months, I think this one was my favorite. Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Chelsea Regan Managing Editor Jamie Stalcup Associate Editor David Diehl Production & Design Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Genovick Acevedo 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 ©2021 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.com
I don’t have children of my own, so as I screened these properties, I wasn’t thinking, I should put this on in my home. But I did find myself wondering, what if I had shows like this when I was a kid? The diversity in styles, narrative techniques and, critically, characters’ backgrounds and abilities, was aweinspiring. Outside of the Amar Chitra Katha comics I would devour during long, hot summers in Bombay, I never saw stories from my life reflected anywhere. (And yay—those comics are finally being adapted for TV now!) Progress has been hard-fought and we’re not where we should be yet, but I’m thrilled about how far the industry has come. If I’d had that Disney Channel movie about the IndianAmerican girl who wants to be a DJ when I was a confused teen figuring out who I could be, I might have ended up on an entirely different career path! Commissioners and producers, please don’t forget that these stories, in our formative years, do actually make a world of difference. (If you’re reading this and have an amazing DJ name for me, I’m open to suggestions.) —Mansha Daswani
GET DAILY NEWS ON KIDS’ PROGRAMMING
TV KIDS SCREENINGS FESTIVAL Screen trailers of 20-plus animated and live-action properties from across the globe.
TOONING INTO TOULOUSE Cartoon Forum returns to Toulouse, France, for a hybrid live and online edition this month.
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Denis and Me Productions Denis and Me Denis and Me Productions (Headspinner Productions) presents the comedy series Denis and Me, which has over 20 million YouTube views on its first ten shorts. A total of 30 shorts is available now, with four 11-minute episodes in production, along with a holiday special for Canada’s Family Channel. The show follows Denis and his cat, Sir Meows A Lot, who only communicates by meowing. “The goal for Denis and Me is to build upon the success and produce a larger series of 11-minute episodes,” says Michelle Melanson, president of Headspinner.
Denis and Me
“The series is a true buddy comedy, celebrating the friendship between a guy and his cat. Who doesn’t love a guy and his cat?” —Michelle Melanson
Headspinner Productions Happy House of Frightenstein Headspinner Productions’ preschool series Happy House of Frightenstein is based on characters from the ’70s series Hilarious House of Frightenstein. The monsters are weird, spooky and full of heart. It is available on marbleKids’ YouTube channel and is coming to a Canadian linear channel for a Halloween special. Headspinner has also created a live-action family sitcom based on the original series and is seeking production financing. “We want to continue to make funny, meaningful programs for kids and families,” says Ken Cuperus, chief creative officer and co-creator of the show.
Happy House of Frightenstein
“We are proud of what we have achieved thus far, and the future is very bright for us.” —Ken Cuperus
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Paddypaws
Toonz Media Group Paddypaws / Kingdom of None / Aliens in My Backpack The Toonz Media Group highlight Paddypaws is co-produced with Keith Chapman, the creator of Bob the Builder and PAW Patrol. The company is also spotlighting this fall Kingdom of None, coproduced with Ferly Studio, and Aliens in My Backpack, created by Rob Lee (Fireman Sam) and co-produced with Jim Driscoll. “These shows have universal themes that the kids and young people of this age can easily relate to,” says P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group.
“Toonz has in its pipeline several exciting projects in partnership with award-winning creators from around the world.” —P. Jayakumar
ZDF Enterprises School of Roars / Scream Street / The Muscleteers The ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) catalog includes the second season of School of Roars. “Our monsters experience life lessons through their adventures such as caring, sharing, friendship and fun, mirroring the social and emotional behavior and group dynamics of our audience, who are just starting school,” says Fred Burcksen, president and CEO of ZDFE. Also in its second season, Scream Street is a stop-motion animated show based on a book series. The animated series The Muscleteers follows the titular brave protectors of the Harbor district’s rodent residents.
The Muscleteers
“The Muscleteers is all about helping and being there for each other.” —Fred Burcksen
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PUBLIC INTEREST
Cyber Group’s Tom Sawyer on KiKA.
Diversity initiatives and finding new ways to collaborate are priorities for public broadcasters as they face continued changes in consumption habits and pressures on budgets. By Mansha Daswani
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t the start of this year, the BBC unveiled the largest-ever educational slate in its history, just as the U.K. was facing another Covid-19induced lockdown. “Ensuring children across the U.K. have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year,” said Director-General Tim Davie in announcing the initiative. Other public broadcasters across the globe took on that role in children’s lives too, ramping up their educational offerings and serving up content to help young audiences process a world that had been transformed overnight.
HELPING HAND “The pandemic time is problematic for everybody, but especially for kids,” Sebastian Debertin, KiKA’s head of international content acquisitions, told TV Kids earlier this year. “Being isolated at home is difficult for them, perhaps even more difficult than for adults. Kids and parents alike are looking for support in these special times. Families need educational as well as relaxing and entertaining programs more than ever.” While Covid-19 presented a unique set of circumstances, kids’ pubcasters have long held that being educational and entertaining is a vital part of their programming remits.
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“We have to do programming that has impact,” says Linda Simensky, head of content at PBS KIDS. “It needs to encourage kids; it needs to introduce them to things that they might find interesting but didn’t know about. We say all American kids should see themselves somewhere on our air. We are working hard ZDF Enterprises’ The Worst Witch is a hit CBBC to live up to that. If kids are commission based on the Jill Murphy books. going to see themselves, those characters need to be created by people who know what they are talking about.” “We’re also driven by having some sort of public-service value in everything we do,” says Niels Lindberg, commissioning editor for DR Ramasjang and DR Minisjang in Denmark. According to Luca Milano, the executive director of Rai Ragazzi in Italy, pubcasters’ “schedules are not made by algorithms but by the cultural idea of proposing something that the kids would not expect and they will discover with us. Our series are centered on stories; they are not driven just to propose characters that can be replicated in merchandising. It’s important to have stories with an arc and from which you can learn something. Also, public media are more appreciated by the audiences than maybe three or four years ago.” Sarah Muller, head of commissions and acquisitions for the 7-plus set at BBC Children’s, also stresses the role Covid-19 played in cementing the importance of pubcasters for kids today. “Eighty
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percent of the U.K.’s children spend at least three-quarters of their time with us at some stage in the week,” Muller says. “We’ve all demonstrated our importance to our communities and societies in the last year in a way that we haven’t been offered before.” So how are pubcasters looking to maintain these valuable ties they’ve forged with audiences? At Rai Ragazzi, about 25 percent of the budget goes to in-house production, with the balance spent on co-productions, pre-buys or acquisitions. “What we are lacking is intelligent, innovative comedies for kids 8 to 9 in animation,” Milano says. PBS KIDS does anywhere from one to three new series a year, Simensky explains. “Historically, we did 11-minute pilots. We’re starting to try things like a whole series of shorts instead of a pilot. We’re trying to use different platforms to figure out what length things should be. A lot of what we’re doing is at the younger end of preschool. [We] focus on that entry into content and making sure that it’s a positive experience for kids and parents and caregivers.”
PBS KIDS’ Molly of Denali features an Alaskan Native girl as its lead.
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The iPlayer is a crucial focus of activity at the BBC, Muller says. “We had 1.7 billion streams of children’s content last year. So we will be looking for acquisitions for iPlayer. Like Luca, it’s 6 to 9, 2D, character-driven comedy animation that we’ve struggled to find. As a group, we might have to think about how Rai is a partner on Superights’ Pat the Dog. we can invest in something together. I have a wish to find anime suitable for our young audience. We’re always looking for films. Apart from that, we’re looking for the lovely, holistic, unexpected thing that we haven’t made ourselves, we probably wouldn’t make ourselves, but that tells a great story, shows a different way of life, somewhere else in the world. We’re always looking to be surprised by the unexpected.” At DR, “the series we buy that we get FVOD rights on or longer VOD rights on have to be funded somehow by a publicservice broadcaster,” Lindberg says. “It is getting harder to secure those early windows of the big animated series. We’re looking a lot into what we can have as a first window and maybe handle exclusively. A lot of the VOD services coming into the Nordics are doing non-exclusive deals on every kids’ brand they can get ahold of. It helps us to focus on big brands.” Amid a changing macro-environment, evolution is paramount, Muller notes, referencing a recent restructure of the BBC Children’s team, combining commissions and acquisitions and set up around age demo rather than channel brand. “It’s proved easier to break
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down how we approach finding world-class content for our audience across the whole 0 to 12 age group if we start to think about the individual needs of a smaller group of children. Within the 0 to 6 commissioning band, you’ve got 0 to 3 and 4 to 6. Within 7 to 12, you’ve got 7 to 9 and 8 to 12. That makes it easier to microidentify needs in a way we might not have done before. That
“[We] focus on that entry into content and making sure that it’s a positive experience for kids and parents and caregivers.” —Linda Simensky
picks up on the trend for self-scheduling. It also allows us to be realistic about where we’re putting things, how we’re telling different parts of the audience about what we’re doing. We do have to make sure we’re still entertaining and engaging kids within public service—there’s no point in making terribly worthy shows that nobody wants to watch—so we’re hoping this will help us strategize around where the great things we’re already doing will need to land and how to land them. It’s about getting ourselves battle-ready, future-proof.” Genuinely embracing diversity is also essential for pubcasters, Muller adds. “All of us have worked hard to get on-screen representation front and center. What we’ve identified [that needs
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DR in Denmark acquired the preschool series Dino Ranch from Boat Rocker Studios.
work] is behind the camera and at the managerial level. What writers, creators, directors are we bringing in? How can we reflect their stories? We’ll all be the beneficiaries of widening our net beyond a narrow pool of people we tend to draw from. A very narrow group of people with a very narrow life experience end up creating a lot of our content, so the jokes are the same and the stories are the same and the characters are the same. We as an organization are committed to building on that diversity.” Inclusion is an increasingly important theme at Rai Ragazzi, which has also used its platform to tackle sensitive subjects for young ones, including sexual abuse and bullying. “You have to give an education that cannot be done by lessons, but should be done by stories,” Milano says. Milano is also of the opinion that pubcasters should collaborate more given the competition presented by the streamers. The FAANGs “have a global outlook,” BBC’s Muller adds. “When you’re trying to think on that scale, sometimes you miss the emotional beats, the curiosity. I still think they struggle enormously with discoverability. I struggle to find things I want to watch without opinion pieces that might direct me to something. It’s even harder for
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kids. The thing we all have is the ability to reach our linear audience and tell them about the great things we’re doing elsewhere. [We can] create an ecosystem where everything can support and promote everything else. You have to be able to hold a mirror up to every kid in your audience. It would be a really big mirror if the [global OTTs] had that approach. I absolutely welcome the competition and think it’s made us all think about how we work. We need to work harder to make sure we secure the right titles.”
“We’ll all be the beneficiaries of widening our net beyond a narrow pool of people we tend to draw from.” —Sarah Muller
PBS’s Simensky adds, “The twin problems of discoverability and distribution are the biggest things we’re dealing with. It used to be funding. We’re past that. Funding seems like a quaint problem to solve compared to navigating the world as it’s changing. We all have to be so nimble.” “What we’re discussing the most is how to make sure we stay relevant when Disney+ can come in and take a reach of 38 percent of our target demo in one quarter,” says DR’s Lindberg. “We’re really trying to develop how to stay in touch with schools and maintain our relevance. We will all be fighting for that relevance and that reach through the next many years.”
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Toulouse, France
Tooning into
Toulouse Cartoon Forum is back in Toulouse, France, from September 20 to 23. By Kristin Brzoznowski
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he Cartoon Forum pitching and co-pro event for animated TV projects returns to Toulouse this month, crafted with many takeaways from 20202021, according to Annick Maes, general director of the Cartoon event organizer. “We had put all our efforts into bringing an online experience that matched as much as possible the ‘real’ experience,” she says. “All the professionals dearly missed the human touch that is the DNA of Cartoon events but also because physical markets are crucial to efficiently develop business talks and hasten deals. However, the digital tools were praised for their easy and smooth approach.”
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The organizers are taking advantage of this new online knowledge to bring an additional element to the on-site event, with a more complete and efficient experience, multiplying the business opportunities. This has led to the
“All the professionals dearly missed the human touch that is the DNA of Cartoon events.” —Annick Maes
availability of Catch-up Sessions, which allow Cartoon Forum 2021 participants to watch or rewatch a pitch at their own pace after the event (until October 15) and buyers who cannot join on site to have online-only access to projects’ pitches. “This provides extra opportunities to the producers to attract potential partners, investors or distributors,” Maes says. Shortlisted from 141 submissions, the 84 selected projects have a total budget of €326.1 million, with an average cost per series of €3.9 million—though the cost per minute of animation production has slightly decreased compared to 2020 (€11,887 vs. €12,250). In total, the projects represent 457 hours of animation, while series formats continue to diversify in response to the new demands, both in terms of the number of episodes and running time.
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Sinking Ship’s Alma’s Way
TV Kids Screenings Festival By all accounts, we’re in the midst of a golden age of kids’ programming. Well-funded streamers, pubcasters and commercial networks are pioneering new narrative techniques and funding models—and placing diversity and inclusion front and center. Those themes are clear across World Screen’s inaugural TVKidsScreeningsFestival.com, where you’re sure to find a slot winner, be it a trusted preschool brand, a breakout kids’ comedy or an edgy tween hit. his month saw the official launch of the new Cartoonito preschool block on Cartoon Network and HBO Max, heralding the arrival of yet another player in what is already a thriving and competitive landscape. Reflecting the healthy demand for content for the youngest ones, there’s plenty of preschool fare on offer at this virtual screenings festival. School of Roars is an animated comedy from ZDF Enterprises that helps kids prepare for starting school. “Now in its second season, our series is full
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of monster laughs and teaches the core values of life,” says Peter Lang, VP ZDFE.junior. Kate Sanagan, head of sales and distribution at Sinking Ship Entertainment, lists the PBS KIDS series Alma’s Way as a highlight in the company’s collection of new series and seasons—all of which deliver inclusive storytelling. Alma’s Way follows the adventures of a Bronx-born, Puerto Rican girl. The preschool slate on offer from Big Bad Boo Studios also promises diversity front and center. 16 Hudson “not only makes sure to feature a diverse cast, it also celebrates and highlights each character’s heritage,” says Shabnam Rezaei, president of the company and creator of the series. ABC with Kenny G— a second season of which is in production—expands on the 16 Hudson universe. GoldBee is showcasing The Game Catchers in the festival, following the adventures of five friends on an interstellar
Big Bad Boo Studios’ 16 Hudson
ZDF Enterprises’ School of Roars
GoldBee’s The Game Catchers
Federation’s Let’s Dance
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Melnitsa Animation’s Moonzy
Magic Light’s Pip and Posy
Cisneros Media’s Zumbar
Sinking Ship’s Endlings
journey. “Underneath the fun space adventures filled with laughter, the series is conceived to bring attention back to playground games, promoting an active lifestyle,” says Christophe Goldberger, the company’s managing director. As kids begin to emerge from pandemic lockdowns, Federation Kids & Family is also showcasing a series that emphasizes physical activity: the dance coaching show Let’s Dance, which is targeted at a broad range of viewers aged 3 to 8. “It’s wonderful to be involved in this series, especially at a time when children worldwide need to be inspired and energized,” says Monica Levy, head of sales. From Melnitsa Animation Studio, meanwhile, there’s Moonzy, about an alien who makes Earth home. “Moonzy is a very positive, safe show full of love and kindness, which is especially important nowadays,” says Sveta Barabanshchikova,
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director of international business development. Magic Light Pictures’ 52episode Pip and Posy also delivers warmth and humor, says Muriel Thomas, international distribution director. “Based on the million-selling book series illustrated by Axel Scheffler, Pip and Posy premiered in the U.K. in March to huge ratings success and is already a social media hit with 5-million-plus views.” Cisneros Media’s Ailing Zubizarreta, VP of content and creative services, is introducing her clients to the liveaction series Zumbar, in which six children interactively play with a variety of animals. Also promoting knowledge about nature is AnimalFanPedia, billed as a “dynamic, funtaining and educational wildlife program.” Expanding slightly beyond preschool—targeting those in the 4-to-8 set—Sinking Ship is showcasing the math comedy
Federation’s Presto! School of Magic
Sinking Ship’s Odd Squad
Big Bad Boo Studios’ ABC with Kenny G
Cisneros Media’s AnimalFanPedia
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ZDF Enterprises’ Scream Street
Sinking Ship’s The Demon Headmaster
Global Screen’s 3Hz
D360’s The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker
Odd Squad. ZDF Enterprises, meanwhile, sees audiences 4 to 10 finding interest in Zoom— The White Dolphin. Comedy becomes the dominant theme among the TV Kids Screenings Festival submissions as we move up into the core kids 6-to-9 demo. Federation is showcasing Presto! School of Magic, about aspiring magicians. “The timing for such an uplifting, exceptionally crafted production is perfect,” Levy says. Lang at ZDF Enterprises bills Scream Street as a “fast-paced, stylish, comedy-horror extravaganza packed full of humor and horror, delivered with warmth and heart.” The Muscleteers, meanwhile, delivers “actionfilled tales of intrigue and hilarity,” he says. Cyber Group Studios is unveiling 50/50 Heroes, which “breaks conventions,” says Raphaelle Mathieu, senior VP of sales, acquisitions and new media. “This is a completely original show that
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turns the serious superhero genre on its head.” Big Bad Boo Studios is developing a second season of The Bravest Knight, which Rezaei calls an innovative, funny and entertaining show, and rolling out two seasons of 1001 Nights. Sinking Ship is also targeting the 6-to-9 set with its live-action docuseries My Home, My Life! Live action dominates the festival entries geared to those 8 and up. Global Screen is delivering the tween and teen series 3Hz, which “has everything that young audiences are looking for today,” says Ulrike Schröder, VP of acquisitions and co-productions. “A cool and edgy look, diverse characters, great music as well as highly topical global issues such as environmental protection, with the added extra of an exciting crime story.” Distribution360 is highlighting the tween-plus and
Sinking Ship’s My Home, My Life!
Big Bad Boo Studios’ 1001 Nights
Federation’s Kung Fu Wa
ZDF Enterprises’ The Muscleteers
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Big Bad Boo Studios’ The Bravest Knight
ZDF Enterprises’ Zoom—The White Dolphin
Sinking Ship’s Lockdown
Cyber Group’s 50/50 Heroes
family interconnected sitcom The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker, which “offers an original scripted programming option for international channels and platforms targeting older kids and their families,” says Diane Rankin, senior VP of rights and executive producer. “The series is filled with heart and a real authenticity that both entertains and invites conversation, giving it a strong four-quadrant coview appeal.” The Sinking Ship collection includes the new CBBC mystery series The Demon Headmaster as well as the latest seasons of the sci-fi show Endlings and the Covid-19-inspired Lockdown. The festival also delivers some animated series for viewers 8 to 12, with Federation Kids & Family highlighting Kung Fu Wa, which Levy says is “brimming with action, adventure and humor, as well as endearing moments.”
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