World Screen March 2023

Behind the Scenes of The Diplomat / RX France’s Lucy Smith Previews MIPTV

Endor Productions’ Carlo Dusi Talks

Scripted Trends

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WORLD VIEW By Mansha Daswani.

UPFRONTS New content on the market.

INSIDE THE DIPLOMAT Executive producer Simon Heath and stars Serena Manteghi and Sophie Rundle offer up a behind-thescenes look at BBC Studios’ new story-of-the-week drama The Diplomat

RX FRANCE’S LUCY SMITH The director of the entertainment division at RX France previews some of the highlights of this year’s MIPTV.

ENDOR PRODUCTIONS’ CARLO DUSI The managing director of the Seven.One Studios-owned production company discusses trends in scripted.

TRENDING ON The most-viewed clips on our video portals for the last 30 days.

MATTEL’S RICHARD DICKSON The president and COO of Mattel highlights the crucial role IP plays in the company’s overall brandbuilding strategies.

WILDBRAIN’S ERIC ELLENBOGEN The vice chair and CEO of the leading kids’ and family content indie shares how he is guiding the company through a fast-changing marketplace.

BANIJAY KIDS & FAMILY’S BENOÎT DI SABATINO The CEO of Banijay Kids & Family lays out his growth strategy for the company, which includes a dedicated distribution and commercial arm and production labels across Europe.

TV KIDS PIONEER AWARD: FRANCESCA NEWINGTON The director of the Narrative Entertainment-owned POP Channels highlights her content strategy at the U.K. portfolio of services.

THE DECISION-MAKERS Sky Kids’ Lucy Murphy, Paramount U.K. & Ireland’s Louise Bucknole, TFO’s Marianne Lambert and Future Today’s David Di Lorenzo articulate their acquisition strategies.

9 STORY MEDIA GROUP’S VINCE COMMISSO 9 Story Media Group’s president and CEO highlights his strategy for building on the company’s successes and further expansion.

CHRIS NEE The creator of the breakthrough show Doc McStuffins and a slew of other titles via an overall deal with Netflix on innovation in preschool narrative techniques, the keys to encouraging co-viewing and her work in driving forward diversity and inclusion in children’s media.

SPOTLIGHT: U.K. & IRELAND Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick, Sixteen South’s Colin Williams and Magic Light Pictures’ Muriel Thomas in a conversation about British and Irish animation.

INSIDE GABBY ’S DOLLHOUSE Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey offer an inside look at the process behind making the hit DreamWorks Animation series Gabby ’s Dollhouse

MONEY MATTERS CAKE’s Ed Galton, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s Carlos Biern and Big Bad Boo Studios’ Shabnam Rezaei deliver their insights on how to cobble together the financing on shows.

STAR TREK: PRODIGY’S NEW FRONTIERS Kevin and Dan Hageman discuss making the first animated series for kids set in the beloved Star Trek universe.

MAKING SENSE OF YOUTUBE Strategies for harnessing the power of YouTube and other free video platforms in serving young viewers are debated by Entertainment One’s Yannick Ferrero, pocket.watch’s David B. Williams, Cloudco Entertainment’s Sean Gorman and Genius Brands International’s Paul Robinson.

THE JIM HENSON COMPANY’S HALLE STANFORD The president of television at The Jim Henson Company talks about how the outfit places “humor, heart and hope” at the center of every show it produces.

KIDOODLE.TV’S STREAMING EDGE Brenda Bisner, the chief content officer at the platform, reveals what’s driving its usage gains across multiple markets and platforms.

GETTING CREATIVE Sesame Workshop’s Kay Wilson Stallings, Nelvana’s Athena Georgaklis, Cyber Group Studios’ Ira Singerman and Boat Rocker’s Shaleen Sangha share their approaches to crafting development slates that meet the needs of all players in the market.

FIRST DAY ’S FIRSTS Creator Julie Kalceff and producer Kirsty Stark showcase how the Australian live-action series is breaking barriers in its representation of transgender kids.

SMARTER KIDS Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin, Toonz Media Group’s Bruno Zarka and The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company’s Kenn Viselman deliver lessons on successfully incorporating curricula and important social themes in kids’ content.

EMMA WATKINS The singer, dancer and actress who rose to fame as a member of The Wiggles talks about her new series, Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign

IN-DEMAND: EDUTAINMENT & DIVERSITY & INCLUSION Shows that put edutainment and diversity and inclusion front and center.

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Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise

Editor-in-Chief

Mansha Daswani

Editor-at-Large

Anna Carugati

Executive Editor

Kristin Brzoznowski

Associate Editor

Jamie Stalcup

Editor, Spanish-Language Publications

Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari

Production & Design Director

David Diehl

Online Director

Simon Weaver

Sales & Marketing Director

Dana Mattison

Sales & Marketing Manager

Genovick Acevedo

Business Affairs Manager

Andrea Moreno

Ricardo Seguin Guise

President

Anna Carugati

Executive VP

Mansha Daswani

Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

BY MANSHA DASWANI

Inflection Point

The average annual household spend on film and TV in the U.S. is expected to have peaked at $1,150 last year, per data from Ampere Analysis, with both SVOD expenditure declining and cord-cutting increasing.

Ampere indicates that 2023 may mark the inflection point at which per-household SVOD spend no longer compensates for continued declines in pay-TV subscriptions. Average annual spend per U.S. household on video services is set to fall by 8 percent by 2027.

SVOD revenue growth will slow this year amid economic woes and market saturation. Pay-TV investment per home, meanwhile, will drop below $650 for the first time since 2006. The dynamics in Western Europe are different, Ampere reports, with household expenditure on SVOD set to rise by 11 percent by 2027 and a stable pay-TV market.

Maria Dunleavey, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, noted: “Spend on video has finally hit its limit for U.S. households. By 2027, unless streaming services can sustain significant price inflation, U.S. households will be investing almost $90 less per year on video services. Recent moves from TV groups to focus on hybrid tiers and free ad-supported video services represent one approach to compensating for this downward pressure. By contrast, in Western Europe, pay-TV expenditure is more stable and the expansion of SVOD continues to drive spend on video. For U.S. groups, capitalizing on this international growth is increasingly key given the pressures on domestic income.”

Eccho Rights

As Long as We Live / Desperate Measures / Golden Boy

The Icelandic relationship drama As Long as We Live is a lead offering from Eccho Rights. The series is created by and stars Aníta Briem ( The Tudors , The Minister , Journey to the Center of the Earth ) and is inspired by her personal story. Martin Wallström ( Mr. Robot ) co-stars. The Channel 5 drama Desperate Measures follows a diligent bank clerk who has run out of options and commits a dangerous heist to save her son. Finally, the drama Golden Boy remains a top performer in Turkey and has sold into more than 30 territories.

ZDF Studios

The Swarm / Dear Vivi / Heirs of the Night

ZDF Studios’ highlight The Swarm follows scientists around the world as they try to discover what is causing unrest in the oceans. “It chronicles the struggle of humankind against an unknown swarm intelligence that lives in the depths of the sea,” says Dr. Markus Schäfer, president and CEO. Dear Vivi centers on a family whose patriarch kills his wife, leaving 18-year-old Vivian as the head of the family, fighting for custody of her siblings as shocking family secrets come to light. Heirs of the Night features a group of young vampires.

Desperate Measures

“

Dear Vivi is an emotional family drama and thriller combo that uncovers the mystery behind the shocking murder of a wife and mother.”

—Dr. Markus Schäfer

Dear Vivi

Inside The Diplomat

World Productions’ The Diplomat debuted on UKTV’s Alibi last month, offering viewers a thriller centered on the work of the British consulate in Barcelona.

With the new series, writer Ben Richards and executive producer Simon Heath set out to bring a refreshed version of the story-of-the-week format to the screen. In order to do so, they “wanted to have the ongoing serial mystery thriller element” included, Heath says. “The first episode introduces the serial element, and you get a little story of the week. Subsequently, the serial element grows alongside the individual stories.”

Not only does this capture viewers’ attention, it also provides a unique acting experience for the stars. “You get great performances,” says Sophie Rundle, who plays consulate

worker Laura Simmonds. “It was really lovely for us because you’re constantly getting fresh turnover of new energy and new excitement.”

Laura and her colleague Alba Ortiz, played by Serena Manteghi, are the mainstay characters. “[Laura] is our way into the story,”

Rundle says. “She manages everything; she runs the day-to-day of the consulate. I thought she was a smartly drawn character. She’s a woman that I recognize; I went to school with women like Laura.”

Alba is a woman who was raised in West London by Spanish parents and speaks fluent Spanish and Catalan. “She’s the ‘streetwise’ aide to the consulate,” Manteghi says. “Laura and Alba come at their jobs from different angles and origins, but they work really well together.”

Barcelona acts as the perfect setting for these two consulate workers and their cases, as “it’s the most visited European city by U.K. citizens,” Heath says. From people traveling for bachelorette parties and football matches to art historians interested in architecture, a diverse group of Brits regularly visits the Spanish city, lending inspiration for lots of unique characters to come in contact with the consulate and interesting weekly stories to keep viewers engaged.

“ The first episode introduces the serial element, and you get a little story of the week.” Simon Heath

Carlo Dusi Endor Productions

Endor Productions, a Seven.One Studios company, is behind a vibrant slate that includes three seasons of V ienna Blood and an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anan si Boys . Carlo Dusi joined the outfit in May 2021 from Red Arrow Studios International and today serves as managing director. He tells World Screen about some of the keys to identifying concepts and talent to work with.

By Kristin Brzoznowski

WS: How is Endor scouting for new drama concepts and IP?

DUSI: The key for us is always to be proactive in identifying the types of stories we want to be telling and the talent we want to be working with. Within this context, we hunt for distinctive IP across novels, newspaper articles and real-life stories. We also run our own “ideas factory,” focusing on identifying original concepts and storylines we feel truly passionate about and can then take to those writers and filmmakers we are keen to work with.

We are always looking for new ways to identify valuable IP early and have been increasingly active on social media in identifying material with adaptation potential through audience engagement.

We actively encourage interesting talent to bring us their own ideas and let us know what kinds of stories they are looking for. We make sure we maintain a constant dia logue with the leading talent agents in the U.K. an d internationally so we can keep on top of all new and upand-coming voices. And, inevitably, we are all avid con sumers of film, TV and theater works and track promising talent across all media to identify every opportunity to bring a fresh and distinctive voice into the TV drama landscape.

WS: Is it tough to secure the right talent for projects nowadays?

DUSI: Talent is the primary currency we are all dealing in within the world of high-end drama, and the competition for those names that carry audience recognition and tangible commissionable value is, inevitably, fierce. What helps us in fighting this battle is Endor’s long tradition as a friendly home for ambitious talent, as reflected in the many returning relationships across multiple projects that populate our slate.

We are extremely invested in nurturing the new generation of writers and filmmakers and spend a significant amount of time and effort scouting for the new shining stars. We then support them at every step of the way as they develop and grow into the established stars of tomorrow.

“We are always looking for new ways to identify valuable IP early.”

RX France’s Lucy Smith shares with World Screen some of the highlights of this year’s MIPTV, running from April 17 to 19, including its landmark 60th-anniversary celebration, the new “Super Sunday” lineup, the inaugural FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT and curated initiatives for executives in the documentary, formats, drama and kids’ se gments.

Lucy Smith RX France

By Mansha Daswani

WS: Tell us about the overall structure of MIPTV this year.

SMITH: First off, MIPTV celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023, which proves the staying power of the spring market. I like to say we are 60 years new, and that’s because we redesigned the market.

Each April, MIPTV is the biggest week in unscripted. And the biggest evolution for 2023 is the reformatting of MIPDOC and MIPFORMATS to run alongside MIPTV with one registration and a whole new program that takes us into the future. Plus we are introducing the first FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT, focused on the next frontier for FAST channels: international.

We’re launching the new MIPDOC International Buyer Screenings, which will headline our new “Super Sunday” on

the eve of the market, featuring a selection of the hottest new shows to be launched on the international stage and an exclusive preview of the first-ever CANNESERIES

Official

Selection of documentary series.

Buyers will be thrilled to know that the MIPDOC international screenings library is back in person for screening new programs and projects in Cannes or online.

MIPFORMATS is where you see the world’s formats first and in-depth. We’ve expanded the program to showcase new IP from territories such as Korea, Japan and China, and producers get to pitch their new projects to FOX Alternative Entertainment, which is returning for the second year for the annual MIPFORMATS Pitch.

MIPTV is also the must-attend spring gathering for drama and kids; for 2023, we are rolling out a dynamic program built around the needs of buyers, producers and commissioners.

WS: How is the exhibitor lineup looking at present?

SMITH: MIPTV is growing again, and we expect to have over 180 stands and pavilions across three exhibition floors of the Palais—in addition to outdoor tents. That is a 25 percent

“MIPTV celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023, which proves the staying power of the spring market.”

increase versus 2022. That has led to us reopening the lower level of the Palais, which many exhibitors endearingly call “the bunker.” We’re excited to announce the redesign of the Palais-1 exhibition hall as Le Boulevard.

More than half the attendees at a market are delegates without stands, and our biggest format change for MIPTV and MIP COM was to carve out spaces on the exhibition floors to keep everybody nearby. We recognize that people need spaces in the Palais to do business, whether on their stands or elsewhere.

WS: How did the FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT come about?

SMITH: The biggest evolution for the distribution market is the explosion of FAST. And where better than MIPTV to launch the first FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT? We see FAST channels as the biggest boom in the distribution business because it puts the distributors back in power. Traditional distribution was supposed to be falling by the wayside, but it’s never felt more dynamic—not only with the emergence of FAST but with studios and platforms loosening global stands on rights and licensing to third parties again.

MIPTV returns to Cannes from April 17 to 19 with some 180 stands and pavilions expected.

TV Kids Festival Videos / In-Demand: Edutainment & Diversity & Inclusion

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

Set to be held from June 6 to 9, 2023, the third edition of the TV KIDS SUMMER

FESTIVAL will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the major trends in the children’s programming business. It will be streamed live and available on-demand for two months TVKidsSummerFestival.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or Dana Mattison at dmattison@worldscreen.com.

CONTENTS

MATTEL’S RICHARD DICKSON The president and COO of Mattel highlights the crucial role IP plays in the company’s overall brand-building strategies.

WILDBRAIN’S ERIC ELLENBOGEN The vice chair and CEO of the leading kids’ and family content indie shares how he is guiding the company through a fast-changing marketplace.

BANIJAY KIDS & FAMILY’S BENOÎT DI SABATINO The CEO of Banijay Kids & Family lays out his growth strategy for the company, which includes a dedicated distribution and commercial arm and production labels across Europe.

TV KIDS PIONEER AWARD: FRANCESCA NEWINGTON The director of the Narrative Entertainment-owned POP Channels highlights her content strategy at the U.K. portfolio of services.

THE DECISION-MAKERS Sky Kids’ Lucy Murphy, Paramount U.K. & Ireland’s Louise Bucknole, TFO’s Marianne Lambert and Future Today’s David Di Lorenzo articulate their acquisition strategies.

9 STORY MEDIA GROUP’S VINCE COMMISSO 9 Story Media Group’s president and CEO highlights his strategy for building on the company’s successes and further expansion.

CHRIS NEE The creator of the breakthrough show Doc McStuffins and a slew of other titles via an overall deal with Netflix on innovation in preschool narrative techniques, the keys to encouraging co-viewing and her work in driving forward diversity and inclusion in children’s media.

SPOTLIGHT: U.K. & IRELAND Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick, Sixteen South’s Colin Williams and Magic Light Pictures’ Muriel Thomas in a conversation about British and Irish animation.

INSIDE GABBY ’S DOLLHOUSE Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey offer an inside look at the process behind making the hit DreamWorks Animation series Gabby ’s Dollhouse

MONEY MATTERS CAKE’s Ed Galton, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s Carlos Biern and Big Bad Boo Studios’ Shabnam Rezaei offer their insights on how to cobble together the financing on shows.

STAR TREK: PRODIGY ’S NEW FRONTIERS Kevin and Dan Hageman discuss making the first animated series for kids set in the beloved Star Trek universe.

MAKING SENSE OF YOUTUBE Strategies for harnessing the power of YouTube and other free video platforms in serving young viewers are debated by Entertainment One’s Yannick Ferrero, pocket.watch’s David B. Williams, Cloudco Entertainment’s Sean Gorman and Genius Brands International’s Paul Robinson.

THE JIM HENSON COMPANY’S HALLE STANFORD The president of television at The Jim Henson Company talks about how the outfit places “humor, heart and hope” at the center of every show it produces.

KIDOODLE.TV’S STREAMING EDGE Brenda Bisner, the chief content officer at the platform, reveals what’s driving its usage gains across multiple markets and platforms.

GETTING CREATIVE Sesame Workshop’s Kay Wilson Stallings, Nelvana’s Athena Georgaklis, Cyber Group Studios’ Ira Singerman and Boat Rocker’s Shaleen Sangha share their approaches to crafting development slates that meet the needs of all players in the market.

FIRST DAY ’S FIRSTS Creator Julie Kalceff and producer Kirsty Stark showcase how the Australian live-action series is breaking barriers in its representation of transgender kids.

SMARTER KIDS Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin, Toonz Media Group’s Bruno Zarka and The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company’s Kenn Viselman deliver lessons on successfully incorporating curricula and important social themes in kids’ content.

EMMA WATKINS The singer, dancer and actress who rose to fame as a member of The Wiggles talks about her new series, Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign.

IN-DEMAND: EDUTAINMENT & DIVERSITY & INCLUSION Shows that put edutainment and diversity and inclusion front and center.

Ricardo Seguin Guise

Publisher

Mansha Daswani Editor-in-Chief

Anna Carugati Editor-at-Large

Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor

Jamie Stalcup

Associate Editor

David Diehl Production & Design Director

Simon Weaver Online Director

Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Director

Genovick Acevedo Sales & Marketing Manager

Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President

Anna Carugati Executive VP

Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

OUR PLAYGROUND IS GETTING BIGGER!

RICHARD DIC Keynote: Mattel’s

Richard Dickson, the president and COO of Mattel, highlighted the crucial role IP plays in the company’s overall brand-building strategies.

Read the recap here.

DICKSON

Following the completion of our turnaround in 2021, we evolved our strategy last year from transforming Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company to growing our IP-driven toy business and expanding our entertainment offering. Film and television, consumer products and digital experiences like games and NFTs are directly adjacent businesses to the toy industry. We’re making a lot of progress on capturing the full value of our IP in what we believe are highly accretive business verticals.”

ERIC ELLENB Keynote: WildBrain’s

Eric Ellenbogen, vice chair and CEO of the leading kids’ and family content indie, shared how he is guiding the company through a fast-changing marketplace.

Read the recap here.

NBOGEN

The headlines have been exaggerating the rationalization happening in the business. There has been enormous, unprecedented investment in content. A lot of it was about audience acquisition and retention. What we’re seeing now is more careful choices and development by the streamers. The level of investment is still extremely high. The landscape is changing for sure. Some services are de-emphasizing kids’ content, but we are seeing growth in FAST channels. There’ll be continuing shifts in the marketplace. But our business has always endured those things. It’s just about great creative.”

BENOÎT DI SA Keynote: Banijay Kids &

Benoît Di Sabatino, the CEO of Banijay Kids & Family, laid out his growth strategy for the company, which includes a dedicated distribution and commercial arm and production labels across Europe. Read the recap here.

SABATINO Family’s

With six production companies, we have six times more opportunities to develop amazing shows and potentially global brands. All those companies are based in important financial territories with key commissioning broadcasters and tax incentive policies. Thanks to this organization, we can cater to a wide range of audiences—from preschool to kids, young adults and family—in live action and animation. Each label is building its own financing, but we help with our distribution network around gap financing, presales, co-productions and minimum guarantees. Our method is to encourage producers’ initiatives and provide them with support if needed.”

FRANCESCA TV Kids Pioneer Award: PO

For her savvy programming decisions at the Narrative Entertainment-owned POP Channels, Francesca Newington was honored with the TV Kids Pioneer Award after participating in a keynote conversation about her content strategy at the U.K. portfolio of channels and services.

Read the recap here.

A NEWINGTON POP Channels’

We look for anything that pops; anything with that vibration to it, that energy, and anything that’s funny—it keeps them hooked in. Franchises are very important for us. Anything that already has built-in recognition and nostalgia that appeals to parents for co-viewing. We ask ourselves, Would you sit and watch that with your child? We always look for content that has diversity embedded within it. It’s so important to reflect our audience within our content. We’re finding that there’s so much more out there now that fulfills that criteria and in many different and authentic ways. That’s positive to see, and it’s always front of mind for us when shortlisting content.”

THE DECISIONMAKERS

Sky Kids’ Lucy Murphy, Paramount U.K. & Ireland’s Louise Bucknole, TFO’s Marianne Lambert and Future Today’s David Di Lorenzo articulated their acquisition strategies.

Read the recap here.

We’ve been focusing on live-action series, trying to find more movies for our audience; things that will bring the family together. ”

—David Di Lorenzo

We need to make sure there’s a balance of premium shows that we do have exclusivity for and franchises that may be on more than one platform.”

—Lucy Murphy

We’re always looking for innovation. How can we make them learn a little bit as they are having fun?”

—Marianne Lambert

We’re looking for killer, not filler. We want the shows that are going to stand out. What will make the kids draw the picture, hum the theme tune and play based on that show? They’re always going to be the winners for us.”

—Louise Bucknole

VINCE COMM Keynote: 9 Story Media

Vince Commisso, 9 Story Media Group’s president and CEO, shared his strategy for building on the company’s successes and further expansion.

Read the recap here.

MMISSO Group’s

What we’re seeing is a belief—an accurate one—that the current business model as a result of streaming content is not as lucrative as the one that preceded it. That’s caused a bit of a pause in the marketplace, manifesting itself in two ways. One is a reduction in the commissions of shows and then the reduction of budgets. That’s going to be the case for the foreseeable future. I think it’s time for companies like us to look at how

we do everything and adjust for the way the world is moving forward, especially in the area of content.”

CHRIS NEE Creative Keynote:

Chris Nee, creator of the breakthrough show Doc McStuffins and a slew of other titles via an overall deal with Netflix, spoke about innovation in preschool narrative techniques, the keys to encouraging co-viewing and her work in driving forward diversity and inclusion in children’s media. Read the recap here.

I started at Sesame Street, which was great at working on two levels— the level the kids were watching on and the one the parents were watching on. I don’t have that sense that if kids don’t understand every single beat of something, they won’t watch it. That’s a different way of approaching preschool TV. I think they recognize an emotional beat because of how everybody reacts to it. Doing really strong character comedy work through the very specific point of view of whatever the weirdness of the characters is keeps the parents in there. And then the other real secret when you’re trying to keep parents in and watching is having great voice casts and great music.”

IRELAND Spotlight: U.K. &

Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick, Sixteen South’s Colin Williams and Magic Light Pictures’ Muriel Thomas took part in a conversation about British and Irish animation.

Read the recap here.

What doesn’t destroy us—our lack of financing—in a way, makes us resilient and robust. That’s why the indus try is growing. ” —Dominic Gardiner

It comes down to us as producers to maximize co-pro funding and soft money to make the [shows] affordable. ”

More studios are looking to the same pool of funding. But thankfully, the funding pool has also expanded somewhat.”

—Andrew Fitzpatrick

The Irish are known for their storytelling; that’s the one thing that we keep coming back to in terms of what we can do well.”

Losing [access to Creative Europe funding], we need to think creatively and find other ways to cover that. ”

—Muriel Thomas

—Genevieve Dexter

—Colin Williams

GABB Y ’S DO Inside

Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey offered delegates an inside look at the process behind making the hit DreamWorks Animation series Gabb y ’s Dollhouse .

Read the recap here.

DOLLHOUSE

We loved dollhouses, miniatures, cats. We were very tuned in to this unboxing phenomenon and how much preschoolers were into it. We thought there was something there, but we wanted to take it to the next level. So instead of unboxing a toy or a product, what if we unbox a story? We put it all into the mix and came up with the idea for Gabby ’s Dollhouse.” —Jennifer

Twomey

We love that we inspire kids to use their creativity once the show is over. That just seems sort of the essence of the ecosystem of the internet now, of doing recipes together, doing crafts together.” —Traci

Paige Johnson

MONEY MATTERS

CAKE’s Ed Galton, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, DeAPlaneta

Entertainment’s Carlos Biern and Big Bad Boo Studios’ Shabnam

Rezaei of fered their insights on how to cobble together the financing on shows.

Read the recap here.

It’s a time to regroup and look closer at what we’re commissioning. It’s healthy for the business to make things that people watch and not burn money on shows that never find an audience.”

There are so many things at play. We stay true to the content we want to make; we believe there’s a great audience for it.”

Licensing consumer products will be back again in the next two or three years. Kids’ and family content is needed. Global shows will always happen.”

We’re almost going back to the model that some of us were very successful at for many years, which is putting multiple partners together to get to 100 percent.”

—Ed Galton

—Carlos Biern

—Frank Falcone

—Shabnam Rezaei

Star Trek: Prodig y ’s NEW FRONTI

Kevin and Dan Hageman discussed making the first animated series for kids set in the beloved Star Trek universe.

Read the recap here.

NTIERS

Because it’s animation, we’re able to do some things that some live-action shows can’t do. Our ship is all windows. You’re looking right out into space. We wanted to make sure we pushed and pulled what these characters looked like and what they could represent throughout the galaxy.” —Dan

Hageman

We weren’t necessarily looking at writ ers who have done the close-ended 22-minute or 11-minute formats. A lot of our writers come from the live-action world. We take the time for it to breathe, and we need those dramatic moments. It’s a different animal than a lot of other young animated shows.” —Kevin

Hageman

Making Sense of YOUTUBE

Strategies for harnessing the power of YouTube and other free video platforms in serving young viewers were debated by Entertainment One’s Yannick Ferrero, pocket.watch’s David B. Williams, Cloudco Entertainment’s Sean Gorman and Genius Brands International’s Paul Robinson.

Read the recap here.

For anyone who wants brand success and stickiness, YouTube is, if not front and center, certainly crucial to have a great strategy and execution.” —Sean

We have to deliver value to our paying customers, but at the same time, we want to build the brand. That’s about careful windowing [and] creating different content.”

—Paul Robinson

Gorman

It’s essential [in] our brand-building strategies to gain awareness. It’s making sure that we reinvent our brands so that it converts for the retailers as well.”

—Yannick Ferrero

YouTube is the most data-rich environment we’ve ever had and the richest with engagement as well. Sometimes I call it the Galapagos Islands of media because it’s like this incredibly fiercely competitive environment where you see all these new forms of life evolve. ” —David

B. Williams

HALLE STAN Keynote: The Jim Henson

Halle Stanford, the president of television at The Jim Henson Company, talked about how the outfit places “humor, heart and hope” at the center of every show it produces. Read the recap here.

ANFORD on Company’s

The Henson way is from Jim Henson’s legacy, but also how we at Henson right now are trying to build on what that means. It comes down to three words: humor, heart and hope. We’re a performer-driven company. We create characters, from the inside out. We’re always creating the essence and heart of characters. That makes us unique in the types of characters we create at Henson, and I think it’s why they resonate strongly and emotionally with audiences in prime time and kids.”

KIDOODLE.TV’S STREAMING

Brenda Bisner, chief content officer at Kidoodle.TV, revealed what’s driving its usage gains across multiple markets and platforms.

Read the recap here.

EDGE

Completed content is the number one priority. We do not gap finance; we do not co-produce. We’re not going to come to the table and save the day on some old-school business-structure models. We’re looking for content that you have ready to go that has a proven audience around it. It is really important that there is a social strategy. There’s a lot out there in the marketplace. How are you going to get to the front? The packaging of that content, what makes it different? If it’s everywhere for free, why should people care about that? I’m always encouraging partners to look at what they have, how they can package it and what their visuals are to engage the audience.”

GETTING CREATIVE

Sesame Workshop’s Kay Wilson Stallings, Nelvana’s Athena Georgaklis, Cyber Group Studios’ Ira Singerman and Boat Rocker’s Shaleen Sangha shared their approaches to crafting development slates that meet the needs of all players in the market.

Read the recap here.

We’re looking for characters that our audience will want to be friends with.

We look for stories that are meaningful to our audience, on topics that our audience can relate to.” —Kay

Wilson Stallings

Ultimately, we’re always looking for a meaningful, creative, fun story, driven by great characters, and it has to fit within our overall priorities.”

—Athena Georgaklis

Finding new voices, people who are underrepresented and putting them on screen, is a core philosophy that we stand by. ”

—Shaleen Sangha

We’re here to create new ideas and bring something into the world that inspires the next generation of kids. But of course, having known IP is certainly very important in terms of a business considera tion. We balance both.”

—Ira Singerman

FIRSTS First Day ’ s

showcased how the Australian live-action series First Day is breaking barriers in its representation of transgender kids.

Read the recap here.

Creator Julie Kalce ff and producer Kirsty Stark

—Julie Kalceff

Children’s television has such an impact on kids. It’s how they view the world. And if they don’t see themselves on screen, it impacts how they feel about themselves. It goes a long way toward creating their self-esteem. I think children’s television has a great, important role in not only diverse representation, but also representation in a way that creates an environment where people can start conversations and see what best behavior is and how they should be acting.”

We knew that it wasn’t enough just to tell the coming-out story. We want to show what it’s like to live as a trans girl once you are out. And that story continues. The financing was a lot more difficult within Australia to put together. We approached Hulu, knowing their enthusiasm for the first series, and they were amazingly supportive in putting up part of the financing. We were able to complete production and put the series out to the world.”

—Kirsty Stark

SMARTER KIDS

Dandelooo’s Emmanuèle Pétry-Sirvin, Toonz Media Group’s Bruno Zarka and The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company’s Kenn Viselman delivered lessons on successfully incorporating curricula and important social themes in kids’ content.

Read the recap here.

‘Educational’ is very broad now because it’s almost in every show. Even in shows that are ‘commercial,’ so to speak, there is a social-emotional, educational part in it; I think we are over this era when people just wanted to entertain kids. We have a mission with children. We have to help them.

Pétry-Sirvin

We need to encourage kids to use their imaginations and creativity to problem-solve and understand a differ ent way of learning. Yes, you have to be able to do reading, writing and arithmetic. But what’s equally or probably more important is that we are creating things that allow kids to become innovators in the future.” —Kenn

Viselman

Education is a wide world. Children are spending 7 to 10 hours a day at school. When they come home and watch a program, they want to get entertained. We’re not there to point to the education as this is educational. I think our mission is not to be educational—it is to participate in this change for the future.” —Bruno

Zarka

EMMA WATK Creative Keynote:

Emma Watkins, who rose to fame as a member of The Wiggles, spoke about her new series, Emma Memma: Sing. Dance. Sign.

Read the recap here.

ATKINS

People around the world have been researching the benefits of music and dance and movement for children for so many years. There’s such a plethora of research that supports movement and music in children’s learning. Something that we learned many, many years ago was that connection that children have to associate concepts and words with music— it helps their understanding of that particular subject. It’s lovely to be able to use media now to combine all of those forms and give children options. I think in the past we’ve been so laser-focused on just one, whether it’s just music or just visual, whereas now we can provide lots of different options.”

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

Corpse Talk

Commissioner: YouTube

Producer: Tiger Aspect Kids & Family

Distributor: All rights from Zodiak Kids & Family Distribution.

Description: (6+ animation, 13x7 min. & 1x15 min.) The show that brings the dead famous to life! Host Adam is digging up history in the comedy-led chat show Corpse Talk.

Educational Component: History.

Pitch Perfect: “An animated comedy chat show for the dead famous, blending learning with laughter, Corpse Talk is based on an established comic book series featuring key historical figures, including Mozart, Cleopatra and Josephine Baker. With accompanying worksheets encouraging a love of history, the series has amassed 10-plus million views on YouTube.” —Tom Beattie, Managing Director, Tiger Aspect

Kids & Family

Sales Contacts: Delphine Dumont, Chief Commercial Officer, Banijay

Kids & Family; Cecile Cau, SVP, Sales, Co-Productions & Acquisitions; Julia Rowlands, SVP, Sales, Co-Productions & Acquisitions.

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

The Nap Time Show

Commissioner: Black Education Station

Producer: Boone Productions

Distributor: All rights available from Boone Productions.

Description: (3-6 comedy/educational, 10x22 min.) An interactive episodic preschool series using imaginative play to develop a healthier relationship between children and rest.

DNI Components: Age, gender, neurodiversity and cultural representation.

Pitch Perfect: In a world recovering from widespread burnout, The Nap Time Show answers the call for authentic diversity with universally relatable characters and compelling storylines championing the benefits of rest. With imaginative play, magical music, wildlife adventures and a vintage nurturing appeal, this show is an everyday breath of fresh air. Watch the trailer for more about the show from Sierra L. Boone, executive producer.

Sales Contacts: Sierra L. Boone, Daphne Boone, sales@thenaptimeshow.com.

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

Heirs of the Night

Commissioners: NRK, AVROTROS, NDR, ZDF Studios

Producers: Lemming Film, Hamster Film, Maze Pictures, Maipo Film, ZDF Studios

Distributor: ZDF Studios, worldwide, excluding co-pro partners’ territories.

Description: (10+/family, 26x26 min.) Heirs of the Night is set in 1889 and tells the story of the five remaining vampire clans in Europe and their young ones.

Pitch Perfect: After centuries of war, there are only five vampire clans in Europe. All direct descendants of Lord Dracula, who gave each of them a ruby endowed with a specific power that is only mastered by its clan. The never-ending clan wars and the growing threat of vampire hunters have forced the vampires to retreat into isolation to protect their heirs. However, they realize they must come out of hiding and unite their powers if they want to survive. And this is where our saga begins. An epic adventure for tweens, teens and families, filmed on location all over Europe. This is a fantastical coming-of-age saga with international appeal, an incredible cinematographic look and outstanding production values.

Sales Contacts: Arne Lohmann, VP, Junior; Katharina Pietzsch, Director, Junior; Jan-Frederik Maul, Director, Junior; Marei Bruckmann, Director, Junior.

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

The Polos

Producers: MarcoPolo Learning, Boat Rocker Studios

Distributor: Television, all digital, terrestrial, cable, satellite, etc., from Bejuba! Entertainment.

Description: (3-7, 52x5 min./52x11 min.) Driven by their insatiable curiosity, a quirky group of friends take off on epic road trips to experience the wonders of our natural world.

Educational Components: STEM, natural sciences and 21st-century skills.

Pitch Perfect: The Polos is a wonderful action-packed adventure series. The series is engaging and full of information, wrapped in a compelling story. Marco and his friends go on adventures and learn about the world, animals, nature, space and all kinds of things by doing and experiencing.

Slot Winner: The Polos has won numerous awards, including a Kidscreen Award, Rockie Award, the Parents’ Choice Award and an International Emmy nomination. The brand continues to grow and is part of the curriculum across the U.S.

Sales Contact: Tatiana Kober.

tvkIDSSCREENINGS.COM

The only video portal for the kids’ media industry.

Our Playground is Getting Bigger

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

Big Blue

Commissioners: CBC, Radio-Canada

Producer: Guru Studio

Distributor: Worldwide content and L&M rights from Guru Studio.

Description: (6-9 comedy, 52x11 min.) Siblings Lettie and Lemo lead their quirky submarine crew to solve the ocean’s mysteries and find the origins of a new magical recruit named Bacon Berry.

DNI Component: Created by Ghanaian-Canadian artist Gyimah Gariba and produced by award-winning entertainment company Guru Studio, Big Blue offers young viewers a zany yet heartfelt look at what it truly means to be part of a tightly-knit family. Gariba’s vision was to create a show where kids of all backgrounds, specifically Black children, could see themselves reflected on screen.

Pitch Perfect: The show underscores the values of discovering our differences and caring for our planet. Kids learn the important role we can play in protecting our planet and that sometimes the smallest creatures in the sea can make the biggest waves.

Sales Contact: Corey Caplan, Senior Director, International Sales.

In-Demand: Edutainment & DNI

Rosie’s Rules

Commissioner: PBS KIDS

Producers: 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films

Distributor: 9 Story Distribution International in all territories, excluding the U.S.

Description: (3-5, 80x11 min. & 20x1 min.) Follows the adventures of Rosie Fuentes, an inquisitive and hilarious 5-year-old girl, as she learns about the wow-mazing world beyond her family walls.

Educational Components: Social studies—geography, history, civics and government, economics and more.

Pitch Perfect: Rosie ’s Rules is an animated preschool series that teaches social studies through fun everyday lessons and character-based stories. With humor and tons of catchy songs, parents and kids will fall in love with Rosie! Recently named a Common Sense selection for families and one of the eight best educational shows for kids by Parents.com.

Slot Winner: Rosie’s Rules premiered on October 3, 2022, on PBS KIDS and, to date, has had 76 million cross-platform streams and 19.5 million gameplays on the app and pbskids.org in its first four months.

Sales Contact: Alix Wiseman, SVP, Distribution & Acquisitions.

Trending On

The most-viewed clips on our video portals in the last month.

The Kardashians: Billion Dollar Dynasty

How the Kardashians became one of the world’s most recognized brands. Distributor: All3Media International

Happy the Hoglet

Inspires preschoolers with the inner strength that comes from tackling big feelings and growing positive ones. Distributor: Aardman

Naked—Sex and Gender

Finds out how our view of gender has shaped humanity and what is known about sex and gender today. Distributor: ZDF Studios

Con Girl

75 aliases, three continents, one woman. This documentary series explores the many lies and lives of serial con woman Samantha Azzopardi. Distributor: BossaNova

Rosie’s Rules

The adventures of Rosie Fuentes, an inquisitive and hilarious 5-year-old girl, as she learns about the world. Distributor: 9 Story Distribution International