Children’s Media Conference 2013 Full Line Up
The Children’s Media Conference (CMC) – Europe’s leading gathering for everyone involved in developing, producing and distributing content for kids – has today announced its full programme for the 2013 conference, which takes place from the 3 – 5 July in Sheffield.
Industry leaders including Joe Godwin; Director of Children’s at BBC; Nigel Pickard, CEO, Zodiak Kids UK; Tina McCann, Senior VP and Managing Director, Nickelodeon UK; and Amelia Johnson, CEO and Founder, Bin Weevils; will be asked ‘Are We There Yet…?’, the theme of this year’s conference, which will look back over the last decade and discuss the current issues faced by the industry.
Acclaimed screenwriter, children’s novelist and the writer behind the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, Frank Cottrell Boyce, will open the 10th Anniversary conference while Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh – co-creator of Disney’s multi-award winning Phineas and Ferb – will reveal his approach to story-telling in the Creative Keynote. In this year’s BAFTA Masterclass, Lion Television’s Richard Bradley will be joined by Horrible Histories’ Historical Consultant Greg Jenner and Script Writer Gerard Foster, to discuss the comedy writing process behind the multi-award winning series.
Laughing Gravy Media’s Karl Woolley will host the popular Dragons’ Den style ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’ session, in which developed projects are pitched to producers and IP acquirers with real money to invest. This year’s panel of ‘dragons’ includes Sander Schwartz from FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment, Henrietta Hurford-Jones from BBC Worldwide Channels, Helen McAleer from Walker Books and consultant Miles Bullough. The producers are looking for diverse TV and multi-media projects with real commercial potential. For more information on how to submit projects visit:
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Among those taking to the stage for a range of ‘That’s Edutainment’ sessions which explore the power of entertainment, play, personalities and brands in kids’ learning are Pauline Macnamara, Executive Producer, Animation & Independent Commissioning, RTE; Darren Garrett, Creative Director, LittleLoud; Jonny Keeling, EP, BBC Natural History Unit; and John Pettigrew, Digital Strategic Development Manager for International Education, Cambridge University Press.
The re-emergence of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Furby over the last year suggests older brands and properties are back and in a big way. In the session ‘Reimagining and Recycling’, Michael Carrington, VP Content at Hit Entertainment and Alison Bakunowich, VP Director of Marketing and Communications, Nickelodeon UK are among those discussing what it is about a property that lends itself to a comeback and what the challenges are when reviving an older brand. While composers Chris Banks, Richie Webb and Liz Kitchen join the conference line-up in ‘Going For a Song’ a session which looks at the fundamental part they play in children’s programmes.
To celebrate 10 year’s of the Children’s Media Conference, CMC will also look at some top 10’s in children’s media. Hacker and Connal Orton, producer of the 4’ O’Clock Club will offer up their ‘Top 10 Tips to Make ‘Em Laugh’ while Dr Carla Fisher from No Crusts Interactive USA gives her ‘10 Game Design Principles for the Next 10 Years’. Stuart Dredge will also present the ‘Top 10 Trends in Children’s Apps’.
Other sessions include: Licensing Out of the Box; It Doesn’t Need to be Taxing; MEDIA Presents: A Ticket to Europe; Can Live Action Go Global; Two Screen or not Two Screen; What’s Good? Trust and Quality in the Digital World; Theatre as the Crucible; The Animation Audit; An Idiot Abroad; VoD; Getting Children Listening; Dumbing Down or Growing Up Too Fast; The Shapes of Comics to Come; Come Out and Play; and Cracking Freemium for Kids.
The CMC also features a collection of Meet the Commissioner sessions, with participants including Cheryl Taylor, Controller of CBBC; Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Children’s; Sharna Jackson, Editor of Tate Kids; Iain Dodgeon, Project Manager, Broadcast and Games, Wellcome Trust; Jamila Metran, Programme Manager at CITV; Tim Patterson, Director of Programming at Nickelodeon UK; Anthony Lukom, VP and Managing Director, UK and Ireland, Turner Broadcasting; Andrew Beecham, Senior VP, Programming, Sprout; Sioned Wyn Roberts, Content Commissioner, Children’s, Learning and Digital, S4C; and Laurence Blaevoet, Director of Youth Programming, Canal Plus Group.
This year will see the extension of the CMC International Exchange, an event designed to welcome buyers, co-producers, commissioners and investors from various selected territories to meet UK companies and freelancers with content or services to sell – or who are looking for investment. The Exchange also includes access to five extra conference sessions including a Focus on the Animation Tax Break; Focus on India; Focus on China; Focus on Markets and Focus on Funding.
In addition, the conference also provides a series of Research Presentations and Workshops offering insight into a diverse range of topics including, heritage brands in the digital age; is children’s reading still a pleasure or a casualty of modern life; Ofcom research into how children are consuming content; a study of global vs. local by Nickelodeon; edutainment effectiveness and engagement; kid’s media futurology; an exploration of the next generation “thinking differently”; young children and story apps and a better internet for children – once again asking the question…”Are we there yet?”
The range of workshops includes: The Co-Pro Clinic; Mapping Your Character; Monetising Digital Content and Polish and Pitch.