TV Kids - July 2021

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WWW.TVKIDS.COM

JULY 2021 EDITION

TV Kids Summer Festival Sessions / WorldScreenings: Tencent Video & Superights

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A DIVISION OF World Screen

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d

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OUR PLAYGROUND

IS GETTING

BIGGER!

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12 TV KIDS

CONTENTS MATTEL’S YNON KREIZ Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz outlines the transformation strategy put in place to “unlock the true value of Mattel.”

WARNERMEDIA’S TOM ASCHEIM The president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics discusses Cartoon Network, a new preschool commitment and the kids’ slate at HBO Max. M6’S PHILIPPE BONY The head of thematic and youth channels at M6 Group outlines the strategies the company has put in place to keep its market-leading portfolio at the forefront of the French kids’ sector.

AARDMAN’S SEAN CLARKE The company’s managing director discusses the studio’s commitment to innovation.

YOUTUBE’S NADINE ZYLSTRA The head of family, learning and impact at YouTube Originals articulates her approach to partnering with top creators.

VIACOMCBS’S MARIA KYRIACOU Highlights the success of ViacomCBS Networks International’s kids’ businesses in the U.K., Australia and Israel.

DISNEY’S AYO DAVIS The executive VP of creative development and strategy at Disney Branded Television on the live-action slate she oversees.

9 STORY’S VINCE COMMISSO The president and CEO of 9 Story Media Group weighs in on the strategy for building brands.

IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST PBS KIDS’ Linda Simensky, Rai’s Luca Milano, BBC’s Sarah Muller and DR’s Niels Lindberg discuss the crucial role of publicservice media for kids.

IN THE AVOD STREAM Perspectives from WildBrain Spark’s Jon Gisby, Roku’s Ashley Hovey, Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner and Xilam Animation’s Charles Courcier.

OH CANADA! Spotlighting Canadian production and distribution with WildBrain’s Josh Scherba, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, marblemedia’s Mark Bishop, Portfolio’s Joy Rosen and Atomic Cartoons’ Richard Goldsmith.

CHANGING THE FACE OF KIDS’ TV Lion Forge’s David Steward II, Big Bad Boo’s Shabnam Rezaei and Safi Ideas’ Wa’qaar Mirza take part in a frank discussion on how far the kids’ business still has to go to fully engage with diversity and inclusion.

THE MAGIC OF SESAME STREET Spend some time with Cookie Monster before hearing from Ed Wells about how Sesame Workshop is building its content slate and its presence across the globe.

ANATOMY OF A HIT Fresh TV’s Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch and CAKE’s Ed Galton share how the Total Drama franchise has maintained its success.

ZDF’S NICOLE KEEB The head of international co-productions, development and acquisitions for children and youth shares her programming strategy.

SPACE NOVA SLR Productions’ Suzanne Ryan, Super RTL’s Lisa Albers and ABC Australia’s Michael Drake discuss how the co-pro came together.

THE WEE LITTLES Mondo TV’s Luana Perrero and Toon2Tango’s Jo Daris give a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series.

EYE ON QUALITY Selina She on Tencent Video’s high-quality kids’ originals.

MARCH OF THE PENGUIN Superights’ Nathalie Pinguet highlights the new adventure comedy The Adventures of Little Penguin.

GET DAILY NEWS ON KIDS’ PROGRAMMING

Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise Group Editorial Director Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Chelsea Regan Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari Contributing Editor Elizabeth Guider Production & Design Director David Diehl Online Director Simon Weaver Art Director Phyllis Q. Busell Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Coordinator Genovick Acevedo Business Affairs Manager Andrea Moreno Contributing Writers Steve Clarke Andy Fry Joanna Stephens Jay Stuart David Wood

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 www.tvkids.com

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foo entertainment Miss Bellyfoo

Miss Bellyfoo

Filled with music, dance and adventure, foo entertainment’s Miss Bellyfoo is set in the whimsical Daba Diba Duba Land. In the series, heroine Miss Bellyfoo must stop the evil Mastermoll and his mischievous minions from stealing the creative energy that inspires and empowers her world. With the assistance of a whacky professor, a band of loyal friends and the aid of musically talented live-action children brought from Earth, Miss Bellyfoo uses creativity, music and her heart to keep everything safe, secure and singing in harmony.

Project First America

Leo the Truck / Sing with Leo / Clever Cars Project First America’s Leo the Truck is an educational animated series that follows the daily adventures of a group of inquisitive trucks. “The series features a curriculum that focuses on helping preschoolers develop logical thinking, dimensional orientation, attention, problem-solving and social skills,” says Tatiana Zakharchenko, CEO at Project First America. Sing with Leo is a nursery rhyme series that supports cognitive development and helps children build memory capabilities, while Clever Cars was developed to introduce children under 5 to new vocabulary.

Leo the Truck

“The tremendous popularity and unparalleled fandom of the Leo the Truck brand is due in no small part to its discoverability on YouTube.”

—Tatiana Zakharchenko

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Keynote: Mattel’s

YNON KREIZ

Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz outlined the transformation strategy put in place to “unlock the true value of Mattel.” watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

EIZ In today’s world, it is not just about one representation of a franchise or a brand. It’s a holistic experience.

The fact that we own the underlying rights for these brands gives us the ability to engage consumers, entertain them, in multiple ways. We always stay true to the DNA of our brands and franchises.

”

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Keynote: WarnerMedia’s

TOM ASCHE

Tom Ascheim, the president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics at WarnerMedia, discussed the Redraw Your World tagline for Cartoon Network, its new preschool commitment and the kids’ slate at HBO Max. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

ia’s

HEIM When we talked to families, they were looking for moments to gather.

What makes that happen successfully is when entertainment is great for the family in totality; it’s not just for the children and the parents are gritting their teeth. It’s wildly entertaining for parents and wildly entertaining for kids.

”

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Keynote: M6’s

PHILIPPE B

Philippe Bony, the head of thematic and youth channels at M6 Group, outlined the strategies the company has put in place to keep its market-leading portfolio at the forefront of the French kids’ sector. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

BONY We are co-producing French TV series, that’s a big part of our investment, but we are always interested in having the opportunity to buy some international series. We are interested in all kinds of animated series, in all genres.

We are more interested in receiving some comedies for 7- to 10-year-olds.

”

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Keynote: Aardman’s

SEAN CLAR

Sean Clarke, the managing director of Aardman, discussed the studio’s commitment to innovation and nurturing talent and opportunities for growth. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

ARKE We are truly a valuesbased business, where all the value created, whether it’s money or investment, is with employees in mind—or partners as we call them. It’s very much about creating a culture that allows creativity to thrive. And really about creating an environment for those ideas to spark.

”

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Keynote: YouTube’s

NADINE ZYL

Nadine Zylstra, the head of family, learning and impact at YouTube Originals, articulated her approach to partnering with top YouTube creators and producers to develop content for the platform. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

YLSTRA

nt

No matter what you’re passionate about, you can find it on YouTube. You can connect with a community around it. We love that idea that all of our programming, on some level, will be helping kids get excited about those strengths or passions. Across all of our programming, that is our big idea.

”

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Keynote: ViacomCBS’s

MARIA KYRIA

Maria Kyriacou discussed the success of ViacomCBS Networks International’s (VCNI) kids’ businesses in the U.K., Australia and Israel and highlighted some of the company’s inclusion initiatives. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

s

RIACOU It is critical that kids see their lives reflected back to them. The way to do that is to make sure that you are commissioning in your local territory. We’re able to originate here, playing to the strengths of the creative community around us, and it allows us to create shows that then travel across the world on the Nick network.

”

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Keynote: Disney’s

AYO DAVIS

As executive VP of creative development and strategy at Disney Branded Television, Ayo Davis discussed the liveaction slate she oversees for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior and the traits she looks for in talent behind and in front of the camera. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

IS

y

I like to say our business is a world of wonderment.

We’re dedicated to aspirational, fun and relevant storytelling. Our goal is to create stories that will connect with our audiences by evoking emotion and excitement while keeping them engaged and wanting more.... It is vital that we create programming that meets their needs and exceeds their expectations.

”

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Keynote: 9 Story’s

VINCE COMM

Vince Commisso, the president and CEO of 9 Story Media Group, weighed in on the strategy for building brands and the company’s approach to diversity and representation. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

MMISSO We live in a very dynamic time around content, especially around kids’ content, so you have to make sure your partners are aware of that dynamism and they lean into it in a way that makes the brand-building endeavor more feasible, more likely. We feel like we have partners on board now that are of that ilk.

”

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In the

PUBLIC INTE

PBS KIDS’ Linda Simensky, Rai’s Luca Milano, BBC’s Sarah Muller and DR’s Niels Lindberg discussed the crucial role of public-service media for kids, diversity initiatives and the need to cooperate as they face off against the global streamers. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

TEREST

d

We had 1.7 billion streams of children’s content last year.

So we will be looking for acquisitions for iPlayer.

”

–Sarah Muller

The twin problems of discoverability and distribution are the biggest things we’re dealing with.

”

–Linda Simensky

We have been funded to start an animation fund that we’ll take out for co-pros.

”

–Niels Lindberg

You have to give an education that cannot be done by lessons, but should be done by stories.

”

–Luca Milano

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In the

AVOD STREA

WildBrain Spark’s Jon Gisby and Roku’s Ashley Hovey discussed working with content and ad partners, while Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner and Xilam Animation’s Charles Courcier weighed in on the challenges and opportunities in licensing shows to adsupported platforms. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

EAM

d in

Kids want the characters they know and love to be where they are.

We’re all about bringing the best content to kids wherever they are. And, importantly, monetizing that content.

”

–Jon Gisby

”

–Ashley Hovey

We’re seeing shows that were YouTube-first now going not only onto free TV but also onto pay TV.

”

–Dominic Gardiner

Sometimes we just ask for an MG to be sure the platform is committed to putting forward our content—they will need to recoup that.

”

–Charles Courcier

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Oh

CANADA!

WildBrain’s Josh Scherba, Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone, marblemedia’s Mark Bishop, Portfolio’s Joy Rosen and Atomic Cartoons’ Richard Goldsmith weighed in on financing models, expansion and more. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

Success in Canada is great, but it’s much more important to be competitive and be out there in the world.

”

–Frank Falcone

Canadian companies have improved in their storytelling and production values.

”

–Josh Scherba

Our company is worth more now that we’ve diversified.

”

—Joy Rosen

Tax credits and subsidies give the producers in Canada a great leg up on other producers around the world.

”

–Richard Goldsmith

c

,

Long gone are the days of being able to finance something out of Canada directly.

”

–Mark Bishop

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Changing the

FACE OF KIDS’

Lion Forge’s David Steward II, Big Bad Boo’s Shabnam Rezaei and Safi Ideas’ Wa’qaar Mirza took part in a frank discussion on how far the kids’ business still has to go to fully engage with diversity and inclusion. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

DS’ TV

i

Being able to see other cultures, other family lifestyles, environments outside of your own, is critically important.

”

–David Steward II

For me, it’s about balancing those things in society that have been out of balance historically, based on the way the people with the pen have had the power. Now we’re passing the pen onto other people and asking them to write their stories.

”

–Shabnam Rezaei

We don’t take on diversity for the sake of it. Diversity in people behind the camera brings incredible creativity. That’s where our creative strength comes from. We value diversity as a tool for our success.

”

–Wa’qaar Mirza

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The Magic of

SESAME ST

TV Kids Summer Festival viewers got to spend some time with Cookie Monster before hearing from Ed Wells about how Sesame Workshop is building its content slate and its presence across the globe. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

STREET We are more active now in our 51st year in different types of content and in different kinds of impact initiatives than we’ve ever been. We’ve gone from having one flagship program in production to having six or more in active production, more in active development and a slate beyond that that we’re teeing up.

”

–Ed Wells

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Anatomy of

A HIT: TOTAL DR

Fresh TV’s Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch and CAKE’s Ed Galton discussed how the Total Drama franchise has evolved and maintained its hit status in the kids’ market. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

DRAMA

We push ourselves to come up with the biggest jokes, the most dramatic storylines and the silliest, funniest challenges.

”

–Jennifer Pertsch

The further we got from a straight parody of the kind of shows that our audience is watching around the world, the less it resonated. We’re going [back] to the season one model. It’s generating the most compelling stories and the funniest laughs.

”

–Tom McGillis

There’s a ferocious appetite around the world for this content.

What’s unique about this show is it works for public-service broadcasters, premium pay-TV service channels and digital platforms; it’s phenomenal.

”

–Ed Galton

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TV Kids Pioneer Award:

ZDF’S NICOLE

Nicole Keeb, the head of international co-productions, development and acquisitions for children and youth at ZDF, discussed her programming strategy before being honored with a TV Kids Pioneer Award. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

d:

OLE KEEB We not only invest in coproductions, but most importantly, we are giving our editorial input. I see my role as somebody who finds ideas, books, topics, themes that would work perfectly for ZDF and then find the international partners to realize those shows or topics and bring together German and international partners.

”

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Panel & Premiere:

ZDF ENTERPRISE SPACE NOVA

SLR Productions’ Suzanne Ryan, Super RTL’s Lisa Albers and ABC Australia’s Michael Drake discussed how the new animated co-pro Space Nova, distributed by ZDF Enterprises, came together ahead of the show’s premiere. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

ISES’

ted

Our audience loves a strong story engine.

But the episodes are still really satisfying and stand alone.

”

–Michael Drake

We engaged Karlie Alinta Noon, an Indigenous scientist and an astronomer, as a consultant. She read all the scripts and would come back with a way for us to have a fantasy in space yet lean on real science at the same time.

”

–Suzanne Ryan

We always have these epic space adventures in mind, so CGI felt like the right choice. Also, for us in access prime time particularly, we have a lot of CGI shows, so we felt it would fit the environment.

”

–Lisa Albers

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Premiere:

MONDO TV & TOON2T

THE WEE LITTLE

The Wee Littles is about a tiny family of four, living in the forest, handling their compact size with their own unique and inventive flair. Ahead of the premiere, Mondo TV’s Luana Perrero and Toon2Tango’s Jo Daris gave a behind-thescenes look at how the series came together. watch the session here...

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TV KIDS

N2TANGO’S

TLES

d

We’ve done sneak peeks with some close partners of ours in different parts of the world and we had really positive feedback. They responded with enthusiasm to the universal themes, its unique look and the sweetness of the show.

”

–Luana Perrero

In the [Irish] woodlands, you’ll spot small, brightly colored doors at the base of the trees. The creators of the show got the idea of, who would live in these trees? That generated the idea for The Wee Littles.

”

–Jo Daris

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Premiere: DANDELOOO’S THE UPSIDE DOWN RIVER

The Upside Down River is an adventure story based on the cult youth novel by Jean-Claude Mourlevat featuring a breathtaking quest for the one magical drop of water from the River Qjar that allows for eternity. watch the premiere here...

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Premiere: ACTF’S

TV KIDS

51

HARDBALL SEASON 2 & THE INBESTIGATORS

lt

In season two of Hardball, Mikey and the gang vie to win against the

g

best players in the state in the prestigious handball tournament. In

at

The Inbestigators, 10-year-old Maudie forms a detective agency with her classmates Ezra, Ava and Kyle. watch the premiere here...

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Tencent Video’s Deep in the Bowl.

EYE ON QUALITY Selina She on Tencent Video’s high-quality kids’ originals with enduring and engaging appeal. By Kristin Brzoznowski

A

leading online video streaming platform in China, Tencent Video currently counts some 125 million subscribers. Five years ago, armed with a sizable children’s programming slate, the platform decided to produce its own original content for kids. “While we have an extensive content library and continue to acquire the best programs from others, we were excited by the possibility to develop our own innovative and engaging content to help children learn and grow while entertaining them, and were inspired by the ever-increasing pool of brilliant creative talent in China,” says Selina She, director of the

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TV KIDS

kids’ IP development and programming center at Tencent Video.

“Once we had established this domestically, the next logical step, which we took in late 2018, was to expand into collaborations with international production companies to broaden our perspectives and possibilities.”

“We were excited by the possibility to develop our own innovative and engaging content to help children learn and grow while entertaining them.”

—Selina She

The first fruits of these collaborations are well underway, as Tencent Video is working with creative teams at Sixteen South on The Coop Troop, ZEILT productions on Deep in the Bowl and Luce Creative on The Adventures of Little Penguin.

Looking ahead, Tencent Video is keen to develop “high-quality content with compelling stories and engaging characters,” She says.

“And this content should not only cater to the local market appetite; ideally, it should have international appeal as well.”

In addition to the content being engaging, appealing and entertaining, Tencent Video is looking for elements that help children learn and grow, from improving literacy and numeracy to assisting them in acquiring life skills.

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Superights’ The Adventures of Little Penguin.

March Penguin of the

Superights’ Nathalie Pinguet highlights The Adventures of Little Penguin, a new preschool comedy. By Kristin Brzoznowski

T

he escapades of Oscar, a little penguin who lives in a unique environment, are at the center of The Adventures of Little Penguin. In each episode, Oscar sets out to explore the world, meeting new characters who teach him about himself and others.

Produced by Tencent Video, the 52x5-minute non-dialogue series is a new addition to the Superights catalog. Nathalie Pinguet, deputy managing director of sales and acquisitions at the

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company, describes it as “a fantastic new show, in which the young penguin is setting out to explore the world, meeting new characters who teach him about himself but also about others. He quickly discovers that it’s not the destination that matters, but

“Our new favorite penguin will live tremendous stories full of action, humor and emotion.”

—Nathalie Pinguet

rather the people you meet along the journey. Surrounded by endearing characters, our new favorite penguin will live tremendous stories full of action, humor and emotion, each time conveying a positive message.”

The show possesses different aspects that make it original and stand out from what is currently available in the market, she adds.

“The program is dialogue-free, making it easy to watch and easily understandable for all kids all around the world. It has been designed in the slapstick tradition, taking an original approach by developing a new kind of positive slapstick. Thanks to the quality of the production of Tencent Video, the creative and colorful settings and CG animation techniques will entertain and delight young viewers.” The Adventures of Little Penguin also imparts different messages for kids, celebrating friendship, the happiness of being together, openness to others and the importance of respecting differences.

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