TV Kids NATPE 2015

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TVKIDS

WWW.TVKIDS.WS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

NATPE & INTERNATIONAL EMMY KIDS AWARDS EDITION

Distribution Trends / Amazon’s Tara Sorensen

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TV KIDS

CONTENTS

Enduring Characters

FEATURE

10 #TRENDING

A survey of the latest trends in kids’ content distribution, including in-demand genres, multiplatform needs and more.

Last November, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst returned from his six-month tour on the International Space Station (ISS).

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Joanna Padovano Associate Editor Joel Marino Assistant Editor Simon Weaver Online Director Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Faustyna Hariasz Sales & Marketing Manager Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Coordinator Erika Santana Sales & Marketing Assistant Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids © 2015 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.ws

For half a year, Gerst had conducted a wide range of experiments on the ISS, ranging from biology and medicine to other fields of science. Gerst also videotaped lessons for the Flying Classroom program, a series of experiments and presentations conducted from the ISS for students aged 10 to 17.

During these lessons Gerst used small objects to demonstrate principles of physics in the microgravity of the ISS. Gerst brought a very special buddy with him to the ISS—die Maus, a plush mouse and hugely popular character from the children’s program Die Sendung mit der Maus (The Show with the Mouse), which has been airing in Germany since 1971. Gerst used die Maus, who is iconic in his homeland, to help present his science lessons to children.

Sendung mit der Maus, a half-hour show, offers children a mix of endearing animated stories and educational segments, fun stuff like how do stripes get into toothpaste, or how do holes get into Swiss cheese. Maus, animated and orange in color, has two buddies, a blue elephant, who is smaller than Maus, and a yellow duck. Typically children grow out of Sendung mit der Maus between the ages of 10 and 12, and surprisingly come back as older teenagers, such is the cult status of the show.

There aren’t too many children’s shows that have been on the air more than four decades, but certainly producers and broadcasters hope their shows air a long time and build intense viewer loyalty. When Sendung mit der Maus premiered in 1971 it had only one outlet. Nowadays, while the broadcast landscape in Germany and in other markets is fiercely competitive, a show can look for audiences on multiple platforms. Linear channels are no longer the only game in town. Catch–up services, cable video on demand and streaming SVOD platforms all provide ways of reaching young viewers and their caregivers. Digital platforms are pumping new oxygen into the children’s television ecosystem by either acquiring third-party product or producing original content. We talk to Tara Sorensen, the head of kids’ programming at Amazon Studios, about her original programming strategy. She has already rolled out preschool fare and is preparing a batch of shows for the 6-to-11 set.

NASA just held a test flight of Orion, a spacecraft built to carry astronauts farther than they’ve ever been in space. Who knows, maybe another iconic children’s character will be going along for the ride!

—Anna Carugati

INTERVIEW

16 Amazon Studios’ Tara Sorensen

GET DAILY NEWS ON KIDS’ PROGRAMMING SUBSCRIBE HERE: WWW.SUBSCRIPTIONS.WS

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4K Media Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V As Yu-Gi-Oh! celebrates 14 years of success in the worldwide marketplace, 4K Media continues to expand the property and extend relationships with broadcast partners. Digitally, 4K Media recently began working with Netflix in English-speaking territories while rolling out streaming on Crunchyroll in international markets. Local-language versions of the show will soon be introduced digitally as well. On the linear broadcast front, a fifth series, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V, will be debuting outside of Asia starting in spring 2015. There is also a third Yu-GiOh! feature film currently in production in Japan. The YuGi-Oh! brand, through its new productions, introduces fresh characters, monsters and story lines that continue to engage legions of fans and attract younger generations.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V

9 Story Media Group Haunted Tales / Camp Lakebottom / Peg + Cat Meant for children between the ages of 6 and 11, Haunted Tales is an animated comedy that the recently renamed 9 Story Media Group is showcasing at NATPE. “Glaz Entertainment’s Haunted Tales is already a proven hit within Latin America,” says Natalie Osborne, the managing director of 9 Story. “It’s been incredibly popular on Cartoon Network and when it launched in Brazil, it was the most-viewed pay-TV program for kids ages 4 to 11.” Also on offer from the company is Camp Lakebottom, another animated comedy. “Camp Lakebottom works internationally because the comedy is slapstick in nature and the monsters and pranks are truly universal,” says Osborne. Then there is Peg + Cat, a preschool program that introduces young viewers to math concepts.

“Latin America is our main focus at NATPE, both with respect to distribution and co-production opportunities.”

—Natalie Osborne Camp Lakebottom

DHX Media Inspector Gadget / Dr. Dimensionpants / Packages from Planet X The beloved bumbling detective Inspector Gadget is back, ready to enthrall a new generation of fans in a 3D animated reboot from DHX Media. The new 26x22-minute Inspector Gadget series is a key push for DHX Media this year, and Josh Scherba, the company’s senior VP of distribution, believes its built-in brand recognition will help to drive sales. DHX Media is also looking to notch up deals for Dr. Dimensionpants, about a kid with pants that give him special powers and his talking unicorn sidekick. Packages from Planet X, meanwhile, provides a fast-paced, action-packed glimpse into the trials and tribulations of Dan Zembrosky and his two best friends. The story begins as the charismatic yet vain hero starts receiving strange, cryptic packages from an evil alien planet.

“We’ve received a ton of interest for the Inspector Gadget series.”

—Josh Scherba Inspector Gadget 72 World Screen 1/15

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Hasbro Studios Littlest Pet Shop / Transformers Rescue Bots / My Little Pony Hasbro Studios is attending NATPE with the intention of strengthening its relationships with its partners as well as reaching out to new digital players in the emerging markets.

“Our priority is to work with our partners to keep our audience engaged in our content through all possible platforms,” says Gustavo Gomez, the company’s sales director for Latin America. At the market, Hasbro Studios is focusing its sales efforts on its four franchise titles: Littlest Pet Shop, Transformers Rescue Bots, My Little Pony and the soon-to-launch Transformers Robots in Disguise. “All of our franchise titles are being exhibited globally, with the exception of Robots in Disguise, which will launch in a few months on Cartoon Network in the U.S., Latin America and Europe,” says Gomez.

“We create highquality animation that kids love and parents approve of.”

—Gustavo Gomez Littlest Pet Shop

Mondo TV Bug Rangers / The Drakers / Sissi, the Young Empress The Bug Rangers property has already seen success on DVD and now Mondo TV is working with Animagic Media Group on a new 3D CGI animated TV series. The show, targeted at kids 4 to 9, features three bug-sized best friends living in a humansized world. Slated for delivery in fall 2016, the series features such themes as friendship, trust, honor and family. It is among Mondo TV’s current crop of highlights, which also includes Atomicrom, a 3D CGI series set to be released in the fall. Further catalogue highlights include Sissi, the Young Empress, a girlskewed show; the comedy Cat Leopold; and The Treasure Island, born from the R. L. Stevenson masterpiece. The Drakers, Dinofroz and Puppy in My Pocket are also among the series that Mondo TV is focusing its sales efforts on in 2015.

Bug Rangers

ZDF Enterprises Wolfblood / The New Adventures of Peter Pan / Marcus Level The teen drama Wolfblood has been enjoying success on Disney Channel in Latin America, as well as in several other territories. ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) is presenting the series to buyers at NATPE, where it is also highlighting The New Adventures of Peter Pan, an updated CGI version of the classic story, and Marcus Level, a video-game-themed adventure show with a corresponding app and online game. “Our kids’ slate is comprised of high-end series produced with renowned partners in the industry, many of them through international coproductions,” says Fred Burcksen, the executive VP and COO of ZDFE. “As such, the content is created by an ensemble of great international partners, ensuring that the storytelling is universal and can travel across cultural borders.”

“BAFTA-winning teen drama Wolfblood is a true ratings driver.”

—Fred Burcksen Wolfblood 74 World Screen 1/15

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DHX’s Twirlywoos.

#TRENDING Kristin Brzoznowski surveys the latest trends in kids’ content distribution. number of year-end reports have confirmed what those in the children’s TV business have long seen coming: viewing habits are changing, especially for kids. As young ones increasingly flock to on-the-go portable devices such as tablets and smartphones, and on-demand digital offerings, distributors of kids’ programming are finding themselves working in a different marketplace nowadays than they were five or so years ago. Many will argue that it’s a more dynamic one, despite its increasing complexity.

“It’s a very positive time in the kids’ business,” says Josh Scherba, the senior VP of distribution at DHX Media. “The addition of new platforms that are getting aggressive about kids’ content has really created a vibrancy for the business that we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s a good space to be in.”

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“The market is dynamic,” agrees Jérôme Alby, the managing director of Mediatoon Distribution, “especially compared to two or three years ago, when the keyword was ‘crisis’. Now the keyword is ‘curiosity’. It seems as though the [tough times] are behind us.”

Alby says that the linear TV landscape is in a state of growth. He notes that there are more and more dedicated kids’ channels popping up, as free-to-air broadcasters with general programming are creating sister networks with content exclusively for children.

“The market still has strong free-to-air kids’ broadcasters, and it still has strong [pay-TV] kids’ broadcasters,” says Ken Faier, who recently became the senior VP and general manager of kids’ and family content at DHX Media following the company’s acquisition of Nerd Corps Entertainment, where

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he served as president. “There are new channels launching in the traditional system, alongside all of the on-demand services launching as well. It’s all happening at the same time, which is wonderful for those who have great content. There are more places to sell to.”

All of these new opportunities do come with their own set of challenges, though. Whereas in the past a distributor might be negotiating with a few clients, there are now an immense number of different channels of distribution to navigate: free-to-air, DTT, VOD, SVOD, mobile, etc. This has made the deal-making process much more complex, and distributors are still learning about the best ways to capitalize on all these rights.

The proliferation of new viewing platforms has also made it incredibly competitive to capture the audience’s attention, in what is now a highly fragmented marketplace. “When you look at the number of ways to enjoy kids’ entertainment today, [the marketplace] is far more diversified than it was 10 or 20 years ago,” says Pierre Sissmann, the chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios. “This has made for scattered viewing habits.”

Kids’ TV shows must be of exceptional quality, with standout story lines and characters, in order to win over a child’s time and dedication, notes Sissmann. He adds that there are now more producers in the market capable of delivering such properties as well, increasing competition even further.

CLUTTER CONTROL “You go to MIPCOM and you see that Russia has so many new animation studios flourishing,” says Sissmann. “You go to China and you see that there are thousands of studios, and they’re getting more expertise in production and in writing. India is developing massively.... You’ve got productions coming from all over the world, with great image quality and great storytelling.”

“The biggest challenge faced by the kids’ distributors is sourcing strong content that will cut through the clutter,” says Olivier Dumont, the managing director of Entertainment One (eOne) Family and eOne Licensing.

He says that eOne is rising to this challenge by having a strong mix of original programming alongside co-produced and acquired properties in its content pipeline. “We are also

laser-focused and concentrate all our distribution efforts on just a few core brands that we take the time to grow.”

Micheline Azoury, the head of international sales and brand manager at Mondo TV, points to the massive volume of kids’ programming available in the marketplace as well.

She, too, cites the resulting competition as one of the key challenges for distributors today.

Even more troublesome, though, in Azoury’s opinion, is the lack of money to pay for these productions. She says that even though many countries have recovered from the economic crisis that took hold a few years ago, buyers’ budgets still haven’t rebounded to where they used to be.

“The challenge is still, and has always been, how to fund new content,” says DHX’s Scherba.

“You have to work hard to find those commissioning sources that can allow you to make quality shows that can live long lives.

We’re fortunate now that we’re fully integrated with the broadcast channels [DHX acquired] in Canada, and that gives us one additional mechanism through which we can finance shows. This is in addition to the other advantages that come from working in Canada, from tax credits to Mediatoon’s SamSam is based on a popular worldwide comic book from Bayard Jeunesse.

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Cyber Group’s Zorro the Chronicles features a teenage version of the iconic masked swordsman, giving the show built-in brand recognition.

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eOne Family’s Zak Storm mixes adventure and comedy, two genres that are in high demand.

Canadian content rules and regulations, which help us as well.”

He continues, “It’s all about figuring out how to put the financing together on new projects. There’s more opportunity in that space today than there was previously, given the new content players that are in the market. So even though I would have talked about [the same financing issues] three or four years ago, I’m more optimistic about the situation now because of these new [platforms].”

LAUGH OUT LOUD Scherba says that buyers nowadays are willing to open their pocketbooks for a really good kids’ animated comedy when they come across one. “Kids’ animated comedy has been the most consistent need that I’ve heard [from broadcasters] since I started in the business,” he says.

“They’re hard to do well, but if you execute them properly, they are the shows that broadcasters get the most value out of because they rate well and they repeat well.”

Faier agrees that comedy has been perennially popular among broadcasters and even more so as of late. “It’s the genre that is the easiest for a kid to sit back, watch and enjoy over and over again,” he says. “You can watch the same episode multiple times and still get a laugh out of it. In a time when linear channels are trying to attract as

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big and as broad of an audience as they can, comedy typically delivers that.”

Faier is also hearing a lot of requests for boys’ action programming. “Boys’ action is great, since you attract a specific audience who can often be rabid for that brand,” he says. “There’s an affinity boys have for that show and the network that’s carrying that show.

That can be important for brand building. If you look at the schedules of the major networks in the U.S. and internationally, boys’ action does hold specific slots. The audience isn’t as broad-based as comedy, though, and in a market when you need eyeballs to support your business model (which is advertising), you need to draw a broad audience.” eOne Family’s Dumont has also seen kids’ comedy selling extremely well, but notes that these properties tend not to have as much L&M potential, as opposed to preschool properties.

“The flip side is that preschool is a much tougher sell onto broadcast platforms because of the market saturation and because broadcasters are able to rotate them more than older-skewing content,” he says. “But, if you can get good exposure for the shows on TV, it creates a great platform for the exploitation of L&M rights.”

In addition to physical L&M products—from toys to plush to clothing and accessories—digital ancillaries are becoming an increasingly important part of the kids’ content business, says Dumont. “It is absolutely crucial to offer strong digital assets to your partners to market and promote the properties you are creating. Kids spend so much time online that creating a marketing and product ecosystem digitally is essential for the success of the brands.”

As a result, he says, eOne Family integrates this spend as part of the budget or investment for any new brand it takes on.

Mediatoon’s Alby refers to these ancillaries, including apps, e-books and online games, as “digital goodies.” He says that they’re being requested more and more nowadays and that they add to the value of the IP. Alby explains that digital extensions help build stronger ties between the property and the young viewers, and provide incentives for buyers.

MONEY TALKS There was, for a time, a view that apps and other digital products had promise as a source of additional revenue, but the financial returns haven’t panned out to be anything of great consequence. Cyber Group’s Sissmann maintains that it’s less about the moneymaking potential of apps than it is about the promotional support they provide.

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The girl-skewed series Sissi, the Young Empress, part of the Mondo TV slate, is inspired by the stories of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

“Two years ago, everybody was talking about apps but not really about VOD and SVOD,” says Sissmann. “People have now realized that apps are great, but they are more support to a program than a business by themselves. On the contrary, the platforms that have emerged (and are still emerging) can be a massive source of business. There are more and more SVOD platforms developing across the world. Three years ago, we maybe signed one deal [with a VOD platform]. This year, we’ve probably signed ten.”

IN DEMAND Mondo TV is among the companies enjoying the new opportunities from on-demand platforms. Azoury says that the company’s dealings with digital platforms have increased rapidly in recent years, bolstered by the fact that much of Mondo TV’s library is available dubbed in different languages. She believes this is an important proposition for these platforms, since localizing content can be too costly for an emerging service.

DHX has benefited from the rise of new nonlinear platforms in several ways, Scherba explains. “The biggest way, and the way that benefited us the most early on, is that when these platforms are launching on a local basis, they need a lot of content,” he says. “We’ve got a large library, so that’s been a big advantage for us, to be able to be a preferred supplier to these platforms as they pop up.”

DHX has continued to keep up good relationships with these players, working closer together as the platforms evolve and focus more on exclusivity and premium content that can help to brand their offering. “Now, we’re in very active discussions with them about content that we can produce specifically for their platform as opposed to an acquisition,” Scherba says.

As these VOD platforms mature, there are more conversations around exclusivity with content. Several streaming platforms, notably the ones in the U.S., are already producing originals. More are sure to follow suit as they increase their spending and work to differentiate their services.

“A few years ago, these platforms were mainly focusing on acquiring content that already existed,” says Mediatoon’s

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Alby. “The interesting thing is that today they don’t want to air content that is already out there, but instead want content that they will be the first to premiere. That’s becoming very interesting for us.” Alby says that Mediatoon is “working on some serious leads” in terms of content commissioned specifically for a digital service.

“If you’re doing a show as an original for one of the SVOD services, you have to be careful because you do want to have the ability and the flexibility for it to air on as many platforms as possible,” cautions DHX’s Faier. “You have to consider that very thoroughly as you do the show.”

Faier says that the on-demand world does provide additional opportunities that standard linear broadcast sometimes does not. For instance, things that are a bit more serialized or have an ongoing story arc work quite well in an on-demand, binge-viewing environment. “It’s opening up the idea of perhaps having more properties on our development slate that are serialized in nature,” he says. “In linear, that’s a bit more difficult. Broadcasters have generally pushed away from that for kids’ programming because they need the flexibility when scheduling it [with repeats].”

BREAKING THE RULES DHX’s Scherba agrees that the nonlinear platforms are a bit more open to serialized story arcs than linear ones are. “They have more flexibility about a difference in format, the number of episodes and content that has an ongoing arc,” he says.

“However, as the rules change, linear is looking to [shift] what they’re doing as well, and we are starting to see more telenovela-type programs on linear.”

On-demand platforms are certainly game-changers when looking at the opportunities ahead for distributors of kids’ programming. “These platforms are now two, three years into their business plans, and they’re coming back for more and more kids’ content,” says Scherba. “They’re looking for new titles, making renewals and going deeper with exclusives; it’s a really good sign for future health in the kids’ [content] business.”

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AMAZON STUDIOS’

TARA SORENSEN

By Anna Carugati

It is no secret that children have taken to video-on-demand sites, where they effortlessly find their favorite shows. One such streaming site, Amazon Prime Instant Video, is not only acquiring thirdparty product, but its studio has started producing its own shows.

Children’s programming, in fact, has been a strong driver of the service’s subscriptions. Tara Sorensen, the head of kids’ programming at Amazon Studios, tells TV Kids about her slate of shows, what’s in development and how children’s viewing habits are changing.

TV KIDS: How did the original children’s programming strategy come about at Amazon Studios?

SORENSEN: Amazon’s customer database has a concentration of kids and families; [when management was] looking for a strategy for Amazon Studios, they identified certain target demographics, and kids was one of them. When I joined the company, we talked about starting with preschool because I knew that kids would be growing up with the service and that we were going to be a little bit more heavily reliant on moms finding it first as Amazon Prime customers. So we decided to put preschool programming up first, and then grow up the programming as the audience grew and was able to find it on their own. In the first wave we did exclusively preschool programming, and in the second wave we expanded to 6-to-11.

TV KIDS: Do you feel there is a void in the children’s programming market that Amazon can fill?

SORENSEN: We know a lot about our customers, luckily, so I wanted to make sure that we were differentiating the programs in our service so that they felt fresh and distinct. That’s why for preschool content we brought on Dr. Alice Wilder to help us codify a curriculum that wasn’t just focused on core curriculum or

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wasn’t just focused on social emotional [development of children]. There was a lot of thought that went into building out our goals that ultimately will create life-long learners out of Amazon kids. We are focused on right-brain thinking as well as left-brain thinking. Creativity is getting a lot of traction lately and I believe it will make a difference in the leaders of tomorrow. Facts and information are really at children’s fingertips, so what is going to separate them in this landscape, we believe, is creativity, innovation and right-brain thinking.

TV KIDS: I couldn’t agree with you more.

SORENSEN: And on the older end of the spectrum, again, knowing that moms and dads are customers, we wanted to make sure that parents felt comfortable with the programming that we were putting in front of their 6- to 11-yearolds. Parents are still very much making the decision to become Amazon Prime members, and we wanted to be respectful of that and continue to earn their trust. So, on the older end of the spectrum we will look to provide positive role models that are still relevant to who kids are and what they expect. By that, I mean that there will still be aspirational characters, but there will be a grounded element to them. We will avoid anything that is heavily reliant on scatological humor, anything that is overly violent. We hope that there is a sophistication that we will be able to find in our programming. That might come in the form of serialized worlds and really being able to dig deep into characters and stories, where linear broadcasters might avoid serialization because of the way their service works. But, for a subscription service we think it will work really well.

Also, as we talk a lot about the Amazon Prime member, mom and dad, I hope there is the opportunity for co-viewing.

That is something that we saw a lot in customer feedback about Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street. Parents were really excited about the show because it was reminiscent of shows they grew up with and they felt they could and would watch with their child, which I think is really exciting.

TV KIDS: How does Amazon’s pilot system work?

SORENSEN: Amazon is a customer-focused/-obsessed company, which is great for me as a kids’ programming executive because it really does feel like a mission-driven organization.

For our pilot process, we develop written materials and once we have a handle on what the show is and if there is life beyond [the script], we will trigger a small amount to pilot test. The pilot test is a fully produced, broadcast-quality episode that goes up on Amazon for 30 days. We watch how our customers watch the pilot and listen to their feedback.

They are able to star-rate it, much like they rate merchandise on the retail site. We understand how the programs are being received and we also do some more traditional focus-group testing. Especially with the preschoolers, we wanted to make sure we were seeing exactly what their reaction was versus having it filtered. We look at all the metrics, then we make

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Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street was the first kids’ series to receive a greenlight from Amazon Studios’ opendoor pilot submissions.

decisions based on our customers’ responses, and then we greenlight pilots to series. So, the customers feel invested in the programming. We want to make sure that we deliver on what they reacted to.

In certain instances there was a very positive reaction on a number of shows but we were also able to weave through all the comments and make revisions based on customer feedback, so customers are really custom-tailoring the shows.

TV KIDS: Wow, that must be a development and production executive’s dream to get that kind of feedback!

SORENSEN: It is. And I hear a lot from our producers. Some of them are obsessed! They go on the site every day to see customer feedback; some of them do it every morning! Others have created spreadsheets and compiled all the feedback.

It’s really immediate and direct and it’s something they don’t always see, so it’s become a great tool.

TV KIDS: What kind of creative environment can writers, producers or directors find at Amazon Studios that they might not be able to find elsewhere?

SORENSEN: We rely pretty heavily on creator vision. We are not looking to sit at the table with 50 people in suits and tell the creator what the show should be like. We really want their vision to come through. We are here to guide them with regard to Amazon customer feedback. I would hope that we are more creator-friendly than other studios.

The second thing is that our timelines are different. We are not looking to develop a project for three to five years. We really want to see what works, and if it doesn’t, we will hopefully find something that does. That has been a luxury for our creators. Then, in the event that a creator is not as well versed in the medium—for example, David Anaxagoras, who was a first-time writer—we’ll look to team them up with more established producers so that hopefully their vision comes through but they [are working alongside] someone who is more established and has a longer track record. If you look at our development slate, we have taken a portfolio approach with more established creators, like Angela Santomero [Blue’s Clues, Super Why!] and J.J. Johnson [Dino Dan], alongside less established creators like Drew Hodges or David Anaxagoras.

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TV KIDS: That’s great, because you are probably finding voices that are not able to find their way onto some linear channels.

SORENSEN: That is really how the online system got created.

It came from the concept that good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone, and we wanted to make sure that we were hearing them.

TV KIDS: What are you learning about how children are watching content?

SORENSEN: The reason I came to Amazon Studios was because I had kids and saw how their “television” habits were changing.

I knew that they did not rely on a linear broadcaster, certainly not the way I did growing up. I had an allegiance to one channel and I sat in front of the TV for hours on Saturday watching all the shows! Today, children are more platform-agnostic. They go between the computer and their tablets. Occasionally they watch linear channels—actually, my kids don’t, but obviously children are watching because broadcast is still working—but kids are more accustomed to getting things when they want them, where they want them. And if they don’t find what they want, they will go someplace else.

TV KIDS: And they are incredibly savvy; they know where to go.

SORENSEN: Yes indeed, they do. They don’t know a world without a tablet and they don’t know a world without highspeed Internet. Yes, they will find stuff; they are able to find a lot of stuff!

TV KIDS: Amazon has the ability to sell products, something linear channels cannot do. How are you incorporating that ability into your licensing and merchandising strategies?

SORENSEN: My mandate is to provide great programs that our customers will love and that are available exclusively though Amazon Prime Instant Video, so I am really focused on that first and foremost. Certainly, if kids connect with characters, they want to interact with them in different ways. We have not greenlit anything yet to a second season, but we will be doing that. We are definitely seeing customers ask for materials [related to our shows], but we need to make sure that process happens organically. Again, my prime objective is to create great programs, and anything else will come after that.

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