TV Kids Summer Festival 2022

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Event Agenda

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

BY MANSHA DASWANI

The More You Know AVOD, SVOD, FAST channels, podcasting, games, live experiences, toys, books—there’s an endless array of mediums for IP owners to play with as they look to foster meaningful connections with kids across the globe. Making sense of this landscape, while also concerning yourself with delivering safe, uplifting content that speaks to young ones of all backgrounds and abilities, is no easy feat. The second edition of the TV Kids Summer Festival aims to make that process just a tad easier by serving up a wealth of insightful, relevant keynotes and panels from June 7 to 10.

We have 25-plus speakers slated to weigh in on the most pressing topics in the children’s content business, from what’s topping acquisitions executives’ wish lists to insights on structuring financing and distribution strategies, fostering next-generation talent and making sense of the metaverse. We close this year’s TV Kids Summer Festival by showcasing an array of great shows: Gaumont’s Bionic Max, The Jim Henson Company’s Word Party, Guru Studio’s Big Blue and Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street Mecha Builders, along with new content from ZDF Studios and Dandelooo and a sizzle reel of Future Today’s HappyKids channel.

All the sessions will be available live and ondemand next week, and stay tuned for details on a podcast version that will be downloadable after the event wraps.

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 9 a.m. EDT Buying Savvy Paramount’s Layla Lewis, POP Channels’ Francesca Newington, Sensical’s Bethany Boles and De Agostini Editore’s Brenda Maffuchi weigh in on wish lists, rights negotiations and more.

Layla Lewis

Francesca Newington

Bethany Boles

Brenda Maffuchi

10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote: Warner Bros.’ Amy Friedman As the head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros., Amy Friedman oversees creative and strategic guidance for the slate at Cartoon Network and Cartoonito and the development and production of kids’ and family content for HBO Max.

Amy Friedman

12 p.m. EDT Keynote: ZDF Studios’ Katharina Pietzsch A director in ZDF Studios’ junior department, Katharina Pietzsch will highlight the company’s extensive live-action slate. Stay tuned for a sneak peek at new content from ZDF Studios following the keynote.

Katharina Pietzsch

1:30 p.m. EDT Meeting the Metaverse David Kleeman, senior VP of global trends at Dubit, will offer up tips on how IP owners can tap into the new opportunities presented by the metaverse before catching up with WildBrain’s Anne Loi on how that indie giant is exploring this new landscape.

3 p.m. EDT Keynote: Sesame Workshop’s Ed Wells & Kay Wilson Stallings Ed Wells and Kay Wilson Stallings will discuss how Sesame Workshop is expanding its slate while staying true to its mission of helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

David Kleeman

Anne Loi

Ed Wells

Kay Wilson Stallings

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 9 a.m. EDT Where’s the Money?

Serious Kids’ Genevieve Dexter, Cyber Group Studios’ Raphaëlle Mathieu, MIAM! animation’s Hanna Mouchez and Monster Entertainment’s Andrew Fitzpatrick on financing shows today.

Genevieve Dexter

Raphaëlle Mathieu

Hanna Mouchez

Andrew Fitzpatrick

10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote: BBC’s Patricia Hidalgo The director of children’s & education at the BBC, Patricia Hidalgo will outline the pubcaster’s approach to serving British kids with high-quality, relevant content across CBBC, CBeebies and iPlayer.

Patricia Hidalgo

12 p.m. EDT Keynote: The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford Halle Stanford serves as president of television at The Jim Henson Company, leading the development and production of a slate that includes Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on Apple TV+. Stanford will be joined by special guest Gobo Fraggle, and stay tuned for a screening of Word Party.

Halle Stanford

1:30 p.m. EDT Creative Keynote: Bruce W. Smith A multiple award-winning animation artist, Bruce W. Smith will discuss the origins of his hit Disney Channel series The Proud Family and the process of bringing the beloved clan back for the Disney+ show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Bruce W. Smith

3 p.m. EDT Keynote: Nelvana’s Pam Westman Pam Westman, the company’s president, will articulate its approach to developing and sourcing content and mining its extensive library of IP. Pam Westman

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching Jetpack Distribution’s Dominic Gardiner, WildBrain’s Caroline Tyre and Guru Studio’s Jonathan Abraham will discuss their approaches to crafting distribution strategies that maximize IP across the value chain.

Dominic Gardiner

Caroline Tyre

Jonathan Abraham

10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote: Super RTL’s Thorsten Braun The CEO of Germany’s leading commercial children’s broadcaster, Thorsten Braun, will share how he is navigating the portfolio, now fully owned by RTL Group, in a rapidly changing environment.

Thorsten Braun

12 p.m. EDT TV Kids Pioneer Award: Jules Borkent Jules Borkent, managing director and executive VP for international kids’ and family brands at Paramount Global, will be honored for his achievements in the children’s media business following his keynote.

Jules Borkent

1:30 p.m. EDT Keynote: Gaumont’s Nicolas Atlan As the president of Gaumont U.S., Nicolas Atlan is using his deep experience in the children’s media business to continue expanding the French studio’s thriving animation segment.

Nicolas Atlan

3 p.m. EDT Latin American Playground We’re spotlighting the competitive kids’ media landscape in Latin America in this panel featuring Nickelodeon’s Migdalis Silva and Grupo Globo’s Luiz Filipe Figueira.

Migdalis Silva

Luiz Filipe Figueira

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

FRIDAY, JUNE 10: SCREENINGS DAY 9 a.m. EDT Gaumont’s Bionic Max Max, a malfunctioning bionic guinea pig, and his goldfish buddy, JC, escape from their laboratory into the bustling streets of Woodchuck Woods. Featuring the episodes “Great Escape” and “Last Resort.”

10 a.m. EDT ZDF Studios A sneak peek at new content from ZDF Studios.

10:30 a.m. EDT The Jim Henson Company’s Word Party Catch two episodes of Word Party, an interactive preschool show that invites viewers to help care for four adorable baby animals as they sing, dance and play their way through their daily routines.

11 a.m. EDT Guru Studio’s Big Blue Whenever there’s trouble, Captain Lettie and the Calypso Crew are there to help save the Big Blue and protect its quirky residents. On every mission, there’s always big adventure, plenty of laughs and even an occasional dance party!

11:30 a.m. EDT Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street Mecha Builders Mecha Elmo, Mecha Cookie Monster and Mecha Abby are ready to problem-solve the most out-of-this-world situations. Using their robo skills, the Mecha Builders are here to help.

12 p.m. EDT Future Today’s HappyKids Presenting a sizzle reel of Future Today’s HappyKids channel.

12:30 p.m. EDT Dandelooo A look at new content from Dandelooo.

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

onathan Abraham spearheads Guru Studio’s global sales efforts for both media and consumer products and has a successful track record of creating strong partnerships in the kids’ entertainment business. In his role as VP of sales and business development, Abraham leads worldwide sales for the studio’s original kids’ and family content, including the two-time Emmy Awardnominated preschool series Justin Time, the Netflix original series True and the Rainbow Kingdom, the comedy-adventure series Big Blue and its newest preschool series, Pikwik Pack. Abraham leads new business opportunities for the company across broadcast, licensing, consumer products and emerging platforms.

Prior to joining Guru, Abraham served as director of international sales and acquisitions at Portfolio Entertainment, where he led the growth of the company’s distribution division.

Before that, Abraham served as international sales and marketing manager at the toy company Zuru in Hong Kong.

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Jonathan Abraham VP, Sales & Business Development Guru Studio

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

uring Nicolas Atlan’s 25-plus year career, he has taken the lessons he learned as an independent producer and applied them as he moved into studio executive and senior company leadership roles. He ascended through the ranks at the French production company MoonScoop Group.

In 2009, Atlan moved to Los Angeles, where he took on the mantle as co-CEO of MoonScoop USA, later evolving to Splash Entertainment. He also served as president of Kabillion (owned by MoonScoop).

In March 2016, Atlan joined Gaumont as president of Gaumont Animation and Family and was promoted to president of Gaumont U.S. in July 2020. In his new role, Atlan added the oversight of the U.S. and Latin American drama divisions, while continuing to oversee animation and family. Atlan continues to uphold his commitment to excellence in producing the best content across the genre with titles like the award-winning Stillwater (Apple TV+); Do, Re & Mi (Amazon Prime Video), an animated musical series for preschoolers; Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (Netflix), based on the comic books by Stan Sakai; and High in the Clouds (Netflix), the animated feature developed with Paul McCartney.

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Nicolas Atlan President Gaumont U.S.

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 1:30 p.m. EDT Keynote

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

ethany Boles began her career at WGBH, the PBS affiliate in Boston. It was there that she fell in love with children’s television, working on such award-winning shows as Design Squad and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. After receiving her Master’s degree in television from Boston University, Boles moved to Los Angeles, where she continued to pursue her kids’ entertainment dreams, eventually landing at The Jim Henson Company, where she served as creative affairs coordinator for more than three years.

Since then, Boles has worked as a creative executive on a number of children’s shows and is currently head of programming for Common Sense Networks’ Sensical, the new free streaming service for kids 2 to 10 inspired by the work of Common Sense Media.

B Bethany Boles Head, Programming Sensical

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 9 a.m. EDT Buying Savvy

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

ules Borkent is in charge of all aspects of content and business operations, overseeing brand and content management and strategy, acquisitions, production development, creative and multiplatform, for Nickelodeon-branded channels and platforms internationally.

Prior to Borkent’s current role, he was executive VP of content and network strategy for Nickelodeon International, a role he assumed in January 2017.

Previously, Borkent was senior VP of global acquisitions and international programming at Nickelodeon, a position he assumed in 2008. In both roles, Borkent was responsible for leading global acquisitions for Nickelodeon, as well as programming strategies for Nickelodeon International. In close alignment with Nickelodeon U.S., Borkent established the international programming council, which he continues to oversee. Borkent also continues to manage a multimillion-dollar content investment across kids’ and family programming.

Previously, Borkent was VP of programming for Nickelodeon International. Borkent joined Nickelodeon in 1998 as the director of programming and acquisitions for Nickelodeon Europe and Africa.

Borkent holds a Master’s degree in English and literature from the University of Nijmegen.

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Jules Borkent Managing Director & Executive VP, International Kids & Family Brands Paramount Global

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 12 p.m. EDT TV Kids Pioneer Award

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

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horsten Braun joined Super RTL in Cologne in 2020. As chief content and revenue officer, he was initially responsible for sales strategy. Since August 2021, he has been leading the company as CEO. In the course of his career, Braun has held various management positions in the media and marketing business. After studying business administration, his positions included sales director at NBCUniversal in Düsseldorf and VP of sales at MTV Networks in Berlin. He then gained agency experience as managing director at VivaKi in Düsseldorf. Before joining Super RTL, Braun was general manager and VP at Disney Channel in Munich, where he was responsible for the content of all TV channels and digital platforms as well as their marketing and further partnerships.

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote

Thorsten Braun CEO Super RTL

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

enevieve Dexter has worked in the kids’ IP sector for 30 years. She is the executive producer of Best & Bester, Tee & Mo, Messy Goes to Okido, Horrible Science, Angelo Rules and many more. She is a serial entrepreneur and was the founder of CAKE, which she sold to Zinkia in 2010.

Serious Kids, established in 2011, represents a portfolio of high-quality IP, including the Emmy Award-winning The New Legends of Monkey (See-Saw Films); the two-time BAFTA-winning, Emmy-nominated Operation Ouch! (Maverick TV), now in its 11th season for CBBC; the International Emmy Kids Award-winning Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter (Studio Ghibli/Astrid Lindgren Company), directed by Goro Miyazaki; and Welcome to Earth from the Oscar-winning studio ZEILT productions.

Eye Present, established in 2015, is a 50-seat animation studio with both CG and 2D pipelines specializing in optioning or co-producing IP with unique provenance. The studio is currently in production on Best & Bester for Paramount Global in co-production with the originators, Gigglebug Entertainment and Nelvana.

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Genevieve Dexter Founder & CEO Serious Kids & Eye Present

SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 9 a.m. EDT Where’s the Money?

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

uiz Filipe Figueira has 15-plus years of experience in the entertainment industry, focused on content sourcing, acquisitions and co-productions across multi-genre brands. He has a proven track record of leading and managing challenging international negotiations to secure game-changing IP for Grupo Globo’s kids’ linear, streaming and AVOD/SVOD strategies. He is an experienced speaker at international industry events as Grupo Globo’s spokesperson for the kids’ segment, and a collaborative leader, passionate about developing teams and inspiring them to succeed. He was responsible for launching Grupo Globo’s first preschool channel, Gloobinho, and for leading the company’s flagship channel, Gloob, to become the main national children’s brand.

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SESSION Thursday, June 9: 3 p.m. EDT Latin American Playground

Luiz Filipe Figueira Head, Programming & Content Strategy, Kids Grupo Globo

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

mong Monster Entertainment’s flagship TV series are the ratings topping The Day Henry Met and Earth to Luna. Other highlights include Peek Zoo, Pins and Nettie and Paddles.

Monster produced the successful TV series I’m a Monster, I’m a Fish and I’m a Creepy Crawly and co-produced The Adventures of a Young Marco Polo and Rocka-Bye Island. Monster has developed two new animated feature films and is working on raising the funding at present.

Prior to founding Monster, Andrew Fitzpatrick ran the Don Bluth companies, which included Europe’s largest animation studio, for over ten years, holding various positions, including that of chairman prior to the company’s takeover by News Corp. Prior to Don Bluth’s closure in Ireland, Fitzpatrick put together a consortium that made a fully financed bid to acquire the studio and its library.

Prior to Bluth, he was a management consultant specializing in advising international companies setting up operations in Ireland. Though he hates to admit it, Fitzpatrick is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree.

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Andrew Fitzpatrick Chairman & Founder Monster Entertainment

SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 9 a.m. EDT Where’s the Money?

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

my Friedman is responsible for the creative and strategic guidance on kids’ and family programming for Cartoon Network and Cartoonito, as well as the development and production of kids and family content for HBO Max. Friedman oversees strategy for new and current series, acquisitions and co-productions globally for kids and family across HBO Max and Cartoon Network, while working in close collaboration with Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.

Friedman is an accomplished veteran of the kids’ and family business, having served as a senior advisor on programming and creative responsibilities for Cartoon Network. She has previously served in senior creative management roles at Nickelodeon, Noggin, TeenNick, Scratch (Viacom’s in-house Millennial innovation lab), Sprout and Universal Kids. Friedman is also the founder and president of Redhead Consulting, a brand-creation and contentdevelopment company focused on kids, teens and families. Her work in branding, inclusive storytelling and prosocial content has earned multiple Peabody, Beacon, Cable Ace and Creativity Awards.

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SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote

Amy Friedman Head, Kids & Family Programming Warner Bros.

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

ominic Gardiner founded Jetpack Distribution in 2014 with studio production partner Samka Productions. It has gone on to become a leading distributor of global kids’ shows, including Alice’s Diary, Critters TV, Mechamato, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed, Moley, Clangers, Wolf, Talking Tom & Friends and Kitty is Not a Cat. The company prides itself on working in partnership with kids’ content producers. As well as finding the best homes for their shows, it consults on a range of areas, from financing to marketing, helping producers build the profile of their work.

Jetpack offers a bespoke and flexible service tailored for the individual needs of each producer.

Prior to that, Gardiner held various senior-level roles in London and Tokyo at global TV and entertainment companies, including The Walt Disney Company (director of acquisitions) and Turner, where he was the channel manager of Cartoon Network.

Gardiner’s areas of expertise within the media industry include acquisitions, programming, scheduling, creative, production, operations, marketing, digital and business development.

D Dominic Gardiner CEO Jetpack Distribution

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

atricia Hidalgo is responsible for developing and implementing creative and editorial strategies for BBC children’s and education services across all platforms, including BBC’s iPlayer, CBeebies and CBBC, with a focus on the strategic future direction of media consumption and business models, overseeing all the division’s content output, including in-house productions, co-productions and acquisitions.

Hidalgo has a strong industry track record and is behind some of the most successful shows in kids’ TV. During her last six years at Turner, she was responsible for the production of the multiple award-winning series The Amazing World of Gumball, as well as the Emile-awarded and BAFTA-nominated The Heroic Adventures of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe. In 2017, Hidalgo was awarded World Screen’s Kids Trendsetter Award for her outstanding contribution to the kids’ media industry. Prior to her role at Turner, Hidalgo spent 15 years at Disney, where she held a number of senior roles in Spain, Italy and the U.K.

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SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 10:30 a.m. EDT Keynote

Patricia Hidalgo Director, Children’s & Education BBC

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

trategist, analyst, author, speaker, connector. David Kleeman has led the children’s media industry in developing sustainable, child-friendly practices for more than 35 years. He began this work as president of the American Center for Children and Media and is now senior VP of global trends for Dubit, a strategy/research consultancy and metaverse studio.

When he began this work, “children’s media” meant television. Today, he is fascinated by, and passionate about, kids’ wide range of possibilities for entertainment, engagement, play and learning.

Kleeman uses research, insights and experience to show that much may change, but children’s developmental paths and needs remain constant.

Kleeman is advisory board chair to the international children’s TV festival Prix Jeunesse, on the board of the Children’s Media Association and the advisory board of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. He was a Senior Fellow of the Fred Rogers Center, board VP for the National Association for Media Literacy Education and a governor of the Television Academy.

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David Kleeman Senior VP, Global Trends Dubit

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 1:30 p.m. EDT Meeting the Metaverse

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

ayla Lewis leads and implements the global strategy for all acquisitions and content partnerships across the entire Nickelodeon portfolio of channels, across all linear and nonlinear platforms, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Responsible for sourcing, negotiating and managing all strategic content partnerships for Nickelodeon platforms globally, Lewis cultivates new and existing partnerships with content distributors, producers and creators from around the world, while expanding the partnerships and aligning opportunities across the other lines of business within Paramount. In her current role, Lewis has secured many long-term, successful content collaborations around both new and existing IPs across preschool, animation and live action.

Lewis joined Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) from Turner International’s Hong Kong office, where she was responsible for the development, planning and execution of pan-regional Asia Pacific acquisitions and development strategies, with a particular focus on India, South Korea and Southeast Asia. Prior to Turner, she was a part of Nickelodeon UK, where she was responsible for acquiring and editorially overseeing much of the award-winning content produced for the network out of the U.K.

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SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 9 a.m. EDT Buying Savvy

Layla Lewis Senior VP, Global Acquisitions & Content Partnerships, Kids & Family Group Paramount Global

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

nne Loi works closely with WildBrain’s senior management and talented content teams to help drive its leading slate of kids’ and family shows. She oversees content and IP investments, key external partnerships and research and insights, in addition to her responsibilities in mergers and acquisition activities. Loi has been a core member of WildBrain’s leadership team since the company’s founding in 2006, coming over with DECODE Entertainment when it merged with Halifax Film to form WildBrain’s predecessor, DHX Media.

Prior to joining WildBrain, Loi was VP of financial strategy at Extend Media and before that, she held various management positions at IMG Group (now Lavalife), Proctor & Gamble and Deloitte. Loi is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a BA from Western University and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

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Anne Loi Executive VP, M&A & Chief Commercial Officer WildBrain

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 1:30 p.m. EDT Meeting the Metaverse

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

renda Maffuchi joined De Agostini Editore in December 2012. She is responsible for analyzing, negotiating and managing all content acquisition and international co-productions for De Agostini’s channels in Italy. In this role, she also supervises the complete development process for the local and international co-productions for the channels.

Prior to De Agostini Editore, Maffuchi worked at The Walt Disney Company Latin America, supervising and coordinating the content acquisitions for the LatAm region. Later on, she was responsible for the live-action and multimedia content division at the Spain-based company Elastic Rights, overseeing the distribution and consumerproducts rights strategies for Southern Europe.

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SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 9 a.m. EDT Buying Savvy

Brenda Maffuchi Head of Acquisitions & Property Development De Agostini Editore

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

ith more than 20 years of experience in the audiovisual field and especially in the distribution of cultural and entertainment content, Raphaëlle Mathieu has been involved in the creation of television and feature animation production companies such as Daydream Production and Timing.

Formerly head of acquisitions and sales at Zylo, a French TV and digital distribution company, Mathieu then spent six years as senior VP of sales, acquisitions and new media at Cyber Group Studios, a leading animation company based in France, the U.S., U.K., Italy and Singapore.

Promoted to the newly created position of executive VP, Mathieu, who is already a member of the management board, is overseeing all commercial activities of the company worldwide and works with Chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse on defining the overall strategic areas of growth for Cyber Group Studios activities, including but not only sales, digital and licensing.

Since 2017, Mathieu has also been VP of SEDPA, the professional union of French audiovisual distributors for all genres.

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Raphaëlle Mathieu Executive VP Cyber Group Studios

SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 9 a.m. EDT Where’s the Money?

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

fter a student internship at Bac Films, Hanna Mouchez joined the international sales department of Millimages in 2009. Animation was more than a career path and soon became a passion. For nearly seven years, she managed international sales and worked on financing shows, handling presales and co-productions in Europe and Canada. Her desire to develop her own editorial line and work as a producer grew stronger, and so she decided to found MIAM! animation in 2016.

The initial idea was to adapt and produce a series based on the French children’s books Edmond and Friends, published by Nathan and illustrated by Marc Boutavant. She soon also developed an international sales business and built a coherent distribution lineup that now has more than 20 titles.

MIAM! distribution represents 15 talented French producers internationally.

Edmond and Friends is now titled Edmond and Lucy, a series for preschoolers in 3D, financed by France 5. The delivery is planned from June to November 2022 for premiere on France Télévisions this summer. To handle the technological innovations developed for the series, Mouchez also created, in 2019, a second company called MIAM! studio, dedicated to producing real-time 3D content.

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SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 9 a.m. EDT Where’s the Money?

Hanna Mouchez Founder & CEO MIAM! animation

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

rancesca Newington looks after the content acquisitions and programming strategy across the linear channels POP, Tiny Pop and POP Max, as well as the content strategy for the digital AVOD service POP Player.

Newington joined the POP channels in 2006, substantially growing the portfolio and overseeing its rise to becoming the number one commercial kids’ broadcaster in the U.K. She saw it through the sale to Sony Pictures Television in 2014, when she became head of kids’ networks. After taking time out in 2017, she returned to the same channels in 2021 after they were acquired by Narrative Entertainment. Prior to joining the POP channels, Newington spent four years working in children’s TV production on series, including Art Attack!

F Francesca Newington Director, POP Channels Narrative Entertainment

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 9 a.m. EDT Buying Savvy

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TV KIDS SUMMER FESTIVAL

atharina Pietzsch studied arts and media management in the U.K. and France and finished with a BA in media studies. After that, she earned a Master’s degree in textual and visual studies from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

She then started working as a producer for commercials for the German creative advertising powerhouse Jung von Matt in Hamburg.

In 2003, she joined ZDF Enterprises, first as a management trainee and then moved on to become responsible for the acquisitions and coproductions of kids’ and youth content, with her role gradually expanding to include investments into and sales of kids’ programs.

In her current role as director in ZDF Studios’ junior department, she is responsible for all worldwide key account English-speaking and Scandinavian clients, with a clear focus on sales to and the sourcing of content to co-produce with and produce for these key partners.

As part of its creative board that decides upon the projects ZDF Studios acquires, invests in or produces and co-produces to exploit across all platforms, she invests in all kinds of children and youth programming, ranging from preschool to tween/teen content in both animated and live action.

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SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 12 p.m. EDT Keynote

Katharina Pietzsch Director, Junior ZDF Studios

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igdalis Silva, based in Miami, reports to Tatiana Rodriguez, head of content, marketing and commercial solutions for Paramount Networks Southern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa; and Jules Borkent, managing director and executive VP for international kids and family brands at Paramount Global.

In this role, Silva leads the content and programming strategies, partnerships, acquisitions and media planning for the flagship network in the region, including preschool network Nick Jr., across linear television, digital, branded apps and VOD channels, among other platforms. She also works with Nickelodeon’s global channels to support worldwide programming and content strategy.

Silva serves as the primary liaison between Nickelodeon Latin America and Nickelodeon’s International Programming Council (IPC), working closely with the network’s global channels to support programming strategies.

Before this role, Silva was VP of programming and acquisitions for Nickelodeon Latin America. Silva began her career as a programming coordinator in 1997. Silva has a Bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from Instituto Universitario de Nuevas Profesiones in Caracas, Venezuela.

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Migdalis Silva VP & Brand Lead Nickelodeon Latin America

SESSION Thursday, June 9: 3 p.m. EDT Latin American Playground

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ultiple award-winning animation artist Bruce W. Smith is the creator and executive producer of Disney+’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, the revival of the groundbreaking series The Proud Family.

An accomplished director, producer and animator, Smith has been part of the animation industry for over three decades. He is best known for creating and executive producing Disney Channel’s hit series The Proud Family and The Proud Family Movie.

Most recently, Smith served as one of three directors of the Academy Award-winning short Hair Love.

A California Institute of the Arts alumnus, Smith co-founded Jambalaya Studio, an animation company with the goal of generating both racially and ethnically diverse projects for all mediums.

In December 2020, Smith and his producing partner, Ralph Farquhar, entered a wide-ranging, multiyear overall deal with Disney that calls for them to produce animated and live-action series and movies for Disney Branded Television. The agreement provides separate funding for them to find and develop emerging talent as well as leverage their combined experience to bring unique projects and voices to Disney.

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SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 1:30 p.m. EDT Creative Keynote

Bruce W. Smith Creator & Executive Producer The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

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n Emmy-winning and ten-time Emmynominated television producer, Halle Stanford serves as president of television at The Jim Henson Company, leading the development and production of all television, home entertainment and digital media in animated and live-action formats, establishing the company’s creative culture across all territories.

Stanford most recently executive produced Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Harriet the Spy and the short-form series Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, all for Apple TV+; Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time for discovery+; and the Emmy-winning Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Stanford is in development on a new slate of television projects, including The Kissing Hand, based on the internationally renowned picture book; Slumberkins, based on the popular book and plush toy line; Lena! based on Karen Katz’s books; author Rebecca Green’s How to Make Friends with a Ghost; and The Witchlands, based on the popular New York Times best-selling book series by Susan Dennard.

Stanford joined The Jim Henson Company in 1993.

She holds a BA in film and theater from Wesleyan University.

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Halle Stanford President, Television The Jim Henson Company

SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 12 p.m. EDT Keynote

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aroline Tyre is responsible for leading the implementation of commercial content strategy and spearheading content distribution for WildBrain. Tyre leads the global sales team, handles all tactical relationships with all major platforms, broadcasters and content partnerships, and develops tailored content action plans and responsive strategies for WildBrain properties globally. Tyre has over 20 years of experience across global content sales, acquisitions and programming, as well as experience with licensing and consumer products. She has held pivotal management positions at major media companies, including TELETOON, Entertainment One, Spin Master and the CBC. Prior to joining WildBrain, Tyre served as senior VP of international sales and general manager of Kartoon Channel! at Genius Brands International. She has worked with some of the biggest children’s media brands, including PAW Patrol, Masha and the Bear, How to Train Your Dragon, The Powerpuff Girls, Bakugan and more.

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SESSION Thursday, June 9: 9 a.m. EDT Window Watching

Caroline Tyre VP, Global Sales & Rights Strategy WildBrain

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d Wells is responsible for developing Sesame Workshop’s long-term strategic vision for media and education in the U.S. and around the world while maximizing audience engagement and growing the organization’s commercial and educational endeavors.

Previously, as Sesame Workshop’s senior VP and head of international media and education, Wells broadened the organization’s international reach through innovative new engagement opportunities and strategic partnerships across core areas: consumer products, content production and distribution, English-language learning and formal education and themed entertainment. He oversaw the Workshop’s on-the-ground expansion, opening and augmenting offices in Europe, Japan, China and Latin America. Wells also led his team in identifying early childhood issues in different regions, addressing them with the support of local sponsors by developing community outreach programs featuring Sesame Street’s characters, educational assets and whole-child approach to learning.

E Ed Wells Executive VP & Head, Global Media & Education Sesame Workshop

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 3 p.m. EDT Keynote

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am Westman oversees both the animation studio at Nelvana and Nelvana Enterprises, an integrated brand-management company focused on merchandising and licensing. Prior to this position, Westman was head of Nelvana Enterprises, where she was instrumental in expanding Nelvana’s content slate and played a leading role in establishing the company as the premier licensing agent in Canada focused on character licensing. With over 20 years of experience within the kids’ entertainment industry, Westman has led businesses and key children’s brands to strong growth across various markets.

Before joining Nelvana, Westman was the managing director of Staples Canada’s brand marketing division, SPP and was also a lead executive within their Canadian M&A team. Prior to that, she was the executive VP of HIT Entertainment, a global entertainment company responsible for landmark children’s content, including Bob the Builder, Barney & Friends and Thomas the Tank Engine. At HIT, she led the Canadian, U.S. and Latin American divisions through a period of strong growth and was part of the senior executive team that completed the sale of HIT to Mattel.

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SESSION Wednesday, June 8: 3 p.m. EDT Keynote

Pam Westman President Nelvana

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ay Wilson Stallings oversees Sesame Street and all Sesame Workshop shows, as well as the development of new programs and content across existing and emerging platforms. She also leads creative for domestic production and partners with global teams to enrich and expand Sesame Workshop’s presence around the world.

Wilson Stallings greatly expanded the Workshop’s impact through animation with specials including The Monster at the End of This Story and Furry Friends Forever: Elmo Gets a Puppy, as well as new shows such as Mecha Builders, the first CGI-animated spin-off of Sesame Street, and the preschool comedy series Bea’s Block. Newly animated literature-based miniseries are in development, beginning with the E.B. White classic Charlotte’s Web. She was most recently the senior VP of creative development at Sesame Workshop, where she developed the first new Sesame Workshop shows in nearly a decade: the critically acclaimed and award-winning Esme & Roy, Helpsters and Ghostwriter. Wilson Stallings created Sesame Studios, a YouTube channel hosting a broad mix of original stories, songs and other Sesame-quality kids’ content.

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Kay Wilson Stallings Executive VP, Creative & Production Sesame Workshop

SESSION Tuesday, June 7: 3 p.m. EDT Keynote

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