The Children‘s Media Conference

CMC 2015 - Research 6: Has digital Changed Play?

Play has a vital role in child and adolescent development. And yet there is mounting concern about the amount of time children and young people spend on digital devices.

Presented by Dr. Barbie Clarke, Family Kids & Youth

CMC 2015 - Research 5: Beyond Pink vs Blue

Studies with over 6,000 six to twelve year-olds reveal what makes programmes attractive to girls and boys and what should be considered when making gender-spanning content.

Presented by Dr. Maya Götz, International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI). 

CMC 2015 - Research 4: Scooby Do, Where are you? Still here.

Technology is changing but are kid’s content choices today that different to 1969, when ‘Scooby Doo’ was first created?

Presented by Joanne Cliff, Platypus Research and James Davies, CHILDWISE.

CC 2015 - Research 3: Little Miss Understood

Dispelling the myths around girls in the 21st century, and exploring how both they and the world around them have changed.

Presented by Ben Frost, The Pineapple Lounge

 

CMC 2015 - Research 2: Sm(all) Change

Understanding and engaging a transitionary preschool television audience. How does engagement with TV and other media change, as a child rapidly develops?

Presented by Fiona Scott, University of Sheffield

CMC 2015 - Research 1: Children‘s Media Use - a Changing World

Exploring the increasingly blurred nature of apps and online gaming, the rise of YouTube as a key source of information and content, and the evolution of social media.

Presented by Alison Preston, Ofcom

CMC 2015 - What Are Girls Made Of?

Can children’s preschool programmes change cultural attitudes towards women by showing young boys and girls gender equality? Has children’s programming fostered unflattering views of women and the disrespectful attitudes it can create in society, as well as how women view themselves? How responsible is the children’s content industry for cementing the attitudes of people and their views towards gender when action toys are described as boy’s toys and the pink aisle is labelled for the girls? Can this paradigm be changed with programming for the post-millennial generation?

This session celebrates the successes in fostering new attitudes towards girls, as well as focusing on what needs to be done, by bringing together content creators, campaigners and researchers to reflect on the journey undertaken and engage in the journey ahead.

CMC 2015 - The Great Disruption

How will the new wave of online offerings – from Netflix, YouTube, Hopster and many others – change the UK market over the next five years? Is commercial children’s broadcasting doomed, as children shift online – or will broadcasters adapt? Will the major international children’s channels shift online and go direct-to-consumer? Are the big online players really a great new hope for funding children’s TV content – and what does this mean for producers? Can broadcasters and OTT players work together to grow the market? What will look most different in 2020 – and beyond?

We invited a diverse panel of leading industry executives – from broadcasting and online media – to help us explore the great disruption. Drawing on the latest industry data and research, we’ll paint a compelling picture of the new world of children’s TV in 2020 – and provide some practical tips on how to survive and thrive as a producer in this brave new world.

CMC 2015 - Brand Overlay

Children’s play patterns have always involved a mash-up of brands. Toycos such as Lego are also brilliant at layering brands, with their top-selling products supporting other brands. The movie Toy Story pivots around this play pattern and The Lego Movie reflects this play pattern with external brands mixed with its own.

However, this is a relatively recent evolution in the digital space with Disney Infinity’s Toybox allowing children to play with various Disney IP, Club Penguin integrating characters from Marvel, and Star Wars and Minecraft’s various mods such as Tate World for example.

CMC 2105 - Changemaker - Stella Duffy

Stella Duffy has written thirteen novels, over fifty short stories, and ten plays. She has twice won Stonewall Writer of the Year and twice won the CWA Short Story Dagger. She adapted her novel ‘State of Happiness’ for film with Zentropa/Fiesta, HBO have optioned her Theodora novels for a TV mini-series.

She is also a theatre-maker; Associate Artist with Improbable, Artistic Director of Shaky Isles Theatre. Stella is the Co-Director of Fun Palaces, the campaign for greater engagement for all – in ALL culture. www.funpalaces.co.uk