The Children‘s Media Conference

CMC 2015 - The Business of Digital

Online games, apps, short form video: digital content is no longer the new kid on the block, firmly established as a brand prerequisite or a new digital-first route to market.  However whilst the kids’ market may have matured in terms of demand for this new generation of content, are the business models behind it really working?

Indie developers complain that the culture of free makes it very hard to make app development pay; the app stores are so crowded that it can be impossible for new IPs to break through without significant marketing spend; work-for-hire commissioning budgets can vary hugely with little consistency over what a budget actually delivers; are digital-first commissions from the broadcasters just a way of getting content on the cheap or are the costs to make stuff really coming down?  What is the value of digital brand support when the super indies are able to give it away for free?

CMC 2015 - EdTech Futures

What alternatives are there to the traditional commissioning model? Would your idea suit a product / business model? What are the major differences with this approach to traditional brand building? 

In this session you can listen to experienced entrepreneurs and investors from the world of education technology, talking about their journey from idea to funded business, and  hear from them and their contemporaries on the opportunities for finance and brand growth in this sector. 

The session was moderated by Kriss Baird from Innovate UK and featured representatives from the Emerge Ventures Lab, Karisma Kidz, Tech Will Save Us, MakerClub and Erase All Kittens.

 

CMC 2015 - Maker Studios Masterclass

Maker Studios is the global leader in short form video to today’s diverse, tech-savvy group of young people.  As the largest content network on YouTube, Maker attracts more than 10 billion views every month with over 650 million subscribers.

 In this masterclass session, Dan’l Hewitt, UK MD of Maker, will explain how the platform has grown into a global media brand with over 55,000 independent creator partners from more than 100 countries, and billions of fans worldwide.

Highlighting some of Maker’s top digital stars for the younger audience, Dan’l will explain how the platform nurtures and develops talent and content, creating premium programming, and building lasting brands with engaged audiences.

CMC 2015 - Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

The brilliant PYMWYMI is back!  Four pitches to industry executives ready to back their instincts and option the next big commercial kids’ property with hard cash.

CMC 2015 - It Takes Two

Danger Mouse & Penfold, Dick & Dom, Tom & Jerry – double acts just keep delighting kids. Discover the secrets of their success with our BAFTA winning panel.

Double acts have formed an essential part of kids TV over the years and are still as relevant today as they were 75 years ago when a certain cartoon cat and mouse made their first appearance.

Find out how double acts work and why they resonate so strongly with the audience with panellists who know both inside out.

Rich McCourt and Dominic Wood, known everywhere as Dick & Dom, shine a light on their long and successful professional partnership. From broom cupboard to BAFTAs – get a unique insight into how their enduring double act developed and see special footage of how it all began.

The panel discusses popular pairings including Tom and Jerry, Gumball and Darwin (The Amazing World of Gumball), Finn and Jake (Adventure Time) and Danger Mouse and Penfold – who return to our screens in a new series of Danger Mouse this Autumn on CBBC.

Head writer Ben Ward talks about how he brought back these classic characters.

Cartoon Network and Cartoonito are home to a number of perennially popular double acts – Turner Broadcasting’s Patricia Hidalgo talks about classic characters “old” and “new”.

CMC 2015 - Industrial Light & Magic Masterclass

Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., has set the standard for visual effects for over forty years and in the process, created some of the most stunning images in the history of film including ‘Star Wars’, ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’.  In this Masterclass session, Scott Pritchard, 2D Sequence Supervisor from ILM’s new London facility discussed the creative and technical innovations that have set ILM apart and driven the evolution of ground breaking visual effects.

Showing exclusive behind the scenes development footage, Scott explained how change in the visual effects industry has caused seismic shifts in the way films are produced and how an industry traditionally seen as ‘post production’ now influences all stages of film development.

CMC 2015 - Game Change

The Public Service Broadcast review; the future of the BBC; the impact of OTT, VOD and the YouTube Kids app; personal security online; the duty of care for platform providers; the “ageing down” of social media; changes in the delivery and meaning of education; plus reaction to the CMC opening keynote. They all provide the agenda for massive media change and plenty for our eminent panel to discuss, as they consider your questions about how these “game-changes” may affect the children’s audience and how creativity and regulation may need to change to reflect that.

CMC 2015 - Creative Keynote - Jenny Sealey

Jenny Sealey is a fighter. Since becoming deaf at the age of seven, she has been determined to tackle challenges her way.

That determination led her to being the co-director of the 2012 London Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. She is a great fan of Ian Dury, whose famous song ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ could apply to her. She believes hat quality children’s / young people’s theatre and TV, inclusive and diverse, is essential to entertain, educate, inform and create a world and an aesthetic, where difference is embraced as the norm.

Jenny has pioneered a new theatrical language, coining the term the ‘Aesthetics of Access’; the creative integration of sign language, audio description, diverse physicality and different voices from the beginning of the artistic process.

Her passion now is an initiative for 16-25 year olds. ‘Good things have been done, but there is more to achieve’. She is interested to explore the potential mash-ups between TV and theatre and how new partnerships can be formed as now it’s crucial to join forces to save the arts from going under and becoming an elitist playground.

In her own words she would like to ‘take over the whole bloody world’. Stand by for a fascinating and engaging keynote.

CMC 2015 - Closing Keynote - Dylan Collins

One year ago, Dylan Collins opened CMC 2014 with a challenge to the children’s media industry to develop new models of working that would generate new revenue and especially help the digital sector become more sustainable. Since then, Dylan says he’s done his bit. And he’s sharing details of a new advertising platform to do exactly that.

Now he asks what the rest of us are doing? And what are the new questions that have emerged in the last 12 months, and in two day’s of conversation at CMC?

CMC 2015 - Changing Platforms

A panel of experts who have made the move from traditional media to new platforms discuss emerging opportunities and challenges on YouTube, apps, OTT and more. Topics covered will include funding, workflow, marketing, distribution and how content changes across platforms.