Total Licensing

TOTAL LICENSING
REVIEW
Lana Castleman,
Editor & Content
Director,
Kidscreen, talks
to Total Licensing
about the success
of 2016’s
conference, and
plans for the
future
Actor Geena Davis
received a standing
ovation for her talk
at Kidscreen
22
Q: In your opinion what were the real highlights of
the summit?
LC: In terms of conference content, it was truly a stand-out
year. We had our Then, Next & Now series, which featured
industry luminaries like Geraldine Laybourne, Fred Seibert
and ToysRUs Chief Merchandising Officer Richard Barry.
We also had Mary Coleman, Head of Development at Pixar,
deliver an insightful opening talk on how story drives technological
innovation at what is arguably the best animation
studio in the world - it was a big first for Kidscreen Summit.
We had YouTube’s entire global Kids and Learning team
assembled on stage for the first time, and we had Geena
Davis deliver a keynote address on gender and diversity
in children’s programming that seemed to really hit home
with everyone in the room. She received a well-deserved
standing ovation. I’ve only seen that happen once before
over the course of the dozen or so Kidscreen Summits
I’ve attended.
Q: Were there any interesting trends that you could
pinpoint, highlighted at the summit?
LC: We integrated our digital-focused iKids programming
into the main conference this year, and it underscored how
it is now impossible to separate digital innovation from the
traditional kids media/entertainment business. Kids don’t
differentiate between linear and streaming entertainment
or traditional and tech-laden toys, so why should the people
who produce those products? Accordingly, delegates
this year were keen to soak up any insights about operating
in the YouTube universe, with sessions like How to Program
a YouTube Channel packed to the gills.We also had some
excellent research-focused sessions that highlighted trends
and changes in children’s patterns of consumption and
behaviour that the industry
needs to know about, like how
kids are increasingly wanting to
be their own programmers.In
terms of attendance, we saw a
significant uptick (32%) in the
number of consumer products/licensing
professionals
attending - most of the major
toy companies (Mattel, Hasbro,
Spin Master, Jazwares, Moose
Toys) were in attendance,
working on their own entertainment
strategies and getting
involved in other third-party
projects at the earliest stage
possible.
Q: Were the delegate numbers up this year?
LC: 2016 was our biggest Kidscreen Summit ever, with delegate
numbers increasing by 5% to close to 1,800 attendees.
Q: How valuable do people find the seminars &
talks?
LC: Kidscreen Summit has built its reputation within the
industry largely on the back of its unique hybrid format. We
offer quite a lot of space for networking and doing business,
along with the most robust kids entertainment-focused
conference program of its kind. It takes place over four
days and this year it involved roughly 40 primary sessions,
dozens of formatted breakout sessions and more than 175
speakers. I know I’m a bit biased, but I can’t think of another
conference program that offers that kind of learning and
professional opportunity in the kids entertainment and media
business. As for this past year, I have had several people
tell me how inspired they were by Geena Davis’s address.
One distribution exec even said she was making Geena’s
motto “If she can see it, she can be it” part of her sales pitch
for a girl-focused series moving forward.
Q: Kidscreen is obviously renowned as a very important
event in the calendar of those working in
children’s entertainment - how is the reputation of
the conference maintained and what are the future
plans?
LC: Attendees have come to expect, and also trust, that we
will deliver a high level of content, opportunity to network
and customer service. Our job is to make sure we only
get better at it every year. We really examine the attendee
feedback and poll the industry, asking what worked, what
didn’t and how we can improve and deliver even more
value across the board. For the immediate future, the event
will be returning to the InterContinental Miami in 2017
(February 13-16).
Q: Do you find the number of international delegates
is increasing year on year, and why do you
think this is, if so?
LC: The number of international delegates has been rising
year-on-year for at least the past five years. At the 2016
event, we hosted delegates from 54 different countries, including
organized delegations from South Africa and Colombia
for the first time. As for why we’re seeing this steady
influx from new countries every year, I think it’s a function
of the growing importance of the event. People know they
have to be there if they’re serious about making a mark in
children’s entertainment. Especially if they’re looking to get
a project off the ground - a lot of kids TV series and content
have gotten their start over a chat at the coffee station in
the delegate lounge, I’m just saying.