Kidscreen Summit Virtual kicks off on Monday, March 7th and runs until Friday, March 11th, 2022. The online program will feature five days of keynotes, fireside chats, buyer Q&As, panel discussions, research presentations, masterclasses, networking opportunities, and more.
This year we have a strong delegation of speakers participating in a wide range of Kidsceen Summit Virtual events, from both 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films. From development to distribution, and from pitch to production, our team will be on hand to dispense valuable industry insights and helpful tips on these topics and more. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about their upcoming panels and sessions below.
Come take a tour, meet the team and get a sneak peek at what our talented crew will be sharing on the virtual Kidscreen Summit stage!
First up, 9 Story Chief Creative Officer, Angela Santomero will be speaking on the Acing Your Edutainment Strategy panel on Monday, March 7, from 2:00pm – 2:45pm
COVID-19 revealed some pretty deep inequities when it comes to education access, and the kids industry is uniquely positioned to help fill the gaps. But educational content should deliver more than just curriculum—it needs to draw kids in, keep them hooked, and help them develop new knowledge and skills. This panel of producers and techcos will open their playbooks to show you how to create more compelling and engaging edutainment programming.
This panel is moderator SVP & GM of PBS Kids Sara DeWitt, and along with Angela, features Oli Hyatt, Owner of Blue Zoo Animation Studio, and Sunil Gunderia, Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Mastery & Adaptive Products at Age of Learning.
Angela C. Santomero, Creator & Executive Producer of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Blue’s Clues, Wishenpoof, Creative Galaxy & Super Why has been changing the way children watch TV for more than twenty years. She is the Creator, Executive Producer and Writer for award-winning kids and family content for PBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Studios, etc.
Acing Your Edutainment Strategy panel is on Monday March 7, from 2:00pm – 2:45pm
Next up, 9 Story VP of Development Karen Fowler will be participating in two Virtual Speed Pitching sessions at this year’s Summit. These 1-on-1 meetings allow event-goers the chance to connect with top broadcasters and investors who have the power to greenlight and set projects in motion. The highly effective format features 14-minute meetings, which allows for plenty of time to deliver the perfect pitch.
Karen Fowler is a multi-Emmy® award-winning Executive Producer, Showrunner and Producer with a proven track record of taking projects from development to production. Karen was Executive Producer of The Sesame Workshop/PBS reboot of The Electric Company, which earned over 20 Emmy® nominations and won 10, including Outstanding Children’s Series in 2010, 2011 and 2012. She has held staff positions at Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon and CBC KIDS’ where she was Executive in charge of Development & Production, developing and overseeing new shows and interstitials including the award-winning series Scout and the Gumboot Kids and DOT. Recently she was Development Exec and Creative Producer on Nickelodeon’s Abby Hatcher for Spin Master. As an independent, she’s developed and written series from development into production and has a track record of (and passion for) creating opportunities for new voices.
LEARN MORE:
Virtual Speed Pitching 3, Tuesday, March 8, 7:00am – 8:00am
Virtual Speed Pitching 4, Tuesday, March 8, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Our Brown Bag Films’ Director of Production, Martin Sal will be hosting a Chatroom – The Future of Work session. Attendees are invited to join Chatroom hosts for small hour-long group conversations about important topics facing today’s industry. Martin’s Chatroom starts at 9:00am on Wednesday, March 9th and will focus on the subject of “how to manage a virtual pipeline.”
Martin Sal is a Director of Production at Brown Bag Films / 9 Story Media Group. Martin spent the first half of his career as an animator and animation supervisor before moving into production and producing a range of content from pilots, through games to 2D and 3D series. Nowadays as a Director of Production, he oversees several productions, while planning and budgeting upcoming projects and working closely with Technology, HR and Finance on improving processes and supporting production. His strong first-hand understanding of production pipelines and workflows are invaluable tools in accurately assessing and planning future productions or troubleshooting arising problems. Martin enjoys challenges and approaches them more so as puzzles, than problems.
Other Chatroom session topics include creating a WFH-office hybrid culture, attracting talent in uncertain times, managing the great resignation, and first-time production challenges.
Chatroom – The Future of Work – How to Manage a Virtual Pipeline is on Wednesday, March 9, from 9:00am – 10:00pm.
Speaking on the Meet the Distributors panel is our SVP of Business Development & Acquisitions Alix Wiseman. This session is designed to let audiences get to know the top players in the content distribution landscape and learn more from the leaders who make it their business to know the buyers best.
Alix Wiseman is an international media professional with over 25 years experience. As Senior Vice President, Distribution & Acquisitions, she is responsible for heading up 9 Story’s sales operations and sourcing 3rd party content worldwide. Her remit also includes securing financing for 9 Story’s new IP’s and working closely with development to shape them for the international market.
Other panelists include Dominic Gardiner, CEO, Jetpack Distribution, Tatiana Kober President Bejuba! Entertainment, Mevelyn J. Noriega, President of Distribution, Splash Entertainment, and Diane Rankin SVP, Rights/Executive Producer, Distribution360.
Meet the Distributors runs from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on Wednesday, March 9.
Finally, on Thursday, March 10, 9 Story Senior Director of Development Martha Sepulveda will be speaking on the panel Being Seen: How to improve authentic diversity in kids TV.
In this exclusive research-driven presentation, speakers will explore the findings of a recent Canadian study looking at the representation awareness and needs of kids ages six to nine, 10 to 13 and 14 to 17, as well as talking to parents of these groups plus preschoolers and under-represented producers of children’s content to understand their experiences and observations. These insights have been distilled into several important directives that producers and buyers can use to make a positive change in the ongoing movement to make kids TV more inclusive.
Martha Sepulveda is a Colombian/Canadian Children’s Media Development Executive and Creative Producer. Martha currently occupies the exciting role of mom, and Senior Development Director at 9 Story Media Group. She has over 10 years of international experience in kids’ media, working with such award-winning companies as Sinking Ship Entertainment and Breakthrough Entertainment. She is proud to have served as an advisor for the Government of Colombia’s Ministry of Culture Children’s Media initiatives. Martha is known for actively creating change about diverse content, and representation in front of, as well as behind the screen. She is sought after for her perspectives, her creativity, and her aesthetic.
The full panel lineup includes Adel Abada, Associate VFX Supervisor, Cinesite, Kelly Lynne Ashton, Lead Researcher, Being Seen (Ashton Consulting), Jiro C. Okada, Creator & Writer & Producer, Tokimeki Studio, and Austin Wong, Director, Legal Counsel, Corus Entertainment Inc, and will be moderator by Shaleen Sangha, VP of Content, Kids & Family, Boat Rocker Media.
Being Seen: How to improve authentic diversity in kids TV is on Thursday, March 10, and runs from 12:00pm – 1:00pm.
Kidscreen Summit Virtual will still take place as planned from March 7 to 11. A reminder that all attendees who were registered for the Kidscreen Summit live event, which was postponed until July 2022, will have access to this digital companion event.