The Grand Prix Diary Prize went to Jeamyma Pazsa Natasuarna (pictured) from Indonesia. Her diary was full of colourful drawings about ways she helps the environment.
In this first of our regular series of guest blogs, Kate Henderson describes a UNESCO event which inspired her.
If you have information, insights, inspiration or issues you want to air, let greg@thechildrensmediaconference.com know.
On 8th February UNESCO held the award ceremony of their Children’s Eco Picture Diary Global Contest in Paris.
This contest, conducted in association with Panasonic Kids School, promotes awareness of ecological issues such as recycling and energy conservation through creativity and play. Children from around the world kept picture diaries of their eco-friendly activities and those with the best diaries were invited to Paris to collect their awards and take part in special events around the city.
The judges included soprano Sarah Brightman, who was appointed UNESCO Artist for Peace on the same day and actress Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy).
The Grand Prix Diary Prize went to Jeamyma Pazsa Natasuarna (pictured) from Indonesia. Her diary was full of colourful drawings about ways she helps the environment.
As part of the Panasonic Kids School the children visited World Heritage sites with 3D video cameras and recorded reports for Kids Witness News. Their inspiring reports were screened in Paris. The children said “the whole world should be a heritage site” and that it is “our treasure”.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO spoke passionately to the children explaining, “as an individual we can make a change, but together we can change the world”. She said that “every child who had created a project was an ambassador for peace and that they should continue to dream bigger”.
I couldn’t help thinking what great animated shorts the children’s drawings would make and how inspiring their images and words are for children’s films and other media.
You can find more information on Kids Witness News and Eco Picture Diaries here: http://pks.panasonic.co.jp/global/index.html
The CMC British Animation Afternoon is just one month away and speakers have been announced. 15 March 2012 It’s the must-attend event for everyone in animation – producers, designers, animators, writers, distributors and students – this afternoon of insights will give the lowdown on possible futures for animation funding and distribution “beyond the broadcaster”. Confirmed speakers include: It’s the usual CMC line-up of the very best experts in the field of digital exploitation, who’ll explore new ways to market, and the opportunities, challenges and pitfalls along the way. Our thanks to UKTI for their support in providing the state-of-the-art 1 VS Conference Centre, which is just a short walk away from the British Animation Awards, taking place on the South Bank that same evening. If you’re coming to town for the BAAs – don’t miss the chance for some extra networking and fantastic advice from our expert guests. It’s everything you need, in one place, and in one convenient package. And all for just £55 + VAT (including lunch on arrival). Book now at: http://cmcanimationafternoon.eventbrite.co.uk
1 Victoria Street Conference Centre, London SW1
Tickets on sale now
Orion Ross (VP Original Series, Disney Channel & Disney XD, EMEA at The Walt Disney Company) with a keynote overview of working pan-platform to maximize the potential of your brand
Plus:
Andrew Baker (Rights.tv)
Sarah Baynes (The Creative Garden)
David Curry (LeSinge Media)
Dan Efergan (Aardman Digital)
Gina Fegan (Screen & Digital Media Specialist, UK Trade & Investment)
Ed Galton (Cake Entertainment)
Marc Goodchild (IpDipSkyBlue.tv)
Oli Hyatt (BlueZoo and Animation UK campaign)
Helen McAleer (Walker Books)
Greg McLeod (Brothers McLeod)
Juliet Tzabar (PlugIn Media)
Maurice Wheeler (DoCo)
Karl Woolley (Impossible Kids)
And more to be announced…
OK – who spotted it? 
In the last newsletter we said that the dates for the Children’s Media Conference this year were in February. That might stretch even our organisational powers. The real dates are of course 4th – 6th July 2012 and we’ll be back in Sheffield with more venues, more space and more content than ever. Tickets for the annual conference will be on sale very soon with an early-bird deal not to be missed.
Incidentally, congratulations to Joe McCulloch at BBC Children’s who was the first to spot the error, closely followed by Sirkka Moeller from Germany and long-time CMC supporter Rachel Murrell. They’re getting free Pizza Express tickets for CMC 2012 – our generosity knows no bounds!
Our chums at BAFTA are putting on a great event at the Animated Exeter Festival.
It’s a family-friendly look behind the scenes at animation house Astley Baker Davies who produce the BAFTA award winning Peppa Pig. Producer Phil Davies will be in conversation with CMC regular contributor, Helen Brunsdon about Peppa and ABD’s latest series Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom.
The event is on February 17th from 2 – 3.30 pm and it includes a previously unseen episode of the phenomenally successful series. Tickets can be booked through the Exeter Phoenix. BAFTA has a limited number of free tickets for BAFTA Members - please RSVP toregions@bafta.org, stating your membership number.
CMC, in association with The Creative Garden, organised the official UK delegation to the KidScreen Summit last week.
The delegation comprised 33 people representing 28 companies. They all received significant discount on their KidScreen tickets, and the benefit of dedicated meeting tables, an exclusive breakfast briefing to kick start the week (with an amazing array of US and Canadian kids executives explaining the way the market works across the pond) and a glittering reception at the UK Consul General’s residence in Manhattan (where the Queen and the Princes stay when they’re in town). All-in-all the delegation seems to have been a success. Thanks to Impossible Kids for their sponsorship of the two great events and to UK Trade and Investment for their support throughout. KidScreen is as much a market as it is a conference. Delegation participants reported strong interest in their ideas and projects and if the number of meetings at the UK tables was any indication of potential success – then there should be some business results. Congratulations to delegation members David Johnson (Famous Flying Films) and Ian Mackinnon (Mackinnon and Saunders) whose project Calamity Island featured in the prestigious pitching competition, and to Dominic Minns and CMC Advisory Committee member Juliet Tzabar (PlugIn Media) whose website for Octonauts won a KidScreen Award. Meanwhile Anne Brogan (Kindle Entertainment) walked away with 4 Awards for the CBBCLeonardo series! Outside the delegation, Aardman Animations, Lion TV and Cartoon Network Europe also won awards – not a bad haul for the Brits in a worldwide field! Other delegates at KidScreen showed strong interest in the CMC thanks to the great promotional work being done by UK delegation members and our tireless Advisory Committee at the Summit – so we can expect more international guests in Sheffield in the summer, adding to the creative and business potential the Conference offers.
The CMC depends upon industry sponsorship at all levels to support the unique experiences we offer. Currently we are seeking a sponsor for the BAA animation afternoon in London, and then there’s the main Conference in the summer.
Last year 44 sponsoring organisations provided the backbone funding for the event and we need that support more than ever. The opportunities are wide and they put you right in front of not only the 800+ attendees we expect in Sheffield, but also on all our online and print publicity throughout the year. In the past we’ve had support from all the major broadcasters, production, distribution, interactive and publishing companies and many medium-sized and smaller organisations get involved too. The menu of sponsorship options is available now from Alison Warner, our Sponsorship Co-ordinator. There’s something in it for everyone – but get in touch quickly as some of the best options get snapped up early! 
The editorial content for the July Conference is under construction – and you can be part of this.
We are still looking for session ideas – topics you think will excite and interest the delegates to CMC in July – they can be anything from a suggestion for a Creative Masterclass, to a debate on kids’ media policy. The Conference theme is“Ahead of the Game” so concepts around that broad tent-pole would be very welcome. Do you have a burning issue? Do you know stuff that you feel should be shared? Do you have you experience of an innovative approach, new methodology or focus on the future of kids and content that deserves wider understanding? Then CMC is the perfect opportunity to spread the learning and you can save yourself the cost of a registration if you offer to produce the session. We’re also looking for volunteer session producers who are open to new ideas and ready to have a topic allocated by the editorial team. To propose a topic – simply write a couple of paragraphs about it, including which parts of the CMC audience would benefit from it, and what the take-away might be. To propose yourself, send your CV. Contact: greg@thechildrensmediaconference.com
The last three places in the official UK@Kidscreen delegation are up for grabs.
To register for this great deal go to: http://kidscreen2012fullfee.eventbrite.co.uk The cost is £975 + VAT (£110 less than the current Kidscreen ticket price). For that you get not only full registration at Kidscreen, but also a package of extra benefits: - Inclusion in the official UK@Kidscreen website - Access to dedicated bookable meeting tables in the Kidscreen Delegate Lounge - Invitation to a Breakfast Briefing on the US and Canadian kids’ media scenes - Invitation to an evening reception at which you’ll be able to meet key commissioners, buyers and producers - The services of two media consultants throughout the entire event UK@Kidscreen is organized by The Children’s Media Conference in association with The Creative Garden . The delegation is supported by UK Trade and Investment.
By joining the UK@Kidscreen Delegation you will receive an invitation to both these exclusive events:
Breakfast Briefing – Tuesday 7 February at The British Consulate-General, NYC
With the help of our friends at BAFTA New York, Linda Kahn, (Linda Kahn Media and formerly Scholastic and Nickelodeon USA) will host a discussion on the latest trends, needs and challenges in the US and Canadian markets. Speakers include:
- Kim Wilson (CBC Canada)
- Andrea Sporer (Scholastic)
- Douglas Shwalb (Classic Media)
- JJ Ahearn (Licensing Street)
- Debbie Back (ex Nat. Geo and Nickelodeon)
The Breakfast Briefing is sponsored by Impossible Kids.
Networking Reception - Wednesday 8 February at The Consul General’s Residence, NYC
Impossible Kids are also sponsoring the UK@Kidscreen Evening Reception, designed to provide maximum networking opportunities in a smart setting. We’ve secured the Consul General’s Residence, with its Manhattan skyline views, and we’ll be inviting all the key commissioners, buyers, co-production executives and producers attending Kidscreen. This is an exclusive benefit for delegation members only.
At a British Animation Afternoon – save the date! 15 March 2012 1 Victoria Street Conference Centre, London Tickets on sale in two weeks time. If you’re in animation production, distribution or commissioning, here’s a date for your diary. On March 15th 2012 the CMC will be producing an afternoon of seminars and workshops exploring the best routes into the animation market in the changing world of kids and TV. With case studies on innovative approaches (creative and commercial) and expert advice on rights exploitation, negotiation and business management in the digital space, this will be a potential game-changer for anyone engaged in animation. With support from UKTI, we’ve taken space at the 1 Victoria Street Conference Centre (just across the road from Westminster Abbey). So at the end of a full afternoon of facts, insights and networking, it’ll just be a short walk across the river to the British Animation Awards (BAA) which take place at the BFI Southbank that evening.