Photo from Kids Kino International Film Festival by Alicja Szulc
This year Kids Kino Industry and Cinekid for Professionals join forces to launch Producers LINK, a newly established programme for emerging producers of children’s content.
The programme is designed to stimulate the production of top-quality children’s content and pan-European co-productions, and will provide crucial follow-up both during and after the two leading kids events in the Autumn.
Let’s meet in Warsaw
The first face-to-face session starts on Monday, 27 September in the frame of Kids Kino Industry forum.
25 selected producers are coming to Warsaw to meet with industry experts and take part in the first face-to-face session of Producers LINK programme. (The on-site session at KKI was preceded by 3 online meetings which were held on 3, 13 and 20 September.)
Programme
During three intensive workshop days Producers LINK participants will have plenty of opportunities to extend their skills in subjects such as audience developing and digital marketing.
A great emphasis of the programme is being placed on networking and exchanging experiences as well as establishing new contacts (between Producers LINK participants as well as Kids Kino Industry guests and Kids Kino Lab Teams). The first chance to do some networking will already be created on the day of the arrival during the Get Together diner with Kids Kino Lab Teams.
The Producers LINK participants will take part in specially designed programme dedicated only for the programme itself as well as they will actively participate in the Kids Kino Industry forum events such as pitchings, masterclasses, panels and networking sessions.
The next days the programme include the following sessions with an internationally well- known industry experts:
Tuesday, 28 September
WHAT’S ON – CURRENT SCREENING TRENDS IN KIDS MEDIA
Meet the speakers of this session:
Nicola Jones
Festival Director GOLDEN SPARROW (Germany)
Heleen Roud
Festival Director Cinekid International (Netherlands)
Heleen is an experienced leader in media and entertainment, with a focus on young audiences. She started in the nineties in filmdistribution at Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Warner Bros and specialized in professionalizing the marketing strategies in order to optimize the audience potential of films. She developed an all round experience in film production, publicity & financing (such as Jeroen Krabbe’s Discovery of Heaven, Renny Harlin’s Mindhunters) marketing and development (Dutch Film Fund) but also in corporate communications (public broadcaster merge AVROTROS). She developed a solid fundraising strategy and educational vision at the Amsterdam Royal Zoo as Director Development & Education, before she moved to Cinekid in January 2020.
David Kleeman
Strategist, Analist, (US)
When he began, “children’s media” meant television. Today, he is fascinated by, and passionate about, kids’ wide range of possibilities for entertainment, engagement, play and learning. David uses research, insights and experience to show that much may change, but children’s developmental paths and needs remain constant.
David is on the boards of the international children’s TV festival PRIX JEUNESSE (Chair), the National Association for Media Literacy Education (VP) and the Children’s Media Association.
WHO IS MY AUDIENCE – UNDERSTANDING KIDS
Meet the speaker of this session:
Maurice Wheeler, CEO
CEO, We are Family (UK)
COMMISSIONERS TALKS
Meet the commissioners of this session:
Vicky Schroderus
Head of International Co-Productions and Acquisitions at Yle Children's Programs (Finland)
Stefan Pfäffle
Deputy Head of Acquisition Department at KiKA, German Children's Channel of ARD and ZDF (Germany)
Stefan Pfäffle studied German Literature and Drama at Freie Universität Berlin.Having worked as a lector, drama adviser and script editor for different TV channels and Production Companies (Sat.1, RTL, BojeBuck, Road Movies, ndF, et al.), he has been a TV Editor at KiKA since 2003. His position includes editorial responsibility on shows like Yakari (animation series), Mascha und der Bär (animation series), Animanimals (animation series) and feature films of the TV series KRIMI.DE (TV movies) as well as feature films out of the initiative Der besondere Kinderfilm (Theatrical movies). He also teaches at Master School Drehbuch (Berlin) and Akademie für Kindermedien, and has lectured at Universität Erfurt (Seminar für Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaft) and Technischen Universität Ilmenau (Medienmanagement II).
Company Profile:
KiKA is the children’s channel operated jointly by public broadcasters ARD network and ZDF. It covers Germany, Switzerland and Austria by means of cable and satellite. KiKA was founded in 1997 and its programmes are exclusively targeted to children aged 3 – 13 years. KiKA broadcasts 15 hours daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is commercial-free. KiKA’s market share among 3-to-13-year-olds has continuously grown since its inception and the channel became again the market leader in German speaking territories in 2020. Furthermore, KiKA’s apps “KiKA-Player” and “KiKANiNCHEN-App” had each been downloaded around one million times by the end of 2020. KiKA’s goal is to reach children through target group-oriented children programmes with a variety of genres with entertaining, informative and educational content with its linear channel as well as with its online offers. The programming ranges from programmes for preschoolers to kids from 6 – 9 years up to preteens. KiKA feels committed to be the first address for kids with their views, their joys and sorrows, reviews and criticism. The great response from KiKA’s viewers through calls, letters, e-mails and online on kika.de proves the channel right. A recent report about children and media revealed KiKA to have the most positive image among young viewers. In the tradition of public broadcasting KiKA offers children a high spectrum of programmes especially made for them.
Commissioners Talks will be moderated by Katarzyna Borowiecka, Journalist & Film Critique (Poland)
The Sessions from the first day will be followed by Speed Meetings with Commissioners, Kids Kino Lab Teams and KKI Pitching Teams.
The first day will end up with another networking session Producer’s Meet Producers LINK. This event will be open for all the Kids Kino Industry participants.
Both, Speed Meetings with Commissioners and Producer’s Meet Producers LINK are hosted by KIDS Regio.
Wednesday, 29 September
The second day will be devoted to pitchings and 1:1 meetings. The Producers LINK will also take part in conference programme of Kids Kino Industry (check the full programme of the forum).
Thursday, 30 September
On Thursday, Producers LINK, apart from the KKI programme, will also have a chance to attend the DIGITAL MARKETING masterclass – EVERYTHING IS IN ITS RIGHT PLACE. Part 1. The second part of this masterclass will have its continuation during the face-to-face session in Amsterdam at Cinekid for Professionals.
Here are our speakers for the first part of this masterclass:
Neal Hoskins
Founder & Consultant, WingedChariot (Poland)
Japhet Asher
Director of Polarity Reversal Ltd (UK)
Producers LINK participants
Julietta Sichel – 8Heads Productions – Czech Republic
Martin Vandas – MAUR film – Czech Republic
Biljana Vušović – Open Box Studio – Montenegro
Andrea Mura – Ginko Film – Italy
Emanuele Nespeca – Solaria Film – Italy
Lisa Havenstein – Tradewind Pictures – Germany
Claudia Schröter – Cala Film – Germany
Arsen Anton Ostojic – Filmosaurus Rex – Croatia
Martin Smatana – BORORO – Slovakia
Stelios Apostolopoulos / Kyveli Short – Aori FILM – Greece
Joanna Ronikier – Running Rabbit Films – Poland
Małgorzata Wabińska – Entertain Pictures – Poland
Jakub Karwowski – Letko – Poland
Jordi B. Oliva – Imagic TV – Spain
Oscar Albert – Motion Pictures Entertainment – Spain
Iván Agenjo – Peekaboo Animation – Spain
Oriol Marcos – Set Màgic Audiovisual – Spain
Layla Meijman / Maarten van der Ven – Studio Ruba – the Netherlands
Coen Balkestein – Kailo Animation – the Netherlands
Rinskje Raap – Rinkel Film – the Netherlands
Jasper Boon – Boondocs – the Netherlands
Nicholas Sando – Filmbin – Norway
Lillian Løvseth – Trollfilm/Smallville films – Norway
Julia Andersen – Fjordic Film – Norway
Verona Meier – APE&BJØRN (STORM GROUP) – Norway
Producers LINK partners
The programme wouldn’t be possible without our international partner organizations: Catalan Films, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Czech Film Fund, Film Centre of Montenegro, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland, Film Commission Sardegna, German Children’s Media Foundation, Gigant Films, Greek Film Centre, KIDS Regio, Netherlands Film Fund, Norwegian Film Institute, Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA), Producers Guild of Poland and Slovak Film Institute.
The Producers LINK is organised by Kids Kino Industry and Cinekid.