ACTIVITY REPORT

CHILDREN, YOUTH & MEDIA CONFERENCE

Written on December 2015

Children, Youth & Media Conference November 18-20, 2015

St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre and CBC

Table of Contents 1. Objectives 2. Conference agenda and content 3. Funding and visibility (including the promotional materials) Appendices 1. List of attendees 2. Media coverage (partial) 3. Web traffic statistics 4. Comments from participants

1. Objectives 2015 Children, Youth & Media conference had the following main objectives: • To provide a forum for professional exchange among specialists in the field.

• To provide updated information on target audiences.

• To explore issues arising from new technologies.

• To spur the creativity of professionals ever on the lookout for new ideas.

• To pique curiosity about youth production from abroad.

• To encourage innovation and quality in homegrown production.

• To find out where the Canadian youth programming industry is headed.

Participants • Delegates: youth screen-based media enthusiasts – those who think it up, produce it and deliver it (writers, researchers, directors, assistants, hosts, actors, target audience analysts, producers, distributors, technicians, artistic directors). • Speakers: local and international guests selected for their talent and expertise came to share their experiences and show us their programs and multimedia products. • Workshop leaders: recognized professionals in Canadian youth production.

2. Conference agenda and content From November 18 to 20, 2015, Youth Media Alliance brought together about 200 youth production professionals from Canada and abroad for its Children, Youth & Media Conference in Toronto. The Conference is a prime networking opportunity for creators, producers and broadcasters of children’s and youth media industry. The event drew speakers and facilitators from all over Canada and the United States, as well as the Netherlands and United Kingdom. Day 1 was devoted to panels and discussions. During discussions and presentations, participants explored ways to create better content that meets young people’s needs and expectations. The day ended with a cocktail party that fostered dialogue between participants from the TV and digital media industries. Days 2 was given over to workshops from Sheena Macrae and Linda Schuyler. Day 3 offered Prix Jeunesse Screening, animated by Jan-Willem Bult. An advisory committee was struck to put together a rich, relevant conference lineup. It had the following members: Natalie Dumoulin, 9 Story Media Group Rachel Marcus, Guru Michelle Melanson Cuperus, Radical Sheep Productions Lynn Oldershaw Mik Perlus, marblemedia Jamie Piekarz, Corus Entertainment Martha Sepulveda, Breakthrough Entertainment Claudia Sicondolfo Julie Stall, Portfolio Entertainment Travis Williams, Mercury Filmworks Suzanne Wilson, TVO Kids

Day 1: Wednesday, November 18, General Conference at the St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre

The panels covered the following: A CONVERSATION WITH DAN SIGNER

Prolific Canadian television producer and writer Dan Signer is the creator and executive producer of three hit live-action series for kids: A.N.T. Farm (Disney Channel), Mr. Young (YTV/DisneyXD), and most recently YTV's top-rated sitcom, Some Assembly Required (YTV/Netflix), which he co-created with Howard Nemetz. He shared his extensive experience in the multi-cam sitcom format. Dan and the show’s producer Alexandra Raffé also addressed the challenges and successes of working in that genre in Canada.

Panellists: - Alexandra Raffé, Vice President Production, Thunderbird Films - Dan Signer, Co-creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner of Some Assembly Required Moderator: - Jamie Piekarz, Director of Content YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon Canada l Corus Entertainment SHOWRUNNERS IN ANIMATION Presented by: The Shaw Rocket Fund

What exactly is a showrunner? How does a showrunner ensure the creative integrity of a project from start to finish? Dave Beatty engaged a conversation with Scott Fellows (Big Time Rush, Johnny Test) Lienne Sawatsky & Dan Williams (ToonMarty, Franklin, Wishfart) and Simon Racioppa & Richard Elliott

(Fangbone, George of the Jungle).They explored what it means to be a showrunner and discussed how they keep their shows creatively on the rails against all odds! They answered questions like: How does the process differ in an animated production from a live action show? Are Canadian shows run differently than American shows? Our team of showrunners unpacked some of the challenges they face and exchanged ideas on how to best overcome them as they strive to maintain a solid creative vision from script to screen. Panellists: Scott Fellows (Big Time Rush, Johnny Test) Simon Racioppa & Richard Elliot (Fangbone, George of the Jungle) Lienne Sawatsky & Dan Williams (ToonMarty, Franklin, Wishfart) Moderator: Dave Beatty, Producer and Writer, Portfolio Entertainment INITIATIVES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

This panel featured three unique initiatives designed to promote social change. Ollie The Boy Who Became What He Ate, a television, digital and educational project, based on a book by Sheena Macrae, aims to instill good nutritional habits in children. Andrew

Kavanagh’s Dougie Noir animation series is a detective show with a difference. Dougie

Noir presents a tangible role model for children with ADD/ADHD and treats ADHD as a “difference” rather than a “disorder”. Maritza Basaran and Dr. Elaine Bidiss’ Botley’s Bootle Blast is an interactive video game for use in home-based therapies for children with Cerebral Palsy. The purpose is to make an often difficult and frustrating therapy more fun by connecting it to a gaming system using the Microsoft Kinect (a motion tracking camera) to capture the movements of players. Television shows, online projects, and outreach initiatives with an agenda for social change carry with them unique considerations, challenges, and rewards. The panelists discussed each of these, and shared their experiences in creating properties that can actually make a difference in the lives of children. Panellists: - Maritza Basaran, Kids Media Specialist and Research Assistant, PEARL Lab, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital - Dr. Elaine Biddiss, Scientist and Director, PEARL Lab, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

- Andrew Kavanagh, CEO, Kavaleer Productions - Sheena Macrae, Director, Storycake Moderator: Jan-Willem Bult, Head of Children, Youth & Media, Free Press Unlimited ONE-ON-ONE WITH HOWY PARKINS, SUPERVISING DIRECTOR OF DISNEY’S NEW SERIES, THE LION GUARD

Twenty years after the release of the Academy Award-winning animated feature, The Lion King, Disney was launching a new TV movie and subsequent series called The Lion Guard. Delegates had a behind-the-scenes look at this iconic franchise as Supervising Director, Howy Parkins (Jake and the Never Land Pirates), shared his experiences from early development to

show launch and beyond! Moderator: - Clint Eland, President and Executive Producer, Mercury Filmworks INNOVATION IN VIRTUAL REALITY INITIATIVES Presented by: 9 Story Media Group

Virtual reality may be a nascent trend, but studios are starting to take advantage of opportunities to engage young people in digital environments that feel similar to real world objects and events. Mattel is embracing the VR world by re-launching its good old View-Master, but as a virtual reality and

augmented-reality phone toy. The new View-Master is a collaboration between Mattel and Google, and one of the modules is being developed by Frima. Jonathan Bélisle’s multimedia book Wuxia the Fox illustrates another compelling future of storytelling. When the story is read out loud, words, pauses, rhythm and tone of voice are captured by the iPad app and activate sounds, music, videos and compelling interactive scenes. The book also becomes a game board. When game pieces are arranged on the pages and filmed by the iPad, readers can discover new scenes and activate a mysterious intergalactic instrument that plays music. Sinking Ship is developing a VR project for its renowned brand Dino Dan. James Milward, from Secret Location, spoke about what it takes to bring content from concept to the very devices it’s viewed on — and the technological challenges with which studios still struggle. Altogether they discussed questions like: Is there a tremendous potential to use virtual reality for kids content? Will VR soon be more accessible for creators and producers of kids content? How is VR reaching the narrative community and becoming a platform for telling stories, beyond gaming? What are the opportunities? Panellists: - Luc Beaulieu, Chief Technology Officer, Frima - Jonathan Bélisle, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer, SAGA - Laurent Guérin, Chief Content Officer, Groupe Média TFO - James Milward, President and Executive Producer, Secret Location - Blair Powers, Partner and Producer, Sinking Ship Entertainment

Moderator: - Caitlin Fisher, Ph.D., Director, Augmented Reality Lab/Associate Professor, Cinema and Media Arts, York University NETWORKING COCKTAIL RECEPTION Presented by: Guru

Delegates had the chance to mingle and celebrate the quality of content created for kids on all screens.

NEW THIS YEAR:

State of the Union with Broadcasters Presented by: Canada Media Fund This year, we organized a lunch-hour session for attendees. Broadcasters took turns coming up on stage to present their network's objectives, then the audience could ask questions. Participants included: Athena Georgaklis, Director of Content, TELETOON Michael Goldsmith, VP, Original Production, DHX Television Marney Malabar, Director, Kids TV, TVO Martin Markle, Senior Director, Kids' CBC Jamie Piekarz, Director of Content YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon Canada l Corus Entertainment Lisa Purdy, Director, Knowledge Kids and BBC Kids Moderator: Ryan St. Peters, Vice President, Kids & Family, Shaftesbury

Launch of the Digital Toolkit YMA launched its Digital Toolkit, a practical tool addressing the ethical and legal issues faced by producers of digital content for kids. Created by specialists in the production and distribution of content for the very youngest audiences, the kit pragmatically explores the ethical and legal questions — safety, moderation, online payment, advertising, marketing, personal information and more — that arise when operating a kids’ website or mobile app on the Canadian and international markets. Development of the Digital Toolkit was made possible through the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), the Canada Media Fund (CMF), the Bell Fund, the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), Bereskin & Parr, and mbiance.

Day 2: Thursday, November 19, at CBC: Workshops Sheena Macrae and Linda Schuyler

The workshops covered the following: WORKSHOP WITH SHEENA MACRAE, DIRECTOR, STORYCAKE: “Creativity, social awareness and business: Making them work together”

How do you stay creative, produce work that fulfills a social mission and have a business model that makes it all happen? More often then not, we excel at one aspect but need complementary skills or partners to turn a great idea into a global brand. Sheena Macrae, creator of the preschool brand Ollie: The Boy Who Became What He Ate, shared her experience in going from the seed of an idea to the production of a CBC children’s animated TV show (produced by Radical Sheep), a children’s storybook, an educational book series, an academic study and the launch of a digital app and Internet of Things prototype. The workshop examined the process of building a global brand from a creative, social and business standpoint. How can you advance your creative ideas? What’s the best way to showcase concepts? When is an idea ready to pitch? What are brand missions and how can you tell if they are working? What are the new business models? What do you need to know about today’s economy? Macrae shared insights gained through the ups and downs of growing the idea she created with her business partner Mickey Rogers into a global brand and offer strategies for combining creativity with social awareness and business sense.

WORKSHOP WITH LINDA SCHUYLER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, EPITOME PICTURES, ALONG WITH SARAH GLINSKI, MATT HUETHER AND STEPHANIE COHEN: “How to make TV that lasts” Presented by: Independent Production Fund

Linda Schuyler, Degrassi’s co-creator and Executive Producer, along with Sarah Glinski and Matt Huether, current Executive Producers and Stephanie Cohen, Producer, Extra Content discussed how to make a television show that engages fans year after year. Topics included: structuring a season, breaking an episode, keeping it fresh and authentic in an evolving broadcaster landscape, and sustaining relevance for the youth audience in a dynamic digital universe.

Day 3: Friday, November 20, at CBC: Prix Jeunesse Screening

Presented by: TVO This activity was dedicated to screening and discussion of kids TV from around the world, drawn from the International Children's TV Festival Prix Jeunesse. The morning was devoted to preschool and primary programming; the afternoon, to tween/teen shows. The discussions that followed was facilitated by Jan-Willem-Bult, Chief Editor, WADADA News for Kids and Head of Children, Youth & Media, Free Press Unlimited

3. Funding and visibility Funding partners: The Children, Youth & Media Conference was made possible through generous contributions from:

Main sponsor CBC/Radio-Canada;

Prestige sponsors: 9 Story Media Group, Canada Media Fund, Guru, Independent Production Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, TVO;

Excellence sponsors: Bell Fund, Entertainment One, Frima, Portfolio Entertainment,

Shaftesbury Kids, Sinking Ship Entertainment.

Promotional materials:

Poster displayed in the conference room.

Event program – Inside back cover

_______________________________________________________________

Image shown on giant screen in the conference room

and on the podium

APPENDIX 1 – LIST OF ATTENDEES (209)

Last Name First Name Company

Aniorté Guillaume Frima

Archambault Hélène Télé-Québec

Ashton Kelly Lyne Independent

Augustin Agnes Shaw Rocket Fund

Bar Alexander Independent

Barris Kate Kate's Word Inc.

Basaran Maritza PEARL Lab, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Battison Laura Sinking Ship Entertainment

Beatty Dave Portfolio Entertainment

Beaulieu Luc Frima

Beauregard Judith Tobo

Bélisle Jonathan SAGA

Betts Stephanie DHX Media

Biddiss Elaine PEARL Lab, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Bilodeau Jacques Oasis Animation

Bishop Matt Sinking Ship Entertainment

Boucher Maurice Canada Media Fund

Bowen Chantal Youth Media Alliance

Brault Geneviève Independent

Bredin Mary Guru

Brown Jen OMDC

Bult Jan-Willem WADADA News for Kids / Free Press Unlimited

Burman Mitch General Purpose Entertainment

Burns Patricia Spin Master

Charbonneau Marysol Télé-Québec

Chick Flora Independent Production Fund

Choi Sunny Guru

Cinelli Lisa CBC

Clunie Laura Spin Master

Cohen Stephanie Epitome Pictures

Côté Lyne Youth Media Alliance

Coulthart Victoria Guru

Couture Steve Frima

Cyr Ghislain Sardine Productions

Dacosta Stephanie Sinking Ship Entertainment

de Jong Carla Sinking Ship

de Vries Annick kondolole films

Dickson Jain Sinking Ship Entertainment

Dickson Jeremy Kidscreen

Diguer steve TVO

Dodokin Tracey Nelvana/Corus

Dominguez Franke Maria Emiliana Vientos Culturales

Drumm Kathleen TIFF Kids

Dubé-Morneau Sabrina Canada Media Fund

Dufort Sophie Télé-Québec

Eland Clint Mercury Filmworks

Elliot Richard Showrunner (Independent)

Esteves Vanessa Nelvana/Corus

Faier Ken DHX Media

Falcone Frank Guru

Fellows Scott Showrunner (Independent)

Fine Shayna DHX Media

Fisher Caitlin York University

Fitzgerald Mike TVO

Fitzpatrick Jessica Centennial College

Galbraith Jaelyn Spin Master

Gariépy Marie-Pierre Productions Slalom inc.

Georgaklis Athena Teletoon

Glinski Sarah Epitome Pictures

Godin Ernest kondolole films

Goldsmith Michael DHX Television

Guérin Laurent TFO

Haasz Sarah DHX Media

Harris Chris Super Sonics Post Production Inc.

Hartley Emma Muse Entertainment

Hénaut Suzanne Radio-Canada

Hills Sherri OMDC

Horhager Mathias Richard

Huether Matt Epitome Pictures

Hurd Kirsten Distribution360

Kavanah Andrew Kavaleer Productions

Keating Kate

Kennedy Maria Little Engine Moving Pictures

Klohk Kristine Guru

kynaston Marilyn Picture Box Distribution

Lambert Marianne Groupe Média TFO

Lane Brandon Corus Entertainment

Latham Kayla Centennial College

Laukys Amanda Picture Box Distribution

Laxer Mindy APartment 11 Productions

Léger Lucie Télé-Québec

Lévesque Madeleine Sardine Productions

Lucia Rojas Marcela Centennial College

Luong Henrika Centennial College

Macnaughton Geoff TIFF Kids

Macrae Sheena Story Cake

Malabar Marney TVO

Marcus Rachel Guru Studio

Markle Martin CBC

Marques Tatiana Centennial College

McAuley Marilyn Spin Master

McCann Marie TVO

McCann Jennifer 9 Story Media Group

McCormick Cat Portfolio Entertainment

McGowan Carly Independent Production Fund

McGregor Kristen

McNeil Scott General Purpose Entertainment

Melanson Cuperus Michelle Radical Sheep Productions

Menard Jean Mixed Media Productions Inc.

Mendel Dominique Echo Media

Miller Marda Guru

Milward James The Secret Location

Mirkin Lawrence Mirkin Creative Inc.

Mitchell Bryce Meridian Artists

Montpetit Philippe Groupe Média TFO

Moscote Freire Ariana OMDC

Moss Peter PDM Entertainment

Nietupski Brenda Little Tugboat Inc

Oldershaw Lynn CBC

Padbury Dave Guru

Paige Emily e.d.Films

Parkins Howy Disney

Patterson Julie TVO

Paul Natalie CBC

Payne Kelly OMDC

Pechels de Saint Sardos Sandrine Bejuba Entertainment

Perlus Miklos marblemedia

Piekarz Jamie Corus entertainment

Pitcher Hillary Guru

Powers Blair Sinking Ship

Purdy Lisa Knowledge Network and BBC Kids

Puttock Heather Kickstart Productions Canada, Inc. / Eh-Okay Productions, Inc.

Racioppa Simon Showrunner (Independent)

Raffé Alexandra Thunderbird Films Inc

Rana Jayna Centennial College

Rix Kerry Centennial College

Roche Florence Tobo

Rooney John johnromedia

Rosen Andrew Aircraft Pictures

Rubin Michelle Ryerson

Sang St. Catherine Christina Nelvana/Corus

Savage Fiona Super Sonics Post Production Inc.

Schuyler Linda Epitome Pictures

Sharif Hila DHX Media

Sharples David Spin Master

Signer Dan Showrunner (Independent)

Simms Christin Sinking Ship Entertainment

Slavin Pamela Entertainment One

Slavin Pamela Entertainment One

Sohrabkhani Azarin Ottawa International Animation Festival

Soldevila Carlos Trio Orange Inc.

St. Peters Ryan Shaftesbury Kids

Stall Julie Portfolio Entertainment

Swatsky Lienne Showrunner (Independent)

Thompson Virginia Verite Films

Trudel François Groupe PVP

Voitovici Caroline TVO

Wells Raina OMDC

West Stephanie Centennial College

Williams Travis Mercury Filmworks

Williams Dan Showrunner (Independent)

Williamson Micheline CRTC

Wilson Suzanne TVO

Wolfson Leah Corus Entertainment

APPENDIX 2 – MEDIA COVERAGE (PARTIAL)

APPENDIX 3 – WEB TRAFFIC STATISTICS

APPENDIX 4 – COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS

“The conference was a fantastic experience and thank you so much for organizing everything. Hope to see you again next year.” “On behalf of the team, we always appreciate your support. We were happy to participate and very glad that the attendees found it informative.” “Just to congratulate you on the success of the Children, Youth + Media Conference. It was terrific to see everyone out for the discussion.” “I really enjoyed the time I spent there (at the CYM conference)” “I always enjoy the event (…) it was a good day.” “Always a good conference” “Thank you guys for having me! It was so nice to meet you. I had a great time and also really enjoyed the additional parts of the conference I was able to see. Interesting stuff!” “It was a great conference! Wonderful job!” “I heard lots of positive comments re. the conference this year! Congrats to all!” “What a superb day- everyone raved about the panels and how well organized everything was. The digital toolkit was also very much appreciated. Lunch was delicious, the cocktail superb, and ambiance great. Thank you! Félicitations!” “It was such a lovely experience, and I am really grateful to you for allowing us to help out. I was able to witness such interesting and inspirational discussion from so many successful people in the industry. It was great!”