Everything you need to know about this year’s TV animation market, but were too busy to ask!
Are you looking to sharpen your competitive edge? Need to know what’s happening in the important international animation TV business but don’t want to fly all the way to Cannes, France to check out this month’s MIPTV market (April 12-16)? Look no further, because we have asked some of the top execs working in the industry to share their knowledge and take on the crazy jigsaw puzzle that is this year’s toon business!
Philippe Alessandri, CEO, Tele Images Kids
The Outlook: A recent trend we’ve noticed is that broadcasters are looking for a stronger comedy element in animation series.
Words of Advice: Put the kids at the forefront of your mind, but don’t forget the broadcasters, and have fun!
Personal Faves: With sophisticated comedy and an innovative digital 2D animation style, Sally Bollywood is a great example of a new animated series that has revamped the cartoon genre.
Delna Bhesania, Co-CEO, Bardel Entertainment Inc.
The Outlook: For years, the industry has been talking about transmedia projects. This is the year that we will start to really see projects that are made for multiple platforms for kids.
Carlos Biern, Exec VP – Coproductions & Worldwide Distribution, BRB Internacional
The Outlook: There is only one way for independent producers to move on: Work on international co-productions, push a master toy licensor and start thinking about shows that make sense to be 3D!
Words of Advice: Don’t wait for things to happen: Make them happen! If there is no move from a broadcaster, look for the money in other areas. Don’t let a great show stand still.
Personal Faves: The new show from us, Aardman and VOOZ Club, Canimals, will change the way people have seen younger audiences’ content. Hip, modern, cool, 3D and international! When you combine talent and technique, you have success guaranteed!
Kelli Bixler, President & Exec Producer, Bix Pix Entertainment
The Outlook: This year is better than last … and it’s only March!
Words of Advice: On that slap-stick action comedy, think stop-motion’it can look just as slick (if that’s the desire) as CGI, and it’s more affordable and deadline friendly than CGI.
Personal Fave: Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, because the title is the show’that’s what you get. It’s simple and pure “cartoon” (reminds me of Sherman and Mr. Peabody), it’s smart and funny without being “edgy” and they use common words in a funky new way that sounds hip’it’s ’70s trippy, but totally 2010 and then some!
Will Brenton, Director, Wish Films
The Outlook: There are new opportunities and territories opening up to do business with’the key for U.K.-based companies is co-production. What there isn’t perhaps is a raft of stand-out ideas, new graphics, creative concepts and fresh thinking.
Ben Butterworth, Director, Snapper Productions
Words of Advice: Being pretty new to this, I would say make absolutely certain you know what the audience is for the program and then try to make sure your program has as much creative integrity as possible. It’s a difficult balancing act between trusting your creative instincts, thinking carefully about the commercial potential of your project and how this fits in with your vision, and looking at elements of the program (big and small), which help to raise it up above the competition. If you can do all that, then you’ve probably got a good chance.
Kenji Ebato, Chief Manager – Int’l Dept., Toei Animation
Words of Advice: Create attractive storylines that appeal to audiences all over the world! That’s it. Then, Toei Animation can create storyboards/characters/mages/whatever ‘ subject to production cost investment, of course.
Michele Fabian Jones, Director, Lane Fabian Jones
The Outlook: The business and its audiences have become truly international. There is a greater emphasis than ever on sourcing talent, production, effects, etc. from the corners of the globe that cater best to each stage of the process. The animation business can no longer afford to carry out the full process within one territory, and creatives must expand their horizons to reduce the cost of production and ensure that the budget all ends up on screen. Businesses must be prepared to collaborate to achieve their end goal. An added fact is that most computer programs catering to the TV and film business are written in English; another important factor as it speeds up the whole process seamlessly.
Words of Advice: Because of the pressure on budgets, producers must think about how to maximize their content early on in the development stage. It is not enough to produce something in isolation, instead you must think about who you can be working with from day one’online specialists, games publishers, licensees, merchandisers, etc. Also, speak to producers who have been in the business for a long time. Finding mentors is critical to success as they will be very adept at offering advice and helping you to manage tight budgets.
Personal Faves: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh are perennial characters that transcend generations. They have the winning formula that audiences love. They might not represent the ‘new breed of toons,’ but they will always prove to be ratings winners. Ben Ten: Alien Force and Teen Titans are also fantastic as they demonstrate great interactive content for boys. Boys’ formats are always difficult to move on, but these cartoons have managed to do it through great stories across multiple platforms.
Kevin Gillis, CEO & Exec Producer, Skywriter Media & Ent. Group
The Outlook: Most broadcasters are still recovering from economic challenges, so new concepts have to be extraordinarily convincing. This entails knowing exactly how and where your new show is going to fit into their schedule and appeal to their target audience. There is a lot of pent up inventory of creative concepts’and it will be the survival of the fittest.
Words of Advice: First and foremost: Know the ground rules. This translates into earning the trust of your broadcaster, being acutely aware of what they are looking for and arming yourself with the tools to win them over. You also have to believe in your project and why it has to be produced above all others.
Personal Faves: Kick Buttowski is a great example of a series that is custom made for the broadcaster and their audience. Kick is an excellent aspirational character for boys 6-11 (who wouldn’t want to drive a monster truck?); the conceit of the series appeals to the demo and the comedy is very funny. This is a series that really hits the mark.
Christopher Keenan, President & Exec Producer, Creating4Kids
The Outlook: Everyone is trying to reduce costs while maintaining quality. Frugal buyers are understandably taking fewer risks as of late; development slates are slimmer than years past and programming choices have become more strategic than ever. For producers, co-production has become the name of the game.
Words of Advice: Maintain your creative vision; savvy buyers want to hear your original ideas, not a second-guessed version of what you think they want to hear (remember, no one ever ‘made it big’ by way of imitation!). Also, nearly every successful creative proposal these days has a relatively organic, cross-platform application; spend some time considering the possibilities for your property with this criterion in mind.
Personal Faves: The animated shows that take creative risks’mixing genres, introducing new technologies or production techniques, breaking standard formats or storytelling structures’these represent the best of the ‘new breed.’ There’s nothing as satisfying as being pleasantly ‘surprised’ by a series’ creative choices.
David Kwok, Managing Director, Tiny Island Productions
The Outlook: As a content producer, the outlook has improved from last year. Broadcasters are actively searching for original new content.
Words of Advice: Identify the genre and target audience of the show being pitched. Listen to broadcasters to find out what content they are looking for. Target pitches to broadcasters whose content acquisition requirements match the type of show being pitched.
Personal Fave: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The look and feel is of very high quality and unique.
Joan Lambur, Exec Producer, Breakthrough Films & Television
The Outlook: Quality over quantity! In the current marketplace, it’s much easier for a broadcaster to say ‘no’ rather than the coveted ‘yes,’ so we have to stand out against the crowd. As always, we’re being very selective about the number of projects we have on our slate, as we realize there are limited broadcast spots available. We’re tailoring our development to specific broadcasters both domestically and internationally, to ensure we’re creating for an audience, not in a vacuum.
Words of Advice: It’s important to be able to describe your concept in three sentences or less! If you aren’t able to describe the concept concisely, it’s easy to question whether or not it has a strong enough ‘hook’ to grab a broadcaster and the audience’s interest, you don’t want people questioning what the series is about.
Personal Faves: We’re still seeing comedy rule the airwaves, whether it comes in 2D or 3D, it’s all about the funny and our current slate is no different. Comedy crosses borders and in this tough economic climate, we need to produce properties that have international appeal, and comedies deliver. We’re currently working with Joel Cohen (co-Exec producer of The Simpsons) and Greg Lawrence (creator of Kevin Spencer) on a comedy series entitled Crash Canyon for Teletoon. We’re excited about the broad appeal of the series and comedic talent onboard!
Carmen Llanos, COO, Comet Entertainment Inc.
The Outlook: I think things are starting to normalize. The last couple of years have been a rollercoaster for a lot of companies. However, it has been proved that it’s very important to look for alternate revenue sources apart from the broadcast fees and licensing. We are working on completely different projects to reach a broader audience.
Words of Advice: Do your homework. Prepare for the pitch, be ready to answer questions, but with a clear and clean presentation there shouldn’t be many. Visuals are very important. Character designs, descriptions and a good story are essential. If we don’t get the idea/concept in the first 20 seconds, you should rethink your presentation and make the necessary changes for your next pitch. Be open to criticism and do not give up when you get your first ‘no.’
Personal Fave: Our latest production, Funball. Our audience is very wide. Not only people that like football/soccer but anyone that likes humor. The show is based on oddities and anecdotes from the World Cup and people are enjoying them a lot. We take the facts and play with them. Making fun of everything and anything.
Marie-Laure Marchand, Managing Director, Big Bocca TV & Licensing
The Outlook: Business is getting very tough as broadcasters tend to request shows for free, which makes it extremely difficult for young producers to survive.
Words of Advice: Listen to what the market needs and create great content with strong storylines.
Personal Faves: I was very impressed by the show Wakfu, created by a young and very promising French company called Ankama. Wakfu is based on a famous MMOG game, the quality of the animation is great, content is fun and very empowering and this is a truly cross media project.
Renee Mascara, VP – Int’l TV Distrib., Sesame Workshop
The Outlook: With what the movie studios are producing and where we are with technology, animation has never been more relevant. Broadcasters are genuinely attracted to the most innovative formats. As such, we’re producing new content with the best of technology’CGI with Abby’s Flying Fairy School and claymation with Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures. Both shows look great and are part of the reason why Sesame Street remains so relevant.
Words of Advice: At minimum, create a series with 26 episodes. That will give a broadcaster enough shows to secure a regular timeslot. Short formats are also a trend of the international market. Eleven minutes is ideal since it gives the broadcaster the option to air it as a stand-alone or air two back to back to fill a half-hour timeslot.
Personal Fave: Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures really captured our audience. The claymation took two of our beloved classic Sesame Street characters and transformed them into another dimension. This series follows the fun and antics of the best buddies as they travel beyond their apartment on Sesame Street and into a vibrant world of exploration. I must also credit Florence-based Misseri Studio, who produced the animation. They honestly created beautiful pieces of art that retained the excitement and energy of the characters.
David Michel, General Manager, Marathon Media (a Zodiak Entertainment Company)
The Outlook: 2009 was a very tough year for many independent producers around the world. 2010 is looking better, but as broadcasters’ license fees are going down, many (too many?) low cost Flash-animated comedies have been ordered.
Words of Advice: New media is important, but don’t let it come before a truly unique story (it can happen to the best of us!).
Personal Faves: We love Penguins of Madagascar and Phineas and Ferb.
Richard Morss, Joint Managing Director, Straandlooper Animation
The Outlook: When TV companies offer ad revenue shares, you don’t got a business!
Words of Advice: Don’t spend too much money before you know that you have real financial interest from major partners.
Personal Faves: I love U.S. ‘family’ animation like Family Guy, etc., etc. The rest of the world seems to be too scared to get behind that stuff.
Gregory Payne, Chairman, Foothill Entertainment
The Outlook: Things are definitely more favorable than a year ago. New outlets are opening up like The Hub and other channels, which signal more opportunity.
Words of Advice: Keep in mind that television is only part of the equation. Consider online and mobile exploitation as well.
Eric Rollman, President, Marvel Animation
The Outlook: It’s a really exciting time for TV animation. Kidnets are fueling their schedules with live-action fare so animation has been forced to step it up. Animation producers are bringing new and innovative storytelling and animation techniques to the table from all parts of the world. The ability for animation to translate across borders is key as live action is more challenged to readily meet these criteria. With license fees lower and nets owning more of their own programs, producers continue to work in partnerships to finance projects, which bring together great minds from many places ‘ and usually translates into fresh and unique projects.
Words of Advice: Make it universally appealing to a broad audience. Comedy is the toughest to translate in the international market so stick to the basics. Physical comedy with classic visual gags, strong action-adventure fare, characters who are standout and fun to license across many products, shows based in worlds which can extend into ancillary and complimentary mediums stand the best chance to break through.
Personal Faves: I would be remiss not to mention our own project, The Super Hero Squad Show. After all, People Magazine picked it as the best new kids’ show of 2009! The show is a rare blend of classic comic-book storytelling on one hand but with a fresh, tongue-in-cheek comedic look and writing style. The cast are top notch seasoned actors who have made a point of saying it’s their favorite show of their career. It has incredible broad appeal’it’s Mom friendly, fun for Dad the Fan Boy while being equally entertaining for kids of all ages, making it a programmer’s dream.
Philippe Soutter, Managing Director, PGS Entertainment
The Outlook: TV channels are looking more and more for evergreen properties and for shows that can bring the whole family together in front of the small screen. Method Animation’s The Little Prince, which is based on the iconic character from one of the most globally well known books by Saint Exupery’second only to the Bible’ticks these boxes.
Don Toht, Exec Producer for Chuggington, Ludorum
Words of Advice: Prepare the basics; a series bible, story/pilot treatment, character design, and set/world design. These should be concise and carefully organized to present your creative idea in the best possible light. Develop an opening statement that captures the essence of your idea in the simplest of terms. Know your properties and know the properties of the people you are presenting to.
Don’t get caught up in technology. Advances are constantly being made and it is the clear communication of concept, characterization and story that are important. Technology should follow, not lead.
Don’t get caught up in merchandising. You are communicating your concept, not ancillary items. Doing so can run the risk of limiting the scope of possibilities. A treatment should demonstrate the establishment of rich storylines, a believable world, and memorable characters. If a new intellectual property is rooted in good storytelling, it can create a logical, sensible and wholesome play pattern that might follow
Alix Wiseman, Head of Sales, Aardman International
Words of Advice: Make sure you are truly satisfied with your pitch documents and if not re-work them until you are. The stories and writing are pivotal’make them your priority. If there is financial scope to produce an animatic or, better still, even a two-minute pilot, do it. It makes the difference between potential partners actually signing up to a project and just expressing interest until you’ve got more to show. Don’t talk about the ancillary rights potential for a show before you’ve pitched the creative aspect.
good article