V I D E O • A G E MA R C H/ AP R I L 2 0 1 2 18 Kidscreen Summit 2012 had to be one of the few international TV trade shows that is a seller’s market, in the sense that buyers outnumbered sellers. Held on three floors of the Hilton Hotel New York, it featured 10 exhibition areas, including four umbrella stands from Canada, France, Spain and Korea, which reserved “meeting tables” for their companies (20 from Korea alone). The three-day market, which kicked off February 7, was organized by the Toronto-based Brunico, which also publishes Kidscreen magazine. It featured 36 seminars, 150 speakers from the world of children’s television, and attendance from many broadcasters including BBC, France Television, ABC Australia, Disney Channels, CBC Canada and Italy’s RAI. Mathieu Bejot of TV France International (TVFI) reported that over 100 French delegates, including 25 of TVFI’s member companies and all the major French broadcasters attended Kidscreen. Among the first-time participants was Costanza Arena, executive director of Cinema Chile, who was busy promoting not only nine producers of children’s programs, but also her country, Chile, as an international partner for movies and television programs. Cinema Chile is a state-funded association that represents 31 Chilean audiovisual companies. Created in 2010, Cinema Chile is a subsidiary of the Film TV Producers Association (APCT), which is under private funding. According to Arena, co-producing with Chilean companies means international producers can tap up to 60 percent of their program budget from state funds. Subsidies are also available for scripts and post-production services. Currently, HBO Latin America is producing TV series Profugos in Chile, while Italy is co-producing a movie with German and French partners in Chile. Chile produces about 15 theatrical films per year and a score of TV programs, especially telenovelas, which are distributed internationally by nonChilean companies. But because of their lack of international distribution, the Chilean “brand” tends to get lost. As a remedy, Cinema Chile plans to become more active at film and TV trade shows such as MIPCOM and AFM. Arena said that although she’s very satisfied with the amount of recognition and number of accolades that Chilean films are getting from festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Venice and Berlin, Cinema Chile will become more active in promoting Chilean audiovisual content and the country as a production center at international TV markets. Another first-time Kidscreen participant was Giuliano Tranquilli, a partner at Rome-based Switchover Media, which operates two children’s channels (K2 and Frisbee) and one geared for young adults (GXT). Tranquilli, who left an unusually snow-coveredRome for balmyNewYork City weather, found Kidscreen a “very relaxed market. Not like MIP, where if one is 15 minutes late the appointment is canceled or rescheduled.” Tranquilli acquires about 200 hours of children’s programs per year and in two days at Kidscreen he “met with all the people I needed to see.” He also announced that the three-year-old Switchover Media is entering into the co-production business, after starting as a TV channel and later moving into licensing. Canada’s CCI, on the other hand, is a Kidscreen veteran. The company was represented by president Arnie Zipursky and VP of Distribution Jill Keenleyside. Even though CCI’s presence at this Kidscreen was not at the level of last year’s event, where it launched GeoFreakZ, the market continues to be very important for Zipursky, who’s now expanding into the TV-movie field, for which he’s planning a major launch here at MIP. The Kidscreen setting is more of a conference-based event where the market portion is coincidental. To facilitate meetings, however, the organizers set up tables instead of booths. Some of the tables were sponsored and therefore reserved, while others were free to grab if unattended. It was not unusual for different people share the same table while playing musical chairs with whatever chair or stool was available. According to TVFI’s Bejot, “The market is seen as very efficient. It is more focused and small-scale, and therefore more casual and less stressful than MIP, which, in the end, means it’s more productive.” He also volunteered some suggestions: “If only [the organizers] could fix a few things to make it more fluid. Many people complained about the amount of time wasted looking for the person you have to meet, even when you have a dedicated table, since there is zero signage.” He also suggested that the organizers help generate more traffic in the dedicated table area, which is far less exciting than the sponsored area of the delegate lounge. Bejot added that, “Some of our companies don’t attend the seminars. They came here to do business either in straight sales or in setting up new co-production projects. They can also follow up on existing projects.” On the subject of seminars, one participant told us that despite attending seven sessions, “I attended … only one until the end, as I didn’t find them very useful. Some of the ‘30 Minutes With’ sessions were purely Q&A with no presentation.” Yet, concluded Bejot, “Overall, the feedback is positive and business-wise it seems to be a good year. It might help to be away from the worries of the euro zone!” Kids TV Experts Like To Summit in New York C h i l d r e n ’ s T e l e v i s i o n CCI’s president Arnie Zipursky Giuliano Tranquilli, partner of Switchover Media The sponsored tables area at Kidscreen
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