Sarah Aspinall
Acquisitions Editor
BBC Children's

Maud Branly
Director, Children's Acquisitions & International TV Channels Programming
M6 - Metropole Television

Ronojoy Chakraborty
Head of Programming & Content, Kids
Sony YAY!

Dea Connick Perez
Consultant
Dea Connick Perez Media

Dea Connick Perez has more than 20 years of experience in television, radio and media, mostly in the kids business. She recently started her own company as a kids media consultant offering services ranging from sourcing content, content acquisition and programming consultancy to production and development guidance to identifying and securing intellectual properties to marketing services. Dea has helped launch over 15 channels and blocks over her career. Dea is currently sourcing and acquiring kids and family content for the Akili Kids Channel in Kenya. Dea has held programming, strategy and content acquisitions roles at TOPIC (SVOD/FAST), Universal Kids/Sprout, Qubo, Discovery Kids/Animal Planet, Cartoon Network/Boomerang/Adult Swim, and Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite/TV Land.

Claudia Dalley
Head of Programming
POP Channels

Aaron Davidson
Development Executive
Amazon Studios

In nearly four years at Amazon Studios, Aaron helped develop and produce aver 160 half-hours of TV for 6-11 year-olds. He managed or co-managed series like Danger & Eggs, Little Big Awesome, Niko and the Sword of Light, Annedroids, Dino Dana, Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street, and others. 

Frank Dietz
Head of Acquisitions &
Co-Productions
Super RTL

Frank Dietz joined Super RTL in 2000 and currently manages the channel’s programming supply for daytime and primetime, as well as content for off-air platforms such as merchandising, mobile and online services. Super RTL is Europe’s leader in children’s television and is jointly owned by RTL Group and Walt Disney International Television.

The channel offers programming for the whole family, including classic animated movies, cartoon specials, feature films and comedies for primetime viewing after 8:15 p.m. To secure the best content for the network, Frank has developed partnerships with major studios, independent distributors and producers worldwide. Before joining Super RTL, Frank was Manager of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at ZDF Enterprises, the distribution company of Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF. He started his career at BMG France, where he was in charge of international sales and marketing of local music productions.

Libbie Doherty
Head of ABC Children & Family
ABC Australia

As Head of Children’s Content I am responsible for the Content Strategy and have oversight of 380 hours of internally produced and commissioned content across the ABC’s two dedicated children’s channels, ABCME (6-12yrs) and ABC KIDS (2-6yrs). As a member of the ABC's TV & Radio leadership team, I contribute to the ABC’s audiences, production and business strategy by building quality and distinctive programming, with local and international financing partners that delivers to existing and new ABC audiences.

With 60+ internal creative staff in Sydney and Melbourne, as the Creative Leader I set the bar for creative excellence, innovation and nurture teams to deliver ambitious, unique and compelling stories for new and existing ABC Audiences.

Financing shows and discovering new pathways is an integral part of my role and having worked in the film and television business for over 25 years, I pride myself on strong and reliable relationships with international and local partners. Together we continue to invent, evolve and define different business models to commission projects.

The ABC has a long and rich heritage of providing quality Children's content to generations of Australian children – made for them and from their perspective. The ABC provides a broad offering of content that is designed to inspire, entertain and excite children, and which embodies a true Australian reflection of our contemporary culture. We are committed to equal representation for girls and boys and provide opportunities where possible for children to tell their own stories through our digital platforms.

Robert Fortuijn
Head of Kids Programming
NPO

Amy Friedman
Founder & President
Redhead Consulting

Cerys Griffiths
Head of Content Production
BBC Education

Nick Hall
Commissioning Executive (0-6)
BBC Children's

Claire Heinrich
Head of Acquisitions, Children's & Youth Department
France Télévisions

In her current role, Claire Heinrich negotiates and oversees all acquisitions for France Télévisions’ Youth Programs department. She joined the broadcast company in 1994, managing legal and business affairs for France 2’s co-production units, before moving into acquisitions a few years later. Claire has a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Law and Administration from the Paris Institute of Political Science.

Nicole Keeb
Head of International
Co-Productions & Acquisitions, Children & Youth
ZDF

After dabbling in experimental animation featuring Playmobil figures at the age of six, Nicole decided to study film (and sculpture and history) at the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Braunschweig. She worked for pubcaster WDR on the Show with the Mouse for two years and completed an internship at SAT 1, the first private channel in Germany, in the news department. After two years, Nicole was hired by Premiere (Germany's leading pay-TV channel) with responsibility for TV, movies and entertainment.

She also worked as an editor in the children's department until she was promoted to head it up. After five years, Nicole left to work at ZDF as a Commissioning Editor for acquisitions and co-productions for nine years. And in October 2006, she was promoted to Head of International Co-productions, Development and Acquisitions in the same department.

Suzanne Kelly
Head of Children's & Young People's Content
RTE Television

Suzanne Kelly Head of Children's & Young People's Content RTÉ, Ireland Suzanne Kelly has headed up the RTÉ Children’s division since 2018. She’s responsible for all content created and commissioned across video, audio and digital platforms for RTÉjr, 0 – 6 channel and RTÉ Kids, 7 – 12’s platform. As a PSM, the RTÉ kids’ team is dedicated to delivering top quality content for our audience and ensuring that they are represented and given a voice. Suzanne works hand in hand with both the Irish Live action and animation sectors to deliver stand out moments for TV audio and online, recent commissions include; The Imagination Machine, an e-sports blockbuster, Ireland’s Future is MINE, Alva’s World and a wonderful new podcast series, The Neighbourhood, narrated by Oscar nominee, Ciaran Hinds. Suzanne is also keen to grow RTÉ’s slate for teens and is actively searching out content for this audience. Prior to joining RTÉ, Suzanne worked as an independent producer/director, creating & developing programme formats, script writing and producing & directing in studio and on location for linear and digital platforms.

Marianne Lambert
Director,
Co-Productions
TFO

With many years of experience in television production and content creation, Marianne is an expert at creating content for kids that is fun and inviting. Fully bilingual, she has worked in many areas in kids tv: first as a host, then writer, director, producer, executive producer and broadcaster. In her role at TVO she managed the TVOKids YouTube channels and was executive producer for many TVOKids co-productions. Now at TFO, Marianne is Director of Co-Productions and Acquisitions where she is responsible for overseeing development and production for co-productions as well as acquiring content for TFO’s programming schedule (kids, film and documentaries).

Brenda Maffuchi
Chief of Co-Productions, Licensing and Sales Officer
De Agostini Editore

Marney Malabar
Consultant
Malabar Creative Consulting

Veronica Manzerolle
Director, Programming & Acquisitions
WildBrain

Marie McCann
Senior Director, Children's Content
CBC Kids

Marie McCann is the Senior Director of Children’s Content for CBC.  She began her career as an actress before earning a degree in English and Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto.  She has written, directed and produced award winning children’s content for over 20 years.  At CBC Kids she heads up the teams responsible for in-house television and digital content and oversees acquisitions and programming created with independent producers for Canada's national public broadcaster. 

Isaac Nartey
Assistant Commissioner,
Kids Content
Sky TV

Stella Jin Nam Noh
General Manager
SK Broadband

Jamie Piekarz
Creative Executive, Preschool
Apple TV+

Jamie Piekarz is a children’s media professional with the unique combination of production and broadcast experience that spans all age groups and genres. She joined Apple TV+ in 2020 as a preschool creative executive. Prior to that, she was a creative consultant, showrunner, writer, and creator for various Canadian and international projects through her company, JamPie Media. She also had a long run as the Director of Content for Treehouse, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada where she creatively steered all original Canadian and international co-productions (animation, live action scripted and unscripted) from development through to production. Jamie has also played an integral role in the creation, development and/or production of a variety of award-winning programs throughout her career. She served as a producer for several Nelvana shows and co-created/executive produced many shows for both YTV and Treehouse.

Adina Pitt
VP, Content Acquisitions, Partnerships &
Co-Productions for the Americas,
Kids & Family
Warner Bros. Discovery

Adina Pitt is vice president, content acquisitions and co-productions for Cartoon Network and Boomerang,  In this capacity, Pitt is responsible for identifying, negotiating and acquiring pre-produced series, specials, movies and short-form product that fit the Cartoon Network and Boomerang brands for exposure on all platforms.  She continues to oversee those programs once they have been acquired and positioned at each of the networks.  Pitt also serves as a liaison with international Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels to coordinate global acquisition contracts, and she represents the U.S. networks at all major programming markets including MIPTV, MIPCOM, Kidscreen and NATPE.  Pitt is based in New York City and reports directly to Robert Sorcher, chief content officer for Cartoon Network.

Previously, Pitt was vice president of acquisitions for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group.  In this position, she developed acquisition strategies that supported current and long-term programming plans for Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr, Nick at Nite, The N and Noggin.  In addition to these duties, she oversaw channel inventory, cable and network television series and movie deals, competitive pricing, theatrical and made-for-TV movie availability, and competitive inventories, both domestically and globally.

Pitt joined Nickelodeon in 1998 as a coordinator of acquisitions and, over the course of nine years, has worked on Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land, Nicktoons Network, Noggin, The N, Nick Jr., TNN and Spike TV.  She previously worked in film programming acquisitions at HBO.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Pitt earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in elementary education from Brandeis University and a master’s degree in educational communication and technology from New York University.

Irene
Pothecary-Huse
Acquisitions & Commissioning Executive
NRK, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK Super

Meredith Roberts
SVP, Animation
Disney Branded Television

Chris Rose
VP, Production & Development,
Kids & Family
Paramount

Alyssa Sapire
SVP, Development, Series & Strategy
Disney Branded Television

Alyssa Sapire is Vice President of Original Programming for Disney Channels Worldwide, overseeing a slate of projects for both Disney Junior and Disney Channel. Since 2016, she has shepherded the Muppet Babies reboot, Vampirina, and the new Monsters, Inc series for Disney’s new streaming service. Prior to Disney, Alyssa was VP of Development and Programming for FremantleMedia Kid’s & Family Group, overseeing shows such as My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Tree Fu Tom, Wizards and Aliens, and Kate and Mim Mim. Before helping to launch the Kids division of Fremantle, she spent ten years with Nickelodeon, launching Noggin and TeenNick with the groundbreaking Degrassi series and overseeing development and production of award-winning series and multiplatform projects. Shows include Gigantic, The Assistants, A Walk In Your Shoes, O’Grady and Play With Me Sesame. Prior to Nickelodeon, Alyssa was a Producer at Scholastic, overseeing TV and software projects for the I Spy and Clifford franchises, and developed a multiplatform educational brand for The Walt Disney Company. She started out in production and research for PBS/WNET-TV, working on science documentaries while getting her Masters in Education from Teachers College Columbia University.

Adriano Schmid
VP & Head of Content
PBS

Morten Skov Hansen
Head of Children
DR TV/Danish Broadcasting Corporation

Ellen Solberg
Director, Content
Sandbox Kids

Geraldine Soto
Head of Acquisitions, Prebuys & Co-Productions, Kids Content
Canal+

From 1996 to 1999, Géraldine Soto was Acquisitions and Programming Coordinator for Disney Channel France, joining the team a year before the net’s broadcast launch. In 1999, she joined TPS as Programming Manager for TéléTOON and launched Eureka! and Piwi in 2003. Since then, she has been serving as Head of Programming in the youth department for Canal+ Group channels TéléTOON, Piwi and Canal+ Family.

Mary Tai
Manager, Original Animation, Preschool
Netflix

Kristofer Updike
Executive
Hickory House Entertainment

Kristofer Updike has over 20 years experience as a Development Executive, Creator, Writer/Producer, Post Production Supervisor, Showrunner and Drirector. He has worked in live action scripted and animated productions both for preschool and 6-12 + Family and adult programming. Additionally, he has created and produced; unscripted content for the Kids & Family demo. His children's television experience started with the screenplay for the live action feature Miss Twiggley's tree followed by associate producing the ABC special Holidaze: The Christmas that almost Didn't Happen. As VP of Production with Bix Pix Entertainment he directed and produced an animated short series, The Roadents as well as the Documentary film Down the River. Having worked as a Development Executive for Sprout, Universal Kids and VP of Kids & Family Development in Scripted & Unscripted content for Peacock, he has developed and produced over 900 half hours of animation, live action scripted and unscripted spanning preschool and tweens. He handled strategy and development for Peacock and continues to develop, create and produce content of all kinds though partnerships.

Aurelie Wack
Senior Manager, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, EMEA
Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA

Pablo Zuccarino
SVP & GM, Kids & Animation
Warner Bros. Discovery LatAm

Ros Attille
Head of Children's & Young Audiences
Big Little Fish TV

Ros Attille is currently Head of Children’s and Young Audiences for Big Little Fish, overseeing the current slate of original IP . She is an experienced TV professional with over 25 years’ experience in children's television.. Ros has worked on many iconic children's brands, including Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Doctor Who and Disney’s Art Attack. During her six years at the BBC as Head of Preschool Development, successful commissions included multi-award-winning JoJo & Gran Gran, RTS winner YolanDa's Band Jam, RTS winner Grace's Amazing Machines, Kit & Pup, Number One Newton Avenue, Daydreams, and Colours.

Frank Blanquet
Producer & Director of Television
First Nations Experience TV

Kimberly Diaz
VP, Creative Development
Sesame Workshop

Sharon Gomes
Head of Production
Snowflake Films NYC

Sharon is the Head of Production at Snowflake Films NYC. She is experienced in developing inspiring content, leading international productions, and problem-solving in production management. Her background includes animation, studio and remote live-action productions, and factual content. She is a multiple Emmy award and Peabody award winner. Handpicked to be the News Anchor for the launch of MTV Networks Asia, she then became Director of MTV Asia News, creating programming content for 3 twenty-four hour channels including numerous ground-breaking programs, such as World Aids Day Specials, the Free Your Mind pro-social series, the Rock The Vote political series, and the First Youth Forum On Aids. After her tenure in Asia, she moved to New York City where she supervised daily news segments for MTV’s top-rated Total Request Live. She has also appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine. Sharon was part of the field production team that produced Rebirth, a full-length documentary about September 11, that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on Showtime channels where it was selected for the 2012 Peabody Award. Rebirth also screens at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in NYC. Sharon has produced children's programming for channels such as Nickelodeon, Disney, PBS, Sprout and BBC.

Andrea Griffith
VP, Content & Development,
Kids & Family
Sphere Media Toronto

Cort Lane
VP, Original Content,
Fashion Brands
Hasbro

Cort Lane is Vice President, Animation Development & Production for Marvel Television. As a life-long Marvel fan, Mr. Lane is thrilled to develop and produce shows within the rich Marvel Universe. In addition to supervising the animation development team, he serves as current series executive on all ongoing series. Drawing on a wealth of experience in entertainment, interactive media and marketing for children, Mr. Lane is well positioned to lead Marvel’s expanding slate of productions and co-productions.

Most recently he has served as development exec and supervising producer on Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Hulk and The Agents of S.M.A.S.H. He has also co-executive produced the animated special Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload.

Mr. Lane has also worked on co-productions of Iron Man: Armored Adventures and Marvel Anime: Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men & Blade, as well as developing and supervising production on The Super Hero Squad Show. Previously, he served as Director of Development for Marvel Animation, working on co-productions such as Black Panther.

Prior to joining Marvel in 2008, Mr. Lane spent seven years at Mattel producing animated, live-action and interactive entertainment across brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price. His period at Mattel includes several productions, including supervising Universal’s Barbie In A Christmas Carol and developing Monster High.

Jessica Schibli
Interim Head of Creative Diversity
BBC Children's

Megan Townsend
Senior Director, Entertainment Research & Analysis
GLAAD

In her current role as GLAAD's Senior Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis, Megan has overseen management of all aspects of creation, evolution and release of 25+ internationally recognized studies on inclusion in film and TV. Townsend shapes the conversation on LGBTQ representation through developing research-backed communication strategies, building trusted relationships with network and studio executives as well as writers, directors, and performers as a thought leader and creative partner, and serving as a resource and subject matter expert consulting on LGBTQ storytelling. A sought-after commentator and consultant, Townsend has appeared in several outlets including LA Times, Associated Press, The Wrap, Variety, and OUT and has provided cultural expertise to series and films including Disney Channel’s history-making series The Owl House and Andi Mack, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World, Netflix's Nimona, Freeform’s Shadowhunters, The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and many more. Megan lives in Los Angeles and is a graduate of Central Michigan University.

Alex Washington
Founder
Australian Student Films & The Children's Media Institute

Alex Washington, a seasoned doctoral student specializing in educational technology, brings a wealth of experience in television with a notable portfolio that includes contributions to significant platforms such as Netflix, Disney, Hulu, and various theater productions. With a background as an educator spanning three countries, Alex has imparted knowledge and inspired students globally. Now partially based in Australia, he spearheads a groundbreaking initiative to bring a fresh perspective to basketball and diversity on screens. As a producer and screenwriter, Alex draws on his rich teaching experiences to motivate and reshape the narrative about boys, aiming to introduce diverse and enriching television content to audiences worldwide. His unique blend of educational expertise and storytelling prowess positions him as a driving force in the quest for more inclusive and inspiring television narratives.

Naomi Dare
Director of Digital
Coolabi Group

Naomi Dare is the Director of Digital at Coolabi, a UK based company specialising in children's and family intellectual property rights. She oversees the digital strategy for all the brands which includes marketing, social media and games. Some of the key brands include Warriors Cats, Beast Quest, Clangers and Bagpuss. Naomi has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and much of her experience has revolved around helping entertainment brands gain awareness and engage with family audiences. During her career she led the planning for digital advertising for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and NBC Universal, and led the digital strategy and content production for Dove’s Self Esteem Project. Some recent projects at Coolabi include overseeing mobile and console games for Beast Quest, running an award-winning website, app and Roblox game for Warrior Cats (the New York Times best-selling series of books) and planning how to take these brands into Web 3.0.

Stephanie Gauld
Digital Director
Blue Zoo Animation Studio

Marc Goodchild
Head of Product & Innovation Enablement
The LEGO Group

Marc Goodchild is the Founder and Creative Director of IpDipSkyBlue is a new digital consultancy and cross-platform production house
specialising in children’s and family content in the UK and beyond. Having cut his teeth in the late nineties as a Series Producer in Children's television at the BBC and Disney in the UK, he crossed to the dark side to pioneer a swathe award-winning projects using Interactive TV and hybrid broadband video. Among the highlights were a multiscreen video service for Live 8, the first mass participation TV history vote in the UK - Great Britons, a nationwide crowd-sourced citizen science experiment using distributed computing to drive climate modelling, and a blended media serious game that was one of the first to mix video seamlessly with flash.

In 2007 he returned to the children's sector to head up all the BBC's digital services for children - leading the CBeebies and CBBC interactive teams through a period of great creative renewal. During his tenure, the broadcaster massively increased its spend on Children's digital content to become a world leader with ground breaking transmedia projects, a mix of programme support sites and casual gaming, and the junior iPlayer.

When it was announced his department was relocating to the North of England, Marc decided it was time for a new direction and has since been focussing in Connected TV and Mobile services of all shapes and sizes. His company helps clients develop practical strategies and products that are "grounded in the real world", and designed around how children and parents really use digital media. These can be marketing initiatives to build a brand, MMOGs, full transmedia experiences or increasingly revenue-generating apps and digital ‘toys’.

IpDipSkyBlue work with TV production companies (Lion TV, Ideas-at-Work, Fresh One, Sundog Productions), specialists publishers (Medikidz, Atlantyca) and new digital IP and app developers and are currently advising on a range of projects from Horrible Histories to Olly, The Little White Van, a kids’ coding format and healthy eating show for the Middle East.

This year at Kidscreen, Marc will be demonstrating a new technology platform that his team have been building with a sister company SyncScreen, to help devise and author genuinely engaging second-screen activities for children. Having immersed himself in the ‘companion app’ space, he noticed very few of the big 'social TV' players were catering for the unique way children consume multiple media and decided to build his own solution which his company are now in the process of rolling out to clients. He was recently named in the "Top 20 Thinkers in Social TV and Second Screen" by Appmarket.TV

Nerissa
Holder Hall
Founder
Mirror Mirror Books

Iris Ichishita
Co-Founder & CEO
Toekenz Collectibles

Iris Ichishita is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Toekenz, the first family-focused platform with digital collectibles, blockchain-based gaming, and a child-safe marketplace. Prior to Toekenz, Iris oversaw creative production and digital engagement at Mattel, producing video content for its world-class toy brands, including two Netflix Original Series for the Ever After High toy brand. Before Mattel, she headed up production at Hallmark Movies Now, producing original live-action, documentary, and animated films for SVOD, including the reboot of Rainbow Brite. Iris is the Vice President of New Media and Chair of the New Media Council Board of Delegates for the Producers Guild of America. She has an MFA in Motion Picture Producing from the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. For more information on Toekenz, please visit https://toekenz.com.

Kane Lee
Chief Content Officer
Baobab Studios

Nico Lockhart
Director Digital Studio
WildBrain

Nico Lockhart is Director of Spark Studio at the award-winning digital media company and premium kids’ and family AVOD network, WildBrain Spark. In his role, Nico is responsible for leading WildBrain Spark’s London-based studio team across editorial and production, developing the company’s pipeline of digital-first content through both original IP and third-party collaborations. Nico’s role is integral to WildBrain Spark’s audience-led approach to content and brand development, a key piece in WildBrain’s global 360° content strategy. With over 10 years’ creative experience, Nico joined WildBrain Spark in 2016 as the company’s first producer and quickly established himself as a highly skilled leader. Now responsible for driving the editorial and strategic direction of the WildBrain Spark studio, Nico has grown the original content team of five producers in 2019 to over two dozen in the current team. Nico’s expertise in audience-first ideation and content planning, and how it’s applied to kids’ narrative storytelling on AVOD platforms, has resulted in the success of both classic and new IPs. He has successfully led the creation of stand-out digital-first animated series for key partners including emojitown for the emoji company, Scribble Scrubbie Pets for Crayola, Akedo for Moose Toys, and WildBrain’s Slugterra with Epic Story Media, alongside WildBrain Spark’s own hit series Boy & Dragon, Caillou’s New Adventures and the new CG-animated series Teletubbies Let’s Go!

Makeda Mays Green
SVP, Digital & Cultural Consumer Insights
Nickelodeon

Tone Thyne
VP Moonladder Film & TV
FableVision Studios

As Vice President of Creative at FableVision Studios in Boston, Massachusetts. Tone oversees development of all original properties, including broadcast series, games, apps, and other digital content. He is a Showrunner/Head Writer on the Netflix series Go Go Cory Carson, the Creator/Writer/Director of Aardman Animation's Don’t Mix Us Up! series, Co-creator of CBC’s award-winning series The Adventures of Napkin Man! and the Supevising Producer of Nickelodeon's Wonder Pets!

Erika Winterholler
Head of Business Development, Digital Gaming
Mattel