Date and time 14th June, 10 am – 2 pm (including lunch)
Venue: Imperial Place Hotel Annecy

Register for this FREE event

The event starts and ends with great networking opportunities over coffee and lunch.

And in a packed programme the new UK animation tax incentive will be explored in detail, with special reference to how it impacts international co-productions.

Speakers include:
Ken Anderson – Red Kite Animation
Genevieve Dexter – Serious Lunch
Marc Dhrami – Gaumont Alphanim
Jackie Edwards, CBeebies
Gina Fegan – UK Trade and Investment
Oli Hyatt – Blue Zoo and UK Animation Campaign
Anna Mansi – BFI Certification
Sarah Muller – CBBC
Moses Nyachae – Saffrey Champness
Mike Watts – Novel Entertainment and PACT Council

For the full programme click through to UK@Annecy on the CMC website

You need to be a registered MIFA delegate to attend the UK@Annecy morning.   If you register for the UK@Annecy event you will be provided with a discount code which offers a significantly reduced price (€365) on the MIFA registration fee.

Register for this FREE event

UK@Annecy is a new initiative supported by UK Trade and Investment and Creative Skillset

The hugely successful ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’ session is back at CMC for 2013, with a new team of Dragons assembled and hungry to option the next big commercial kids’ property.

We’re looking for diverse TV and multi-media ideas to be pitched live in front of an esteemed panel of investors and the CMC audience.  If you think you’ve got what it takes to create the next big hit then we want to hear from you.

We want to see formats across all kids’ age ranges which display real commercial potential. Your pitch will need to include as many visuals as possible and ideally a video.  The pitch must cover the key creative and commercial aspects of the proposition, including, where possible, the financial aspects of your project.

Your live pitch should be no longer than 5 minutes in duration and our Dragons will then be given the opportunity to respond and bid for an option on your idea.  They’ll be offering real money in return for options, so you must be able to sign an agreement which gives a winning judge a 3 month exclusive window to talk further about the idea. You must also be aware that our judges are under no obligation to bid on any of the ideas pitched to them.

To be in with a chance to take part in the session, please submit your idea which should be no longer than one sheet of A4 paper, no later than 1st June 2013.

Send your one-pager to Jacqui Wells at: administrator@thechildrensmediaconference.com

Please include in the subject line of your email: ‘CMC Pitch’ and the name of your company.

Good Luck.

The International Exchange takes place between 0930 and 1730 on Weds 3rd – with the meetings lounge also open exclusively for Exchange Delegates’ use right through Thurs and Fri. You can book in for an additional fee of £45+VAT.

The Workshops take place from 1 pm to 5 pm also on Wednesday 3rd July.  There are four to choose from.  You can register for one of them for an additional fee of £25 +VAT.

It’s possible to attend the Exchange in the morning and get the full benefit of a workshop in the afternoon.  We said it was packed!

It’s an exploration of the issues, trends, and opinions around kids’ media on all platforms, with articles by Joe Godwin, Director of Children’s BBC, Dr Jo Twist, CEO of UKIE (the games association), Professor David Buckingham of Loughborough University, Professor Maire Messenger Davies of Ulster University, and many more.

At a launch on Thursday last week some of the contributors discussed the book and the issues it raises with an invited audience at Salford University in MediaCity UK.  Lynn Whittaker, the Yearbook Editor said she had been asked by the CMF to produce something between a Blue Peter Annual of children’s media and a research journal, and it was agreed that the mix of articles, research and opinion pieces provided a fascinating snapshot of children’s media in the UK in 2012-13.

You can buy a download (£7.95) or a paperback copy (£10 + p&p) on the CMF website.

The CMF are sponsoring a debate at this year’s Children’s Media Conference – and you’ll also be able to buy the Yearbook at the CMC.

The CMC International Exchange announces its content sessions and the first international guests.

This summer we are welcoming a host of international broadcasters, co-producers and funders to Sheffield to take part in the CMC International Exchange. The new all-day event is essential for anyone looking to find for international partnership, funding and sales opportunities. Whether you’re a writer, director or consultant looking to sell your services, an interactive company looking for leads, a publisher making connections, a service provider of any sort, a producer or distributor planning to sell a project – the International Exchange will offer the connections you need.  If you’re seeking investment, co-production partners or special expertise – the Exchange can provide solutions.

How is it different from other markets? 

It’s being done the CMC way.  It’s friendly and open.  It’s innovative – taking a fresh view of where opportunities lie and encouraging approaches to new and lucrative markets, as well as the tried and tested routes. It’s curated – you’ll be able to build a meeting structure under advice from our Exchange Manager and you’ll be looked after on the day by our team.

And of course it wouldn’t be CMC without content – the Focus On….. sessions, stripped through the day, on Wednesday 3rd July for those wanting to find out more about tax relief, funding, and working in international territories and markets.

International guests already on board include:
Laurence Blaevoet and Géraldine Soto, Canal Plus, France
Steven DeNure, DHX Media, Canada
Massimo Bruno, Di Agostini, Italy
Dinesh Kumar Jain and Anirban Nag, Eden Animation, India and Ireland
Sander Schwartz, Fremantle Media, US
Frank Mosvold, Kool Produktion, Norway
Desmond Ngai, MDeC, Malaysia
Elin Raustol, NRK, Norway
KC Wong, Sparky Animations, Singapore
Andrew Beecham, Sprout, US
Frank Dietz, Super RTL, Germany
Joan Vogelesang and Jean LeChance, Toom Boom Animation, Canada
P. Jayakumar, Toonz, India
Kiko Mistrorigo, TV PinGuim, Brazil
Vicky Schroderus, YLE, Finland
Nicole Keeb, ZDF, Germany
Katharina Pietzsch, ZDF Enterprises, Germany

There is an additional fee of £45 + VAT for the International Exchange.  That gives you access to the online meeting booking system, dedicated spaces to meet the international buyers, co-producers and funders and The CMC International Exchange conference content running throughout the day, including:

• Focus on Funding
• Focus on India
• Focus on China
• Focus on Markets
• Focus on the Animation Tax Break

If you are regular player on the international scene some of your best connections will be there.  If you’re a newcomer, you couldn’t ask for a more personalised and friendly atmosphere in which to make your first steps.  Sign up now.

“UK Animation – Open For Business”

Information Session & Networking

Friday 14th June 2013
10 am – 1.30 pm
Venue: MIFA at Annecy

Register for your free place at the CMC’s exclusive information session and networking opportunity at Annecy.

We’re extending an open invitation to all UK participants at MIFA (and any international delegates also attending) to join us for a high-level briefing session on the operation and implications of the new animation tax break– especially in the context of international co-production and funding.   We’re calling it “UK Animation – Open for Business” and it will feature experts on the tax incentive and producers who have been instrumental in lobbying for it.

Of course this event will also provide great opportunities to network as we’re inviting key buyers and co-producers to get the lowdown on the new UK incentive.  There’ll be a chance to meet and greet at the start, and for general networking in the final hour over a light lunch.  We’ll even organise some speed meetings to get those connections going!

To attend the session and networking opportunity simply register now.

You need to be a registered MIFA delegate to be able to attend our event.  But we can help with that too.  Once you’ve signed up to attend the CMC session and networking opportunity, you will receive informationto help you sign up to the full Annecy & MIFA package at a discounted rate which represents a good saving on the current rate of €485.

The Annecy Animation Festival and the associated MIFA market are big events in the animation year.  Bigger still this year is the news that in the UK tax breaks are available for animated series production.  The industry at home and abroad is buzzing.  This is your chance to find out more and build relationships with people keen to work with UK animators.

The writer of 24 Hour Party People and author and screenwriter of Millions, which was directed by Danny Boyle, returned to that collaboration when he wrote the Opening Ceremony last summer.  Father of seven, Carnegie Medal winner and Professor of Reading at Liverpool Hope University, Frank‘s contribution to our 10th anniversary celebrations promises to be lively and thought-provoking.

There’s no category for children’s documentary or factual, but we think “why not?”  For a full list of categories, and to enter go to: http://www.griersontrust.org

The CMC Animation Exchange was a comprehensive review of what’s currently known about the UK Animation Series Tax Incentive, which came into operation in the first week of April.

Staged by the CMC on April 4th at the BIS Conference Centre in Westminster, and supported by UK Trade and Investment and Creative Skillset (with a celebratory drink at the end provided by Aardman Animations) the day saw over 150 delegates packed into the conference space.

As someone remarked… “who’d have thought that so many animators would sit still for so long to hear tales of taxation!”

The topic was highly relevant and timely for the animation industry, which now needs to get to grips with the complexities of qualifying for and operating the tax break.  Event Producer Helen Brunsdon took the topic further too – with explorations of how the new financial incentive might affect producers’ relationships with funding bodies, broadcasters, and co-peoduction partners – especially in territories which have tax incentives of their own.

Recognising the holistic nature of much of the entertainment business, the meeting also heard from the Chief Executive of UKIE the games association on how the related tax incentive for games-makers was shaping up.

Each of the sessions at the event is reported in full in the CMC Blog archive.  Just scroll down to get a complete impression of the day and its insights.

Or session by session:
The Keynote
Panel: Qualifying
Presentation: The Games Tax Break
Panel: Fulfilment
Panel: Working in the Real World
Panel: The International Perspective
Panel: Training Initiatives and Feedback

Speaker:

Oli Hyatt Animation UK & Blue Zoo

Oli kicked off The CMC Animation Exchange with a rousing overview of where we are now with the new animation tax break and how we got there. The celebratory tone was balanced with a reminder that there is still work to be done to ensure we maximise the new benefits. Keen for the industry to take advantage of the tax break, Oli urged everyone to keep moving forwards and make the most of the new opportunities to ensure the continued growth of the UK animation industry.

Getting their ducks in a row was the basis of Animation UK’s lobbying approach, and Oli’s decision to open proceedings with plastic ducks glued to a hockey stick not only gave a seasonal nod to the Easter weekend, but also reassured anyone in the audience fearing an afternoon of accounting terms and percentages that this was going to be an accessible information session! Oli’s conclusion was clear. Our UK animation duck needs to produce golden animation eggs, rather than subsidised duck poo!

Meet the ducks who provided much of the themes and content for the rest of the afternoon’s programme:

Duck 1: Education
We have fallen behind other countries in terms of providing industry ready graduates. Creative Skillset are on board to help turn this around, and additional Government funding is now in place in a bid to boost talent.

Duck 2: European Funding
The Media Fund – soon to be Creative Europe has a lot to offer and though it might seem like a lot of work to apply – we are eligible and should make the effort.

Duck 3: Broadcasters
Broadcasters should nurture animators. We are in the fantastic position of needing lots of new content to populate many broadcast platforms, from internet, to VOD, to TV broadcasters – and that content can increasingly come from the UK.

Duck 4: Co-production
We want to see the UK industry grow in production and creativity, but also to continue to build co-pro relationships. The tax credit strengthens the UK’s position in the co-pro market, helping new partnerships to be built on creative opportunity rather than just financial.

Duck 5: Finances
The tax break helps, but it doesn’t provide the only answer. We still need to think creatively about how to fund shows and invest time in required form-filling and bridge funding opportunities.

Duck 6: Distribution
A vital part of many of our shows, but the new tax break can also help some shows to exist as shows without the previous shackles of L&M.

Duck 7: Promotion
The UK animation industry now has a voice and it’s time to use it to promote the message that we’re open for business in the UK.

Duck 8: Tax Break
It’s the quality of the shows that have got us here. Tax break or no tax break, there is always someone willing to offer cheaper work. Creativity and quality is our key to making the most of the tax break.

Duck 9: Creativity
Building on from the previous point, we need to push ourselves to deliver new content, new genres, new creative. Oli reminded us that it was our inspiration that got this initiative started in the first place, and we need to continue in that spirit.