Report – First Timers Reception
This event, hosted by Disney, was an opportunity for first timers to mingle with each other and CMC veterans. CMC debutant and Guest Blogger Lucy Heavens dived right in.
Takeaways:
- Friendliness! The children’s media industry isn’t your run-of-the-mill media industry; these people are nice!
- People want to chat – they’re here to chat, so use this opportunity to introduce yourself.
- Go to as many sessions as you can; they are all full of nuggets that could prove invaluable to your work.
Detail:
After a pretty intense trial by fire this morning at the International Exchange (not for the faint-hearted), and a great ‘Pitch Perfect’ session full of really solid advice, the day has been intense and interesting. I topped it off with the First Timers Reception. It wasn’t a session exactly – more just a room full of slightly dazed souls gripping wine glasses.
The speakers quickly put everyone at ease. There was a substantial Disney presence at the event and the message was clear – talk to us! Talk to everyone you can get a hold of. Yes, sure, of course it’s daunting but this is why we’re here and this what we do – and thank goodness we’re working in an industry where your colleagues and even your competitors are your friends.
So even though I heard of a lot of “it’s been manic” and “what a day”, everyone was wonderfully open to exchange names, ideas and cards. I met everyone from Gareth and Rhiannon from Cymru (first timers) to veterans like the awesome Stephanie Wahlstrom (producer of the event) as well as notable Disney-ers like David Levine, writers from abroad, as well as representatives from gaming companies, broadcasters and production companies.
As a writer and show creator, it’s heartening that the more of this stuff I do, the more this big industry is demystified. Sometimes it feels like you have to align actual planets just to make headway on a project, but it’s amazing when you discover that other people want your projects to succeed. That’s just good business, and that’s the business everyone is here to do.
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