Timetable

Tuesday Workshop: Get Social

Get Social to learn how to promote your brand on social media, the differences between platforms, and how to create appropriate content that complements and reaches your audience directly.

Tuesday Workshop: Open to Virtual?

Discover what you need to know to get started in Virtual Reality, experience some VR for kids, and participate in a fun hands-on workshop with expert mentors to help you rapidly prototype an adaptation of a kids' story for VR.

Tuesday Workshop: Pitch Perfect

For newbies and old timers! An interactive workshop about how to pitch, who to pitch to, which markets to attend, and the best ways to sell yourself and make your project sizzle – not fizzle.

Opening Keynote: In Conversation with James Purnell and Alice Webb

The key strategists for children's content at the BBC, the UK’s leading commissioner, look ahead to the next ten years.

First Timers Reception (Free Drinks!)

A unique opportunity to mix and mingle with CMC veterans. This special event will be hosted by Disney and is a great chance to meet new people.

Millennium Gallery Reception

Drinks reception in the Millennium Gallery – across the square from the Crucible Theatre.

International Exchange PM Session

The afternoon begins with a networking lunch from 12.45-1.45pm with a Welcome Presentation at 1.40pm, meetings run from 1.45pm-5pm.

International Exchange AM Session

The morning begins with a Welcome Presentation at 9.20am, meetings run from 9.30am-12.45pm and a networking lunch is provided from 12.45-1.45pm.

First Timers Meet-up

First timers are invited to meet at the Registration Desk in the Workstation before walking up together to the First Timers reception at the Crucible Theatre.

Playground Day 1

A week-long exhibition of specially commissioned interactive digital art pieces, games, brand new apps and virtual reality headsets for children and families to play with. With digital crafts and hands-on activities and workshops. (CMC delegates are welcome too!)

Animation UK – Open Meeting

Your chance to discuss animation issues with Animation UK Director Helen Brunsdon and Executive Chair Kate O'Connor.

First Timers Lunch

A chance to get to know some CMC ‘old hands’ and meet your fellow first timers – bring your CMC lunchpack!

Kids – Do We Care… Enough?

Kids as contributors – do we exploit them? Radio One DJ Cel Spellman hosts a discussion with leading experts on the challenges, pitfalls and success stories around the duty of care.

Is your IP Ready for Licensing?

Consumer goods licensing can deliver valuable revenue streams and added exposure for your content. Learn what it takes to have your IP turned into toys, apparel and other high-street products.

The Ethics of VR – Inside a Child’s Virtual World

Is VR safe for kids? Explore the fundamentals of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality for children and its safety and suitability for young people of all ages.

Show Me the Money! The Business Realities of VR

Where are the real commercial opportunities in VR for children’s media in 2017? What does it cost and can businesses ever make a return?

IP 360

Case studies in overcoming the creative, user and strategic challenges of taking a brand across multiple platforms, from TV and on-demand, to books, apps, toys and beyond.

Focus on China

Hear from those working in China about the opportunities and challenges, and gain insights from inside this vast new market as to how UK companies can find their way in.

Attention Seekers

What are the ‘rules of engagement’ for digital savvy 10-16s? What are the creative implications of working for short-form, digital tweens and teens?

Can We Fix It?

The internet was not designed for kids – but can we fix it with new technology, regulation, by grown-ups helping kids, or kids developing digital resilience? Have your say at CMC.

Who’s Running this Show Anyway?

Join industry leads as they explore the role of Showrunner: who’s the right person for the job, what does it involve, and is it right for the show?

The Art of Writing for Animation and The Art of the Theme Tune: Knowing the Score

Top tips for writers, producers, directors and animators from Andrew Brenner, and a live-music discussion with Banks & Wag about what makes a brilliant theme tune, with takeaway top-tips about how best to work with composers.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Prospective producers enter the den to pitch their ideas to the dragons – and, this year, the audience too. But who will walk away with investment?

Meet the Commissioners: Branded Content

What are the branded commissioners looking for from creators and producers, and what's the commissioning process, once a show is commissioned? We take you behind the curtain and reveal how to crack the nut of successfully branding your content and taking it to the next level.

Are We Open?

Our Question Time panel on the current and future issues facing children's media. Are we open for business, open to ideas, open to each other and how are we serving the audience in difficult times? Delegate questions answered… openly.

Meet the Commissioners: VOD

What are the rules of engagement in the world of VOD, and how will they impact both the content creators and audience as the arena grows?

Meet the Commissioners: Channels

Join us as we delve into the minds behind the commissioning at Disney, Nickelodeon, Turner and BabyTV.

Are We Open? (relayed from Cinema 4)

Our Question Time panel on the current and future issues facing children's media. Are we open for business, open to ideas, open to each other and how are we serving the audience in difficult times? Delegate questions answered… openly.

Serving up a Healthy Lifestyle

With childhood obesity on the rise, does children's media have a responsibility to educate audiences on healthy lifestyles?

New Kids on the Block

Can new kids' media companies be built in today’s multi-platform media market? Meet the innovators and entrepreneurs building new businesses and learn what it takes to succeed.

Look! No Strings

Top puppeteers from TV, film and theatre explore how they achieve such strong connection with the young audience, and some special puppet guests drop in with opinions of their own.

Trade, Treaties and Taxes

How to use the taxman’s and other countries’ money to fund your project, and how co-pro deals are likely to progress post-Brexit.

Reflecting and Serving Neurodiversity

How working with children and young people with all sorts of abilities, as writers, collaborators and contributors we can create new and exciting children’s content and games.

Play Patterns in Digital

Child development doesn’t change, but its context does. In today’s digital world, do new playthings extend or enhance classic play patterns, or are they trying to invent new ones?

Deciphering the Data Puzzle

How can new digital devices – and data from them – help children’s media companies better understand their audiences? New approaches, new insights… and new concerns?

So Over Unboxing… What’s Next?

Unboxing unexpectedly took the internet by storm when it forced its way into toddler psyches – so what’s next in the world of kids’ digital?

The Fall and Rise of British Comics

The kids’ comics market has changed considerably over the last 30 years. How has the industry responded, and what will it mean for the future?

Research 8 & 9

Two 30 minute research presentations: Open minds, Open books, Open Hearts, Fake News and The Power of Image.

Research 6 & 7

Two 30 minute research presentations: The Fundamental Needs of Children and Audience Insights Inspire the Sky Kids App.

Research 4 & 5

Two 30 minute research presentations: The More You Read, the More You’ll Know, and Can Reading Improve Children’s Self Esteem?

Research 1, 2 & 3

Three 30 minute research presentations: How Open is Children’s Definition of TV?, Plugged In: How Media Attract and Affect Youth, and The Anatomy of Children’s Fandom.

Speed Meetings – Focus on China

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Commissioners: VOD and Licensing

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Trade, Treaties and Taxes

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Commissioners: Channels

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Crucible Bar Open

The Crucible bar is open for drinks before the Creative Keynote.

CMC Creative Keynote: Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood

Dick and Dom – presenters, actors, and general all-round comedy fools – celebrate 21 years on TV at CMC.

The CMC Party

FUN CMC is the place to be on Wednesday night! The ‘official’ CMC party is always a celebration to remember.

Pizza Express

It’s the long standing tradition of CMC to gather at the Pizza Express and share a kids’ party style meal.

Playground Day 2

A week-long exhibition of specially commissioned interactive digital art pieces, games, brand new apps and virtual reality headsets for children and families to play with. With digital crafts and hands-on activities and workshops. (CMC delegates are welcome too!)

First Timers Lunch

A chance to get to know some CMC ‘old hands’ and meet your fellow first timers – bring your CMC lunchpack!

Play to Learn or Learn to Play?

Digital learning games promised a bright future for education and engagement of young people. But what difference have they really made in the last 10 years? What does the future hold for game-based learning and can it really compete with game-based fun?

Best Friends Forever?

Can broadcasters and funders work together to finance children’s features films?

VR: The Creative Challenge

Creating immersive stories and interactive playspaces in VR - experts share approaches to narrative, interaction and design-thinking in developing new immersive story experiences.

Engineering Change

Less than 9% of the Engineering workforce identifies as female. Using TV shows, can we STEM the flow of girls choosing other careers?

Learning Through Animation

New platforms and opportunities for animated educational content.

The Art of Personalisation and The Art of Discoverability

Nick Marsh, of Lost My Name, uncovers the consumer trends and tech break-throughs making high-quality personalised kids’ content finally possible, and Peter Robinson uses Dubit Trends research to offer a roadmap for helping kids find and engage with your content.

Fake News and False Friendships

Fake news, fads, false friendships - these are all challenges for children in the digital landscape. What can be done to help kids tell truth from fiction?

Kindfulness

In an increasingly insular global climate, what can creators and broadcasters do to ensure kids are getting balanced content that imparts tolerant values for the tough times ahead?

The Last Word

At CMC 2016 Lemn Sissay and George the Poet opened our eyes to the marginalisation of many young people. Now, more than ever, we need to ask ourselves - are we listening?

Meet the Commissioners: BBC

Commissioners from the BBC reveal how to approach them, what they‘re looking for, and the post-commissioning relationship.

Opening the Vault

The vault is opened to reveal funding sources for a variety of genres of children’s media – including TV, film, digital, publishing and theatre.

Meet The Commissioners: PSBs

Commissioners from all the UK Public Service Broadcasters reveal how to approach them, what they‘re looking for, and the post-commissioning relationship.

Focus on Canada

Canada-UK co-production partnerships – the perfect match? Learn from our panel of Canadian producers, distributors and broadcasters how collaborations can work.

Focus on France

New trends in France – how UK producers/distributors can work with the French market, and what French producers and platforms are looking for from UK companies and talent.

Development Masterclass: Terry Kalagian

Terry Kalagian shares 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry to examine what it takes to develop new ideas for commercial success – and still keep them true to their heart.

Character Building

What makes a fantastic character? A masterclass in the creation of great characters and character design that is so important to successful IP.

Games Masterclass: Max Scott-Slade

Game Thinking – using games to solve super-hard stuff! Tests suck! But Games are the universal language of play. Could Games provide the answer to asking kids super-hard questions in a natural way?

The Route to China

Representatives of the CICAF Animation Festival in Hangzhou explain the potential for UK companies at their International Animation & Game Business Conference and Market (iABC) – with a special offer of free tickets to attend. The Department of International Trade offers advice on working in China and explains the assistance available.

I Don’t Need a Role Model - I Just Want to See Me

Research suggests that toys, TV programmes, licensed characters and marketing still fall short in raising children’s aspirations. How does this play out – at home or in schools – and what does it mean for children as they grow up?

Beyond Survival: Growing your Business and Making Money

Understand how to finance the growth of your business and develop its strategy to best exploit the myriad of opportunities available in today’s diverse content market.

Research 4, 5 & 7 (Repeat)

Three 30 minute research presentations: The More You Read, the More You’ll Know, Can Reading Improve Children’s Self Esteem? and Audience Insights Inspire the Sky Kids App.

Research 6 (Repeat)

The Fundamental Needs of Children: To better meet the needs of the children’s audience and increase the success of content and products, the BBC have developed a ‘needs model’ to describe the fundamental drivers of behaviour that influence why children access and use media and technology.

Research 8 & 9 (Repeat)

Two 30 minute research presentations: Open minds, Open books, Open Hearts, Fake News and The Power of Image.

Research 1, 2 & 3 (Repeat)

Three 30 minute research presentations: How Open is Children’s Definition of TV?, Plugged In: How Media Attract and Affect Youth, and The Anatomy of Children’s Fandom.

Speed Meetings – Commissioning Execs: BBC

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Commissioners: PSBs

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Opening the Vault

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Speed Meetings – Commissioners: Branded

Speakers listed here are available for five-minute one-to-one advice meetings. Come to the Workstation Reception to book your slot. There is no advance booking – it is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss out.

Playground Day 3

A week-long exhibition of specially commissioned interactive digital art pieces, games, brand new apps and virtual reality headsets for children and families to play with. With digital crafts and hands-on activities and workshops. (CMC delegates are welcome too!)