Tony Collingwood and Helen Stroud took meetings in the Nick Lounge on The Secret Show, which launched on Nicktoons a few weeks earlier. Photo credit: Sarah Baisley (l) and © Nicktoons/ Collingwood O'Hare Ent. Ltd.

They embarked upon making 25-30 character-driven picture books with edge and humor from people from animation world. They presented some of the ideas to Nick and Bob Boyle's concept went to series. "I should tell you that Bob got turned down the first two times, but he kept coming back," said Miller. "He was tenacious."

They control worldwide licensing rights, something producers rarely can do with a network. But they worked out different arrangement with Nick since they brought the financing. She said, "Having never done a deal like this, having never produced a show, having never done a theatrical, it's often good not to know what you can't do."

Susan Miller, president, Bolder Media, was there to host a panel plus a breakfast for delegates to promote her new TV venture, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, which airs on Nick Jr. Photo credit: Sarah Baisley (l) and Courtesy of Nickelodeon.

One of the most enjoyable presentations was, "Brilliant! I Wish I Had Thought of That..." where panelists showed examples of hot products and best inventions they wished they'd come up with and why they were significant to the business.

Those who need a primer or recap on what are the pressing issues for people in the kids business today need to check out the panels. Plus, they need to be revisted often, since the business models are changing so rapidly.

Margaret Loesch, co-ceo of The Hatchery, and former Fox Kids chief, as well as Marvel Ent. and Hanna-Barbera programming exec said, "There is a limitless appetite by the audience, but there is limited space."

She told people who love their property and the business to stay in the game. She once asked Joseph Barbera, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera, "What is the single ingredient that you think has gone into your being so successful?"

Donna Friedman Meir, president, National Geographic Kids' Ent., participated on the Trading Places panel, and brought with her a member of her own focus group, Joss Meir. Photo credit: Sarah Baisley.

"Oh that's easy," he replied, "the ability to handle disappointment. You must have the tenacity to go back over and over and over again."

She added, "Any idea may not be the right idea today, but a lot of success I've seen over the years is the result of the right timing."

Other messages included:

"New pipelines and appliances are coming; the groundwork is being laid for the new world to come to us."

"There will be a new nonlinear video online opportunity as a real meaningful financing mechanism."

"Indie content people must future proof their content -- protect those rights -- do not give up the rights to the broadcaster or video partner or you won't be able to play ball."

"To enter the multiplatform world, you must change the matrix of success. In our industry the U.K. is obsessed with television share and that's just telling you one part of the picture. Share is least important. What we need is a value-based multiplatform matrix that shows how we are delivering value to kids."

"The buzzword is user-generated content."

"China and India will become hotbeds for creative work that will travel around the world. Like anime from Japan has easily translated to the west, we'll start to see more and more influence from those worlds."

"Every day there is a new window popping up and there's a new way to program against it."

One of the favorite takeaway lines of the show was by Neil Friedman, president Mattel Brands, who said, "You have one mouth and two ears for a reason. Listen twice as much as you talk, because you might learn something."

Brunico will be taking a version of this show on the road this year, offering the first KidScreen West, which will be held May 14-17, 2007, at Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

Sarah Baisley is editor-in-chief of AWN.