Sorpresa TV brings 100% kids programming to Spanish-language households.

Emily Smith, editor-in-chief/vp of product development for FamilyFun.com, talked about the challenges of defining, branding and generating revenue for her site, which supports the publication, Family Fun. Both are owned by The Walt Disney Co. While the magazine has 1.8 million subscribers, the site — now eight years old — has 1.5 to 2 million unique visitors a month, depending upon the time of year.

Part of her challenge, when she was brought on board for the site, was to help define it and give it a life in addition to being a support vehicle for the print publication. So they took the most popular departments of the magazine — crafts, party ideas and family recipes — to feature on the site. Viewers may also take care of subscription concerns on the site, but many use it as a community and resource for the features tailored for the Internet.

BrainCamp participants were able to experience firsthand the fun of making crafts offered on the site as Smith supplied each with the materials to make creepy spider bracelets for Halloween. In addition to advertising, the site makes money selling downloadable patterns for crafts and party ideas.

Leib Ostrow, co-founder/ceo of Music for Little People, is a self-described hippie living in Humbolt City, California, following his passion to make musical entertainment for children. He is making music DVDs to encourage kids to explore their environment.

While he started in the audio recording business making audiotapes for kids, he has been switching over to DVDs and predicts that audio recordings for children will be obsolete within five years. He credits this to the extensive use of DVDs in automobiles now. “Cars were the last bastion for audio,” said Ostrow.

He has found a niche, with so many retailers going out of business, Ostrow said, primarily due to Wal*Mart. That and the limited amount of product Wal*Mart will carry when it strong-arms its deals with suppliers, he said, has made the possibilities for parents very limited. His mail-order print catalog business is converting to Internet shopping orders, which helps cut down on his printing and mailing costs.

More to Come
The BrainCamp conference is specifically geared to the major players in the children’s entertainment industry. Attendance is limited to foster an environment of camaraderie and candid discussion.

BrainCamp East 2005 will take place during March 17-18, 2005, in New York City ([W] www.braincamp.com, [E] braincamp@aol.com). Confirmed speakers for the event include: Jim Samples, evp/gm, Cartoon Network; Cyma Zarghami, president, Nickelodeon Television; Stan Clutton, svp of investor relations, new business and licensing, Fisher Price; Michael Hirsh, ceo, The Cookie Jar Company; Paul Levitz, president/publisher, DC Comics; Peggy O’Brien, svp, educational programming and services, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and Yves Saada, coo, BrainPop.com.

Sarah Baisley is the editor in chief of Animation World Magazine.

Greg Singer is an animation welfare advocate, eating in Los Angeles.