Attendees crowd the Nickelodeon party. In six years the Kidscreen Summit has become a mandatory event for those in the children’s entertainment business, Photo credit: Kidscreen Summit.

Finn Arnesen, svp of original animation & acquisitions in Europe for the Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami, and Turner Entertainment Networks International, may have stated the obvious, but also laid out Cartoon Network’s rationale for multiple international channels. “Every five years there’s another five year old who comes fresh to our programs,” he said.

Commercialism Causes Fireworks
The Summit encompassed much more than pitching, however. Other sessions focused on everything from demystifying ratings, to global merchandising, to piecing together financing, to a behind the scenes of the making of <SpongeBob SquarePants>. The debate format of a few of the sessions seemed to spark the most interest. “To me, the most interesting seminars were those that shook things up a bit,” says Perez. “Usually everyone is so polite.”

Nancy Fowler of DIC Ent. met face to face with attendees with pitches at the popular “30 minutes with” sessions.

Indeed, at the several sessions that touched on the impact of commercialism on kids, there were the occasional fireworks. At the opening session, Al Kahn, chairman/ceo of 4Kids Entertainment and, on Thursday night, the third inductee into the Kidscreen Hall of Fame, didn’t apologize for his company’s focus on merchandising. “We’re a country that has thrived because of capitalism,” he said. “Merchandise is the lifeblood of our business. Just like a barstool needs more than one leg to hold it up, a successful children’s television program needs more than an airing once a week or even once a day. We develop play patterns first and foremost.” Then he quipped, “Is the FCC in the room?”

In the session entitled, “Kids and Commercialism,” on one side were the presidents of two children’s marketing companies, Paul Kurnit (Kidshop) and Christopher McKee (Gepetto Group). On the other side were the authors of two different books decrying the commercialization of childhood. The participation of Susan Linn, author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood and the associate director of the Media Center at Judge Baker Children’s Center, was particularly ironic. In past years the Media Center has picketed the summit to protest the commercialization of marketing to kids.

Bill Schulz (left) of Mike Young Productions and Bob Higgins of Cartoon Network toast their new show, Pet Alien.

McKee complained that anti-commercialism has gone to far, and that it, “ran the risk of sucking the fun out of kids’ lives.” Linn was appalled at the advertising onslaught on even the youngest of children. “The best-selling macaroni and cheese has SpongeBob SquarePants on the box,” she said. “Ronald McDonald is going into schools to teach literacy and promote exercise. They say Ronald McDonald doesn’t produce junk food. Give me a break.”

Practical Advice
Many of the seminars offered practical advice. At the seminar entitled “Evaluating the Production Budget,” longtime children’s television producer Theresa Plummer-Andrews, now managing director of the U.K. company, Plum Trees TV Ltd., talked about everything from completion bond and errors and omission insurance, to bribing the Sri Lanka Army.

Rick Siggelkow, vp at the children’s division of BBC Worldwide Americas, pointed out that while it is important to keep to budgets, it is more important to create good programs. “No one ever got credit for bringing a flop under budget,” he noted.