The global economic tsunami affected MIPCOM 2008, but those who came got business done. © MIPCOM.

I came home late one night and decided to tune into a repeat of the second U.S. Presidential Debate, only to have CNN cut live to its London offices where they were discussing the alarming drop in Japan's Nikkei. I sat up and took notice. By the time I reached London on a transfer to Cannes, the dollar was at a five-year high against the pound, Russia had suspended its market, the Dow was the lowest I have ever seen and everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting to see what would happen when Wall St. opened. We have all been hearing the economic rumblings for awhile. But it seemed leading up to this year's MIPCOM that everything suddenly went downhill.

"Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting market," I thought. I wondered if it would be like the one after 9/11, where the Palais was a ghost town. Or the one where people were called home immediately upon arrival as the United States invaded Iraq.

While this MIPCOM was nothing as dire as those markets, rumors certainly swirled all week of companies going under, staff being told not to travel at the last minute, and whispers of concern over doing business with companies on shaky ground. The Palais seemed quiet… the halls a little emptier… and yet, the people that come to every market were busy. They had tons of meetings and the same amount of business appeared to get done. In fact, organizer Reed MIDEM declared record attendance for this 24th MIPCOM, especially from the emerging markets. So, how bad was it really?

I decided to ask a select group of attendees what they saw that made them hopeful or happy about the future of children's programming. What had they seen during our glorious sunny week in Cannes that made them feel as though there were a light at the end of what is appearing to be a very long and dark tunnel?

Here's what they said…

Rita Street, President, Radar Cartoons
It made me happy to hear that most broadcasters have a wait-and-see attitude toward the economic downturn. They may not be able to buy much next year, but at MIPCOM they were still very willing to look at new properties and discuss new directions -- thank heavens. The trend toward "teenage boy action heroes" is now solidly entrenched in animation, which is good news as we've been preaching this swing in the pendulum to our clients for over a year. A small portion of broadcasters are also willing to consider funny, utterly insane animals as an alternative to the animated "human" series. But, animal/creature shows have to be absolute breakouts to get a buy. Finally, there was a ton of talk of live-action taking over animation slots, but live-action hasn't won yet! You just can't make South Park in live-action -- at least, I hope not.

guru studio screened The Buds for many buyers at MIPCOM. © guru studio.

Donna Friedman Meir, Chief of Creative & Strategy, National Geographic Kids Entertainment
I saw a few truly extraordinary projects while at MIPCOM... one, sadly, is top secret so I can't mention names here, but it gave me that amazing feeling in my gut when I know something is going to be a big hit and touch kids in a powerful way. The greatest part, which you do feel and see over and over again at the market, is that the people behind the projects bring such passion and commitment both to kids and to their art! I always find that inspiring at MIPCOM! Good people doing great work.

Louis Fournier, Vice President, Business Development, Tribal Nova
For my part, I couldn't help but notice a new eagerness to embrace and be part of the online kids entertainment wave. Given that Tribal Nova has built quite an expertise in the field, I had a very upbeat market. The best is yet to come.

Mary Bredin, Development & Acquisitions, guru studio
Frank Falcone, the president and creative director of guru studio, and I noticed a trend that, in general, companies were more conscientious of their brand; we saw the re-branding of Target and it looked great, Brenda Wooding had a new card that was amazing. Perhaps it's the influence of the web and advertising and just more pressure to be aware of how things "look." But, overall, the image of the shows and booths seemed to work better. Even the Telefilm Canada stand, an old reliable, had a new chic feel. Marketing materials that have looked the same, in those pockets hanging off the stands, actually looked like you might want to read them -- or at least, more of them than usual. Somehow, the TV100 stand still looked cool even though it did look similar to the em.tv stand! Doesn't everyone now notice when business cards are dull or don't use the back for some sort of statement? Overall, it was a nice surprise -- more thoughtful branding makes things clearer and brighter!

Orion Ross, Vice President of Original Content and Creative, Jetix Europe
The weather was awesome, but we had so many meetings I thought I would lose my marbles. At times it was hard to discern any method in the madness. Ultimately what made me hopeful for the future was the talent. We met a flock of young, cool companies with silly names and great portfolios. We also saw some established studios really committing to fresh new artists, and pushing harder than ever for unique creator-driven shows. Ultimately individual pitches and projects are less important than the people behind them, and I'm really excited about working with some of the exceptional new folks we met. In a crowded market -- and by that I mean both MIP and the world beyond the Croisette -- where original points of view are paramount, the nutty people will triumph over the normal. And there were plenty of nuts to go around.

Kun Wu, Managing Director, Shiao Animation Co., Ltd.
As a first-timer to MIPCOM Jr. and MIPCOM, I do not have much experience to compare this year's market with the previous years. Of course, I heard during some of our MIPCOM meetings that the market is active, but funding is limited. On the bright side, what I felt is the passion of people who work on the kids' projects and work for children's happiness; this is not diminishing. Also the demand from the kids for more and better animation doesn't decrease. I also felt the trend that the market is diversifying into more different types of media, like Internet-based and video games. Overall, I feel positive about the opportunities in the market if we have attractive content, the correct market target and format, and well-planned and effective execution.

Vickie Corner, Managing Director, VGI
  Whether it was waking up to blue skies and sunny climes, indulging in over-sized patisserie, or absorbing the hubbub and frenzy of a colorful, abundant and a pleasantly calm Palais, there was a lot to be happy about at this year’s Mipcom. VGI was delighted with the fantastic response to our new CGI animated preschool series Everything's Rosie and, in spite of the fragile global economy, Mipcom 2008 felt buoyant.