Children’s television is full of technical dealmaking – co-pros! – and companies that are internationally respected. But the involvement of the ABC with the Open Channel Generation Next Kids Conference signals clearly that the space is open to new players.
Three years ago Melbourne’s Open Channel began holding conferences as way of offering training and networking opportunities for emerging practitioners. Earlier incarnations of the highly popular yet intimate conference (150-200 participants) focused on documentary, drama and comedy. Next week’s edition, however, takes on the highly competitive yet potentially lucrative children’s screen content sector. The Open Channel Generation Next Kids Conference takes place at Melbourne’s Docklands Studios on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 July, and the list of topics and speakers looks instructive on its own.
