APD Conference: Enable! Case Studies and Market Trends

An essential element of Animation Production Days is its half-day conference which examines new trends and challenges in the animation industry. In the first part of the Conference, producers who have forged new paths, share their experiences. Thomas Borch Nielsen (Nice Ninja) and Dirk Hampel (B-Water Animation Studios) have both produced projects using game engines and will report on their lessons learned. Can you build a series and establish a successful brand without a linear platform? Helen Howells and Oliver Ellis from Hoho Entertainment invite you to hear how they refused to give up on their pre-school brand, Cloudbabies long after the series finished airing on terrestrial TV in the UK. Niko and the Sword of Light went from a hit as an animated comic book app to an almost cancelled series to an Emmy award winner. Co-creator Bobby Chiu recounts the strategies, trials and tribulations that were behind their series.In the conference’s second section, the Content Briefing Session, representatives from German and international TV channels and distributors provide an overview of current industry trends and market developments. Dr. Astrid Plenk (Program Manager of the KiKA of ARD and ZDF), Dominque Neudecker (Senior Manager Acquisition & Co-Production Disney Channels GSA), Richard Rowe (Director of International Acquisitions and Co-productions, DHX Media) and Chris Rose (VP Animation Porduction/Development, Nickelodeon International) will introduce their programming needs and strategies with regards to animated content. Access to the APD conference is granted to all accredited APD participants and also to industry guests with ITFS and FMX accreditation.