Doctor Who for a tanner a time

In the week that the new trailer for Doctor Who included Peter Capaldi in cool shades, here is the original cool Doctor, Jon Pertwee at a school summer fate in Cambridge in 1970. 

CMC 2015

Links to reports by Simon Bor from The Children's Media Conference 2015, held in Sheffield from July 1st -3rd.

Tom and Jerry try to upstage Dick and Dom at the "It Takes Two" session.


Opening Keynote: Michael Stevens- All Change?
YouTube video star Michael Stevens, creator of the hugely successful Vsauce educational channels entertained and challenged a 750 strong audience of children’s media makers with his views on engagement, authenticity and the YouTube “revolution”.

Masterclass: Industrial Light & Magic

“TV is not dead,” says top Vlogger.

The visual effects industry in Soho has grown from 1,000 people in 2003 to 6,000.

Is Xlab the future of interactive storytelling?

The verdict on that new Star Wars film.

It Takes Two

Dick and Dom. “A Double act is like a separate marriage.”

Tom and Jerry are enemies who can’t live without each other.

Danger Mouse retains his DNA for the new series.

There maybe more male double acts because girls are more prone to falling out.

Licensed to Thrill

It’s all about eye-balls.

License owners should think like a consumer thinks.

Disney have 80% of the US market, after companies like Nickelodeon, there’s not much left for the rest of us.

It is now more respectable for adults to buy licensed product.

The new Thunderbirds works for today’s kids because of the writing.

Changing Platforms

ITV needed to find a way to monetise their content after their SuBo moment.

Big music companies were turning away acts with ready-made fan bases.

PopShack appeals to 9 – 16 year–olds.

It has been death by a 1,000 cuts for traditional creative communities.

Creating content for YouTube brings new freedoms.

Changing Platforms: Conversations with Publishers

Reading agents’ Tweets is a good way of identifying the right agent for your book.

A ‘packager’ is the publishing equivalent of a TV production company.

Marketing departments matter. If publishers don’t make money, they close.

Late TV scheduling decisions get in the way of many deals.

TV/book tie-ins are usually part of a much larger licensing programme.

Tokenism to Truthful

 50% of the regular cast of ‘The Dumping Ground’ are diverse.

‘Katie Morag’ has the kind of authenticity that is lacking from other minority portrayals.

A new passport is a great moment for a Trans person.

The world of fine art can be elitist and exclusive.