**Note: this item may be out of date. Kidscreen is working to update by fall 2023
Looking to grow its co-viewing audience, WildBrain Television’s Family Channel is searching for local and international live-action content that resonates with every member of the family.
The Canadian channel’s key focus over the next two years is to strengthen its primetime lineup with live-action comedies, dramas and unscripted shows, says Katie Wilson, VP of channels and curation.
“Live action is, and always will be, a distinct content pillar on the network,” says Wilson. Though Family Channel is known for homegrown hits such as The Next Step, Degrassi: Next Class and My Perfect Landing, it’s also been dipping its toes more in the international space.
Wilson points to recent vampire-themed acquisition Heirs of the Knight (Lemming Film) and Canada-UK treaty production Malory Towers (King Bert/WildBrain) as good examples of European-produced tween dramas that have performed well on the channel.
She attributes a lot of the shows’ success to the fact that Canadian kids and families weren't able to travel during the pandemic and were longing for escapist content and stories set in international locations.
The channel is also looking to do more in the unscripted space after seeing some traction with co-view pick-ups like competition series American Ninja Warrior Jr. and lifestyle show Get Out of My Room from NBCUniversal.
These types of escapist shows resonate with primetime viewers, says Wilson, so she’s on the lookout for more whether reality, competition or lifestyle.
She also notes that animated and live-action movies and specials do extremely well on the channel. “We’re looking to acquire theatrical library titles or curated specials to build tentpole events around,” she says.
In terms of length, specials can range from 44 minutes to an hour, and features anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours. She says this type of content works best if it can be tied to a typical holiday like Christmas or Halloween, or the back-to-school period.
Though animation is a key pillar for Family Channel, Wilson says the network is quite well served in the series department right now, especially for six to nine-year-olds. Brands that do perform well include DreamWorks’ Boss Baby and Trolls, as well as ZAG’s Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.
For Family Junior, Wilson is focused on bringing gender-neutral or slightly girl-skewed animated preschool programming and music-based short-form content to the channel, predominantly for the four-to-six age range. She doesn’t typically look at curriculum-based shows unless they are particularly engaging, friendly and fun. The channel mostly airs animation, but Wilson is open to seeing live-action pitches, too, for acquisitions and originals.
Family Chargd, meanwhile, is WildBrain Television’s dedicated kids channel for six to 12s and airs a mix of animated comedies, superhero programs, reboots like DreamWorks’ She-Ra and Voltron, and some primetime live action. Wilson says a lot of effort is being made to bolster the channel. “We’re looking for fun, zany shows that are outside of the box,” she says. “We also want to build the co-view primetime space, so if a producer had a Doctor Who show for kids it would fit perfectly on Chargd.”
For French-language Télémagino, Wilson isn’t looking for any specific content right now, but she’s open to take unique pitches from the French-Canadian market. The channel mainly airs preschool animated content from Family Jr., but also animation for six to nine-year-olds.
Going further into WildBrain Television’s acquisitions and commissioning strategy, the network will pick up finished series and catalogue content and board and greenlight original commissions, working with creators and producers at all stages of development. It will also look at potential rights curation across broadcast, production, distribution, consumer products and YouTube.
Team
Katie Wilson VP of Channels and Curation
Veronica Manzerolle Director of Programming and Acquisitions
Demographic
Family Channel: kids six to 12, adults 18 to 49
Family Jr: preschool, predominantly four to six
Family Chargd: kids six to 12
Télémagino: preschool, kids six to nine
Format
2D Animation
3D Animation
CG Animation
Live Action
Made for TV
Scripted
Shorts
Specials
Unscripted
How to Pitch
For people looking to pitch show ideas, VP of channels and curation Katie Wilson says Family Channel prefers a less-is-more approach. “I don’t necessarily need hundreds of pages of information,” she says. “If you cannot articulate your idea in a succinct way in a one-pager with a visual that sets the tone and mood for the show, you might need to rethink how to present your concept.”
She adds that people also shouldn’t spend a ton of time or money trying to present an animatic. However, the channel is open to looking at projects at every stage of development. “Whether you just have a really new idea or are pretty far along in development, we are open to looking at your project,” she says.
The best point of entry to reach Wilson is through kidscreenxchange, but people need to be very clear in their subject line that they are sending a pitch, she says.
Contact
VP of channels and curation Katie Wilson and programming and acquisitions director Veronica Manzerolle can be reached directly via email at katie.wilson@wildbrain.com and veronica.manzerolle@wildbrain.com
