ABC Australia is looking to entertain and inspire the 4.4 million Australian children between two and 14 through a mixed genre output of light entertainment, drama, comedy, preschool and factual, says head of children’s content Libbie Doherty.
ABC spans across free channels ABC Kids (two- to six-years-old) and ABC ME (six to 12s) and the VOD platform ABC iview, which carries the broadcaster’s linear content, as well as exclusive kids content commissioned specifically for iview.
Doherty primarily develops content from Australian independent producers, and commissions to international producers are rare—but occasionally deals will occur when an Australian producer is involved. For co-productions, Australia needs to be represented in the production, if not also the story.
The broadcaster’s catalogue should reflect the diverse and rich Australian identity, and help guide kids through the big and small transitions of childhood, she says. It should also connect city and regional kids to each other and empower children to speak up and participate within their communities.
ABC is looking for content that fits six criteria: It should be bold, brave and takes creative risks; it should always take an inclusive lens, giving children content that they can see themselves in because it creates a sense of belonging in an expanding national identity; it should make the audience laugh and remember to have fun; it should focus on accuracy while pushing the boundaries of stories and topics and balancing trust and risk; it should experiment with new formats and approaches to content development; and it should feature diversity in front of and behind the camera, with a focus on under-represented groups from culturally and linguistically diverse groups, Indigenous and disabled communities, as well as building on the broadcaster’s 50/50 female cast and crew targets. In short, the pubcasters wants shows with kind, big-hearted characters and epic locations, which also helps kids explore, investigate and make sense of the world around them.
This may seem like a very open content purview, but the pubcaster has focused on building out its catalogue with inclusive content, including Epic Film’s live-action series First Day (four x 24-minutes), about the transgender character Hannah as she copes with high school and transitioning into becoming a girl. One of the first children’s series to explicitly follow the life of a transgender youth, First Day provides a clearer picture of the type of content the broadcaster is looking for, Doherty says.
On top of this, ABC is working to push the boundaries beyond typical protagonists, and picked up Paper Owl Films’ animated series Pablo, which revolves around a five-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who uses magical crayons to start adventures with the characters he creates. The channel has also filled its catalogue with a variety of content across styles, including animated educational-focused series, including international preschool-skewing titles Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, The Day Henry Met... and Bing, mixed-media series Becca’s Bunch, Dino Dana and live-action shows Molly and Mack and Detention Adventure.
ABC children’s content is meant to build a life-long connection to the bigger brand, and as a result, content for younger audiences needs to be crafted with an age-appropriate pace and style, says Doherty. To reach a broader audience, Doherty is seeking content that features a range of production techniques, including factual, drama, live-action, puppets, songs and animation, which balances learning with entertainment. Productions for iview should experiment with storytelling and length, since they do not need to be constrained by traditional broadcast schedules, she adds.
Team
Libbie Doherty Head of ABC's Children's Content
Amanda Isdale Executive Producer
Demographic
ABC Kids (two- to six-years-old)
ABC ME (six to 12s)
Format
2D Animation
3D Animation
CG Animation
Live Action
Made for TV
Mixed Media
Scripted
Shorts
Specials
Unscripted
How to Pitch
Producers with fully completed projects should email the acquisitions team at acquisitions@abc.net.au. All submissions should include contact details, the title and duration title and duration of the content per episode and season, year of production, brief synopsis, a short bio of the producer/writer/director, and details on any award nominations or film festival selections.
Co-commissions/co-productions need to have Australian and international producers or parties attached. All proposals should be submitted to children’s development and co-production manager Amanda Isdale via isdale.amanda@abc.net.au.
ABC does not have a prescribed format for submissions, but prefers pitches that are two to four pages long. Development proposals should include the project’s title, contact info, target audience, format, genre and brief synopsis. Producers can direct general questions to submissions.childrens@abc.net.au
Contact
Children’s development and co-production manager Amanda Isdale via isdale.amanda@abc.net.au
