Nina Hahn, the Senior Vice President (SVP) of international production and development for Nickelodeon International and head of ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) Kids, and Jules Borkent, the Executive Vice President (EVP) for kids and family at ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), will take part in a panel discussion as part of the upcoming TV Kids Festival.
Update (1/23) - Hahn and Borkent will be taking part in the "Keynote: ViacomCBS in Focus" portion of the 2021 TV Kids Festival, taking place on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. EST. Synopsis: "An in-depth conversation with Nina Hahn, the senior VP of international production and development for Nickelodeon International and head of ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) Kids, and Jules Borkent, the executive VP for kids and family at ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI)."
The full schedule for TV Kids Festival 2021 can be found here. Sign up for your free registration to attend here.
In his role as brand lead for Nickelodeon International, Borkent is in charge of all aspects of content and business operations, overseeing brand and content management and strategy, acquisitions, production development, creative and multiplatform for Nickelodeon branded channels and platforms internationally. Hahn oversees international content development and co-production partnerships for all ViacomCBS kids’ content outside of the U.S. She coordinates and drives the development process, spearheads new production models, manages productions from pilot through to series and works in direct partnership with content teams around the world. Registration for this event is free. Information on how to register will be available on Wednesday.
Taking place from February 2 to 5, 2021, the TV Kids Festival will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the importance of alliances in producing and distributing top-notch kids’ programming today. It will be streamed live and available on-demand on World Screen’s brand-new, state-of-the-art events and festivals platform.
Sponsorships for the TV Kids Festival 2021 are now sold out.
TV Kids Festival will also feature a panel session dedicated to the evolution of the distribution business, featuring CAKE’s Ed Galton, Entertainment One (eOne) Family Brands’ Monica Candiani and 9 Story Media Group’s Alix Wiseman; a session on kids’ co-productions, with Toon2Tango’s Ulli Stoef, Serious Lunch and Eye Present’s Genevieve Dexter, Boat Rocker Studios’ Jon Rutherford and Guru Studio’s Frank Falcone; and a panel on acquisition strategies that will include Cartoon Network’s Adina Pitt, M6’s Maud Branly, Kidoodle.TV’s Brenda Bisner and Hopster’s Ellen Solberg.
Also on the TV Kids Festival roster is Jonathan M. Shiff, creator of H20: Just Add Water, Mako Mermaids and The Bureau of Magical Things; Dan Povenmire, whose credits include Phineas and Ferb; Traci Paige Johnson and Angela Santomero, the co-creators of the hit series Blue’s Clues and Blue’s Clues & You!; Eric Ellenbogen, the CEO and vice chair of WildBrain; Claude Schmit, the CEO of Super RTL; and Sebastian Debertin, the head of fiction, acquisitions and co-productions at KiKA.
From TVKIDS:
ViacomCBS’s World of Kids
Nina Hahn, the senior VP of international production and development for Nickelodeon International and head of ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) Kids, and Jules Borkent, the executive VP for kids and family at ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), discussed their acquisitions, commissioning and co-production strategies as day one of the TV Kids Festival wrapped today.
Borkent, as head of the international kids’ and family group at VCNI, oversees content strategy, acquisitions and content partnerships, production and development, marketing and digital.
Hahn has two hats, one at Nickelodeon International and the other at VIS Kids—a division that she described as a “platform-agnostic content Switzerland in the middle of the company that can take that expertise and produce for our owned and operated channels but also pivot and produce for anyone who is buying.”
The creation of VIS Kids was a natural evolution for the company, Borkent noted. “Nina and I have been working for the last ten years on figuring out how to best leverage the creative around the world and get content not only into the international business but also into the U.S. business. We’ve always looked at those opportunities. It started many years ago with our first foray into international production, House of Anubis. For us, VIS Kids is the next iteration of that. There is absolutely a desire to create more content around the world. While we have a fantastic pipeline coming out of our Nick domestic group, over the last couple of years, our international pipeline has grown.”
On what makes a Nick show clearly recognizable, Hahn said, “There’s a casual phrase we use internally. It’s equal parts heart, smart, fart! [That means] something to how we tell stories and depict characters in our shows. That makes kids feel at home. On the other side, there’s been a lot of attention paid to reflecting the world in which kids live. Nick really is the poster child for what it means to have entertainment spoken to you as the world of kids. We make things once and use them everywhere and create that bond with what kids around the world want to ingest.”
At VIS Kids, there’s a set of criteria for producing for ViacomCBS’s own assets and another for third parties. “The success marker is the intersection between the creative and the commercial,” Hahn said. “As we look at both of those sides of the balance sheet, we’re able to bring our expertise at making content and matchmake it with what we know the end-user (the kid) and the buyer” will need to make a show a success.
On shows that have traveled well recently, Borkent mentioned Deer Squad, which was made in China with iQIYI. “It was the first Chinese animated production we were fully on board with: we co-produced, co-financed, etc. It launched internationally in 2020 really well. It was a top performer on Nick Jr. in the U.K. It’s launched in the U.S. We also had It’s Pony, which came out of the U.K. It’s a 6 to 11 animated series and again had great success in the U.S. and internationally.”
Hahn added, “The way we’ve approached it is: What is the way to take the best stories, the best talent, the best production models and the best partners, from wherever they are, and be globally agnostic and build content that we feel like we can make once and use everywhere because it will be relevant and authentic and fun? Those shows Jules mentioned are great examples of that.” Hahn likened the approach to fusion cooking: “In the case of Deer Squad, we take talent from the Chinese market and the production company we worked with there, we used a Western writer across, we used the Asian [ViacomCBS] team. There’s been a lot of different people involved to make it ultimately holistic to a kid at home who just wants to jump into that experience and live with those characters.”
Borkent added: “The way we looked at it in the past was always, What is a global show? How can you make a show that works everywhere? If you think like that, sometimes it gets too far. We have to be a bit more relaxed about it. COVID has also shown that kids are consuming from everywhere now, whether on YouTube or other platforms. That gives us a lot of freedom to be more open and free about how we approach content. [Deer Squad] is not us making an American show in China. We made a Chinese show. That makes it more authentic.”
On how COVID-19 impacted scheduling in 2020, Borkent said, “With kids being home, we ramped up our preschool schedule with slightly more educational content. Other than that, we brought some shows back and we streamlined the schedule, so there was something for everybody. We are in preschool, we are in 6 to 9 animation, we are in live action, so there’s a lot we could offer. We’re in a good place. The network has performed really well. There was a lot more consumption. That has flattened out a bit now and things are back to more normal times, but it definitely showed us there is a huge appetite for the Nick content all over the world.”
For the creative community, working through COVID-19-related production challenges has been “an incredibly lid-lifting experience,” Hahn added. “We’ve all been allowed and asked to do things differently. We’re figuring out how to make content in a completely different way. We don’t stay in the lines any longer. As a result of that, the innovation that has come out of the way we make content, the stories we’re telling and the people with whom we’re working, has given birth to content that is astounding.”
Animation has proceeded uninterrupted, Hahn continued. “Live action has been a more interesting challenge. We did have to pause on one or two live-action productions, but in that pause point, we rewrote the back remaining scripts that had yet to be shot in order to comply with protocols we knew would be in place when we returned. When we did return, we were able to shoot seamless episodes that didn’t feel jammed into a way of shooting that wasn’t going to work. There were a lot of plusses that came out of it as well.”
Dubbing and language reversioning for animated shows once lockdowns hit was a significant challenge, Borkent added. “We had to be innovative with how we worked with voice actors and sent them kits to their homes. People were recording in their closets! While there was a bit of a hiccup over a couple of weeks, it was fascinating how quickly people just figured out new models and ways of doing that.”
Asked about lessons learned and opportunities created amid this COVID-19 period that will continue post-pandemic, Hahn said, “There are ways to get production up and running and things resourced, written, directed, recorded, scored, that we’ve never done before. I think many will continue, largely because they are super authentic. They feel more real to kids in some ways, which has been an upside. That sense of grounded storytelling and the way we make it has been a big part of it.”
This last year also saw an increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion, continuing a theme that has always been part of Nick’s DNA, Hahn said. “We’ve been figuring out ways to take that message and talk about it across the world, versus in just one particular country.”
The conversation then moved to the keys to working with talent to support the creator’s vision while also meeting the needs of the ViacomCBS platforms. “It starts with a voice and a vision,” Hahn said. “ViacomCBS in the kids’ space is the vessel for that voice and vision. We try to fill the holes in what they need. It all starts with a conversation around development. What is the show about? Why are kids going to care? We work with them across the research side, which we are very in tune with. And we help backfill the vision such that you are toggling between what the show is and the story this person wants to tell, and what we, as the kid experts, know is going to resonate. Around that is the ecosystem, including consumer products, the marketing group, programming, that is part of that lockstep with the story we’re trying to tell. It’s a Venn diagram of how all these circles fit around the [storyteller’s] vision. We are beholden to these amazing voices that want to tell a story we feel should live on at ViacomCBS.”
Carugati asked Borkent how Nick’s Declaration of Kids’ Rights, first published in 1990, continues to resonate today. He said that in May 2020, as the Black Lives Matter protests were making headlines in the U.S. and around the world, the Nick programming team convened to discuss, “How are we going to talk about this to our kids? It’s hard to explain from a global perspective. Not everything is the same in each market around the world. Somebody in the meeting said, ‘We should look at the Declaration of Kids’ Rights.’ Within a couple of days, we translated it into 25-plus languages. We ran it on all our platforms. It was really powerful. The Declaration of Kids’ Rights informs a lot of what we do. It informs the types of stories we want to tell, the types of characters we want to show. We’re figuring out now how we can keep talking about it in different formats. They are very straightforward and very clear. For us to talk like that to our audience is important and we have to continue to bring that message.”
Hahn added, “There’s a discussion happening internally about how we can take that Declaration of Kids’ Rights and make an expanded set for across the ViacomCBS family. It’s such a fantastic compass for us all to walk with.”
On Nick’s continued diversity and inclusion mandate, Hahn noted, “Reflecting the reality of the world a kid lives in today has been [important] since the inception of the channel. It has been so second nature to us. It is across all of our characters visually and graphically. It’s across how we write. It’s across the production companies with whom we work. It’s across the programming plans. There’s not a tentacle in this company that isn’t touched by the notion of how you can authentically reflect the world in which kids live. It has been a great bragging right for us. That said, we are all tasking ourselves with the question of: How can we move the needle even more? What’s the next thing we can do to improve even more?”
For 2021, Borkent said he’s looking forward to the upcoming launch of Paramount+—“it means more platforms we can bring our content to”—Kamp Koral, the SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off; and the return of Rugrats after 20 years. He also mentioned the return of Hunter Street for season four and the upcoming Goldie’s Oldies, a live-action comedy out of the U.K.
For Hahn, working on the expansion of VIS Kids is a key priority. She also highlighted The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj, a co-pro with Nickelodeon India. “It’s a fusion of the best parts of storytelling between the two groups.” From Israel, meanwhile, is the live-action series Spyders, which is rolling out in Hebrew and dubbed into local languages. “Kids are now so much more global, so watching something dubbed will be an interesting barometer of their appetite for that.”
The arrival of Paramount+ provides another sandbox for VIS Kids to play in, Hahn added. “It’s great to have an SVOD service in our backyard. The way you tell stories linearly and the way you tell stories from a streaming perspective can often be the difference between one type of show and another. So creatively, we’re super excited at VIS Kids to create unique and bespoke content for Paramount+ that will be game-changing.”
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From Kidscreen:
An inside look at ViacomCBS’s kids studio
Nina Hahn opens up about her role leading the VIS Kids division and what the future holds.
For more than 15 years, Nina Hahn has served as SVP of production and development for ViacomCBS International Media Networks (VIMN). During her tenure, she has worked in direct partnership with Nickelodeon’s content teams around the world, and has been a key figure in more than 2,000 hours of original kids content. Many of Hahn’s launches have marked a number of firsts for the company, including popular telenovela House of Anubis (Nick’s first US live-action show produced outside of North America), live-action series Spyders (Nick International’s first original Israeli co-pro), iQIYI co-pro Deer Squad (Nick Asia’s first Chinese original series) and The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj (Nick International’s first collab with India’s Viacom18).
To capitalize on the growing appetite for these kinds of international kids shows— especially from third-party broadcasters and streamers—production arm Viacom International Studios (VIS) launched a kids division in October, and Hahn was tapped to lead it. In her newly expanded role, she’s now tasked with growing VIS’s global pipeline to include short- and long-form kids content that will be produced and sold to third parties as well as ViacomCBS brands and platforms. According to VIS, the studio has generated nearly 50% revenue growth on average since it launched in 2018, and kids content has played a big part in those gains.
The studio is now branching out with its first animated series, Gloria Wants to Know it All, a preschool co-production with Marc Anthony’s Magnus Studios, Juan José Campanella’s Mundoloco Animation Studios and Laguno Media. Additionally, its new children’s musical series Funknautas is the first kids project to come out of VIS’s new strategy to invest 25% of its budget in LatAm to create content that spotlights marginalized characters and creators. The studio is also producing Nick Shorts Program finalist Sharkdog, its first international series made for Netflix as part of a multi-year output deal signed by Nickelodeon and the SVOD last November.
Kidscreen: Why did ViacomCBS Networks International decide to launch a new kids division?
Nina Hahn: Given the enormous global demand for kids content across multiple platforms, and the fact that Nickelodeon continues to produce content that speaks to kids everywhere, VIS Kids was launched to provide opportunities to make short- and long-form content—not only for our owned and operated channels, but for third-party buyers, too, whether they be SVODs, AVODs, terrestrials or hybrid platforms. Linear is still strong, but there are a lot of other ways to deliver your content.
KS: What is the strategic purpose of VIS Kids in the broader ViacomCBS ecosystem?
NH: This is really an expansion of ViacomCBS International Studios, and the goal is to take the expertise we have in producing kids con- tent and super-size it, using our international studios and distribution capabilities. This will not only bring new content for channels and platforms, but also bring new revenue via sales to third parties. It will also be an opportunity to share our expertise as kid experts, as well as increase our presence in the market.
KS: What types of programs does VIS Kids want to make?
NH: We are looking for live-action and animated content across all genres. For our Nickelodeon channels, we want creator-led shows with emotionally-driven characters that the audience will care about, along with the comedy, drama or whatever else might be a part of the project. From a demographic perspective, we will continue to look for preschool and bridge content, as well as shows aimed at nine- to 10-year-olds. A new area we will definitely spend time on is the young adult age group, with a focus on content for 13- to 14-year-olds.
Being platform- and content-agnostic opens up a lot of avenues, especially to people who may never have been able to come to us before because they had a kids drama, or a six-part TV movie idea, or something that is not necessarily the DNA of Nickelodeon alone.
KS: How does VIS Kids decide on developing third-party versus proprietary content and whether they will be short- or long-form series? How do you decide where they will live and how they’ll work with ViacomCBS?
NH: When it comes to project length or project lane, there is no black-and-white decision-maker. VIS Kids is deliberately set up to be creatively fluid, allowing us to form, build and mould a project to meet its full potential. This means that we will look at projects as they grow and decide their specific pathway in real time, maintaining a nimble and opportunistic approach.
KS: How are you working with the studio’s development and production teams in Latin America, the UK, Spain and Israel, along with an expanded central team encompassing international development, production, sales and distribution?
NH: ViacomCBS International Studios already has extensive production capabilities across the world—especially in Latin America, with over 11 stages and 40 editing suites in Argentina, and creative and production hubs in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Miami. In Israel as well, ViacomCBS-owned Ananey has the capability to produce high-quality content, thanks to experienced teams and great relationships with top Israeli talent. Finally, across Europe and Asia, we also work with world-class partners such as Zeta and Diagonal TV.
In terms of distribution, our teams are already settled in our key territories, and we’re in a similar position for the development teams, which are already built and working on hundreds of projects internationally. The structure is there, and we’re using it fully to share knowledge and experiences in order to make the most of it and come up with premium content for our own channels and our partners.
KS: What does the new “No Diversity, No Commission” policy mean to you and the industry?
NH: It’s a bold starting point and a wake-up call. We’re working with all of our partners to give a voice to those who don’t have one. And wherever you are in the evolution of diversity and inclusion, [we're sending a message to] do better. If a company comes to us and they are good, but not great [at representation], they need to demonstrate that they’ve upped their game in a way that is significantly better than whatever they were doing before. It is the smartest way for us to move forward with progress that is realistic, authentic and allows producers to be in control of how they are going to change their game. But the new policy also can’t be one- size-fits-all because when you look at the global landscape, some diversity and inclusion issues may be relevant in one country, but not in another. It’s about deliberately avoiding box-ticking.
KS: What are your takeaways from the pandemic, and how should the creative industry approach 2021?
NH: It’s important to look at COVID by asking, “What is the upside of the downside?” For creative people, the upside has been that a lot of rules have been lifted for how to make live-action and animated content. Because of this, it’s been an exciting time of innovation. The pandemic has reminded the creative community to not get stuck doing the same things over and over. For us, we’ve had to shift away from the traditional places we’ve produced live action, and instead consider more countries like Australia, which hasn’t been as affected by COVID and is safer for filming. And although animation has been relatively unscathed, we’ve seen the birth of some amazing new ways of telling stories that I hope continue.
KS: If you could, what advice would you give to your younger self just before you entered the kids industry?
NH: I would tell myself to always remember the smell of Play-Doh because it keeps you a kid forever. I actually travel around with a tin of Play-Doh wherever I go.
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Update H/T: Special thanks to @RegularTweetsUK!
Originally published: Friday, January 15, 2021.
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