Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Kidscreen Reveals How To Pitch A Potential Brand New Show To Tim Patterson, VP Of Scheduling At Nickelodeon UK

As part of the 2013 edition of Kidscreen's Global Pitch Guide, a annual guide by the children's entertainment news website Kidscreen which give tips, advice and information to anyone with an idea for a brand new kids' television show on how to pitch their brand new children's series to children's television networks and channels around the world, Kidscreen talks about what kinds of programming genres and properties Tim Patterson, the Vice President of Scheduling at Nickelodeon UK, looks out for when looking for brand new shows, animated or/and live-action, for Nickelodeon UK's bouquet of channels - Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2 - and gives advice on how you may be able to pitch your potential brand new live-action or/and animated show to Tim Patterson!:
Tim Patterson
VP Of Scheduling
Nickelodeon (UK)

Looking For/ The priority is preschool programming for Nick Jr., as there is an appetite for locally produced preschool programming from UK producers. current examples such as Peppa Pig and Poppy Cat perform very well for Nick UK’s two preschool channels: Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2. The Nick Jr. ethos is one of "every day's an adventure," so the channel is on the lookout for programming that demonstrates those attributes. Animation is at the top of the list, as it resonates so strongly with the preschool audience and works well across multiple territories, but Nick Jr. is still open to live-action pitches. Additionally, Patterson wants to hear ideas for Nicktoons and Nickelodeon and hopefully discover the next global hit for those channels. For both networks, humor is the key and producers are encouraged to think beyond the 22-minute episode. Nick UK is also interested in hearing about
short-form projects.

Preferred Approach/ Producers should contact Patterson directly or the programming team (programming@nickelodeon.co.uk). He recommends that pitchers take some time to research Nick UK channels to determine where their program [programme] would fit in the given channel's schedule — what will the idea offer Nick's audience?
A one sheet that outlines the overall concept, as well as a few storylines demonstrating a clearly thought-out story arc are the preferred pitch format. Series narrative and core attributes of characters are more important to Patterson than art at the pitch stage. If an animatic or a pilot is available, send it along, and keep in mind the evocative power of music. Patterson feels that a soundtrack can suggest a great deal about what is at the core of a property.

Market Circuit/ Kidscreen Summit, The Children's Media Conference, MIPCOM
You can read the 2013 edition of Kidscreen's Global Pitch Guide in full here on Kidscreen.com.

Extra tags: How to pitch a show to Nickelodeon UK, pitching, series