Alex Sherwood, CEO and Head of Development of Giant Animation, spoke to ttvnews about his outlook on the international kids’ content industry, and the importance creating content that can grow past the screen and connect with young audiences.
Producing content for today’s modern, tech-savvy audiences is all about being able to produce stories and characters that can transcend the screen, creating interactive experiences that allow viewers to connect on a deeper lever.
And this is more important than ever when it comes to kids’ content, where content developers need to create universes around the stories to keep younger viewers both entertained and engaged.
An experienced producer of kids’ content, Giant Animation strives to meet that challenge, always looking to keep the stories and characters still meaningful, in content that will expand past the screen. In the following interview with ttvnews, Alex Sherwood, CEO and Head of Development, explains the importance of making content that can stand out and evolve alongside audiences, and shares his outlook on the state of the kids’ entertainment industry.
What is your current outlook on the kids’ content industry? What do you believe will be the main trends in terms of genres and productions for 2025?
I am optimistic and excited about the future of kids content. The industry is always evolving and shifting in terms of how content is viewed and engaged with, which gives creators and producers lots of opportunities to think outside of the box when considering their projects.
I believe the main trends will be a continued need for younger preschool content, but with a slower pace of storytelling compared to how most modern shows are currently produced. I also believe there will be a much more focused approach to developing and greenlighting fewer projects in the family space that have a higher potential for longevity to their storytelling, to allow for audiences to grow over time. And finally, I think that the digital first / direct to audience model of developing and producing new IP shows will move from supporting existing shows already being broadcast / streamed, to building new shows and their audiences before they go to mainstream broadcast / streaming.
What are the main challenges of producing kids’ content today? What do you look for when it comes to selecting projects for your catalog?
The main challenge for producing kids content today is that there’s so much content that exists now, and so many different ways that kids can view it. The mountain to climb becomes finding your audience and keeping their interest long enough for them to connect with your show and characters.
Which are the star titles from your current catalog for the international market?
We currently have 3 projects in late stage development on our slate.
Milo, a 90 minute animated feature which tells the story of 10-year-old Will, who, while on vacation in Ireland, runs away with his new best friend: a 10-foot sea monster.
Rachel’s Pet Parlour, a 5- 7 bridge series following nine-year-old Rachel Hart, a D.I.Y. pet groomer and animal whisperer who uses her empathy and communication skills to connect with her animal friends in her hometown of Barkley.
Knuckle, a 7 – 11 epic action-adventure series that follows a team of mighty warriors from Earth’s history, A Knight, A Ninja, A Samurai, a Viking and a Gladiator, who are summoned to the future to defend earth from an ancient evil… with their unexpected “leader” and warrior in training, 14 year old Jake.
Unlike older generations, who accessed content solely on linear TV, having content available whenever-wherever they want is the norm for kids today. How do you think the streaming evolution has changed the business of how kids content is distributed?
The streaming boom really changed the whole industry for a few years. A lot more content was being produced at a faster rate, which ultimately oversaturated the market. It also created a new direct sale model of getting projects funded and into production, which ultimately created less opportunities for traditional distribution. This has since rebalanced, with less projects being greenlit by streamers, forcing producers to find more traditional ways of getting their projects funded, produced and distributed, which I think is a positive thing.
In this regard, which platforms and territories do you currently work with? Which regions do you believe have the biggest potential for your content to grow in?
We have worked mostly directly with the US when producing shows, but as Co-Productions within Europe start to become more enticing for US studios, we’re looking to do Co-Productions in a much more focused way, for our own projects, but also to help bring US projects into Co-Pros with us.
How do you see kids’ content and younger audiences evolving in the coming years?
I think kids’ content will continue to expand past the screen to meet kids where they are actually engaging with and viewing it. As producers we have to meet that challenge, and figure out how to keep the stories and characters still meaningful so that we avoid what we do turning into passive content. Our audience will always be evolving, so we have to do the same, but retain the important values of storytelling that made the shows our past so meaningful and resonant with us when we were growing up.
