Among the confirmed speakers at a seminar being organised by the ASAF in three weeks’ time – on 1.2.2018 – are leading experts in the field of distribution of animated content in the EU. Participants in the seminar will therefore enjoy a unique opportunity to get insights into the strategy of a company that has won Distributor of the Year awards for a series and a feature film at Cartoon Forum and Cartoon Movie.

The first speaker is television producer Tom Van Waveren, a three-time Emmy nominee. He is the CEO and creative director of CAKE Entertainment, chairman of Animation Producers Netherlands and deputy chairman of Animation in Europe, where he works to improve support for the development of the European animation industry. One example of his work is the distribution strategy of the series Angry Birds.

Paris-based US producer Eleanor Coleman, of the company Indie Sales (Best European Distributor at Cartoon Movie 2015), will discuss her experience of distributing the hit animated film My Life as a Zucchini.

Also sharing his experiences will be the French producer Lionel Marty, who specialises in animation for children at the distribution company APC Kids and is the recipient of numerous international awards: Best Distributor (Kidscreen), Best Distributor (Forum Cartoon), Best TV France International Animation Exports.

“These people have experience of global projects – features and series for television broadcast and digital platforms. We’re genuinely happy that alongside first-rate speakers, Christoph Erbes – who has worked for years at a number of European children’s TV channels, such as Nickelodeon and Fox Kids/Jetix – has promised to take part as a moderator. As a consultant on international media content for children he now takes parts in many conferences in the field. He recently hosted the Emilie European animation awards,” says the deputy chairman of the Association of Czech Animation Film Marek Toušek.

The second moderator of the seminar will be the experienced screenwriter and dramaturge Anna Vašová. She has worked for fifteen years as the head of international co-productions in the Eurovision / European Union of Public Broadcasting in Geneva where she co-ordinated 86 televisions from 56 countries and participated in more than 50 co-productions. She is currently an expert on international cooperation and tutor at European festivals and workshops.

As last year’s study Mapping Animation Industry in the Czech Republic demonstrated, Czech producers frequently underestimate international distribution and international cooperation per se. The seminar will therefore represent an ideal opportunity to gain insights into current happenings and trends in the animation industry and to make contacts among distributors and others in the field from other countries.

“An orientation toward international cooperation is definitely one of the prerequisites for kick-starting the domestic industry. The seminar is one of the first steps towards the change. The guests we have invited have expressed interest in learning about the projects that domestic animators and producers are working on, whether in some phase of production or already finished. With that in mind, we are planning to publish a catalogue of current Czech animated works,” concludes Marek Toušek.

The seminar will take place at Galerie Hamu at Malostranském náměstí 13, Prague. It will take place in English. The fee for participants is CZK 1,000 for professionals and CZK 300 for students.

Registration is possible until 15 January 2018 at http://distribution.asaf.cz
There are still few places available.