Keynotes of Note
Over the last few months some notable speeches have set a new tone for kids' media professionals.
Opening the July Children's Media Conferencein Sheffield, poet and activist Lemn Sissay had much to say about how the media treat people who are different - a key theme of the whole event.
At her Keynote address in the MipJunior market in Cannes in October, the new VP of Content for the largest Canadian children's broadcaster Corus, formally Head of Children's for ABC Australia, Deirdre Brennanreferenced Lemn's challenging words in her own keynote and went on to make a plea for programmes made with "heart".
Veteran kids' TV producer and commentator Josh Selig remarked: 'Deirdre offered up a thoughtful and sensitive commentary about our shared responsibility to children. There were many wonderful lines in Deirdre’s speech, but my favourite one was: “Kids are creative, resilient and fearless. Why should they expect anything less from us?”'
Sometimes, despite all the recent news - it's good to know that values still matter...
Frank Cottrell Boyce on “Wrestling the Great Questions” for Kids Sandford St Martin Awards