iKIDS 2014 ANNOUNCES KEYNOTE SPEAKER, LAIKA’S ADVENTURES ARCHITECT LANCE WEILER
The full event program is now live at ikidsevent.kidscreen.com November 20, 2013: Kidscreen is thrilled to announce that Lance Weiler—the mastermind behind last year’s ground-breaking immersive educational project Laika’s Adventures—will jumpstart iKids 2014 with a keynote entitled Designing For the 21st Century. Sharing insights gleaned through helping two classrooms of kids—with a continent between them—work together to get a lost robot home, Lance will deliver a thought-provoking presentation that outlines his approach to building digital experiences for modern audiences. He’ll also explore how to take advantage of changes in media consumption, embrace emerging technologies and build franchisable storyworlds that innovate new business models.
An alumni of the Sundance Screenwriting Lab, Lance has designed experiences that have reached millions of people via theatres, mobile devices and online. He is recognized as a pioneer for the innovative way he mixes storytelling and technology, and also a thought leader in the entertainment space. Wired Magazine has identified him as “one of the 25 people helping to re-invent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood,†and Businessweek echoed the sentiment by naming him “one of the 18 who changed Hollywood.†Lance currently sits on a World Economic Forum steering committee for the future of content creation, as well as teaching courses at Columbia University on the art, craft and business of storytelling in the 21st century, and developing a slate of film, TV and gaming projects.
Kidscreen has also just unveiled the full conference program for iKids, which will take place on Thursday, February 13 at the Westin NY Times Square. In addition to the iKids Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, where the winners of our second annual awards for the market’s best digital media products for kids will be announced, highlights of the event include:
In Pursuit of the iDream
With hundreds of thousands of kid-targeted apps in the Apple App Store alone (never mind Android, Windows and other marketplaces), competition is only getting tougher for developers. Drawing on research from her upcoming book on the US app market, Dr. Carla Fisher will give a lowdown on the current kids app landscape and share tips on how to leverage its biggest possibilities and sidestep its biggest challenges.
Nick App: A making-of case study
Sitting at five million downloads and counting, Nickelodeon’s Nick App has more than made good on its promise to deliver the net’s content through fun and games wherever kids may be.
In this session, Katie Bessiere and Jane Gould from Nick’s Consumer Insights Research Group will provide an in-depth look at the role kids’ input played in designing and building this ground-breaking app and the features that are driving its audience engagement.
Playing by the Rules
First, COPPA 2.0 changed the children’s app development space in the US. And now, Apple’s new global Kids category is poised to change the game around the globe. But as the new regulations and restrictions that come along with these initiatives continue to pile up, how can IP owners and developers create apps that comply, meet parental approval, and keep kids engaged? In this session, renowned consultant Linnette J. Attai will give five essential tips for doing just that.  Making Sense with Digital Marketing. There’s no shortage of apps, websites and subscription-based diversions for kids to choose from, so how do you get your properties and products noticed in all the digital din? This panel’s group of experts will offer key insights on the marketing and promotional strategies, tactics, and tools to guide digital goods to the top of the charts.  Hot Right Now: 45 minutes, 11 slides and a lot of good ideas.
To cap off iKids 2014, five digital media pros who live on the bleeding edge of innovation will talk through 20 new things they’re excited about, and highlight what it all means for the kids industry in particular. This can’t-miss session is sure to be informative, inspiring―and a lot of fun!
iKids passes are available for $695. Anyone interested in registering can do so online at https://ikidsevent.kidscreen.com/2014/register/, or offline by contacting Event Sales Manager Joel Pinto (jpinto@brunico.com or 416-408-2300 x650).
For further details, please contact:
Janet Balmforth/Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR
Tel: +44 (0) 208 868 0511 Email: janet@ddablueprint.com
