[Exclusive – Annecy 2025] How to Build a Successful Kids Brands

How Do You Co-Produce and Build Not Just an IP, but a Successful Children’s Brand?

On June 11, at the Annecy Festival, we had the pleasure of attending the panel Building Global Kids Brands: Diversifying Business Models and Co-Producing for Success, that tried to answer the question with the contribution of five outstanding industry professionals: Rick Glankler, CEO of Goatfish; Ed Galton, CEO of Cake; Coralie Boitrelle-Laigle, Head of Children’s Programming at Groupe M6; Benoît di Sabatino, CEO of Banijay Kids & Family; and moderator Justine Bannister, Children’s Media Consultant, Just B.

The value and challenge of co-producing

To successfully co-produce and build a lasting children’s brand, you must be ready to share IP ownership and creatively challenge your own ideas in collaboration with producers from around the world.

This isn’t just a logistical or business decision—it’s a cultural one too. Working with international partners and broadcasters requires openness and adaptability. But if you embrace these challenges as opportunities, the experience can be incredibly rewarding—one that, hopefully, everyone gets to experience in their career.

Typically, a lead producer initiates the project with a core idea. From there, collaboration means testing and expanding that idea with your co-producers. Understanding the needs and strengths each partner brings to the table is essential. As a local producer, it’s your job to not only guide your broadcaster through the production process but also create space for collaborative vision and input.

It’s important to remember that co-production isn’t just about launching the first season. If the project has potential, you’ll be working closely with your partners for years to come.

From a broadcaster’s point of view, editorial and cultural alignment is the key. If you’re a producer looking to secure a pre-buy, your project must reflect those values from the outset. For example, if a broadcaster’s core focus is comedy, your project needs to speak to that in both tone and structure.

Building brands from scratch

With fierce competition—evident at events like Annecy, filled with creators and studios—you need to develop shows that are truly distinctive.

Rick Glankler, CEO of Goatfish said:

“At Cake, we work closely with producers to shape their content through storytelling, design, and strategic insights tailored to global markets. Success comes from helping shows rise above the crowd.”

With so many studios and content options available, what sets a project apart often comes down to voice and purpose.

Ed Galton, CEO of Cake:

“At Crayola Studios, our mission is to champion every child’s innate creativity. With more than 120 years of brand trust and global recognition, we aim to create joyful, imaginative content that parents instinctively trust. In a world of fragmented media, that trust has never been more important.”

Another key point from the panel was about building brands with a long-term vision. Exposure is essential—but only when it grows naturally from a solid creative foundation. Starting at the concept stage, it’s possible to integrate branding and partnerships without compromising creativity.

“As distributors, one of our core roles is to manage content windowing while ensuring characters form meaningful connections with audiences. Today, more than ever, kids’ media must celebrate both the universal and the unique—making space for personal identity within a shared story world.”

Broadly successful shows usually share one thing: a strong, universally resonant story:

“As distributors and producers, we must be emotionally connected to the projects we support.”

And finally, patience is key. Developing a show takes time. You must be ready to live with your characters and ideas—sometimes for the next ten years!