07/11/2023 - The jam-packed programme for animation professionals will host 15 events exploring key strategies for studio growth and business development

An image from last year's edition of Cartoon Business (© Cartoon)

Next week, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will, for the third time, host Cartoon Business (14-16 November). Over the course of three days, the European animation professionals in attendance will partake in 15 talks and panels held by experts who will explore different topics related to key strategies for studio growth and business development.

One of the most highly anticipated talks is “How Innovative Thinking in Robotics is Creating Fresh and Exciting Opportunities for Animation Businesses”, during which Cyril Le Pesant (head of Animation & Family at Gaumont Animation) will zoom in on MIROKAI, a new generation of robots “blending world-class engineering with captivating character design and animation, changing the face of robots, and creating new business and creative collaborations”.

New tech will also be at the centre of the panel “Will AI Be the Biggest Game Changer in our Industry – Ever?”, which will see the participation of Olivier Lelardoux (CEO of France’s Blue Spirit Productions) and Colin Williams (creative director of Ireland’s Sixteen South). In it, the two experts will share their experiences and thoughts on how AI will affect animation production over the next decade.

On the same topic, Clara Benyamin, a specialist copyright lawyer from France’s CBLF Avocats, will advise producers on how best to navigate the present AI minefield and avoid the current legal traps during the event “Why AI’s a Legal Minefield, Challenging Our Copyright and IPs”.

Another key moment at this year’s edition will be the case study “When IP Breaks Out! From Movie Theatres to School Yards: The Mavka Success Story”, presented on stage by Iryna Kostyuk (producer at Film.UA Group’s Animagrad) and Tetiana Ruban (CEO of Nerd Agency). The two speakers will reveal how the animated fairy tale Mavka. The Forest Time “has enchanted theatres across Europe this year, broken out into merchandising and will soon morph into a TV series”.

On the topic of sustainability, Cartoon Business will host another case study, presented by Ilan Urroz, producer at and CEO of France’s Foliascope, and titled “How Green Is Your Studio?” The event will focus on how Urroz is leading the way and reducing the carbon footprint within his stop-motion studio. He will also provide “tangible examples of how becoming more sustainable can make a real difference to the business”.

Finally, extra-European markets will also be explored through the panel “Animation Business Beyond Europe – Greener Grass or a Familiar Story?”, which will boast the participation of Amit Russell Gicelter, founder of Israel’s The Hive Studio, and Bert Van Brande, founder and president of Canada’s Stellar Creative Lab.

You can check out the full programme here.