• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, February 14, 2008

So I have been at the KidScreen Summit all week in New York -- talking, thinking, sharing, networking all things kids content. And here is what I have learned: broadcast deals don't matter, and if you are really passionate about your content, it could make all the difference in the world.

Huh. So where should I begin? Broadcast does matter -- everyone knows that. If it really were the case that television didn't matter, then why was every network, every producer (both international and domestic by the way), every creative, licensor, manufacturer, game developer, and, and, and .... Get where I am going with this?

The real question we should have spent the last two days asking ourselves is whether or not television is the first or last place you go. Do you need to build the audience or fan base first on another platform and then go to the networks -- or do you go to the network first with the great idea?

The answer: it depends on who you are and what you are pitching. This leads me to the second part of my retort: passion is necessary, but so is just good old research and knowing your competition. It isn't enough to have another property just like Hanna Montana, we already have Hanna. So what if you have the next Barney -- he already exists. People, how many times do I have to tell you: Do your homework, know your category, make the pitch perfect and be prepared to answer the comments that begin with, "This reminds me of ..." There is nothing worse except, of course, sentences that begin with the words "Television is dead." But that is for next week's discussion

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