“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white… the only color that really matters is green” – Peter Griffin (Family Guy) The advert that takes 30 seconds out of…
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Applied Research Funding
Learn about new applied research funding opportunities that can help bring your kids’ media projects to life!Read more [pdf] »
Media Literate Kids
Our kids' panel is a savvy group with a strong point of view about the media and the culture they consume.Read more »
Schools' Take on Media
Making sense of media, aka: media literacy, is quickly becoming as important as the three Rs! Schools and students across the GTA give us their take on media.Read more »
This School's Got Talent
Does your kids’ project need talent to deliver on those deliverables?Our well-rounded, multi-talented students are the next generation of content creators and can help move your entertainment project forward!
Open the book »
Leaders Talk Kids' Media
Missed that last youth industry conference? Hear what leaders in the kids industry have to say about developing engaging and relevant content for kids.youtube.com/kidsmediacentre »
Community Blog
Heaven Can Wait, There’s Money to be Made“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white… the only color that really matters is green” – Peter Griffin (Family Guy) The advert that takes 30 seconds out of…
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Children's Entertainment
The Children’s Entertainment: Writing, Production and Management Program is a one-of-a-kind post-graduate program focused on writing, production and management, preparing you for a career as a highly skilled children’s content producer.Read more »
The kidsmediacentre is a research centre and children’s industry think tank at Centennial College’s Centre for Creative Communications. Working with our Children’s Entertainment Program and ECE Labs, we research children’s media experiences and provide a range of creative research tools to help kids’ content producers develop meaningful and inspiring entertainment.
Children's Entertainment
The Children’s Entertainment: Writing, Production and Management Program is a one-of-a-kind post-graduate program focused on writing, production and management, preparing you for a new career as a highly-skilled children’s content producer.
Read more »Media Literate Kids
Kids' Panel - Picks & Pans | A savvy group of kids with a strong point of view about the media and the culture they consume.
A BIG 2012 welcome to our four new kids' panel media critics: Kate (4), Ines (9), Jordan (10) and Bilal (14), and welcome back to veteran reviewers Salmah (7), Bella (16) and Ian (17).
Ian says: "“Since the beginning of time, mankind has been forced to compete for survival…” These are the words that introduce Sh..."
Bilal says: "AHEM, SONY! Your new PlayStation is going to have problems! First of all, it’s not going to be called PlayStation 4 or PS4. The name ..."
Salmah says: "All of my friends and cousins, young and old, are playing Temple Run! It is a very addictive game and everyone can enjoy the adventure ..."
Jordan says: "RISK is one of my favourite games to play on the iPad. In the game of Risk you try to conquer the world. Each player starts with differ..."
Inés says: "Akeela and the Bee is a great movie because it gets kids excited about spelling, which many kids, including myself, find boring...."- Ian says: "Since the conception of bossa nova as a variation on the revered samba occurred in the late 1950s, poet/diplomat/composer/playwright Vi..."
Community Blog
- Heaven Can Wait, There’s Money to be Made
- The Research Behind Educational Media
As an early childhood educator, I often find myself defending my love for kid’s media and my belief in its educational potential. While I have read about the negative impact…
[more »] - LOLOMGSeriously: Marketing “Cool” to Tweens
‘tween // [tween] preposition 1. contraction of between. noun 2. Also, tween. A youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too…
[more »] - Raising the Red Flag: The impact of media multitasking on children
I sit at my computer, in my living room. The TV is on, Facebook is open, messages are chiming and a bouncing icon is telling me I have unread mail….
[more »] - Do Girls Play Games?
Girl gamers carry a stigma in society; they’re girls who like ‘boy things’ (video games and sports). The genre needs to be revamped into a place where girls can play…
[more »] - iSki therefore iPad
For the past two years, I’ve worked part-time at a ski shop. I fit kids ages 3-12 for skis, boots and outerwear. If you’ve ever taken a little one ski…
[more »] - Buying cool: kids and teens are less ad savvy than ever before
(Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office) Children today are spending more time on screens and by the time they reach their early twenties they will probably be exposed to more than…
[more »] - Creating content for kids: How do we find the right balance?
(Photo courtesy of enhy) In the Children’s Entertainment Program at Centennial College, I teach the two courses in the business of children’s entertainment category. In addition to learning about the…
[more »] - Is cruising with kids’ electronics excessive or should you go cold turkey?
(Photo courtesy of coopgreg) For Christmas this year, I decided to skip the meal prep, mall nightmares and cocktail circuit and opted instead to book my family on a seven…
[more »] - It’s time to add reality food TV to the media literacy mix
( Photo courtesy of Toca Boca) I spent many screen-time hours encouraging my young daughters to watch television with an open mind and think critically about their viewing, especially in…
[more »]
Qualitative Research
Is your children’s entertainment property sufficiently EPIC to make the grade?
Finally, a strategic planning and user engagement research centre for the children’s content industry in Canada!
Read more »Applied Research
Applied Research Partnerships = Funding ($) and support for kids' cross-platform properties
Consider partnering with Centennial to help grow your kids’ brand. Our interdisciplinary faculty and all-star students apply their expertise to help develop your children’s property!
Read more »Social Science Research
Exploring children's media futures
Using a combination of innovative research methods and collective creativity, the kidsmediacentre works on behalf of children’s creative industries to generate knowledge and applied opportunities for those connected to the children’s space.
Read more »Leaders Talk Kids' Media
Missed that last youth industry conference? Hear what leaders in the kids industry have to say about developing engaging and relevant content for kids.
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 1
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 2
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 4
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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 1
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 7
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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 5
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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 4
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 3
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 1
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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 3
This School's Got Talent
Does your kids’ project need talent to deliver on those deliverables?
Our well-rounded, multi-talented students are the next generation of content creators and can help move your entertainment project forward!
Read more »Schools' Take on Media
Making sense of media, aka: media literacy, is quickly becoming as important as the three Rs! Schools and students across the GTA give us their take on media.
Read more »Testimonials
“Any experienced and successful Children’s Producer knows you need to constantly go back to your audience. The kidsmediacentre knows the value of research and testing a property to make sure it’s striking the right chord. We have been connected to two kmc research properties and in both cases the content benefited greatly from their indepth analysis and insight.”
—Pat Ellingson, Creative Head, TVOkids
“Working with Debbie and the kidsmediacentre was an excellent experience. The knowledge base that was brought to the focus testing was exceptional, kmc’s rapport and ease when working with children during our testing and the final research report all exceeded our expectations. I would work with the kidsmediacentre again in an instant!”
—Diane Williamson, President, Digital Wizards Inc.
“The kidsmediacentre’s usability study on the Think Big Invention Machine helped us assess the game’s difficulty level and whether we had accomplished our goal of communicating core science concepts to the players.”
—Dorothy Vreeker, Digital Media Director, Breakthrough Entertainment
“As producers, we utilized the services of Debbie Gordon and the kidsmediacentre to spearhead focus groups during the development process of one of our pre-school shows. Needless to say, Debbie’s research proved invaluable. The results of the study allowed us to better define our market, identify the glitches that needed work, and understand the rapidly changing trends and viewing habits of our target demographic. I could not recommend the kidsmediacentre and its research program more highly.”
—Liliana Vogt, VP, Development, 9 Story Entertainment
Worth Reading
