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 landscape of children’s media,…
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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
Creating content for kids: How do we find the right balance?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 landscape of children’s media,…
[more »]
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 conception of bossa nova as a variation on the revered samba occurred in the late 1950s, poet/diplomat/composer/playwright Vi..."
Bella says: "There are many different forms of bullying, such as verbal, physical and cyber bullying. But there is also another from of bullying tha..."
Inés says: "Word of Mouth Advertising Feeds Pizza Libretto’s Success Check this out! Pizzeria Libretto – A new pizza restaurant on the Danf..."
Jordan says: "This year Club Penguin hosted a party called Coins For Change and every penguin gave coins to help the world be a better place!..."
Bilal says: "Why this event is really cool and awesome is because this isn’t your typical Science Fair. This Science Fair is held by one of the to..."
Kate says: "I like Fancy Nancy because she has jewellery. I like the book Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist because I like to draw and Nancy draws...."
Community Blog
- Creating content for kids: How do we find the right balance?
- Is cruising with kids’ electronics excessive or should you go cold turkey?
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 day, Caribbean cruise (fortunately…
[more »] - It’s time to add reality food TV to the media literacy mix
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 recent years with the onslaught of…
[more »] - Film needs a bigger role in early language education
Have you ever gone to a film with a friend only to discover that you may as well have been at different movies because your interpretations of the story were…
[more »] - Is the tech toy pendulum shifting?
The Canadian Toy Testing Council (CTTC) published its annual Toy Report last month after 6 to 8 weeks of testing by over 220 families and 500 children. After reviewing the…
[more »] - Dad finds his inner gamer
I have a confession. I may well be a closet gamer. For years my connection to gaming consisted of telling my teenage son to stop gaming and come for dinner;…
[more »] - Kids are talking about games that entertain, challenge and bring family together
Here at the kidsmediacentre we love (and indeed are charged with) researching media and its influence on kids. We’ve recently completed a couple of qualitative exploratory studies for our friends…
[more »] - These students are defining the next generation of content in children’s media
One of the most exciting and motivating parts of teaching in the Children’s Entertainment: Writing, Production and Management Program is the diversity of our students and the vibrancy that it…
[more »] - Welcome to the kidsmediacentre blog!
We’ve got lots to say about kids’ media futures, so we hope you’ll come back often. The “we” I refer to is the kids’ community here at Centennial College’s School…
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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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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 4
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 1
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 1
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Kim Wilson's take on kids' media | kmc 1
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 5
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 6
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 4
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 2
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TVO Kids' Pat Ellingson talks kids' media | kmc 5
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Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian talks about keeping kids safe online | kmc 2
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
