NEW SESSION: In Conversation with Caroll Spinney

With I Am Big Bird—a new documentary chronicling the life he has spent in yellow feathers and green fur—due out this year, legendary puppeteer Caroll Spinney clearly has no intention of slowing down at the age of 78. He crafted Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, performing these roles since the preschool show's debut in 1969. And in this exclusive one-on-one chat at Kidscreen Summit, Spinney will talk about his 43 years on the Street, the craft of puppetry, and how he's entertained generations of preschoolers and kept them coming back for more.

Amazon and YouTube step into our Digital Dimension Spotlight

The world's biggest online retailer made major moves into content this year, setting up a development & production hub and putting out an open call for kids series proposals. With a preschool show already in the pipeline already, come and meet the team behind the push, and find out what's up next on this fast-moving company's to-do list. PLUS… Want to know what it takes to launch and run a successful kid-friendly channel on YouTube? In this session, the platform's Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships will take the stage with three top-performing youth channels to give you an inside look at everything that's involved.

NEW SESSION: In Conversation with Oliver Jeffers

Our Creative Connection track is set to start off with some star power as kids TV veteran Joan Lofts sits down with renowned picture book illustrator, author and painter Oliver Jeffers for a one-on-one chat about the nature of the creative process, telling memorable children's stories and much, much more. REGISTER for the event today!

Full program now live!

The wait is over. You can now take a look at the 75-odd keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, debates and networking/pitching formats you'll be able to choose from at this year's event. If you like what you see, REGISTER NOW to experience it for real.

PITCH IT!: Showcasing Second-Screen Savvy

This year, our famous live pitch competition will showcase three projects in development that have second-screen interactivity built in. If your show concept lets kids interact with the TV and a secondary device simultaneously, register for the event and then APPLY HERE by Friday, December 21 for a chance to tell the whole industry about it at Kidscreen Summit.

Registration open and keynote announced

Registration is now open for the 14th annual Kidscreen Summit, taking place in New York from February 5 to 8, 2013. The kids entertainment industry's biggest gathering of the year, Kidscreen Summit is a must-attend event for content creators, producers, distributors, broadcasters, digital media operatives, licensing professionals and marketers working on intellectual properties for children. Last year's event attracted nearly 1,600 attendees, and it is anticipated to grow in 2013. High-level networking opportunities, insightful panel discussions and debates, inspiring keynotes and great parties are Summit staples, and all are included in the basic registration.

Joel Cohen, Writer and Co-Executive Producer of The Simpsons, will kick off the conference program with a customized keynote presentation called "The Tao of Homer: Lessons in Creativity and Innovation from The Simpsons" that's sure to make you laugh and think about your business in new ways.

And Little Airplane Productions will once again throw open its South Street Seaport studio doors to host a Monday night party for all Summit-goers.

Watch out for many more announcements about the event program in the months to come, and make sure to register early before the rate goes up!