Dates: 9-10 November 2023

Place: University of Copenhagen, Dept. of Communication, Denmark.

Keynote speakers

  • Dr Noel Brown (Liverpool Hope University)
  • Dr Anna Potter (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia)

Website: cstonline.netcomm.ku.dk/research/film-science-and-creative-media-industries/rya/events/reaching-young-audiences/

Much has happened in the production, distribution and consumption of film and media content for children and young audiences in the past years, both with regards to the nature of the content produced and the way in which this content reaches its intended audience. This conference invites papers that explore both historical and current aspects of a wide variety of productions for children and young audiences, focusing on film and television as well as content for social media and new platforms. There will be keynotes by Dr Noel Brown, Liverpool Hope University (author/editor of – among many other publications – The Oxford Handbook of Children’s Film, Contemporary Hollywood Animation: Style, Storytelling, Culture and Ideology Since the 1990s and The Children’s Film: Genre, Nation and Narrative) and Dr Anna Potter, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia (author of – among many other publications – Producing Children’s Television in the On-Demand Age and Creativity, Culture and Commerce: Producing Australian Children’s Television with Public Value).

We encourage proposals on topics that include but are not limited to:

  • Practices of commissioning, screenwriting and production for children and young audiences in a historical or current context
  • Themes, narratives and aesthetics of productions for children and young audiences across genres and (plat)forms
  • Media use and audience studies
  • Methodologies for researching children and young audiences
  • Transnational and global issues, trends or traditions
  • Representation, diversity and intersectionality
  • Understandings of children and adolescents as a particular audience
  • Emerging forms/genres/formats and new platforms
  • Cross-media strategies and storyworlds
  • Co-creation and children/young audiences as content and knowledge producers
  • Changing patterns of distribution and consumption
  • Policy and regulation issues
  • Film and media literacy

Submission details

  • Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 May 2023, 23.59 CET
  • Abstracts should be max. 300 words excluding bibliography and should include a biographical note of max. 100 words per author
  • Please send your submission to: eva@hum.ku.dk with the topic ‘Reaching YoungAudiences conference submission’
  • Proposal acceptance notification: 1 June 2023
  • The conference will be in person only

Organisation & Contact

The conference is organized by the research project Reaching Young Audiences: Serial fiction and cross-media storyworlds for children and young audiences (funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark). The conference marks the end of the research project and will include presentations by affiliated researchers and industry practitioners.

For more information, please contact Associate Professor Eva Novrup Redvall: eva@hum.ku.dk