Tweens, tweens, tweens. This powerful demo has spawned a trend toward developing more live-action fare for the eight to 12 set.

This situation suits Protocol Entertainment chief Steve Levitan, who says, ‘if we have a specialty, it is in live-action tween programming.’ However, East West International’s vp of sales and distribution, Patricia Scarlett, cautions that with the disparity between what appeals to an eight-year-old and a 12-year-old, ‘it seems to be a very hard demographic to reach.’

At Portfolio Entertainment, Maria Cordoni, vp of distribution, also sees a trend of developing programs that feature children as hosts. ‘Popular Mechanics for Kids is a great example. Kids want to be able to relate to somebody the same age, in the same grade, who dresses the same. Learning about oil rigs from some boring old guy is just too much work.’

Paula Parker, ytv and Treehouse vp of programming and production, is reluctant to discuss trends, since she’s aiming at a variety of demographics. ‘We are looking for a great storyline, good-quality productions with strong creative that are a little bit off center, weird and fun.’

Protocol’s Levitan sees a thriving market for high-concept, children’s live-action programming such as kids solving mysteries. As a crossover from animation, he has noticed a trend toward ‘fantasy elements, wizards or kids in impossible situations.’ On the heels of Protocol’s Goosebumps and Cinar’s Are You Afraid of the Dark, Levitan says there is still a strong need to give kids scary stories.

Levitan cites Protocol’s latest children’s live-action offering, The Saddle Club, based on a series of best-selling books, as an example of a continuing trend for tween programs to spring from other media.

The Saddle Club is also trend-savvy because it is a coproduction. ‘There has never been any other way of producing things in Canada,’ attests Levitan. ‘Every single thing in Canada is [essentially] a coproduction, and it has always been.’ Levitan does see a trend, however, in programs being developed in Europe and then looking for partners in Canada. Their need for Canadian funding to get the desired production values also often leads to the project being shot in Canada, too.