FSTVS - The Sandbox Sessions

"I remember going to a Duggee rave at the Ministry of Sound — nine o’clock on a Sunday morning, all these parents there with their kids having the best time ever." Simon Clark has spent over 20 years in digital, 17 of them at BBC Studios. He started at BBC Public Service on the BBC Two and BBC Three websites in the early iPlayer era — a time when, as he recalls, people were genuinely nervous about...

“The best fandom starts when a character helps a child understand themselves.” In this Sandbox Sessions episode, Rachel Bardill chats with kids media consultant Pete Robinson about how to build children’s IP that can actually survive the current media jungle — algorithms, platforms, fan communities, budget headaches and all. Pete kicks off by challenging the idea that linear TV is dead. It may no...

In this episode of the Festivus Sandbox Sessions, Rachel Bardill sits down with Chitra Soundar - award-winning author, storyteller, and screenwriter - for a rich and inspiring conversation about what it really takes to build a career in children's media. Chitra shares her remarkable journey: from oral storytelling as a child in Chennai's film-making heartland, through a career in computer science...

Jon Mason is the owner of digital agency Jollywise with nearly 30 years’ experience. After leaving school at 17 to join the Navy, he later studied journalism and got into the early internet, landing a role at Disney in 1999 as a creative producer. That experience shaped his commercial and creative instincts, leading him to launch Jollywise, where he has built digital content and games for major gl...