Voting with their (Tiny) Feet!

Winning an award and its associated industry approbation is a huge honour, not to mention a boost for both business and ego.? I am duly proud of the many award-winning projects we have produced and delivered during my time as MD and Exec Producer at Plug-In Media Ltd .? At last count, these included over 40 nominations and 12 wins, including 5 BAFTAs.? They have cemented our reputation as industry leaders, and as a company that can be relied upon to deliver work of the highest standard.? I am particularly proud that our nominations and wins span many different genres - encapsulating our multi-platform outlook and demonstrating our confidence at delivering stand-out digital content whatever the platform, across the diverse children’s audience.

It’s equally rewarding to be nominated for awards that go beyond your craft as a content maker, and highlight the business and leadership skills that are so essential to getting anything made.? Back in 2012 we received a children’s BAFTA nomination for Best Production Company - sadly we lost out to our, now, sister company, Bluezoo Ltd .? In this throwback video of the team collecting their award, Oli Hyatt MBE vocally and kindly places us in “second place” He was being overly generous - but it does offer a bit of foresight into the successful collaboration that exists between the two companies today!? I still can’t quite believe that back in 2011, I was a finalist in the Everywoman Women in Technology Female Entrepreneur of the Year award.? Ever since, it’s made me think long and hard about my uneasy relationship with the term “entrepreneur” - merely my imposter syndrome talking, but being nominated has certainly gone some way toward helping me to see myself as an entrepreneur, and a successful one at that.??

I have also experienced the awards process from the other side, twice as a BAFTA judge and also as part of the Cinekid and Prix Jeunesse kids’ app juries.? Every judging panel involves an engaged and rigorous process of research, appraisal, and discussion, and for me, has always been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The presiding principal on a BAFTA panel is to judge content by the standard of excellence - a wonderful word that brilliantly seems to straddle both objectivity and subjectivity, but nonetheless, seems as good a rationale as any.

One of the most satisfying judging processes I’ve been involved with are the industry round tables that happen at Prix Jeunesse.? As a Prix Jeunesse attendee your opinion is already deemed “expert” and it is valued via the lengthy discussion process that happens after each full category screening, before participants vote.? There is nothing to match the rigour of a Prix Jeunesse judging panel and the diversity of those involved in that process: a substantial group of fellow practitioners from all over the globe.? It’s positively terrifying when your programme comes up for discussion and ballot, but there’s always something to learn, valued opinions, and a different way of viewing something you put your heart into.? And talking of hearts, the most charming of the Prix Jeunesse awards, is the Heart Prize awarded to the programme that “most touches the heart, by vote of the festival participants” - who are all required to put a little red heart sticker on the wall against the name of their favourite show.? It’s an interestingly democratic, and expressly subjective, mode of judgement that cuts through any perceived intellectual value, fashion, or industry snobbery.?

Talking of snobbery… awards are certainly good for business, and equally for one’s pride, but like most things in life, they sadly come with their own values and exclusivity.? I was once told by one of my less-favourite TV industry contemporaries that our BAFTAs didn’t really count as they were Children’s BAFTA awards! But am I imagining it or in this business, is populist opinion less valued than the voices of our industry peers?? It’s my presumption that of the most commonly assumed awards snobberies, is when the audience gets to decide - heaven forbid!? Aside from assisting with the filming of a Prix Jeunesse "Youth Jury" we had never experienced this type of judgement firsthand until recently. Brighton Zoo Studios ’s recent first nom, was a British Animation Award Audience Choice award for Supertato. Being judged by a year 3 panel primary school kids was like nothing else. We were already on the back foot as a CBeebies preschool series being judged by a bunch of self-respecting 7 and 8 year olds, but we hoped that our universal action comedy would win out.? Sadly no!? Our judges slated us - it was brutal - though the special mention for moustaches went a long way to compensate!? Ultimately the audience will always vote with its feet in this fickle industry of ours - simply by switching their attentions - but usually, their voice serves as a true barometer, and if you get to hear it firsthand, ignore it at your peril!