The Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) Presents:
How the Pandemic will Change the Landscape of Children’s Media
Online Livestream Episode and Live Q&A
Occurred on May 7th @1pm
Guest Speakers: Dr. Ellen Wartella, Director of the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University, and Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President of Content and Creative Strategy at Disney Channel Worldwide.
Tune in on Facebook Live.
Dr. Ellen Wartella
Ellen A. Wartella studies the role of media and technology in children’s health and development. She is particularly interested in addressing public policy questions about children’s use of media and technology. She is the Al-thani Professor of Communication Studies, and Director of the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University. She also holds appointments in Northwestern’s School of Medicine, Department of Psychology and School of Education and Social Policy.
The author or editor of 12 books and more than 200 book chapters, articles, technical reports and paper. She is editor of Social Policy Reports, a publication of the Society for Research in Child Development. She has been active in policy deliberations in Washington, having testified before Congressional committees on children and media issues, including the Children’s Television Act. Further, she chaired the Front-of-Package Marketing study committee of the Institute of Medicine (2009-2011), served on the Advancing Progress on Obesity Prevention study committee (2011-2013) and the Study of Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth (2006). She currently sits on the National Educational Advisory Board of the Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the Board of the World Summit on Children and Media, the Board of Children and Screens Institute, the Board of the Public Good Projects that sponsors A Healthy America initiative, and the Board of Spoon a foundation that brings nutritional training to caregivers in orphanages around the world. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Psychological Society and the International Communication Association, of which she was the president. She received the 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award for Alumni of the University of Minnesota and in 2018 the Ver Steeg Award at Northwestern University. She received an honorary doctorate from St. Vincent College in 2017
Nancy Kanter
Executive Vice President, Content and Creative Strategy, Disney Channels Worldwide
Nancy Kanter is executive vice president, Content and Creative Strategy, Disney Channels Worldwide, a role she was promoted to in 2017. Her responsibilities include spearheading the content creation strategy that guides the development of original live-action and animated programming across Disney Channels' audience of kids age 2-11 as well as Disney Channel's produced content for Disney+. She also oversees strategy for acquired content that supports the overarching creative vision and, in partnership with the live-action and animation development/programming teams, continues the momentum of attracting, developing and retaining the best creative talent to support Disney's far-reaching portfolio of entertainment platforms for kids and families. She reports to Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide.
Kanter was executive vice president, Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide (2012-17). Under her leadership as general manager, Disney Junior, the 24-hour channel reigned as the #1 preschooler-dedicated TV network in Total Viewers, Kids 2-5, Girls 2-5, Boys 2-5 and Women 18-49 for six years in a row (2013-18). Kanter was responsible for bringing the Peabody Award-winning "Doc McStuffins," the Emmy® Award-winning "Sofia the First," the Emmy Award-nominated "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and other hit series "Vampirina," "Fancy Nancy" and "Muppet Babies" to Disney Junior.
Kanter joined Disney Channel in 2001. In 2011 and 2012, she led the successful rebrand of Playhouse Disney to Disney Junior, establishing the brand as a global powerhouse, with a total of 36 Disney Junior channels in 27 languages around the world. She formed the Disney Junior Educational Resource Group, an in-house team responsible for the curriculum development and focus group studies of Disney Junior content and brand extensions. She also established a council of academic advisors, comprised of experts in the fields of transmedia, storytelling, early education, language development, diversity, emotional learning, digital trends and literacy, to guide Disney Junior's learning and development curriculum designed specifically for kids age 2-7.
Prior to joining Disney Channel, Kanter was president, Bluecow.com, an internet site for children's entertainment. She was previously an executive producer for Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop), where she supervised the development and production of more than 30 "Sesame Street" broadcast specials and direct-to-video projects, including the Emmy Award-winning "Elmo Saves Christmas."
Kanter's other experience includes producing ABC Afterschool Specials, as well as film editing (for which she won an Emmy Award) and several award-winning documentary films for public television. Additionally, she served as an adjunct professor of film at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY).
A native of New York, Kanter graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film and theatre. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served on its Board of Governors. She currently is a board member of the Hollywood Health & Society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Kanter is based in Burbank, California, at the headquarters of Disney Channels Worldwide.
In collaboration with the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television the Livestream will be recorded and hosted on the CSS website for future viewing.