Laura Nevanlinna

Laura Nevanlinna
CEO
Ferly
Finland
Pitching: Star Stable: Mistfall

What is the biggest issue facing the animation industry right now?
The animation industry has a lot going for it in many ways: the ability to produce content with virtual teams is certainly a big positive, as is the fact the streamers all want content that’s uniquely theirs. However, I believe the greatest challenge is the current multitude of platforms and the decline of traditional TV.

Especially in Europe, national broadcasters have been huge supporters of locally sourced, quality content. This has provided smaller, independent studios with opportunities to get their shows made. However, with the rise of the streamers, they’re facing a decline in viewership and thus having issues in being able to support local content, as competition is fierce and large-budget shows draw in the crowds.

What is your company doing in response to this?
We have always been very adaptive to the different models of producing content. Coproductions are a great way to gather support from various countries and traditional TV.

How do you see the rise of the metaverse impacting animation?
Insofar as the metaverse creates more demand for more immersive experiences such as augmented reality and virtual reality, there is potential for new opportunities for animation companies. The question is how long it will take for these technologies to have enough users to make creating content for them interesting from a business perspective.

How do you work with YouTube Kids and is it a platform that supports high-quality animation producers?
There is more and more interest from YouTube Kids in helping producers create content and, of course, their wish is to see it be high quality. However, traditionally, YouTube as a platform has been more about the diversity of content and about various quality levels, which I see as a positive thing. YouTube differs from the SVoDs in that way, and I believe we need a platform where content can live regardless of quality level.

Tell us about the project you are pitching at Cartoon Forum.
Star Stable: Mistfall (26×22′) is a kids/tweens series based on the hit adventure horse game Star Stable. It’s a story about a girl called Skye and her magical horse Blaze, and their adventures with their friends on the island of Jorvik. At the heart of the story is Skye’s quest to find out more about her heritage and that of Blaze. Mistfall was originally created as a shortform series, which we are now developing into a longform series with showrunner, Emmy winner Alice Prodanou. We have Atmosphere Media on board for the project, so it will be a Finnish-Belgian coproduction.