Frank Cottrell-Boyce, screenwriter for film and TV, award-winning novelist and the current Children\u2019s Laureate returns to The Children\u2019s Media Conference (CMC) to deliver the Opening Keynote on 8 July 2025. Frank is the first keynote speaker to return to CMC, having spoken brilliantly in 2013 about his unique role as writer on the London Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Frank-Cottrell-Boyce-800x444.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Source: Children\u2019s Media Conference\/Liberi Consulting)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
CMC has invited Frank in recognition of his unique contribution to the lives of children and young people, his passionate support of the people who make content for them and his razor-sharp observations on creativity, culture, content and the young. Exactly one year into his Laureateship Frank will reflect on the troubling times we live in and how the children\u2019s media community can step up to the challenges and still shake things up for kids.<\/p>\n
Greg Childs OBE, Editorial Director at CMC expressed his particular enthusiasm for Frank Cottrell-Boyce opening the Children\u2019s Media Conference in 2025: \u201cIn times like these, when the children\u2019s media business is full of uncertainties, and the world itself seems a colder, darker place, Frank\u2019s clear-sighted humanity and passion for bringing the best to young people is what we need to inspire us to shake off the blues\u00a0and keep going. Because the kids need us to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Award-winning author and screenwriter, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, is the Waterstones Children\u2019s Laureate 2024-2026. He is the author of \u2018Sputnik\u2019s Guide to Life on Earth\u2019, \u2018The Astounding Broccoli Boy\u2019, \u2018Cosmic\u2019, \u2018Framed\u2019, and \u2018Millions\u2019, the last of which was a New York Times bestseller and was made into a movie by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. His books have won, or been nominated for, numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal, the\u00a0Guardian\u00a0Children\u2019s Fiction Prize, and the Whitbread Children\u2019s Book Award. Frank is also a screenwriter, having penned the scripts for a number of feature films including \u201924 Hour Party People\u2019 and \u2018Millions\u2019 as well as the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. He lives in Liverpool with his family.<\/p>\n
CMC\u2019s 2025 event will include a packed schedule of masterclasses and panels tackling the urgent issues facing the children\u2019s media industry and young audiences. The conference\u2019s sessions and networking events will take place at the Showroom Cinema, the City Hall and other venues in Sheffield.<\/p>\n
After the conference delegates will have access to the entire event on video with complete coverage of all the topics explored in Sheffield, including research insights in \u201cUnderstanding Kids\u201d, the ever-popular practical strand \u201cThe Art of\u2026\u201d, \u201cInclusivity Now\u201d panels which offer deep understanding of the routes to diversity and inclusion, and a new strand \u201cDigital Discussions\u201d with insights into how to work with the platforms where kids are consuming their content. Once again the range of speakers will be enhanced by a new influx of international guests including broadcasters, producers and distributors from Europe, Canada and the USA, who will also attend the CMC International Exchange one-day market on Tuesday 8 July \u2013 live again in Sheffield Town Hall.<\/p>\n
Tickets for CMC 2025 are now on sale, with the Early Bird discount open to all until 6 May. Details on registration and delegate pass rates are available at: www.thechildrensmediaconference.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n