Nico Lockhart of TeamFalco discusses challenges and best practices for launching new kids’ IP, particularly focusing on YouTube engagement, the impact of algorithms, and the importance of understanding audience needs, in the latest episode of ScreenMDM Talks’ The SwitchScreen strand.
Less than a year since launching, TeamFalco, founded by Lockhart and Jessie Stephenson, has already expanded, recently onboarding David Hutchinson as creative director to ramp up its slate of animated YouTube-first originals. The outfit was unveiled in May of last year as an IP development studio and agency with a data- and algorithm-driven approach to engaging with kids’ and family audiences on YouTube and other platforms.
Lockhart spent almost a decade at WildBrain, while Stephenson is an alum of Little Dot Studios and WildBrain, and Hutchinson is an accomplished writer, director, and showrunner behind the hits Boy & Dragon and Emojitown. Together, they are using their combined expertise to build fandoms and engagement and cut through the noise on YouTube. Ahead of speaking at MIP London on a panel about monetization during the Kids & Teens Summit, Lockhart joined the ScreenMDM Talks podcast to share insights on the evolution of content creation, the significance of balancing data with storytelling, and the future of kids’ content in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
