Press
Interview with Anja von Kampen
1. What have you been busy with lately?
We just finished the production of five new Knietzsche books, inspired by the TV series: Knietzsche and friendship, death, happiness, bullying and fear - based on some of my favorite episodes. Right now our animation department is working on new episodes, coming out in August. Today I had a great reading of my novel "Knietzsche and the pocket watch oracle" in front of 120 fifth- and sixth-graders. Children are the toughest audience - if you can't get them to laugh at the right moments, you're in trouble.
2. Could you please tell us a bit about vision X.
vision X is a full-service TV production company based in Berlin.
Our team produces award winning television shows, image films, commercials and educational content.
vision X rose to fame internationally with Knietzsche, a show and a brand, fully developed by ourselves, with a range of products, developed in-house. "The smallest philosopher in the world", has won many awards and teaches children in a playful and humorous way the important and also philosophical lessons in life.
3. When did you start to produce TV series for children? Do you have a smooth career path so far?
We started producing television for children about ten years ago. Children are the best audience you can get. We started with documentaries and tv shows and then moved on to conquer the world of animation. There are no limits for your imagination if you can create a new universe by simply drawing it.
It is hard to tell, if my career path was smooth or not. Each project brings new challenges and obviously you have to put in a lot of hard work and fight, if you want to be successful. At some point I made a decision only to work with people I truly believe in and only to accept jobs that I really enjoy. It was one of the best decisions of my career.
4. How old is Knietzsche? Where does he come from? What does he usually do?
Knietzsche doesn't have a specific age. Depending on the story, we sort of travel in time to visit him at different stages of his life. Sometimes he is a baby, sometimes he is an old man, but most of the time he is just a normal school kid. He does not have any special skills or powers, but he loves to think about the things that matter to him the most in a funny and smart way.
5. How does your daily life in Berlin look like? Do you get many inspirations from the creative spirits of the city?
Living in Berlin means dealing with opportunities. Music, art, literature - you can choose every day between too many possibilities. In summer I often choose to go for a swim in the morning, in order to get new ideas under water. My office looks like a playground and I´m always happy to go there. Actually, it doesn´t feel like work most of the time.
6. What do you expect from your participation at this year’s StoryDrive conference and your visit to Beijing?
I´m very excited to participate at the StoryDrive conference. Meeting people from other countries working in the same business is one way of getting new inspirations. Usually these events cause chain reactions. For example, I am at StoryDrive, because I was a speaker in Taipei and somebody heard me there. And I was invited to Taipei because I was in Bangkok before that and in Myanmar before that.
I would like for Knietzsche to take the world by storm, because he can help children and make their lives better.
That is why I am tremendously proud that the show was brought to China. And I am sure Beijing has plenty of more great things in store for Knietzsche and me!
Anja von Kampen will be speaking at the StoryDrive conference in Beijing (28 May - 1 June 2018).
