We are thrilled to announce that Children’s Media grad Caitlin Langelier pitched and wrote on an episode of the children’s animated series Dino Ranch that was awarded Outstanding Children’s Programming at the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards! This recent win is such an incredible feat! Find out about the preparation that went into this episode and Caitlin's thoughts when she found out the episode was first nominated for the award.
Television is a medium that has the innate power to showcase storylines that can produce key lessons for viewers and deliver messages that can generate conversations around important topics. This power is something that Caitlin Langelier, a 2016 Children's Media program graduate, has come to know well, having been a writer for several shows within the children's media industry.
One of Caitlin’s more recent works is with the hit children’s show Dino Ranch – an animated series where friendly humans and dinosaurs live among each other. As a writer on this show for several episodes, Caitlin reflects on how the show's first season was interrupted by the COVID lockdown, which impacted the ability to hold “Writer’s Summits,” where the episode stories are typically generated.
She recalls, “It was me, our directors, and story editors on daily video calls brainstorming ideas. It was on one of these calls that my story editor suggested, ‘hey Caitlin, in that story you pitched - what if the parents were a gay couple?’ and I believe my exact response was to yell, ‘everyone else shut up, that's what we're doing!’ Through every draft, we had the full support of our team, shaping the story into one we knew would be memorable and meaningful.”
This planning led to the creation of the episode Adoptasaurus Rex, which focuses on the theme of adoption and how a pair of T-Rex dinosaurs want to be dads. Caitlin shares, “At its heart, Dino Ranch is all about what it means to be a family and the wide variety of ways a family can be formed. It was only natural for us to come to an episode like this.”
She adds, “My favourite thing about Adoptasaurus Rex is the fact that the T-Rex parents are same-sex was never pointed out as something odd – the Dino Ranchers only saw two dinosaurs who wanted a baby, and because they themselves are adopted, immediately started to plan how they could help them adopt a child too.”
-
Representation and inclusivity, especially in children’s media, are crucial elements Caitlin recognizes as a professional in this industry. She says, “Research shows the most effective way to increase someone's love for different communities is to build positive relationships with those communities. We also know that people's brains respond to characters in media almost like they do to people in real life. So, for people working in children's media, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to help build our audience's positive relationships with diverse communities. For some kids, these shows may be their first or even only exposure to them.”
She continues, “Preschool television, in particular, has only recently been able to include more LGBT+ characters, and I'm so proud that Dino Ranch has been added to these trailblazing programs. Currently, the LGBT+ community is facing an enormous amount of pushback targeting our human rights, and it is vital that we in the media continue to create inclusive content.”
Upon hearing that Adoptasaurus Rex was nominated for the GLAAD Media Awards, which awards various branches of media for their LGBT+ representation, Caitlin says, “I don't think I had the ability to form thoughts when I heard – my heart was beating too loudly! GLAAD is an organization I've respected and looked to since I was a closeted teenager, and it's been a goal in my career to one day make something that would be acknowledged by them. To have it happen on only my tenth produced episode of television was shocking!”
Caitlin’s journey to the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design
Television has played an important role in Caitlin’s life, and her love for it goes back to her childhood. “Television has always been my first and greatest love. I was painfully shy as a kid, and TV provided comfort, companionship, and education. It's no exaggeration to say I'd be a completely different person without TV. Knowing first-hand how meaningful it can be, I wanted to create content for kids like myself,” she explains.
Caitlin’s path began with a career in stand-up comedy, which she says provided the foundation of her writing skills. This eventually led to the Children’s Media program at Centennial, which came highly recommended by her colleagues when she began to inquire about how to break into the industry. From there, she began working with a large global entertainment company.
She explains, “Our third semester of the Children's Media program revolved around finding an internship in the industry. I interned in the development department of Radical Sheep, now Boat Rocker Media. I had such a wonderful experience with my internship that the company hired me as a development assistant, and I have worked in the Boat Rocker family ever since! I can draw a straight line from my time in the Children's Media Program to my internship to my career for the past seven years.”
Key lessons from the Children’s Media program
Reflecting on her time in the program, Caitlin says, “Oh gosh, we'll be here all day if I start listing every key lesson I took from the Children's Media Program! But a few things that stood out to me early on were that this is a small industry with a real sense of purpose and community. Everything we do is a team effort, so it's essential to have passion for the craft and compassion for your peers.”
Preparing for the children’s media industry
Caitlin shares how the program helps equip students with the skills and confidence to succeed: "The teachers in the Children's Media Program are top-tier industry professionals with contemporary knowledge and connections. They don't only teach theory or exercises mimicking the real world. They are able to connect you to the real world directly.”
She continues, “True story, the first person a Centennial instructor introduced to me became my first boss a year later! The program offers classes on a wide range of topics, so for someone with a central career focus, they may find themselves learning about parts of the industry that they normally wouldn't be involved with – for example, myself as a writer learning about business and licensing. But this wide range provides context and perspective that enhances your understanding of the industry as a whole.”
Advice for those entering the industry
“Watch Dino Ranch – just kidding (though you really should). My biggest piece of advice that I always give new writers is that to write for children; you have to respect them. They aren't ‘incomplete adults they are fully formed children and the things they love matter. Remember what made you giggle as a kid, what you loved, what you were afraid of, and write for that kid,” Caitlin says.
You can watch Dino Ranch on CBC Gem in Canada, and Caitlin welcomes you to follow her on social media (@CateLangelier).
Congratulations, Caitlin, on such an incredible achievement!
Article by: Alexandra Few
Check out and subscribe to our Storyteller newsletter and Storyteller In-Depth Podcast for more great stories from the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design.