Thanks to my new friends at Fatherly for their latest post entitled, “The Creator of ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’ on Keeping Fred Rogers’s Message Going”.

I sat down last week to speak with Fatherly’s Carlos Mejia about perspective, inspiration and the value of Public Broadcasting. Fatherly is a “parenting resource for men who understand that embracing what they’ve become doesn’t mean giving up who they are.” Enjoy!

The Creator of ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’ on Keeping Fred Rogers’s Message Going

Hi. Come on in!

Our first (animated) baby turned 20 this year and it honestly feels like yesterday that a puppy named Blue was introduced to Steve for the very first time! So with Blue’s Clues now 20 and Nick Animation turning 25, how could I not sit down with Nickelodeon Animation Podcast’s Hector Navarro (@Hectorisfunny) to discuss the origins of Blue’s Clues and what made it stand out from the pack for such a period of time?!

While it’s true that our firsts are forever ingrained in our headspace, Blue, Salt, Pepper, Mailbox, Paprika, Tickety and the rest of the Blue’s Clues family will forever take up a little spot in my heart, regardless of their 2-Dimensionality.  And of course my BFF & co-creator, Traci Paige Johnson, joined us for our 40 minute talk below:

While Blue’s Clues changed the way kids interact with television, it changed the way I viewed the power of a medium that many gave little respect to.

Lord knows, my other kids (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!, Creative Galaxy, Wishenpoof etc.) would have never been created without their older sibling teaching me, and many others, a lesson or two.

 Special thanks to Hector Navarro at The Nickelodeon Animation Podcast for being such an amazing host on this podcast!

This year at Kidscreen Summit I feel like I’m back in Kansas! I’ve seen so many familiar faces from my travels within the kids entertainment biz. This year the summit is taking place down south in Miami, FL.

Kidscreen Summit is renowned as the kids entertainment industry’s most important annual event. In 2015, the conference welcomed just over 1,700 attendees from 54 countries.

On Thursday, February 11 at 2:15 pm, I’ll be stepping away from Final Draft and jumping into game mode for Kidscreen’s 20th Anniversary Trivia Challenge!

Who else should host The Trivia Challenge, but none other than my friend, David Kleeman. He will test players from the industry, as well as myself, quizzing them on the past couple decades of industry news.

Joining me up on stage will be Daniel Bays (Creator, Writer & Showrunner BBC), Andrew Kavanagh (CEO & Founder Kavaleer Productions), Flavio Medeiros (Director of Programming & Acquisitions Discovery Kids Latin America), Adina Pitt VP, Content Acquisitions & Co-Productions Cartoon Network) and Dave Skwarczek (Executive Producer Eat Your Lunch).

Kidscreen’s 20th Anniversary Trivia Challenge promises to be a fun and tidbit filled session, so come on over if you’re attending Kidscreen in Miami!

“Don’t leave #kss16 without coming to this! You could be on our audience team & compete for free KSS17 registration!” –@davidkleeman

“How Do You Make a Hit Children’s Show?” is the question I typically hear from parents, students, artists and writers as I meet them for the first time. While everyone’s got their own system to create educational media for children, I shared mine this week at The 4th Annual International Children’s Media Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, via live stream.

I was excited to journey outside my typical neighborhood with this project because a key to a better tomorrow lies within the education and happiness of children, on a global scale.

During the talk, I mentioned the importance of understanding one’s vision and the necessity of creating aspirational characters. Using Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!, Creative Galaxy & Wishenpoof as tangible examples of how I implemented such features, I explained their characters’ development and how each show’s curriculum helped to enhance their stories. I typically allude to the secret sauce and timing when discussing my projects, which are both imperative to a “Hit Children’s Show”.

 Special thanks to Hatice Şehime ÖZÜTLER (TRT Çocuk) for inviting me to share, amidst an educated panel, for this special project.

After a successful first season of programming, Amazon Studios has agreed to green light a second season for four of their original children’s series: Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, and  Tumble Leaf. Congratulations to all of the production teams involved with these uniquely smart programs.

In an effort to strengthen and foster a love of the arts among the preschool set, we launched our Season I of Creative Galaxy on June 27th, 2014. Some incredibly talented actors lent their voices to the show, such as Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Cloris Leachman, Jason Priestley and Brooke Shields.  But I honestly couldn’t have imagined the quick support Creative Galaxy has received in such a short amount of time!

If you haven’t checked out Creative Galaxy, may I ask why? 😉 It follows the adventures of Arty, an alien artist who soars to colorful planets of inspiration to teach children about art & culture and includes iconic artwork by painters such as Jackson Pollock and Georges Seurat.

Thank you to everyone that’s tuned in and left such incredible feedback over at Amazon Studios and here on Angela’s Clues. My team at Out Of The Blue Enterprises (and beyond) works tirelessly to bring quality media to kids. Simply stated..we appreciate your smart media diet.

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