Type: Meet Our Neighbors

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Tell us about yourself and how your career led you to work in children’s television.

I had a pretty winding path to get to my place in children’s television, working as a chef, nanny, and personal assistant before beginning my film career in documentaries. I joined Sinking Ship in 2017 as the Production Coordinator on Odd Squad Season 2, which was my first kids' TV experience.

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

I really loved Wishbone when I was little. There was something about that dog in these fantastic situations, I secretly hoped that my puppy was also having these epic adventures when I wasn’t around!

Describe your role on Odd Squad.

I started out as the Production Coordinator, working with the cast and crew to make sure that everyone was in the right place, at the right time, and that we had everything we needed. Since then my role has evolved to Director of Partnerships for Sinking Ship Entertainment, where I handle a number of things, but one of them is working closely with Fred Rogers Productions on Odd Squad marketing, social media, and things like that. 

What is your favorite episode of Odd Squad?

There are so many great ones! The big epic two-parter episodes are always amazing, like "Who is Agent Otis?" but I think my favorite episode is "The Scientist." Oona is so funny trapped in the alternate dimension!

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I like to cook, go for walks with my dog, and hang out with my kids!

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Tell us about yourself and how your career led you to working in children’s television?

I’m a child of the 1980s, meaning I was raised in a decade that is a standout in terms of iconic pop culture. Blockbuster movies, comics, and Saturday morning cartoons inspired imaginative play and sparked a love for drawing. I was lucky enough to have parents who identified and encouraged this ambition, and they guided me towards a nearby arts-centric high school that had an animation course! Demo reel in hand, I was off to Sheridan College, and from there entered the industry as a designer.

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

The classic Warner Bros. animated shorts! More specifically, the Chuck Jones canon. The mixture of gag-driven comedic timing and masterful, yet minimalistic, design work really caught my eye and influences my design sensibilities in a powerful way. That said, PBS was always on at our house, so my young mind was fed a balanced diet of incredibly thought-provoking programs like Sesame Street, Mystery!, and of course, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.  So, working with PBS, Fred Rogers Productions, Sonia Manzano, and GBH, my career has now come full circle and I’m incredibly grateful.

Describe your role on Alma’s Way.

It’s a two-tiered role and requires some context. A few years ago, Ellen Doherty (FRP’s chief creative officer) contacted Pipeline Studios and tasked us with presenting to her and her team a creative brief detailing specifically how the studio proposed bringing Alma’s Way to life. Ellen and Alma’s Way creator Sonia Manzano already had a solid foundation but were looking to the Pipeline team to do what we do best: enhance and elevate properties via creative and technical innovation, and attention to detail. At this stage in the development process, I served as the creative director, so it was my job to get inside Ellen and Sonia’s minds (via asking specific questions and listening attentively) to inherit their vision and fully understand what was of critical importance to them—and to the series as well—and then help make it a reality. Alma’s Way is a very unique family portrait—a series which we quickly identified as demanding a very unique yet highly organic approach to its production. We wanted to build upon the core themes, values, and concepts of the series to both engage the audience and effectively fulfill its storytelling ambitions. Aligned on the series’ overall vision, we formulated a custom recipe of creative, innovative elements and applied them strategically.  From there we assembled a hand-picked team of artists and technicians from across Pipeline Studio’s highly diverse teams in Canada, Colombia, and Chile to bring this unique recipe and vision to life. Needless to say, our hard work paid off, as Ellen, Sonia, Fred Rogers Productions, and PBS were thrilled by our proposal, and we moved into series production. Once this happens, I then shift into a supervising producer position. Along with an incredibly dedicated and highly skilled team, I help guide the series and ensure to our partners that the unique recipe of creativity and innovation continues forward and also elevates over time. I really can’t say enough about how passionate, caring, and committed the Pipeline Studios’ Alma’s Way team is to its long-term success! I’m incredibly proud of the series, and its positive messaging, but dare not mention specific crew members who go the extra mile, as I’d literally have to mention everyone!

What’s your favorite episode of Alma’s Way?

That’s a tough question, as they are each endearing and entertaining in their own respective rights. Since we’re nearing Halloween, which I’m a big fan of, I’ll go with “Haunted Hallway” or “Trick or Treatasaurus”!

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I’m a huge music fan and collect guitars, and I do try to get some strumming action in when time affords, but I also enjoy being a dad to an energetic and imaginative 6-year-old daughter who is starting to show an affinity for art and music as well. (She’s also a big fan of Alma’s Way!) As I mentioned previously, I’m very grateful for the guidance that has helped shape my career, and I strongly believe in giving back to the community and helping others who may need some extra support. Thus, I volunteer as a career counsellor within YMCA’s Newcomer Mentorship program, which is designed to match newcomer professionals with established professionals to share information, feedback, industry insights and offer tips in navigating their chosen profession here in their new home of Canada. It can make a big difference to someone who’s restarting their career in a new country and for me, it nourishes the soul!

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Tell us about yourself and how your career lead you to working in television?

My first job was as a summer camp counselor in Berkeley, CA, and since then I've known that I wanted my career to be about making kids' lives better in some way. I majored in Child Development at Tufts University, and when I discovered the world of children's media, I realized that it was a perfect blend of my interests. After interning at GBH in Boston and working on digital kids content there, I moved to NYC and have been working with the research team at 9 Story ever since.

What goes into your role as a research coordinator for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood?

Research for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is a lot of fun, because a lot of the kids that we are testing new episodes with are already familiar with, and love, the show. We test each episode with kids to make sure they are as appealing and engaging as possible. As the Research Coordinator, it's my job to turn a draft of a script into a storybook. I work with an artist to create pictures specifically for our research purposes. The storybook includes lots of questions that we ask the kids before, during, and after the story to gauge their comprehension of the content. Pre-Covid, we used to visit preschools all around New York City, but we now do all of our research sessions on Zoom. My role also involves recruiting children to participate in the sessions. One benefit of Zoom is that we now can have kids from across the country join! During the sessions, either I or another researcher reads the story to a small group of kids. Other researchers observe the sessions, and take notes on everything: what the kids said, when they sang along with the strategy songs, when they smiled or leaned in, when they got fidgety, etc. We then relay our findings to the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood writers and producers and collaborate to enhance each episode based on what we saw from the kids.

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

Dragon Tales! My sister and I watched it religiously. I remember it being such an aspirational and magical show, which we loved. We must have watched it over and over, because I can still remember many plot points so clearly (like when Zak and Wheezie, the conjoined twins, separated!).

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

In the past few years, I've gotten very into crossword puzzles, and now solving the daily New York Times puzzle is a cherished part of my routine. I also love cooking and am excited to experiment with my new food processor!

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Tell us about yourself and how your career led you to working in game design.

My preparation for working in game design started at birth. Whether it was playing card games—like Spades and Russian Rummy—at family gatherings or my brothers and I battling it out in Mario Kart 64 upstairs in the den, games were a constant in my childhood. However, the chief training I received to be a game designer came from my oldest brother, Scott. He fell in love with video games and board games, and he passed that love on to me. And he didn't only love playing games, he loved dissecting them and discerning what made them work. Whenever Scott and I were together we were talking about games and dreaming about making them ourselves. By the time I went to college, it seemed natural that I would study computer science with the goal of making game design a career.

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

I watched some really dumb TV shows growing up, but two shows that I think were actually great were Batman: The Animated Series and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Both, in different ways, respected kids, trusting that they understand more than they are frequently given credit for and never speaking down to them.

Batman, despite being about superheroes, featured multidimensional characters and trusted kids to understand that evil isn't always cartoonish and that knowing and doing what is good isn't always easy.

Pete & Pete felt like it was written by children (though very intelligent children) in that it took things that kids loved and found funny and let those scenarios play out to their ridiculous end. It was frequently a bizarre show, but kids are delightfully bizarre too, and Pete & Pete relished in this.

What goes into your role in the creation of digital content for Alma’s Way?

My role at Makefully is two-fold. For each project, I'm involved in both the ideation and creation processes.

So, for something like "The Alma Train," the first step is determining what we are going to make. Fred Rogers Productions gives us a theme ("subway trains" in this case), and from there, the Makefully team and I figure out what a game about trains could be in Alma's world. To do this well, we consider the themes and goals of the show, the characters in Alma's Way and the roles they might play in the game, the audience for the game, and ask questions like “What do kids love about trains and how would they want to play with them?” This whole ideation process is messy and involves a lot of trust within Makefully and between Makefully and Fred Rogers Productions as we wade through a wide range of ideas so that we can eventually get to the great ones.

Once an idea is settled on, my role changes and suddenly, as a programmer, I get to bring the idea to life. Sometimes this leaves me cursing myself as I run into hurdles, I've created for myself; but there's also a lot of joy in being able to bring to life what previously only lived in imagination!

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

In the last couple of years, I've fallen in love with gardening! I come by my interest naturally through my father who, when I was growing up, always made sure the yard around our house was beautiful. I've always enjoyed painting and drawing and in some ways, gardening seems like a natural extension of that, except the canvas is alive and must be cared for and nurtured. In return, it surprises you with unexpected beauty.

I'm still an amateur gardener at best, and my wife has been very patient with me as I've learned, particularly when I show up with new plants from the nursery without thinking ahead about where they might go in the yard. If I ever impoverish my family, it'll be because I needed "just one more" hydrangea.

Posted on by Primary Administrator

Tell us a about yourself and how your career led you to work in children’s television.

Children's television wasn't really on my radar when I graduated from film school, but I definitely grew up a little glued to the TV and could recall most of the influential shows and movies that shaped my imagination as a child.

I started working at Sinking Ship Entertainment back in September of 2018 as an Office Production Assistant and graduated all the way up to Associate Producer with the company. During that time, I was on two seasons of Odd Squad and would always catch myself saying, "Wow, if I was a kid, this would blow my mind!" It was my mid-20s and it was still blowing my mind! The sets were out of this world, the props were so cool, and the costumes were wildly imaginative. It was a great experience to be a part of a hugely colorful children's TV show that has such a strong impact on kids.

What was your favorite television show growing up?

I was OBSESSED with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, both the animated series as well as the Melissa Joan Hart live-action series so much so that I binge-watched it again in high school. I also really loved The Proud Family, That's So Raven, Boy Meets World, Smart Kid, Codename: Kids Next Door, Scooby Doo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Detective Conan & Captain Tsubasa/Captain Majid—two Japanese anime shows that came to the Middle East dubbed in Arabic. A real wide variety of things!

What goes into your role for an episode of Odd Squad?

On my first season of Odd Squad, I was a 2nd Assistant Production Coordinator working in the production team before I got a chance to step up as the 1st Assistant Production Coordinator. I had a variety of tasks that included setting up accommodations for our American cast members, first passes at contracts, writing up our day-to-day production schedule for meetings, ordering equipment, and paperwork.

My second season was a bit different. I had taken a strong interest in joining the art department and got the opportunity to be the art department coordinator. It was a bit different from working in production, as it focused solely on the needs of the art department. I got the chance to learn a lot about how our Odd Squad graphics went from concept to print, how different print materials affect the quality of the look, how certain roles in the sets, props, and construction teams operate. I was also lucky to have had the chance to show off some of my own arts and crafts skills and had one of my projects featured as set dec pieces in an episode! This was such a gratifying moment personally because Odd Squad has such colorful and imaginative art going into it and, even though it was a small creation, I did get to be a part of it.

What is your favorite episode you have worked on?

I would say it's a tie between the New York episode and the episode that featured my artwork. I had just become 1st Assistant Production Coordinator during the filming of the New York episode, and it was a massive challenge for me to step right into it. Fortunately, the people on my team were incredibly supportive and together we were able to assist our production coordinator in New York remotely.

What are your hobbies, etc. when you’re not working?

In the last few years, I had really gotten into fitness and have been practicing Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) and yoga as well as long-distance running. It is difficult to keep up while working in production, but I try my best to keep consistent with it.

I also love art and fashion and love to dedicate my free time to sketching and spending hours browsing through thrift stores for unique pieces.

Tune in to four new episodes of Odd Squad on PBS KIDS’ special New Year’s Eve Family Movie Night, December 31 on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel.

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Photo Credit: Michael Bryk

Tell us little bit about yourself and how your career led you to work in children’s television.

I’m a writer/comedian based in New York. I got the performing bug playing an angel in my church’s Nativity Story. I harked hard as an angel. And thanks to watching hours upon hours of television (which my dad attributes to why I wear glasses now), I got an education in storytelling. By night, I performed comedy, but by day, I was a creative producer for Gizmodo Media Group, helping tell stories about social injustice, environmental issues, and politics. Still itching to write fiction and remembering how much joy I got from children’s programming back when Saturday morning cartoons was appointment television for me, I applied to the Sesame Writers Room program, and I got in! That helped launch my writing career in children’s television, and I haven’t looked back.

Art by Karen Yiu

What was your favorite television show growing up?

Some of my fondest memories are from watching Arthur. I remember the theme song to this day, the Crunch cereal jingle, and I even have a framed crocheted piece of the fist clench meme. As a nerdy kid with glasses who occasionally wore sweaters, Arthur was my guy!

What goes into your role for an episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood?

As the writing coordinator, I work with writers of the show to make sure they have all the reference materials they need and inform them of their deadlines so that scripts stay on schedule. I also help schedule writing meetings and organize the writing calendar. Outlook is my frenemy.

When scripts come in, the writing team reviews them, and then I go in to do a last proofreading pass. From there, I send it out to the folks at Fred Rogers Productions, PBS KIDS, and our production and research teams. When they send their feedback, I organize the notes into one document, so it’s easier to look at in context of each other.

What is your favorite episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood?

“Katerina Gets Mad” and “Daniel Gets Mad” are SO iconic. The strategy song, “When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four,” is such a useful tool that I use day-to-day. Just kidding…maybe.

Look at those doors!

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I’ve recently picked up surfing and have been loving getting out into the water and using muscles I never knew existed. And this past summer, I tried getting out more playing volleyball in the park and hiking in upstate New York. Also, I like walking around my neighborhood in Brooklyn to look at all the colorful doors--there’s so much personality.

As the weather gets colder, what is your favorite autumn activity? 

Being from New York, I love going to apple farms to drink warm cider and eat fresh cinnamon sugar-crusted apple cider donuts. I get so much joy from dipping the donuts into the cider while a crisp breeze blows through the air.

Watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood daily on PBS KIDS or stream anytime on the PBS KIDS Video App.

Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Tell us about yourself and how your career led you to work in children’s television.

I was born and raised in Mexico City and have been a passionate advocate of children, even when I was a child myself. I’ve always been interested in the representation of girls in media, including in books, and would argue and question whoever I could about the lack of role models for girls like me. Throughout the years, this interest has grown and guided me to explore the issues of representation of people of color, equity, and inclusion.

Formally, I started my career almost 20 years ago in Mexican public children’s television; since then, I’ve had the opportunity to explore many areas in this field such as strategy, research, writing, programming and acquisitions, production, design, and marketing. I have made contributions to a vast number of projects with a wide variety of organizations and groups in Mexico and the U.S., utilizing different formats such as film, video, web, games, publications, promotional materials, programs, and VR. These experiences have expanded my interest in the potential of media and technology to promote learning in surprising and relatable ways.

I keep advocating for kids, including my own daughter, focusing on helping them recognize and process emotions as the key to building a resilient life, which is why one of my favorite quotes from Fred Rogers is “When we talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” I chose this career because I thought it would be fun and would match my playful and justice-driven side, and it hasn’t disappointed.

What was your favorite television show growing up?

I had many! As a preschooler, I used to watch Plaza Sesamo, the Latin American version of Sesame Street. Unfortunately, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood didn’t air in Mexico when I was growing up, but I’m sure I would’ve been a fan. In my tween years, I watched lots of cartoons and some anime with female leads: She-Ra, Heidi, Sandy-Bell, Gigi, Mujercitas (Little Women), Lalabel, and others.

One fun memory: When I was about eight years old, my sisters and I would sneak out of our bedrooms to watch La Hora Marcada (The Appointed Time), a horror and sci-fi series that was written and directed by the now very famous Mexican trio formed by Emmanuel Lubezki, Guillermo del Toro, and Alfonso Cuarón.

Some days, when I got home from school, I’d watch whatever was on TV, such as black and white movies from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema and loved them...there’s lots of singing and tragic stories, which is ideal to create an empathetic child. I think my very favorite thing was getting together with my family to eat popcorn with salsa and watch Los Locos Addams (The Addams Family).

What goes into your role in the creation of digital content for Alma’s Way?

As a digital producer at Fred Rogers Productions, I produce interactive content for Alma’s Way for young audiences, four- to six-years-old, across multiple digital platforms, including websites and games. I am lucky to work with talented partners, developers, artists, voice-over actors, educational advisors, TV producers, and other outstanding professionals that work together to raise the bar in the creation of the best digital experiences for kids. This, of course, includes bilingual and authentic content.

Additionally, I’m in a permanent search to connect with people in the games space; developers, creators, advisors, and other professionals with the goal to bring different voices to the table.

What is something you really love about the show that you can’t wait to share with audiences?

The world of Alma is so rich, diverse, and… real! It gives us so much to work with for digital. I’m in awe about the care and detail that go into each episode of the show and every bit of the digital content. Alma’s Way is my new referent when I think about the phrase “detail-oriented;” my colleagues and I don’t shy away from pausing to figure things out until we get them right.

Plus, I get to work with people that are not only brilliant but that share the same commitment to improving children’s lives. I also love that this show was created by Sonia Manzano, a fierce Puerto Rican and that the team includes nuanced Latinx voices in every step of the process. Personally, it feels like we are more visible, and, just like Alma, we have something to say.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I like going to the mountains with my family; we go camping often in Colorado, where I live. Most weeks, we go for walks and bike rides around the neighborhood. I love watching kids’ shows (really, not just for work!), story time, dancing, and singing with my 4-year-old daughter.

When possible, I work on my xeriscape garden and my vegetable garden. This is a great conversation starter with neighbors who are the witnesses of all the hard work that has gone into them. I enjoy going to coffee shops to write and read good books. I love traveling, especially to visit my family and friends in Mexico City, Michigan, and New York.

Alma’s Way premieres on PBS KIDS on October 4.

Posted on by Mike Kozak

Get to know Sonia Santarelli, a producer at Brown Bag Films for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. She chats about her favorite television shows growing up, and how even gives a tease of the forthcoming Season 5!

How did you become a producer of children's television shows?

I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in television! In high school I gravitated to media arts classes where we learned everything from operating TV cameras and using editing software to producing our own mini segments for the school’s own TV network (which I hosted). Naturally, I thought my path in television was to be on camera—a charismatic and poised television host of a daytime lifestyle segment! Boy was I wrong.

After completing an undergrad in English Literature, I headed into a Post Graduate program for Television Writing and Producing. Throughout the post graduate program, I discovered the world of animation, and I was intrigued to learn more. The world was fast paced and exciting, but also rewarding! After an internship in Development, I was offered the Production Coordinator role on a pre-school series—I was hooked! From then I went on to serve as Production Manager and produce various animated shows. Each new show allowed me to build my skill sets and knowledge—always learning and growing every step of the way.

Being a part of a team that creates content for children that entertains, educates and impacts their lives is so rewarding, and I am lucky to have a career that doesn’t feel like a job. I enjoy every moment and am so glad that the choices I made as a young adult have led me down this path!

What was your favorite television show when you were growing up?

I watched A LOT of Barney as a child. I knew all the songs and dances. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I can still recite the song, “I love you, you love me…” – haha! I also watched Pasquale, the Italian chef! I was glued to the TV when he was on. His singing was so captivating, and he was always cooking up something delicious.

What steps go into your role in producing Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?

Daniel Tiger is a show that has so many moving parts, and as the producer on the series, I oversee all stages of the production from script to screen. Working alongside the production team, I ensure all notes are addressed and carried through each department from script to design, music, voice records, Leicas, and animation—to name a few.

Coupled with working closely with the production team, I also work alongside the 9 Story New York team and the Fred Rogers Productions team to ensure each stage of the production remains on brand, on schedule, and on budget.

While the producer on any series has the important responsibility of managing the production, it really is thanks to the talented team on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood that we are able to create such fun, inspiring, and rewarding content for children across the world.

What is your favorite episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?

There are so many fabulous episodes of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, each with a positive message that teaches children to be kind and how to navigate through new moments—all values and teachings that will last a lifetime! Currently, we are working on a very special episode for season 5 that lives close to my heart. It’s all about celebrating our differences, and I can’t wait to share this episode with the world.

What do you like to do when you're not working on the show?

I love to travel!! Exploring (or as I like to call it, wandering) new countries and cities is so rewarding. I collect experiences and moments on each trip—near or far! I have been so fortunate to visit some truly amazing places from Europe to Asia.

I also love to cook! I find peace in the kitchen—experimenting with different ingredients and sharing meals with friends and family. Maybe that’s all because of Pasquale?

Watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood daily on PBS KIDS.

 

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Get to know Amanda Vernuccio, production designer for Odd Squad. She talks about her favorite episode of Odd Squad and what she's most looking forward to in Season 3.

What led you to work in production design for television shows?
I've wanted to design sets since I was 9 years old and realized that that was a job. I started by designing sets for theatre, then moved to designing haunted houses for a theme park, and about five years ago finally got to break into film and television. This is my dream job! Being able to read a script and then help to bring that story to life is an incredible feeling. I honestly can't picture myself doing anything else.

What were your favorite television shows when you were growing up?
I had a ton! She-Ra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Full House, Saved by the Bell. But if I really had to choose, I'll probably go with The Muppet Show or Fraggle Rock. Anything Jim Henson really, he's a big reason I wanted to get into film. The worlds he created still blow me away today, and the fact everything was made by hand and not CGI or VFX makes it that much more amazing.

What are the steps that go into designing a set for an episode of Odd Squad?
It’s a pretty big process that has to be done in a short period of time. It starts with reading the script and starting to brainstorm ideas. I will then have a meeting with the writers, creators, and directors to discuss what they envisioned and want to see. After that I will start to draw up a design for approval. Sometimes you will have to go through two or three different designs before one is approved. Once that design is approved, I will then hand it over to my team to build and create. The whole process on average from start to finish takes about two to three weeks.

What is your favorite episode of Odd Squad?
Probably “Villains Always Win“ from Season 2. I thought that was a really fun episode. I remember laughing pretty hard when reading the script. I also loved getting to create a cheesy game show set. At first they wanted to go a little more modern, but I insisted that they have to let me go cheesy 80s game show-style. It’s what I had pictured while I was reading it. I was really proud with how that set turned out in the end, and the cheesiness helped add to everything.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Answering this makes me look like a pretty boring person! I like to travel, go to the movies, going out with friends, craft projects, going to antiques stores, people watching, sitting on my porch with a cup of coffee and a good book. You work long and crazy hours in the film industry, so when I have time off I try to relax and recharge as much as I can.

What are you most excited about (without spoilers!) for Odd Squad Season 3?
Obviously the sets! The new set still has the same Odd Squad feel but there’s something hidden in every corner and something new is revealed or shown in every episode.
Watch Odd Squad weekdays on PBS KIDS.

 

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Posted on by Brooke Wehrle

Get to know Shannon Case, one of the newest members of the Fred Rogers Productions team. Shannon comes to us from Washington, D.C., where she worked in digital programming for PBS KIDS, and was essential to the creation of online games for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, among other shows.

What led you to work in digital games for children’s TV shows?

I’ve always loved working with kids and spent many summers as a camp counselor and tutor. I knew I eventually wanted a career that would allow me to focus on kids and families. It wasn’t until I started working at PBS KIDS that I learned making digital games was a job that existed. I figured out pretty quickly that it was a dream job! Games can be a helpful way for kids to work on skills, like cooperation and problem solving, and to play and learn about new experiences. It brings me a lot of joy to spend my days creating games for kids to play with their favorite characters.

Can you talk a little bit about your favorite television show when you were growing up?

I was obsessed with the game shows on Nickelodeon, like Double Dare, GUTS, and Legends of the Hidden Temple. I have vivid memories of making obstacle courses in my neighbor’s backyard and running around the playground with friends, pretending we were racing up the Aggro Crag. Those shows were so fun to watch, but also inspired so much play away from the television screen.

How do people make a digital game?

There are many steps and many people involved in making a digital game. We typically start by deciding the theme or topic we’d like to cover in a game—it might be exploring feelings, going to the doctor, or taking turns. Then we think about the best way to make that topic into a playful experience, drawing inspiration from many sources like classic toys and board games. Throughout the development process, we observe kids playing the game and make changes to ensure the final game is engaging, easy to play, and fun!

What is your favorite Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood game you’ve worked on?

I love all my children equally, but I’m particularly proud of Spin & Sing. It incorporates several of the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood songs into little games, like helping Daniel count to four to calm down or choosing a new food for him to try. It’s a simple game, but it provides children with lots of ways to play about these different strategies that both they and Daniel are learning.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I’m pretty much always thinking about food, whether it’s planning what to make for dinner, adding to my list of restaurants to try, or watching cooking videos on YouTube. I really enjoy the process of cooking and own an unreasonable number of cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. I also like spending time outside and going for walks to explore Pittsburgh (and attempt to walk off all that food).

As a new Pittsburgher, what is your favorite thing you’ve experienced in the city so far?

There are so many amazing parks! I like exploring new places by foot, so I have been taking my dog for long walks in the various parks around Pittsburgh. It’s incredible how quickly you can forget you’re in the middle of a city when you’re walking the trails in Frick or Schenley Parks.

Play free, online Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood games here, and watch the show daily on PBS KIDS.

 

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Meet Our Neighbors: Rachel Kalban, 9 Story Media Group

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Get to know Rachel Kalban, Vice President, Research and Curriculum at 9 Story Media Group.

PBS KIDS and Fred Rogers Productions Announce Fifth Season of Emmy-Winning Series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

July 30, 2019

New Season of Animated Preschool Hit to Feature 20 Episodes with Relatable New Themes and New Friends in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe – Summer 2020
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