Top 9 FableVision Moments of 2020

2020 has been a year of unprecedented change—but also a time of resiliency in the face of challenge. We have seen innovative educators, creatives, and more step up to the plate to keep the learning going for students of all ages, no matter where they are.

And there is no better way to wrap up our year than with the streaming of “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” at this year’s virtual Holiday Pops Celebration. We’re so thankful for incredible partnerships and projects such as this, and for all those who helped us continue to find safe, fun, and exciting ways to connect this year, even where we’re physically apart.

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1. FableVision Games

Our highlight of 2020 is the launch of our new games platform, FableVision Games! Timely as ever, FableVision Games offers state-of-the-art, research-based games and educator tools, poised for this time of remote and blended classroom learning. Stay tuned for more games launching in 2021!

The FableVision Games lineup includes: 

Zoombinis: a relaunch of the classic, beloved ’90s game “Logical Journey of Zoombinis” created in partnership with TERC and the Learning Games Network. The game teaches Computational Thinking to grades 3-8.

Cyberchase Fractions Quest: an immersive game based on the popular, award-winning PBS KIDS series Cyberchase that combines a high-stakes adventure story with a research-based approach to fractions learning. Created in partnership with WNET and the Education Development Center (EDC) through Phase I and II support from the IES Department of Education’s SBIR program.

Civics! An American Musical: an online game for middle school students that promotes the importance of civics and teaches how to analyze primary sources. Created in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE, as part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program.

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2. Design Principles

On our mission to tell “stories that matter, stories that move” and create positive media that moves the world to a better place, the studio authored our core design principles to share the pedagogy behind our approach. No matter the type of media—educational games, animation, museum interactives, websites, Augmented Reality experience—or the subject matter, our focus is always on the needs of our end-user, the context of their learning, and the impact of our product.

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FableVision President Gary Goldberger (left) and Communications Director Sarah Ditkoff (right) accept the KAPi Award for Keenville at the 2020 CES Convention in January.

3. Award Winners!

We pride ourselves on the quality, creativity, and educational value of our educational media and game-based projects. You don’t have to take our word for it, though! The awards we’ve won speak for themselves.

This year, we were honored to accept an award for Keenville, our literacy and math game-based assessment created in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and Georgia Center for Assessment. Keenville was recognized as a “Noteworthy School Product” in the 2020 Kids At Play Interactive (KAPi) Awards.

Galaxia, a bullying prevention game developed in partnership with the National Health Promotion Associates as a part of their Botvin LifeSkills Training middle school curriculum, was selected as an EdTech “Cool Tool” finalist for 2020.

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4. Amazing Partners

2020 was also a year of innovative collaborations towards a more educated and empathetic world. Here are just some of the incredible organizations we were proud to partner with this year.

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FableVision Executive Producer Peter Stidwill presents at the virtual Games for Change Festival.

5. Thought Leadership

The FableVision team’s insights shone this year as they shared their expertise and best practices at a number of industry conferences. 

Gary Goldberger, FableVision president and co-founder, spoke at the Unity for Humanity Summit about FableVision’s core design principles and how Unity creators can make accessible educational games.

Executive Producer Peter Stidwill joined three panel presentations in 2020. He presented at the SXSW EDU Conference and Festival and the Serious Play Conference on how games can teach and assess 21st Century skills. Peter also presented at the 2020 Games for Change Festival, where he shared his knowledge and best practices to make educational games more accessible. 

Creative Director, Leigh Hallisey, also attended the Library of Congress Consortium Meeting to present a poster session on our newly-launched U.S. history learning game Civics! An American Musical.

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6. Resources in the Era of Social Distancing

To support teachers, students, and families in this time of remote and blended learning, FableVision developed a myriad of robust resources to help people stay informed and to keep the learning going through this era of social distancing. 

As students and teachers around the world stayed at home to reduce risk, FableVision compiled a list of our favorite distance learning games, animation, and other resources to make finding engaging, quality digital learning tools easier.

To build awareness during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, we curated a list of FableVision-developed resources that facilitate open and honest conversations about mental health, self-love, and healthy coping skills.

For summer 2020, FableVision invited everyone to join us for a social distanced and educational virtual summer picnic, complete with educational games, animation, and more to help students have fun and keep their minds sharp throughout the season.

We teamed with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) to produce a series of videos educating people on how clinical trials produce new treatments and vaccines.

To support educators and students as they returned to their school routines in the fall, FableVision joined over 70 federally-funded researchers and developers to produce a series of educational technology guides and resources covering a range of topics.

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7. FableVision In the News

In 2020, we were also thrilled and honored to see our work in the news, at festivals, and beyond where it can reach more audiences!  

The Animation World Network highlighted The Paper Girls Show, our new animated series created in partnership with Global Tinker that empowers young girls to play, imagine, make, and learn with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).  

Don’t Mix Us Up, our witty and catchy animated music video series was featured at the Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival, where attendees were able to learn all about the dangers of confusing look-alike objects. 

And last but not least, over 3,500 Lubbock County second-graders read FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds’ book The World Collector as a part of the United We Read initiative! The festivities also featured a special video message from Peter Reynolds, encouraging their reading efforts.

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8. Seasonal Banners

Spring banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

Summer banner designed by FableVision director of art & animation Bob Flynn

Fall banner designed by FableVision lead artist Christina Kelly

Winter banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

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9. Our Incredible Team

The FableVision team celebrates the KAPi Award for Keenville in January 2020.

What a year. We count ourselves lucky to have an amazing staff that not only rolled with the punches but excelled with grace, grit, and a sense of humor. From our virtual offices to yours—the future looks bright from here. Stay safe. See you in 2021!

3 Educational Games to Make October Magical

FableVision wishes you a spooky and pumpkin-spiced fall! Leave the lemonade and cherry popsicles behind in favor of a caramel apple and a stroll under the changing leaves. We warmly welcome the season with our new fall banner designed by FableVision lead artist Christina Kelly. As we embark on a school term that looks different from previous years, FableVision is here to help keep learning fun and festive! 

To celebrate the most mystical month of the year, we invite you to play some of our current favorite games. As you get cozy in the colder weather, fly over to different worlds from the comfort of your home. 

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Creep it real with Cyberchase Fractions Quest 

Encounter monsters and excitingly challenging math problems with Cyberchase Fractions Quest! Students join the CyberSquad to defeat villain Hacker while learning fractions and strengthening their problem-solving skills in a series of minigames. This math learning game is based on the popular and award-winning PBS KIDS show CyberChase and combines research-based methods with a high-stakes adventure story for grades 3 and 4 fractions learning. The beta version is available for free for a limited time on FableVision Games. And keep an eye out for our full release of the game later this fall!

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Leaf planet Earth behind in Galaxia 

Hang out with aliens as you stop an evil plot that’s threatening your out-of-this-world boarding school complete with futuristic laboratories, hybrid animals, and floating cafes. Created in partnership with National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA), Galaxia is a bullying prevention game that invites students to work through scenarios surrounding peer pressure, bullying, coping with stress, and more in connection to the evidence-based LifeSkills Training middle school curriculum. Students’ choices in the game affect the trajectory of their path, teaching them the impact that their actions have in order to prevent bullying in all forms. 

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Trick or treat yourself with Make That Paper 

Lace up your work boots and slip on your favorite flannel as you join a team of woodland animals to run a forestry business. Created in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting Education and the Georgia Forestry Foundation, Make That Paper: Careers in Forestry invites high school students to strengthen their career employability skills while learning about the forestry industry. As they soak in the woodsy fall aesthetic, students can interview Deidra Deering, collaborate with Bobbi Bear, review Gabriella Greentree’s resume, and apply forestry science knowledge to industry-related scenarios. Will you succeed in sustainably and efficiently managing your business?

Summer Learning, Summer Fun with Cyberchase Fractions Quest

This post was originally written by Bob Krech and posted on our partner THIRTEEN/WNET's blog. Click here to view.

Bob Krech is a writer and consultant on elementary math. A former elementary teacher, supervisor, and curriculum developer, he has written more than thirty books for teachers and parents and is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. He is the math advisor for the award-winning PBS children’s television series, Cyberchase.

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Summer is here! Time to get outside, get active, and have some fun! Time to keep learning too. Of course, this summer is going to be different for kids and families in quite a few ways. With new social distancing requirements in place due to COVID, there will be fewer in-person summer camps, classes, or educational events to attend. These are activities some students traditionally look forward to when school is out. They’re exciting, stimulating experiences that keep kids thinking, learning, and engaged during the summer months. 

In fact, for students who are not engaged in summer learning, studies have shown that there is a very real phenomenon known as the “summer slide” where kids, because they are not reviewing or using material they have learned, will regress. If you don’t use it, you lose it, so to speak. This can be particularly true with concepts that are difficult for young learners, like fractions. A solid understanding of fractions underpins most all of the math students will encounter as they enter upper elementary grades and middle school, so it’s important to have a strong understanding. Students need to keep reviewing these concepts and skills to establish and maintain a solid foundation, but who wants to sit down and do another workbook? Not to worry. Cyberchase to the rescue!

THIRTEEN and FableVision have just released a free beta preview of a new online game to help families stave off the “summer slide.” Cyberchase Fractions Quest combines screen time, fun time, and learning time in an exciting online adventure. Set in the world of the popular PBS KIDS animated series in which three diverse kids use brain power, science, and math to save the day, the game introduces, explores, and reviews important fraction concepts for grades 3 and 4. Playing keeps kids learning while having fun. Each section of the game features a different fraction concept; fair shares, unit fractions, non-unit fractions, equivalent fractions, and estimation with fractions. It brings players into cyberworlds like underwater Aquariyum and skate-boarding Radopolis as they practice fractions in unique problem-solving scenarios in three contexts; area (shapes), sets (groups) and on a number line. Students learn how to create, interpret, manipulate, and write about fractions. They get involved with fractions from every angle and thus develop a thorough understanding.

Fractions Quest is easy to access and begin playing right away. It’s intuitive, motivating, and makes you think rather than just complete tasks in a rote manner. Each section of the game begins with a helpful tutorial that teaches players about the fraction concept as well as the mechanics of the game. Players travel in their cybercoupes across cyberspace as they thwart the villainous Hacker’s plans and rescue their Cyberchase pals. Review and support scaffolding are built into each part of the game, so the action and learning are very individualized for each player. It’s fun, exciting, and an in-depth learning experience in an area where most all kids need at least some practice, helping kids stay in tune with fractions and be ready for school when it rolls around again.

One of the big ideas students learn through Fractions Quest is that the actual size or quantity of a fraction depends on the whole it is a fraction of. For example, ¼ of the water in a lake is a lot more than ¼ of the water in a bathtub. To emphasize this idea at home, gather some different sized round fruits, such as an orange, a cherry, a grape, and a melon. Talk about fourths as you cut an orange into four equal pieces. Now cut a cherry into four equal pieces. Put ¼ of the cherry next to ¼ of the orange and ask your child which is more and why. Help your students create other fractions using the fruits. Creating, discussing, manipulating, and comparing these physical examples is really helpful to developing this understanding. This helps greatly later as students think about fractions of numbers and how ¼ of 100 (25) is going to be larger than ¼ of 20 (5) just like ¼ of the orange was more than ¼ of the cherry.

So, here it is. The special free beta release of Cyberchase Fractions Quest to help families keep that learning going when it’s needed most. Enjoy! https://www.fablevisiongames.com/fractions-quest

Some of Our Favorite Resources in the Age of Social Distancing

As many of us prepare for another few weeks of social distancing, FableVision staffers have filled our time with walks, cooking, dancing, crafting, and, of course, storytelling. Looking for some suggestions for activities you and your family can do together? We’ve gathered another list of some of our favorite resources for while we’re physically apart. 

For a list of Distance Learning resources (although there are some resources on this list that fit that bill as well), check out our other blog here.

Stay safe!

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Yards for Yeardley: a virtual MOVEment from One Love Foundation

Feeling restless? Move for a good cause! Yards for Yeardley is a virtual movement organized by One Love, a foundation dedicated to educating young people about healthy relationships. In honor of the 10th anniversary of Yeardley Love’s death, One Love invites you to walk, run, dance, or get even more creative about how you want to move in order to help create a world where we know how to love better. Register online to pledge the number of yards you’ll move by May 3!

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Go Wild! With Ranger Rick from National Wildlife Federation - available for free for a limited time!

Get a taste of the outdoors while you’re cooped up inside! Learn all about animals and wildlife in Go Wild! With Ranger Rick, a FableVision-developed app from the National Wildlife Federation. Answer trivia questions, play games, and hear some jokes while hanging out with your favorite raccoon buddy Ranger Rick.

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Sesame Workshop’s Caring for Each Other Resources

In times like these, it’s important to keep caring for one another. Sesame Workshop’s Caring For Each Other initiative provides numerous resources for parents and children to cope with stress and continue playing, laughing, and learning together—with help from some familiar friends on Sesame Street!

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WGBH’s Distance Learning Center

With so many incredible learning resources out there, it can be overwhelming to find ones that work best for you or your child. WGBH’s Distance Learning Center has gathered a collection of free, quality digital resources from PBS LearningMedia and other PBS programming that can easily be filtered by grade level and subject. 

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Hold a concert in your living room with BSO at Home

Putting together a soundtrack for your new stay-at-home routine? Look no further than the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s free collection of daily performances and behind-the-scenes videos. With new music every morning, BSO at Home will keep you tapping along to the beat with their live performances, backstage views of what it’s like to be in the orchestra, and inside looks into how orchestra members are spending their time at home.

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GoNoodle: mindful movement for homes and classrooms (and current at-home classrooms)

Turn screen time into active screen time with GoNoodle! GoNoodle’s free videos and games—made with input from child development experts—promote movement and mindfulness in kids, from dance parties to yoga sessions. 

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Listen to a podcast, story, or song from Pinna

You don’t need a daily commute to keep listening to quality content! Pinna provides audiobooks and podcasts of all genres for kids 3-12. Pinna is extending its free trial period to 60 days. Use promo code PINNA4KIDS to receive your 30 extra days of listening.

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The Family Dinner Project offers food, fun, and conversation

We’re not the only ones #stressbaking right now. Food is a great way to bring people together, and it’s now more important than ever to spend time at the dinner table with your family. Check out The Family Dinner Project’s FableVision-designed website for great recipes, family activities, and conversation starters! They also compiled their own stuck-at-home guide, which you can find here. And if you’re on a dessert-making spree, why not try this recipe for banana chocolate chip mug cakes or host your own virtual dinner party for family and friends?

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Rock out with Fender

Do you dream of being a rockstar? A pop star? Or do you just have a guitar lying around? Fender is offering three months of free guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons online. Learn how to play your favorite songs at your own pace with Fender Play’s video lessons.

November FableFriday: Olubunmi Mia Olufemi, Children’s Programming Producer at WGBH

For Olubunmi Mia Olufemi, inclusivity is not just an important concept, it’s a crucial and integral part of every project, meeting, and decision as a children’s programming producer at WGBH. As a producer for Molly of Denali, the first nationally-distributed children’s television series to star an Indigenous lead, Mia uses her voice to not only keep the production schedule and budget on track, but also to ensure that the right people and experiences are included and considered in every aspect of creating the show. 

“Being the only person in the room who looks like me is not a new experience,” shares Mia. “Being the only person in the room who looks like me and has a voice in how a project is run, is.”

Mia and her team work with a team of Alaska Native advisors to inform how they approach character design, backgrounds, script, plot, and more. Though these conversations surrounding race, ethnicity, gender, and culture can be challenging at times, Mia and the WGBH team know that the time and money put in is worth it to ensure that the project is authentic and the teams are inclusive. And this is something that Mia carries with her in every project she is a part of. “I know I have to throw myself into each project head, shoulders, feet, and all, otherwise I won’t have the passion, belief, and love I need to advocate for it, work hard for it, sacrifice for it, and proudly promote it,” says Mia. “And a huge part of building a project to believe in is not being afraid to get in there and do the work.”

This FableFriday, we spoke to Mia about her personal and professional journey, how the Molly of Denali team keeps in mind the real experiences of Alaska Natives when creating the show, and how companies and organizations can navigate conversations about representation and inclusivity. 

Mia in Haiti in 1996 with a Goosebumps book. She always had a book somewhere on her.

You worked in consulting for six years before entering the children’s media industry. What initially attracted you to the industry, and what made you stay for another six years since then?
I’ve always loved children’s media, books in particular. My parents read to me every night when I was little until I could “read” my favorites to myself from memory. Later, I read books to my brother, and devoured the boxes of books my aunt, who worked at Scholastic at the time, would send me. Growing up, I took a book everywhere I went: parties, concerts, games, you name it. After college, I knew I wanted to become a young adult fiction editor, so that I could help bring wonderful stories to other kids who liked to bury themselves in books like I did.

I went to Emerson for my master’s after two years of working in consulting to get my degree in publishing, literature, and writing. A mentor, Gary Hill, offered me a job, and then kept me flush with part-time work when I eventually made my way back to Boston to work an editorial job for a medically inclined publishing resource. 

About a year into that, I was itching to get back into a creative field. I was mostly looking for editorial jobs, but by chance, I saw WGBH was hiring a production assistant for Arthur. I had no production experience, but my younger brother and I had grown up on the show and loved it. And I had all the other skills a PA might need (I was detail-oriented, organized, able to juggle multiple tasks, and I was a decent writer), so I took a leap and applied. When I checked back in with Carol Greenwald (Executive Producer of Arthur, Curious George, etc.) about the status of my application, she told me they had hired someone else with more experience. BUT, she liked me and would offer me a part-time gig three days a week if I wanted to take it. I did. 

Since then I’ve worked on several projects: Arthur, Curious George, Martha Speaks, Sara Solves It, Design Squad Global, The Ruff Ruffman Show, and Molly of Denali. The work of making educational kids show is incredibly challenging and stressful, but it’s also meaningful in a tangible way. In a “you taught me how to read/inspired me to become an engineer/taught me to be proud of who I am” kind of way. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.

IMAGE CREDIT: Molly of Denali, Trademark/Copyright 2019 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.

How has your role grown and evolved at WGBH since you began? 
Because I started off part-time, I helped out in little ways on all our shows. I’d take animation notes, help gather clips for marketing, go on live action shoots and do PA field work, etc. I’d sit quietly in team meetings, transcribing minutes as fast as I could while also trying to take everything in. I had no clue what a producer did before I started working there. Now I see we do everything: from getting a show idea created and funded, to hiring the writers and animation company, to overseeing the distribution and marketing of it, as well as the creation of all ancillary materials associated with the show. As a producer on Molly of Denali, I’m now the one leading team meetings. I oversee junior team members and give animation notes. I help hire the writers and advisors, and work closely with the animators to make sure our shows are delivered to PBS on time and up to spec. I review marketing assets to make sure they stay on brand and true to our show. I oversee all live action interstitial production and review our digital games. I have a voice in the direction the show takes, strategically, creatively, and philosophically. Three years into Molly, all of my previous experiences are informing the development of my own children’s television show. It’s been quite a hike, and I’ve still got a long way to go.

What is Molly of Denali?
Molly of Denali is an animated television series for kids ages 4-8 that features the story of Molly Mabray, a gregarious 10-year-old girl who runs the Denali Trading Post with her parents in the village of Qyah (which means “community” in the Dena’ina Athabascan language). With her dog Suki and best friends Tooey and Trini, Molly adventures through picturesque Alaska on dogsled, snowshoe, ATV, bush plane, canoe, and foot. Along the way, she solves problems using knowledge from her Elders, as well as books, maps, apps, and other informational texts. Through her vlog, she shares knowledge about herself, her adventures, and Alaska Native values, such as honoring your Elders, knowing who you are, and sharing what you have. 

Molly is also a multi-platform series, with games, apps, a podcast, books, digital teaching tools, and lesson plans, printable family activities, and a rural educational outreach initiative.

IMAGE CREDIT: Molly of Denali, Trademark/Copyright 2019 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.

Sydney Isaacs working on totem pole design.

Core Alaska Native Advisory Group. Pictured from left to right: Dewey Kk'ołeyo Hoffman, Rochelle Adams, Elder Luke Titus (seated), Adeline P. Raboff. Also pictured, Creative Producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson (far right).

We know that representation matters and that the producers of Molly of Denali partnered with Alaskan advisors to consider all aspects of real experiences of Alaska Natives in the show. Can you share an example of when you worked with your team of advisors to accurately and authentically portray Native Alaskans’ lives or traditions?
Molly of Denali is a partnership with Alaska Native people. Who Molly is, what she wears, where she lives, what adventures she has, the things in her room, the people she meets, all of these decisions were made together by the WGBH producers and cultural advisors. There are so many examples of this partnership I could talk about, but there are two I’ll mention as I think they get to the complexity of what it means to work on an inclusive production like Molly.

The first is about a story we did around totem poles. In “Tale of a Totem,” Molly heads down to Sitka in southeast Alaska to visit her cousin and attend her first totem pole raising. It was a story idea we had passed on earlier that I suggested we revisit after hiring our production assistant Sydney Isaacs. A Tlingit Alaska Native, Sydney is a talented artist and an apprentice totem pole carver who studied under a master carver in her hometown of Klawock, Alaska. She served as this script’s cultural advisor, reviewing every draft. She educated us about the different purposes of totem poles, how some were created to preserve the stories of the Tlingit through the ages. She steered our well-meaning script writers away from using a sacred story belonging to a group of Haida people that the authors had found on their own. And when the time came to animate the episode, she designed the totem pole Randall and his community raised with the blessing of her master carver, gifting the series with a special story of its own. 

The second example I’d like to share is about a story we “killed.” One of our writers wanted to do a script on a set of bear cubs that end up in Molly’s village. We were cautious about this to start, because bears can be very dangerous. But we decided to move forward because we thought it might be interesting for Molly to help with an animal rescue by observing the cubs and taking notes from afar for wildlife rangers who would eventually get them back into the wild. Our Creative Producer Princess Daazhraii Johnson had some slight misgivings about the story, and when she shared it with our Advisory Group, she found that she had good reason. The Koyukon people have a complex set of protocols around interacting with bears, much of which is specific to gender. For Molly to interact with bears in this way, much less engage them, would be incredibly taboo. From what I understood from Princess, this was not a taboo that her group, the Neets'aii Gwich'in, share. 

It was a great reminder of a few things. The first is that dominant culture norms are very different from Alaska Native norms. The second is that, although the Koyukon and Neets'aii Gwich'in are neighbors and share some cultural similarities, like their respect for the land and animals, they are different. And the third was that WGBH was right in thinking that we could not make this show without Alaska Native people at the helm beside us.

Three main kid characters of Molly of Denali, Molly, Tooey, and Trini.

How do you navigate conversations around representation when balancing all aspects of production, from timelines and budgets to creative decisions like landscapes, character design, and native language?
It was difficult finding my voice and asserting it in a space where it was not welcome at certain points in time. It was difficult learning that I had a right to ask questions born out of my identity as a woman of color. That the three main kid characters on our show, Molly, Tooey, and Trini, are all children of color is due to my finding the courage to question our team’s choices and notions around representation, race, and ethnicity. That Molly is voiced by a talented young actress who is Tlingit Alaska Native and Muckleshoot is in large part because my team and I knew from the very beginning that if we were going to make this show work, we would have to cast an Alaska Native child. We looked for her everywhere. Our animation partners, Atomic Cartoons, were instrumental in this, researching local theater groups, putting out calls for auditions on First Nations radio stations, and contacting tribal offices. The search for Sovereign was long and cost the project a lot of time and money. And it was one of the best decisions we’ve made to date.

I would tell media companies that the best way to navigate conversations around representation and balance all aspects of production is to be inclusive, not just diverse. Inclusivity demands a level of effort way beyond that of diversity. All creators of children’s media should have teams that are inclusive. And if you are going to make a show about a group of people of a certain race/ethnicity, those people must be in the room. They must participate in the conversations that decide the budget and inform the project timelines among other things.

Molly of Denali is a truly transmedia property. Children can access games, podcasts, and classroom interactives on multiple platforms. How do all these media components complement each other, and what strategy decisions did you make when thinking about dissemination and reaching the biggest audience possible?
Because we are a PBS KIDS show, it was planned from the start that we would premiere with a certain amount of episodes along with a suite of digital games and mobile apps. WGBH has been at the front of the pack as far as seeking out opportunities to pair with our shows, like TV tie in books, Alexa skills properties, and educational outreach materials for families and teachers. We try to reach our audience of children, families and educators by giving them a number of ways to engage with our shows at every level we possibly can. But the Molly of Denali podcast was a first. 

This opportunity was proposed by our sponsorship team and our partners at PRX. We weren’t quite sure what it would lead to, but Carol Greenwald, our Head of Children’s Podcast Strategy Priya Desai, and the Managing Producer of Podcasts at WGBH Nina Porzucki saw something special. They linked up with the talented founders of GenZ Media, who have been wildly successful at creating podcasts for children, and brainstormed a new podcast idea, a standalone prequel to an animated television series yet to be released. We rolled out the episodes in the weeks leading up to the premiere as a content teaser for folks to latch on to and get them excited about the upcoming television series. The experiment was a success, garnering millions of streams and downloads, and a following so strong that we received comments on social media to the effect of “Did you know the podcast also has a related television series?” We are now hoping to release a second season.

How do you work through writer’s block, and where do you get your creative inspiration?
I like to write in the morning. I’m one of those producers that will often wake up in the middle of the night with an idea that I like to jot down, so when I wake up (and drink my coffee), my mind is fresh, unencumbered by other things, and ready to work. I draw inspiration from everything I absorb of interest to me: other shows, life, my family’s stories, things I see on Instagram, etc. Anything can serve as good story fodder. 

We hear you are a big fan of cooking. What is your signature dish, and how does cooking, along with other activities, balance your career?
I think I’m more of a fan of eating good cooking than cooking myself, but I do like to try things from time to time. My mother is from Haiti and my dad is from Nigeria, so I’m always proud when I can recreate a dish I grew up with. I’ve often used cooking as a break from work. As much fun as work can be, it can also be all-consuming, so I try to unplug completely on the weekends.

Fun Facts about Mia:

Favorite cartoon character: Pucca.

Current book on your nightstand: There There by Tommy Orange.

Special talent no one knows you have: I played the french horn and flute in high school. 

Favorite winter activity: Holiday dinners with my large family. We laugh, eat, joke, play games. It’s a blast! 

Which movie, TV series, or book character are you most similar to? Too many to name.

Your vice: Earrings and jewelry. I just came back from New Orleans with a wild set of earrings made a Frida Kahlo pin made with multicolored vinyl. I can’t get enough!