KIDS FIRST! News

Join us as we interview a woman who has been changing the way kids watch TV for over 20 years. Angela C. Santomero is the Emmy Award-winning creator and Chief Creative Officer at 9 Story Media Group. She is the Angela C. Creator & Executive Producer of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Blue’s Clues, Wishenpoof, Creative Galaxy & Super Why and has created award-winning kids and family content for PBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Studios and more!

With a Masters in Child Developmental Psychology from Columbia University-Teacher’s College, Angela’s vision for integrating educational curriculum into entertaining content for kids led her to co-create, executive produce and head write Nick Jr. ‘s landmark series, Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to Blue’s Clues as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made,” in The Tipping Point.

Angela is the recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award for Outstanding Childrenʹs Programming. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Preschool Children’s Animated Series at the 2019 Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Additionally, Ms. Santomero’s book PRESCHOOL CLUES: Raising Smart, Inspired, and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World (Touchstone) was released April 2018. Her second book RADICAL KINDNESS: The Life Changing Power of Giving and Receiving was released in 2019.

Interview by KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Ryan R., age 17

Social Media:

Twitter – @AngelasClues

Instagram – @AngelasClues

Website: www.angelasclues.com

We recently had privilege of talking with Lirit Rosenzweig Topaz who has 20 years experience as a producer of animation, TV shows, film, music videos and live events.  Ms. Rosenzweig Topaz is the founder and executive producer at Neko Productions, an animation studio based in Burbank, CA, and the founder and owner of FBF Animation, an online animation school that trains animators and concept artists all over the world. As executive producer of Neko, Lirit has worked on a large variety of projects for big brands such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Marvel Avengers, Harry Potter, Barbie and produced the animation in the feature film Ask Dr Ruth, which premiered at Sundance and Tribeca 2019.  The film has been distributed in theaters by Magnolia pictures and is currently streaming on Hulu. Come join us to discover what makes Lirit Rosenzweig Topaz tick and how she bacame such a powerhouse in the world of animation.

Interviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Mike Elliott, the director of American Pie: Girls Rule. In our discussion, we discussed the challenges of continuing one of cinema’s most famous comedy series and how this film differs from his experience as both a director and a producer.

American Pie: Girls Rule is the ninth installment in the franchise. After nine films, the series has garnered a reputation and an expectation from its fans. So, Mike Elliott had to approach this film from two fronts. First, he had to keep in mind the “formula” that the American Pie series follows – a raunchy, but explorative and innocent story. Second, he had to find a way to separate this film from its many predecessors. To do so, American Pie: Girls Rule switches perspective and looks at the comedy of relationships from the female perspective instead of the male.

While American Pie is historically meant for older audiences, Mike Elliott has worked on films for much younger audiences, including being a producer of the kid’s film, Woody Woodpecker. While they may have different audiences, both have a similar style of physical comedy with a “pay off and set up of jokes,” Mike Elliott explained. Additionally, Mike tries to put a moral in every film, no matter who is its final audience.

Getting the comedy from script to screen is not an easy process and involves collaboration between the director and actors. While the director can ensure each comedic element is set up for the jokes, it is up to the actor to have the perfect body language and reactions to compliment that humor. “That’s the kind of thing you can’t teach anyone,” Mike explained.

Yet, the director’s focus goes from there. Mike listed three main areas of focus for film directors. First, they must know the story in intimate detail, from the large plot elements to scene-by-scene character developmental beats. Second, they must have a planning mindset where they keep in mind everything they need to do every day and throughout the production.

Lastly, the director must be a leader. A film set is comprised of producers, set designers, makeup and hair stylists, actors, special effects creators, cinematographers and more. It requires a strong and trustworthy leader to combine these many, often contrasting, elements into an entertaining and meaningful movie.

For more of my interviews exploring leaders in the entertainment business, make sure to check out my interviews with Glenn Ross, CEO Universal 1440 Entertainment; Scott Ross, VFX Specialist; Glenn Entis, former CEO Dreamworks Interactive; Maureen Fan, CEO Baobab Studios; Gary Gutierez, SFX Specialist; Cynthia Hsiung, Award-Winning Director/producer; and Steve Michelson, Award-winning Documentarian. And here’s a link to my playlist of over 300 interviews and reviews on the KIDS FIRST!  YouTube Channel.

By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17
Author’s Page – Amazon
World According to G

Originally from New Orleans, Sharp is now a (San Fernando) Valley girl, firmly ensconced in LA life and top dawg at Pink Poodle Productions. Clients include Rainshine Entertainment, Kinsane Entertainment, Netmarble, WeFixYourScript.com, and ToonBo. Prior to Pink Poodle, Marlene served as director of production at LEVEL-5 abby, home of YO-KAI WATCH and other hit video game-based franchises.

Marlene Sharp is a creative and business-savvy entertainment multi-hyphenate, former producer, TV Series, at Sega of America. Ms. Sharp worked on the Teen Choice Award-nominated Cartoon Network series Sonic Boom. In fact, her Hedgehog duties took her to the heights of nerd-dom as an official San Diego Comic-Con 2017 panelist.

As a freelance journalist, Marlene concentrates on pop culture for buzz-worthy fan destinations, such as DOGTV, ToonBarn.com, Geekified.net, and CultureSonar.com. As a short film auteur, she has snagged recognition at Los Angeles Shorts International Film Fest, KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Canine Film Festival and the San Luis Obispo Film Festival. Marlene is the proud winner of 2019 LA Shorts International Film Fest Script Competition (Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying fest) at which her backdoor sitcom pilot received a staged reading by The Groundlings.

As a human being, basically, Marlene Sharp loves all kinds of pups. For proof of the aforementioned, please see her website www.pinkpoodleproductions.com.

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/123843/marlene-sharp-milo-manheim-meg-donnelly-zombies-2-vast-of-night-jake-horowitz-sierra-mccormick

Interview by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17

We have the pleasure today to visit with Steve Michelson about “Making Media That Matters.” Steve Michelson is the Executive Producer for The Fund for Sustainable Tomorrows, a 501©3 non-profit specializing in supporting engagement campaigns around cause-related documentaries involving health, social justice, sustainability and the environment. 

Two current projects that he is leading are the film Phil’s Camino and the mission to change the standard of care around cancer treatment.  The Fund is also managing the engagement around the release of the film 16Bars about the reentry of returning citizens to society from our prison system. Steve’s on line course, in association with Ringling College in Sarasota Florida, for the next generation of documentarians will launch this year as Making Media That Matters.

Michelson has functioned as Executive Producer on many award-winning films including: In Our Own Hands – How Patients are Reinventing Medicine, The Third Harmony, Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives, Nature’s Orchestra, Walking in Two Worlds, River of Renewal, Power Paths, Burning the Future, Crude Impact, Oil on Ice and more.

From 2006-2019 Michelson was the Executive Producer at the Video Project, specializing in educational and institutional distribution of documentary films. His production studio operates out of his Ranch in Half Moon Bay, CA. called Lobitos Creek Ranch. It has been redesigned recently to accommodate retreats for organizations and groups that come to strategize on some of the challenging problems society faces.  

Michelson was co-founder and president of One Pass, San Francisco’s largest production and post-production studio from 1975-85, before starting his own company in 1986. He is a recipient of the Gilbert Award for outstanding contribution to Northern California’s film community. He has served four terms as a Governor with the National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). Steve is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he attended The Annenberg School of Communications and the Wharton School of Business.

By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17
Author’s Page – Amazon
World According to G