What happens when political satirists grow up and become parents? They create awesome entertainment for their own kids, and share it with the rest of us. Gregg Spiridellis and his brother Evan are the brains behind JibJab, which gained attention in 2004 with its This Land parody featuring then President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry.
Since then JibJab has grown into a 45-person company based in Venice, Calif. The company still makes comedy videos and Elf Yourself cards but these days, you’re more likely to see Gregg and Evan heads down in storybooks. Their latest digital venture, StoryBots, is entertainment designed for kids. And their parents, too.
I got a chance to speak with the brothers, who now have five kids between the two of them, and find out about the new direction. Turns out, becoming a parent and not enjoying the entertainment your kids are watching and engaging in is a big motivator.
Since they already had an entertainment company and the talent behind them, they decided to try to do it better. “We were excited about re-imagining what would be possible today with technology,” Gregg says. They asked themselves, “If Sesame Street were created today, what would it be?”
And then they got to work reinventing storytelling, creating StoryBots, a universe of apps and books for the iPad that can be personalized. Parents, or kids even, can upload a photo of their kids or family members and put them into the story. It’s like making an Elf Yourself book starring the kids!
“The idea was for us to create entertainment and education that as a parent, I want to watch,” says Evan, “not bang my head against a wall.”
The eBooks are a reading experience, not a video game. Evan tells me he wants a book to be a book. “I want to read a book and tell a story with my son (or daughter).” That’s why they take advantage of all the benefits of having a tablet; they’re animated, personalized and tell a story, but you won’t find any hot spots or interactivity there.
“What we want as parents is to enhance the time we have with our kids,” says Gregg.
The brothers have also figured out a way to add a high tech twist to behavior modification. They tried the old sticker chart on the fridge routine, but they didn’t have the sticker chart with them in the car or in the grocery store when meltdowns usually occurred. But they did have their phones.
With the help of their wives as advisers on chores and rewards, they created the Beep and Boop App. Evan says “I just have to take out my iPhone and say ‘Guys you’re walking your way towards a boop.'” The iPhone is always with you, he says, and a companion chart is on the fridge at home.
What’s next for the brothers? For now they’re focusing on their personalized books, available as a Book of the Month club or a la carte, videos and apps, but as their kids grow, it’s likely the entertainment will grow with them.
What do you think of the idea of personalized books and videos? Would you use these in your family? Let us know in the comments.
StoryBots by JibJab
Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/04/jibjab-brothers-kids-entertainment/
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