NBC Executives Embrace Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ TV Program

A Meeting of Brotherly Love Yesterday we met with Kathleen Gerrow, Executive Producer and James Huth, Director of Business Development for NBC in Bala Cynwyd, PA (Philly) to pitch the Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ TV show. After 15 minutes into the presentation, we received a passionate praise from both key executives and agreed to move forward with discussions on a potential multi-platform distribution partnership.

Kathleen gave us a tour of the studios and even took the time to shoot the co-creators of the kids cooking show in the NBC studio. If all goes according to God's plan, they'll both be extremely busy producing 52 episodes in 12 weeks.

Much love and thanks to Marcus Smith, Michael Gaskins, and the "Fabulous" Aniesia Williams for helping us get a foot in the door. We look forward to doing BIG things with The Beleza Group.

Chef JJ & Ron Surrey Collaborate On Seasonal Cookbook-Music CD Project

Go Run Tell Dat! Today, we interviewed Ron Surrey and Chef JJ discussing their new cookbook-music CD project called "Run Tell Dat". They shared a laugh or two as Ron gave Chef JJ his inspiration for how he came up with the idea for 'Good Looking Food' and why 'Clean As You Go' is the perfect educational song for adults and kids.

The first Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ cookbook-music CD of the series will contain 52 original recipes from Chef JJ, plus 7 songs written and performed by Ron Surrey with special guest appearances by our Broadway Stars.

1. Run Tell Dat
2. Clean As You Go
3. Good Lookin' Food
4. Chobani Greek Yogurt
5. Sho' Love Watermelon Salad
6. Farmers Market
7. Spaghetti & Grass Fed Meatballs

The plan will be to introduce 4 seasonal cookbooks that will highlight Chef JJ's favorite kid friendly recipes and what's being sold at the farmers market during that particular season.

Click To Download Free Chobani Greek Yogurt Song

Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ Show Trailer & Press Kit Package

In Episode 1 of Chef JJ’s new series, “The Golden Chef” JJ teaches former and current members of The Lion King cast, plus other talented kids how to prepare 10 minute kid friendly recipes at the Pellegrino Restaurant & Lounge.

He then travels to a local Greenmarket farmers market where he introduces our kids to the freshest fruits and vegetables, plus the healthiest ingredients that are available and picked daily to their market.

From 100% grass fed beef to raw cow’s milk cheese, Ostrich eggs to flying pigs, goat milk ice cream to champagne grapes, the farmers were happy to speak with Chef JJ and his young cooks about organic farming practices.

Click To Download Press Kit Package

PaintBox Labs Consults With Digitas On Amex Business Insights

American Express Insight Online Tool Today was the last day of a 6 week creative consultancy project with Digitas in NYC. We had the honor of working with the agency on a new business software application tool called American Express Insight Online. The assignment consisted of software design, art direction, motion graphics for video, script writing, and storyboard development.

American Express Business Insights What was originally suppose to be a 4 week project turned into 2 more weeks of creative direction and branding on the Business Insights video campaign. Thanks to my partner Mallie Mickens of Pixod we were able to add another blue chip project to our portfolio.

Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ Cast Visits NYC Farmers Market

Union Square Greenmarket Yesterday, we filmed day 2 of the 'Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ" TV pilot with our Golden Chef as he traveled to a local farmers market to introduce our kids to the freshest fruit and vegetables, plus the healthiest ingredients that is available and picked daily to their market.

Thanks to Jeanne Hodesh, 
Publicity Coordinator 
of Greenmarket/Grow NYC, we had the honor of interviewing several upstate farmers to learn about organic farming practices. From 100% grass fed beef to raw cow's milk cheese, Ostrich eggs to flying pigs, goat milk ice cream to champagne grapes, the farmers were happy to speak with a few members of our kids cast.


Welcome to Beth's Farm Kitchen We received several invitations to take our kids upstate on a tour of the local farms. One warm welcome came from Beth Linskey, a jam maker extraordinaire who uses local fruit in her jam. While she’s not a grower, she’s a great chef, and will be a fun experience for our kids to visit Beth's Farm Kitchen in a future episode.

A Special Thanks To Our Hosts & Guest

Pellegrinos Restaurant & Lounge Two days ago, we started filming day 1 of our new kids cooking show with Chef Joe "JJ" Johnson. The restaurant was located in North Haledon, New Jersey roughly 37 minutes (or 22 miles) from the city. Despite a late production start and minor setbacks, we were able to capture what we needed for our first pilot shoot thanks to the owners of Pellegrino's, Donny Giordano and Pellegrino Mongillo.


Bullying Behavior & Peer Pressure Around Food Chef JJ was very pleased and appreciative of the personal bullying stories, diverse talent, and unique personalities of our kids:

JOSHUA JACKSON (mother Tawanda Jackson)
ALPHONSO AND CAMILLE JONES Alphonso (mother Kathy Jones)
EDEN SANAA DUNCAN-SMITH (mother Nicole Duncan-Smith)
KHAIL TOI BRYANT (mother Choddie Bryant)
AUBREY AND JELANI JOSEPH (mother Melissa Beech Anderson)
ALESSIA MASTRANDO (mother Angela Mastrando)

Because we were filming the kids cooking show pilot as part our anti-bullying documentary story, we asked Alessia Mastrando to share her "tear-jerking" personal bullying story with the group to start the discussion.

A special "Thank You" goes out to our brave Champion for helping to make the pilot shoot a worthwhile experience.

Shakespeare Productions Films Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ TV Show Pilot

Lets Go Cooking! After the group discussion with the kids, we introduced our young cooks to their new chef hats and aprons provided by our friends at The Chef Hat. Thanks to Jeff Fountain for helping us out with the quick turnaround and fast delivery on the chef merchandise, we were able to provide Waist Chef 4-Way Aprons, Youth Bib Chef Aprons, Adult Bib Chef Aprons, Toque Chef Hats, and White Scull Cap with the Play Pretty, Play Pals Project logos on them that the kids were all excited about.


Kids Love The Chef Hats & Aprons We're truly appreciative of their "perfectionist embroidery lady's" meticulous nature, the style and quality of the merchandise, and the timely delivery. We definitely look forward to doing more business with The Chef Hat.


Kid Friendly 10 Minute Recipes Chef JJ teamed up with Play Pretty, Play Pals Project on the production of the show to get kids to start cooking and to help parents to be more conscious of what they put in their bodies. His method is to incorporate local ingredients and modern cooking techniques, all with a sense of love and humor to his food.

WATERMELON SALAD

Ingredients:

1/4 of Watermelon
1 cup Ricotta Salata
4 sprigs of Mint
1 cup of Balsamic reduction
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

• Take watermelon and cut into small dices place in bowl, then take mint leafs and pull apart with hands and put into same bowl. Take balsamic and reduce in sauce pot by 1/2. Once reduced by half, place 2 tsp into bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Lastly, take Ricotta cheese and peel with peeler and place on salad...1/4 of cup.


CHOBANI PARFAIT

Ingredients:

1/2 C (4oz) Strawberry 0% Chobani Greek Yogurt
1/2 C granola
1/2 C mixed berries

Instructions:

• For each serving, layer 1/2 Chobani, granola, and berries in parfait glass. Repeat.


MIXED BERRY FROCHO POPS

Ingredients:

1 C fresh or frozen mixed berries
1 C (8 oz) Plain 0% Chobani Greek Yogurt
3 Tbsp hone

Instructions:

• Puree fruit, Chobani and honey in food processor until smooth.
• Fill 6 freezer-pop molds or 3-oz paper cups three-quarters full. Insert sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.
• Dip molds briefly in hot water before unfolding.


MEATBALLS (Grass Fed Beef)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck
4 ounces dried bread crumbs
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup grated Romano
1 cup grated Spanish onion
2 each finely diced fresh garlic
4 springs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 springs finely chopped fresh basil leaves
4 springs finely chopped fresh oregano

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.
• Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Add little water to bottom of the sheet pan. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes cover with aluminum foil.


PAN SEARED DIVER SCALLOPS (Cauliflower Puree, Summer Vegetables, Peach Vinaigrette)

Ingredients:

U-10 Diver Scallops
2 each Local Jersey Peaches
1 head of cauliflower
1/2 pound butter
5 each patty pan squash
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 cup blended oil
1 shallot sliced fine
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

• Vinaigrette directions
• Small dice peaches. Julienne the shallots or slice thin. Place in bowl with champagne vinegar, blended oil and mix. Also season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cauliflower Puree
• Clean cauliflower place in pot with water and butter. Bring to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Once fully cooked place in blender with a cup of the liquid. If too thick add a little at a time to thin out...Should coat the back of your spoon.
• Patty pan squash and cut into four. Place in bowl and season with salt, pepper, and oil. Put into 400F degree oven for 10 minutes or until the patty squash is golden brown.
• Take your diver scallops season both sides with salt and pepper. Get pan smoking hot, place scallops in pan and cook on one side for 4 minutes or until golden brown, then flip over and turn off heat.

Graveshift Loves Playing with Chef JJ

We Are The Graveshift A family of 6 but a band of 4. If you ask them who's the "leader of the band", you'll get more than one leader. Jonah aka Sugar Man is the vocalist. Joshua keeps the beat going on the drums. Next is Alexis, a talented acoustic or electric guitarist and a great songwriter. And finally, there's Erica, an artist and bass player that keeps the body swaying and the head rocking.

They provided the LIVE instrumental music commercial breaks for Uriel, Johnny & Alphonso, and Play Pretty. It's going to fun producing music around the show with Graveshift.

Click to learn more about Graveshift

Little Airplane Productions Hosts Academy for Children Program Enthusiasts

How To Make A Great Preschool Series Yesterday, we completed participation in an intensive 3-day workshop offered by Little Airplane Productions in NYC.

During the three day course, Academy participants got an overview of every step in the process of making a preschool series, from pitching through writing, curriculum development, directing, music, legal and production. The course covered both live-action and animation and featured a team of accomplished preschool TV veterans:

JOSH SELIG - Pitching/Bible Creation
CONRAD RIPPY - Legal
SUSAN KIM - Writing
JENNIFER OXLEY - Character Design/Directing Animation
NOEL MACNEAL - Puppeteer
TOM BROWN & TONE THYNE - Producing Live Action and Animation
LISA SIMON - Directing Live Action
BETH RICHMAN - Research
JEFF GOMEZ - Transmedia Storytelling
DAVID KLEEMAN - Prix Jeunesse Suitcase
JEFFERY LESSER - Music & Sound for Preschool TV
TONE THYNE - Directing Animation
KERRY NOVICK - Distribution
DARA BECKERMAN - Licensing

The highlight of the Academy was a panel discussion of network executives moderated by Josh Selig. Little Airplane Productions welcomed an impressive list of notable panelists including PBS's Linda Simensky, Nickelodeon's Sarah Landy, and Chorion's Sarah Mullervy. A very noteworthy group!


Little Airplane Productions is committed to celebrating young children and treating them and their world with dignity. We consider it both a great privilege and a great responsibility to represent and serve such a distinguished audience.

LAP specializes in quality film & television programming for young children. Founded by Josh Selig in 1999, Little Airplane Productions created and produced The Wonder Pets! for Nick Jr., Go, Baby! for Playhouse Disney, Oobi! for NOGGIN (winner of a 2001 Gold Parents’ Choice Award) and most recently, 3rd & Bird for the BBC. Additionally, Josh Selig was the Head Writer for Little Bill on Nick Jr. He has received ten Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street, and was the Resident Producer of the historic Israeli/Palestinian Sesame Street co-production (winner of the 1998 Japan Prize).


The Small Potatoes Pitch Bible Mr. Selig shared with us a new project they recently developed as an example of what the industry looks for in a children program pitch presentation. The Academy experience definitely gave us the confidence that our Play Pretty, Play Pals Project and Lil' Chucky Charley & His Country Bug Friends programs are progressing in the right direction.

Thank you Tone, Josh, Conrad, Jennifer, Susan, Noel, Tom, Lisa, Beth, Jeff, David, Jeffrey, Kerry, Dara, Linda, Sarah M, Sarah L, and the Academy participants for your wonderful insights.

SURRON & CD Baby Distributes MP3/Digital-Downloads of Gospel Music Collection

Buy Our Music Yesterday, we "officially" began the process of distributing four (4) new albums through CD Baby Artist Services. The plan is to do an MP3/digital-download release first, then follow up with a physical distribution of a 4-Disc Box Set containing the entire "Collector's Edition".

For the Gospel music lover who enjoys a strong message in their songs and music that crosses various genres, be on the lookout over the next few days for our albums being delivered online to retail partners like iTunes, AmazonMP3, Rhapsody, and more.

Chef JJ & Play Pretty, Play Pals Project Partner Up On A Kids Cooking Show

Chef Joe "JJ" Johnson, the first winner of the Bravo Cooking Contest called Rocco's Dinner Party, has agreed to team up with Play Pretty, Play Pals Project to develop a new kids cooking show to get kids to start cooking and to help parents to be more conscious of what they put in their bodies.

We're scheduled to start filming the pilot on August 22nd, 2011 at Pellegrino’s Restaurant & Lounge in North Haledon, NJ.

If all goes according to plan, we'll be serving up Spaghetti and "grass-fed beef" meatballs, Watermelon Salad, and a Chobani Parfait on a TV channel real soon.

Threadless Community Loves Play Pretty, Play Pals Project Design Patterns

Threadless Design Challenge Today, we submitted several of our merchandise designs to Threadless.com to help bring more awareness to our anti-bullying campaign. With the help of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Plaxo we were able to send out multiple emails to our friends, colleagues, and supporters encouraging them to help our designs get printed by scoring it.

If our baggu bag, scarf, or wallpaper print design is printed our organization will get paid $2,500 in cash and prizes for our bullying prevention campaign. Help us spread the word. Thanks.

Give Back Your Foundation Celebrates The Everyday Philanthropist

Give Up A Week, Get Back A Lifetime Yesterday, we started filming the pilot program to a new reality docu-series that puts a lens on the lives of those among the richest who enjoy sharing their fortunes with those who don’t have that much.

Hosted by philanthropist, corporate speaker, winner of Oprah’s Big Give show, founder of two non-profits, and volunteerism expert Steven Paletta, each episode will feature heart-felt interviews on location (home, business, neutral site) with philanthropists and people from all walks of life, unique opportunities for people to receive “celebrity-style” perks & luxuries courtesy of a celebrity, and an online boot camp challenge


Give Back Your Foundation We traveled throughout NYC with Steve, the founder of Give Back, stopping in Grand Central Station, Times Square, Penn Station, and Union Square attempting to find (and film) as many random acts of kindness, philanthropy in action, and man serving man in small ways.

The purpose was to celebrate the "everyday" philanthropist by giving them the gift of giving, a 'Give Back Your Foundation' promotional give away coupon worth $5, $25, and $50.


Random Acts of Kindness As part of the show segment we profiled an “everyday” philanthropist who demonstrated a random act of kindness. One act was as small as a woman giving change to a homeless person on the street or volunteers giving their time to The Salvation Army. The highlight of the morning was when a good samaritan helped a blind person regain her sense of direction.


The Gift of Giving The objective was to elevate and celebrate the “art” of personal fulfillment and giving back. We believe our first film shoot with Stephen accomplished this and more. Thank you Stephen, Sean, Donna, Jeffrey, Gloria, Manpreet, Tamara, Andrea, Terrance, Gerard & The Ground Stone, and the Fresh Air Fund team for supporting our pilot program.

ZYBL and Play Pretty, Play Pals Project Join Forces To Promote Anti-Bullying Message

Z's Youth Basketball League Yesterday, we had the privilege of filming the launch of Lazarus Sims' (aka Z) youth basketball clinic at the Boys & Girls Club on Shonnard Street in Syracuse, NY. Coach Sims is a prominent figure in the Syracuse community and the SU men’s basketball coordinator of player development/asst. strength and conditioning coach.

The goal of the ZYBL is to bring basketball back to its true form with hard work and dedication. “I believe the best basketball is built on trust & relationships in teammates!” said Coach Z.

In a joint effort with ZYBL, we started enlisting Syracuse leaders, local businessmen, and athletes to contribute their unique talents, resources, and life lessons to a national cause around the issue of bullying.


Rest In Peace Coach Maz "My high school coach and mentor Joe Mazella, taught me the “Heart of The Game”, is through hard work and having a passion for basketball," Lazarus said. "Coach Maz challenged me both on and off the court to be a leader, a positive role model, and achieve my personal best. He also instilled in me the value of family and friendship as well as to NEVER turn a child away."


Z's Footsteps to Success To further reinforce his mission statement, Coach Z personally designed a line of colorful t-shirts with 10 of his 13 steps to help him teach his youth.

1. Family 2. Respect 3. Belief 4. Education 5. Honesty 6. Dedication 7. Drive 8. Trust 9. Desire 10. Hard work 11. Commitment 12. Sportsmanship 13. Eating right


Say Yes To Education Thank you Lazarus, Samuel, Lee, Fred, Joevon, Thomas, Greg, Michelle, Chelsea, Edmund, Oliva, and Chief Fowler for supporting our documentary project and helping us to advocate for the education of children on the issue of bullying prevention and youth violence on various levels.

Syracuse Leaders Support Bullying Behavior In America Documentary

Mr. Daniel G. Lowengard, former Superintendent of Syracuse City School District, welcomed us in his home earlier today so we could interview him for the 'Bullying Behavior In America' documentary. A long time advocate for fair funding for city kids, Mr. Lowengard had been a Syracuse Superintendent for 5 1/2 years, Superintendent in Utica for 8 years, and worked nearly 39 years in public education.

We're hoping to introduce our documentary, books, and digital media products to children in as many Syracuse and NYC school districts as possible.  Mr. Lowengard's support with encouraging Mary Anne Schmitt, President of Say Yes To Education, and others to embrace our program can go a long way in helping this goal become a reality.


Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler allowed our cameras to follow him for a day as he gave us a glimpse into his life as head of the Syracuse police department. He talked about their Crime Analysis Center, the rising number of recent killings in Syracuse, and what his department is doing to combat youth crime, gangs and gun violence.

The next day, Chief Fowler took us on a tour of the Syracuse neighborhoods and we discussed a new TV show concept we're developing called Police Chief, which will center around a boot camp program for bullies, juvenile offenders, and gang members to deter them from a life of crime and gang participation.

We're proud to say our Chief has agreed to participate. To be continued...

Stephen Paletta Could Host Give Up A Week, Get Back A Lifetime Program

Meet Philanthropist and Winner of Oprah's Big Give Show Yesterday Stephen Paletta welcomed us into his office so that we could interview him for the Bullying Behavior In America documentary. We were honored to hear about his two non-profit organizations (The International Education Exchange and GiveBack), his joy of being a husband and proud father of three daughters, and choosing between a life of "significance or success".

During the Q&A, Steve discussed the highs and lows of competing on Oprah's Big Give show and he shared his desire to develop his own reality TV program promoting volunteering, spiritual growth & healing, and giving back. Talk about divine intervention!

Today, we followed up with a 'Thank You' email and introduced Steve to a new program called 'Give Up A Week, Get Back A Lifetime' that we had created with him in mind. If all goes according to God's plan, we could be co-producing our first pilot program together in Haiti.

CEO of Urban League Interviews For Bullying Behavior In America Documentary

I Am The National Urban League Earlier today we filmed an interview session with Marc H. Morial, President & CEO of National Urban League, for the 'Bullying Behavior In America' documentary. In a distinguished professional career that has spanned 25 years, Mr. Morial has held roles as an Entrepreneur, Lawyer, Professor, Legislator, Mayor, and now current President of NUL, the nation’s largest civil rights organization. When asked what title he was most proud of? He simply smiled and replied, "Being a Dad".


Stacie J of Donald Trump's Apprentice 2 Show, and founder of The Jones Agency conducted the Q&A session with Mr. Morial at the NUL headquarters on Wall Street. The former Ford model, Subway franchise owner, and expert on Business was more than eager to learn about the Urban League Celebrity Empowerment Challenge initiative.

When the concept of a TV program with Mr. Morial and the Urban League was proposed after the filming, Stacie J openly welcomed the idea. It looks like we may have found our host of the 'Life After Football: The Plaxico Burress Story'.


Give A Child A Play Pals or Play Pretty Book Thank you Marc and Stacie J for endorsing our program and helping us to advocate for the education of children on the issue of bullying prevention and youth violence on various levels.

Alye & Her Friends Help Spread The Word About Bullying Prevention

The Girl With The Signs In case you haven't seen Alye Pollack's YouTube video called 'Words Do Hurt', she decided to take her heartfelt message to the streets of Westport, CT to share a very personal message against bullying and to get others involved in supporting the movement. We were blessed to meet Ariel Posner and her friend Saskia Pownall-Gray, who's father Dickon Pownall-Gray founded The Surviving Bullies Charity


I'm So Sorry, Alye! Our 4th day of filming started off with Alye and her close friends (Jessica and Ronan) making new signs at the Kruk's home. Then we walked around the small town of Westport getting signatures of support and talking to youths (Andrew and Dan) on the streets about the issue of bullying. Ronan even gave out "Free Hugs" to the girls who were kind enough to give us their time.


Words Do Hurt, Stop Bullying Thank you Ronan, Connor, Jo, Melly, Alye, and Jessica for helping us spread the word about bullying prevention.

Plaxico Burress & The Urban League In Partnership

11 a.m. Press Conference at The National Urban League It's 2:20 p.m. Monday, June 13th, and we just left the National Urban League headquarters in New York City. We were filming the LIVE press conference with Plaxico Burress, the former star football player for New York Giants.

In a commitment to volunteerism and community service, the standout wide receiver publicly announced a new partnership with the National Urban League and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

"I want to see every child have a chance to succeed," Burress said. "I have an opportunity to make a difference, and the National Urban League is on the front lines, creating opportunities."


Plaxico Burress Speaks Out Publicly On Youth Empowerment In his first public appearance since his release from prison, Plaxico Burress vowed to become a role model for young people. "So many people have helped me along the way, and I'm grateful for the chance to do the same for other young people," he said. Paul Helmke, Tony Dungy, Marc H. Morial, and Magic Johnson (not present) will serve as mentors to Burress as he embarks on this heartfelt mission.


Mr. Burress Collaborates With the Urban League On The ULCEC Initiative Leading by example, the initiative enlists leaders and prominent figures in a joint effort with the UL to contribute their unique talents, resources and life lessons to:

• provide at-risk youth in urban communities with tools and resources to fight childhood obesity;
• mentor youth and young adults;
• promote mental and physical health and fitness for youth and young adults; and
• inspire positive, strategic choice and healthy relationships that support youth’s readiness for college, work and life.

Burress signed a pledge to spearhead and inspire the Urban League Celebrity Empowerment Challenge, including a commitment to mentor youth and young adults on the principles of the campaign. Burress also partnered with the Brady Center to combat gun violence.

Welcome To The Evensong Service at Stanwich Congregational Church

A Family That Prays Together Stays Together It's day 3 of filming and the Kruk family invited us to attend Sunday afternoon worship service with them at Stanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich, CT.

The Evensong service didn't start until 5:30p.m., but we decided to visit the Prayer Garden with Pastor Chuck and Audra first. How do you cope with your child experiencing 'Bullying Behavior In America'? You consult Pastor Chuck and simply pray about it.


Evensong Service at Stanwich Congregational Church Pastor Chuck Davis is an experienced pastor, teacher, and missionary who serves as the senior pastor of Stanwich Congregational Church. He immediately embraced the Play Pretty, Play Pals Project and welcomed our camera into the sanctuary.


Alye Pollack Sings To 'Make A Change' Outside the beautiful church, Alye shares her passion for singing and the lyrics to a song she wrote with her friend Tracy Boyer called 'Make A Change'. She's excited to produce the song with Surron Music & Publishing Company and her stepfather on drums.

Young Social Activist Shares The Spotlight With Her Family

Meet The Kruk Family It's day 2 of filming and we decided to spend the day with Alye at her home hanging out with her mother (Audra Kruk), stepfather (Jason Kruk), and younger brother (Dylan).

For eighth-grade Connecticut student Alye Pollack, daily life at Bedford Middle School involved being tormented and called names by her classmates. The relentless teasing had made Pollack depressed; she had even considered cutting to cope with the pain.

Now her mother shares a very personal message against bullying and discusses the impact of Alye's YouTube video, which had drawn the attention of news outlets like CBS' "The Early Show" and over a half million viewers offline and online.

Bullying Behavior In America Features Alye Pollack

Hi! My Name Is Alye Pollack Meet the young social activist who helped launch an anti-bullying campaign movement. We had the pleasure of interviewing Alye during softball practice where she shared her personal story of being bullied.

During the softball game, we got a glimpse into the outgoing personality of Alye as she chatted with teammates between innings. As you can see from her brightly colored socks, she's very comfortable standing out from the crowd.


Now Alye's at bat and her softball team is down by 4 runs. There's a runner on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Can she help her teammates to victory? To be continued...

Top Tier Talent Help Launch Anti-Bullying Campaign

In light of recent events, our authors, illustrators, designers, web developers, editors, DPs, musicians, singers, sound engineers, Broadway Stars, families, and friends have shown their support for putting an end to bullying by teaming up with Play Pretty, Play Pals Project and various campaigns, including Stop Bullying.gov, UPower Concerts, Pacer Center's Teens Against Bullying, Project54Tour, Threads 4 Humanity, and others.

Play Pretty, Play Pals Project has introduced a series of cross-cultural children’s books, music CDs, merchandise, animated shorts, interactive video game, and a documentary film story to show support for President & Mrs. Obama's anti-bullying movement, which has already taken national stage in the media.

Become a champion and buy a child an original Play Pretty book + girls character t-shirt or Play Pals book + boys character t-shirt for $35. To learn more visit: www.playprettyplaypals.com and click on the buy now button.

Lil' Chucky Charley Loves His Guitar and Bug Friends Sketches!

Meet Lil' Chucky Charley & His Country Bug Friends. As of Friday, May 20th we're four days ahead of schedule thanks to the brilliant penmanship of Mike Litwin. The three outfits, facial features, and bug sketches have all been approved so now Little Charley can travel the world like Huckleberry Finn.

Top Bugs: Miss Dottie the Lady Bug, Hop-A-Long Grasshopper, JJ Cricket, Daddy Longlegs, Jungbug (flying away from Lil' Charley)
Bottom Bugs: Mr. Boll Weevil, Shoofly Gang (Watts, Luster, Dim, Flash, Pops), Mr. Beetle Dee, Doodlebug Baker

Click To Learn More