Macmillan Children's Publishing Group Encourages Kids To 'Be A Friend, Not A Bully

A Bullying Awareness Educational Program Yesterday, the Karen Klein Anti-Bullying foundation officially joined forces with Macmillan's Children's Publishing Group to introduce a national anti-bullying awareness educational program called 'Be A Friend, Not A Bully' to help provide bullying prevention education in schools, at home, and throughout our communities.


WNBA NY Liberty School Day As part of the launch, we had the honor of working with Keia Clarke, Manager of Promotions & Fan Development for the NY Liberty to introduce our educational program book display during their annual anti-bullying rally 'School Day' event being held at the Prudential Center.  The basketball game (NY Liberty vs. Indiana Fever) brought together 5,000+ students from Newark, NJ to take part in a half-time cyberbullying discussion with Miss New York 2011 Kaitlin Monte.


3000 Free Books For Kids The event also featured a "free" educational content giveaway with former Ford Escape Routes reality TV stars/models & college division 1 basketball players Chekesha Johnson & Tiffany Jackson, 15 year old Universal recording artist & Teen Spokesperson for the Foundation Breje; MCPG award-winning authors Matt Davies & Nick Bruel; seasoned songwriter & children storybook-music artist Ron Surrey; and our own bullied bus monitor Karen Klein.

With the support of our network of authors, illustrators, music artists, celebrities, athletes, city officials, community leaders, and corporate sponsors, we were able to film the last chapter of the 'Bullying Behavior In America' documentary project.

Thank you Karen, Amanda, Elizabeth, Ellen, Audrey, Robby, Mariel, Kelly, Molly, Jaime, Liz S., Marie, Kelsey, Nick, Matt, Ron, Tiffany, Chekesha, Breje, Seema, Donovan, Alexandria, Matti, Patrick, Fabio, Cameron, Mallie, Charles, Keia, Hasim, and the entire WNBA NY Liberty 'School Day' event team for helping us make a difference in the world...One child at a time! :-)


Meet Illustrator Nick Bruel author and illustrator of, among other books, BAD KITTY, POOR PUPPY, BAD KITTY GETS A BATH, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAD KITTY, BAD KITTY VS. UNCLE MURRAY, and now BAD KITTY SCHOOL DAZE.

The reason we chose Bad Kitty School Daze to be the perfect tie-in to an anti-bullying message for kids is because Bad Kitty and Puppy had to go to obedience school for fighting.

Thank you Nick for sharing your story and allowing us to take your latest book from the shelves to the classrooms.


Meet Cartoonist Matt Davies Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for Tribune Media Services and The Hearst Newspaper Group in Connecticut.

Ben Rides On is the first ever children's picture book from our award-winning cartoonist and bullying prevention advocate Matt Davies.

Thank you Matt for helping us to inspire young readers and listeners a like to rally behind a worthy book.

Bullying Behavior In America Features Karen Klein & Max Sidorov

A Good Samaritan From Toronto Yesterday, we traveled to Greece, N.Y. to film bullied bus monitor Karen Klein and Max Sidorov of Toronto, Canada. They were both eager to participate in our 'Bullying Behavior In America' documentary story and help spread the StopBullying anti-bullying campaign.


Nurturing Respect Did Karen Klein have a responsibility to assert her authority over her seventh-grade tormentors? Some might be quick to point the finger and write that, "The takeaway for a child witnessing her passivity would be: 'If a grown-up can’t do anything to stop them, then I sure can’t.' That simply isn’t true. School districts and parents must learn from this case."

Hopefully, Karen's story will inspire all of us to get involved.


Karen's Words To Live By: As her story begins to fade from the news cycle into a full blown movement, Karen will ride off into the sunset a whole lot richer because of a video of that incident went viral and inspired Max Sidorov to set up an online fundraising account in her name. In less than 1 month, the video has net more than $680,000!

What the seventh-graders meant for bad, God turned it to good. Returning to a school bus, however, is not part of the plan.


We're Going To Disneyland We had the honor of meeting Amanda Romig and Michelle Hawkins, the daughters of Karen Klein, who were gracious to interview for our documentary. Thank you Amanda, Michelle, Karen, Max, and the 3 little Klein granddaughters for allowing us to share your story. Enjoy retirement!

PaintBox Labs Develops 'A Fashion Mind with J. Alexander Martin' TV Series

VuMee Presents A refreshing new TV series created by Chris Surrey and J. Alexander Martin to give fans and followers of J. Alexander Martin a personal look into the life of a fashion expert and business advisor. J’s passion for fashion, business, faith in action, music, arts, films, authors, and travel news stories come together in a weekly TV program.

The quirky 24 minute show will offer business tips, lifestyle & branding consultation with celebrities, and insights into fashion trends around the world.

Topics of discussion will range from “Where in the world is it best to be a woman?” to “Starting a family and a business at the same time?” to “8 Steps to Create a Brand for Your Blog”.

And with VuMee, fans of ‘A Fashion Mind’ show can view videos posted by J. Alexander Martin as they happen, any time - any place.


Inside A Fashion Mind with Reporter Bobbi Jo Kitchen Thanks to the spontaneous interviewing skills of Bobbi Jo Kitchen, we were able to film our first pilot and documentary project around J. Alexander Martin, plus add a new talent to the PaintBox Labs team.

Bobbi Jo exploded onto the modeling scene as a lead in the Young Buck music video for the single “I know U Want Me,” featuring Jazze Pha. As a model/actress, she has since been recognized by artists and casting directors as a woman who definitely stands out above the rest.


Making The Brand J. Alexander Martin, an accomplished designer, has successfully given the fashion industry a unique line of clothing through FUBU (For Us By Us), which currently reports over $6B in sales to date.

As Vice President and Creative Director of FuBu/FB and Crown Holder, J’s stylish market trends and industry techniques reflect his strong eye for color coordination, fabric and embellishments have made him a definite one to watch on any runway.

Does J have what it takes to land a judge role on a new fashion competition show called 'Making The Brand'? To be continued...

Madison-Oneida BOCES Students Support Bullying Behavior In America Documentary

An Anti-Bullying & Tolerance Music Video Story Yesterday, we had the honor of meeting the students of Madison-Oneida BOCES middle & high school located in Verona, NY. Thanks to the warm welcome of school officials, we were allowed to film and interview the students about an anti-bullying and tolerance music they participated in called The Groovy Project, featuring artist NateKid.


A Social Media Experiment Our film crew documented Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso and Nate Lombardi, the creators of The Groovy Project, as they engaged the students (Chris Standen, Chris Northup, Devin Clark, Kevin Drake, Allora Baker, Gabriella Titus, Esteban Ramos) about the rise of anti-bullying campaigns and the effects of television, the internet, and social media on bullying behaviors in America.


1 Million People And Counting The goal of the pro-acceptance and anti-bullying music video project is to get it to 1 MILLION people. With the dedication of the Awaken Entertainment staff, the Madison-Oneida BOCES officials, and a 2 day social media experiment, the students conducted an aggressive viral campaign to prove a positive message can infiltrate the news media just as quickly as negative news.

They encouraged as many of their Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and MySpace friends to watch their music video and send it to EVERYONE they knew. In less than 1 month, the video has gotten over 25,000 hits...and counting!


What Are YOU Doing To Make A Difference? Thank you Doug, NateKid, Jennifer, Alyssa, Laurie, Sapna, and Mary Jo for being Groovy and allowing us to share your story. They encourage EVERYONE to Be An Element of Change! Get Involved! Stop Bullying! Because Words Do Hurt!

VP & Co-Founder of FUBU Helps Promote Kids Cooking Show

World's Highest Quality Chef Jackets Joseph “Chef JJ” Johnson & J. Alexander Martin of VuMee, chose Crooked Brook to help design Chef JJ's custom chef coats for the HealthCorps' Teen Battle Chef Showdown in NYC. The Vice President and Creative Director of FuBu/FB and Crown Holder, presented Chef JJ with two different chef coat styles to wear during the photo shoot, press presentation, and showdown competition.

Grey Chef Coat (left) - style M101 style, 100% Organic Cotton Twill fabric with Abalone Buttons
White Chef Coat (right) - style M101 jacket, 100% cotton Seersucker fabric with White Rivershell buttons

Embroidery placement for both jackets:
Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ logo & VuMee logo on left chest
Crooked Brook logo on the left sleeve
Teen Battle Chef logo on the right sleeve


For Us By US J. Alexander Martin, an accomplished designer, who has successfully given the fashion industry a unique line of clothing through FUBU, stopped by the film shoot to meet Chef JJ and some of our kids cooking show cast members (Aubrey, Khail, Jelani, Joshua, and Morgan).

J’s stylish market trends and industry techniques reflect his strong eye for color coordination, fabric and embellishments have made him a definite one to watch on any runway. He is currently working on his own brand called “J. Alexander” featuring designer men’s suits and dress shirts. Hopefully, we can encourage him to add an Executive Producer title to his list of impressive accomplishments.


Record it...Name it...Upload it...Share it...Vu It. Thanks to the generous sponsorship support of VuMee, we were able to print custom Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ/Let's Move! tees to promote our cause and give them away for free to festival patrons.

Our VuMee online channel will give viewers a “behind the scenes” look into the making of our show. The 3 minute segment will showcase new projects, bloopers, sponsor promo video shoots, and educational messages to help bring more awareness to First Lady Obama's Let’s Move! (childhood obesity) national campaign. VuMee has over 100 celebrities and brands with a cumulative fanbase of over 150 Million to help us rally support for our cause and merchandise.


Let's Move! Fun Food Facts Q&A J. Alexander was even gracious enough to play our Let's Move! Fun Food Facts Q&A game on camera. Just for getting 2 out of 3 answers correct, he received a free Play Pretty book and a warm 'Thank You' applause from his 6 new VuMee fans.


Play Pretty, Play Pals Project And as a bonus, J watched as Chef JJ surprised Khail with her own Play Pretty, Play Plays Project character t-shirt. All of our Broadway Stars have cartoon characters drawn in their likeness to promote our anti-bullying campaign. Khail was very happy to represent our first printed t-shirt.

Joseph "Chef JJ" Johnson Hosts HealthCorps' Teen Battle Chef Showdown in NYC

Highway To Health This weekend, Chef JJ and our kids cooking show cast participated in the HealthCorps' Highway To Health Festival at South Street Seaport @ Pier 17. The festival was a free event open to the public of all ages to celebrate the variety of resources in their neighborhood to help them lead a healthier lifestyle. The event included health screenings, fitness experts and workouts, cooking and nutrition tips, and lifestyle tips with live entertainment and Guest speakers.


Custom Chef Coats by Crooked Brook Thanks to the warm reception of Helena Judd, the festival's Associate Producer, we were able to promote our new Play Pretty, Play Pals Project and Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ merchandise to help spread the Let’s Move! message to fight childhood obesity through fun and flavorful activities around balanced food choices.


Chain Reaction Spinning One of the many fun activities Chef JJ and our "behind the scenes" reporters & crew got to participate in was the Jack Rabbit Sports and New York Sports Clubs sponsored "Chain Reaction Spinning" event to promote fitness and wellness through cycling.

The Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ cast members (with the exception of Morgan) were under 14 so they couldn't actually ride the cardio bikes, but we thought they'd make good 1-on-1 motivators for Chef JJ, Morgan, and our 2 young crew members. How fast can you ride for 10 minutes without stopping?


Please Applaud To Show Your Support We even created signage for the Teen Battle Chefs showdown main event to encourage the crowd to show some love for all the NYC coordinators, students, judges, vendors, and sponsors like VuMee who helped make the free event possible.

The dark shades were actually provided to Chef JJ by HealthCorps during registration, but our young "star" cast member (Jelani) insisted that he'd be a better representative to sport the glasses.


“Stirring Up Change.” The highlight of the festival event was the Teen Battle Chef Showdown hosted by Chef JJ of Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ. Our kids got to participate in a press presentation with Dr. Oz, celebrity judges Chef George Duran & Chef Denisse Oller, star student judge Elizabeth “Liz” Cordero Hernandez of Edward A. Reynolds Westside High School, and the ten (10) Teen Battle Chef students from various NYC high schools like Kurt Hahn, Aviation, George Washington, West Side, University Heights, and South Shore.


Let's Move! To End Childhood Obesity Dr. Mehmet Oz, the HealthCorps Co-Founder and daytime Emmy-winning host of The Dr. Oz Show, was more than willing to mingle with the crowd to show his sincere appreciation and passion with the fans. Our mission is to help fight childhood obesity in America. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring Chef JJ and Dr. Oz together again in future episodes. To be continued... :-)

Chef JJ Takes Action Against Childhood Obesity

Kids Food Festival Yesterday, Chef JJ and our kids cooking show cast participated in the first inaugural Kids Food Festival event at Citi Pond @ Bryant Park. Thanks to the sincere welcome of Rachel Bonham Carter, we were allowed to promote our new kids cooking show t-shirts and help spread the Let’s Move! message to fight childhood obesity through fun and flavorful activities around balanced food choices.


Let's Move! Fun Food Facts Q&A Our "behind the scenes" reporters got to quiz Cricket Azima, the co-Founder of the Kids Food Festival, and Victoria Jordan Rodriguez of James Beard Foundation about childhood obesity using a fun Q&A game developed by Young Faces Smiling founder, Ardella McClarty.


Will You Sign The Pledge With Us? We even signed Share Our Strength's pledge to make No Kid Hungry in America a reality, and interviewed a team of passionate young volunteers about why they decided to spend their weekend helping to support the non-profit organization.

One teenager who was a fan of Chef JJ shared his passion for cooking and desire to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the Fall of 2012.

Ironically, his nickname was also JJ.


“Changing the world one meal at a time.” The highlight of the festival event was a visit to KickinKitchen.TV screening room where Chef JJ and our kids got to meet Natasha Lance Rogoff, CEO & Executive Producer of the premier kids entertainment media company producing transmedia programming for TV, the web and mobile applications.

Mrs. Rogoff and her daughter Juliane (cast member Stacy) were more than willing to answer questions from our kids about their show, which takes the comedy and format of a sitcom, the utility of a cooking show, and the connectivity of digital and social media, and smashes it together into a ground breaking transmedia property, empowering kids to actively participate in their own food choices, cooking and health.

We're excited about the opportunity to potentially collaborate with Natasha on our show. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring Chef JJ and the KickinKitchen cast together in 1 or more episodes. To be continued... :-)

Garden State Market Partners with Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ

Welcome to the Garden State Market Today, Chef JJ met with Ellen Haddigan and Musa Durgun at their produce store located at 77 South Dean Street in Englewood, NJ. They discussed several creative ways for us to collaborate on the Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ TV program.


Kids Love Free Produce Some of the ideas shared with us were a Garden State Market/Kids Love Cooking with Chef JJ branded produce truck that travels to urban communities and schools in NYC to give away free fruits & vegetables.


Who Wants To Be A Vegan? Another idea centered around a Vegan episode with Russell Simmons' assistant Simone Reyes and celebrity activist Suzanne Africa Engo, daughter of late United Nations Ambassador Paul Engo; and an on-premise cooking episode at The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with Chef JJ and our Broadway Stars.

These we're all brilliant show ideas proposed by Ellen, who might have just earned herself a Producer title to add with her current Executive Director role at the MSKCC organization.

We're 100% sold on partnering with the Garden State Market founders.  Now we just have to put our creative minds together to seek out the right financial relationships to help bring our ideas to fruition. :-)

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.