Kartoon Kreators!

Mariana Diaz-Wionczek is a researcher, educational consultant, producer, and professor who started her kids' media career on Dora the Explorer! Today, she is a co-executive producer of the PBS Kids' series "Rosie's Rules," and continues growing her teaching and consultancy work. We talk about Mariana's time on Dora, how she bridges the academic and creative sides of herself, her views on bilingual representation in children's media, and so much more. Listen now!

Carol Berke is a color designer who worked at Disney for fifteen years, on projects including Lion King 1 1/2, Mulan 2, and The Princess and the Frog! She has also worked on many beloved TV series, including Curious George and Kim Possible. In this episode, we talk about what a color designer does, how Carol got into the business, and some of her favorite projects to work on. Listen now!

Michael is the co-founder of a Canadian animation company called Nelvana, and has produced some of the most well-known animated series of our time, including Babar, Berenstain Bears, Franklin, The Magic School Bus, and so much more. In his early days, he also produced a Star Wars short for George Lucas that introduced the character of Boba Fett! Michael talks about his initial transition into the animation space, how he converted so many beloved children’s books into TV series, and what he’s excited about for the future of the industry. Listen now!

Ellen Doherty is the Chief Creative Officer of Fred Rogers Productions. But before taking on this role, she began her kids media career as an associate producer on Reading Rainbow, then took on many roles on Cyberchase, from story editor to voice director, and eventually executive producer! We talk about her journey in the industry, her transition from live action to animation (and beyond!), and how she keeps the legacy of Fred Rogers alive. Listen now!

Kathy Waugh was the head writer on Peep and the Big Wide World and helped develop Arthur for television. She’s also written on Time Warp Trio, Between the Lions, and numerous other WGBH shows we all love. Most recently, Kathy co-created Molly of Denali and Work It Out Wombats - so seriously, what PBS Kids show has she not been behind? We talk about Kathy’s incredible career and her tenets of good storytelling for kids. Listen now!

Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle are the kreators of Kim Possible. We talk about how their partnership began (it may have started in Kindergarten!), what the show's development process was like, and why Kim Possible has had such a long-lasting legacy. Listen now!

Ron Holsey is a prolific writer who has written on legendary shows like Curious George, Martha Speaks, and Sesame Street. Most recently, he created and executive produced the adaptation of Interrupting Chicken for Apple TV+. We talk about how Ron rose in the industry, what storytelling medium he prefers, and who inspires him creatively. Listen now!

Jeff Borkin is the co-kreator of Blaze and the Monster Machines, a Nick Jr. hit that premiered in 2014. Long before that, though, he was the head writer on the first season of Little Einsteins! Jeff shares the story behind the development of Little Einsteins, he talks about his continued love for interactive preschool television, and so much more. Listen now!

Mark Palmer is one of the creative minds behind The Wild Thornberrys. In this episode, we talk about how he helped take a concept initially geared towards adults and turned it into the hit kids adventure series we all know and love! We also talk about how the themes in The Wild Thornberrys were ahead of their time, and about other properties Mark has loved working on throughout his career. Listen now!

Jim Coane is the Kreator of Dragon Tales! We talk about the artwork that inspired him to create the show, what the production process was like, and the continued legacy of Dragon Tales to this day. Listen now!