brain candy.

petit elefant:: What was your inspiration for the DVD’s? Old school Sesame Street, or was it purely from your imagination?

braincandy:: The secret sauce of Braincandy is truly having a partner/creative director/husband who has the body of a man and the mind of a child. To be successful with content for young children, one needs to be able to see the world through the eyes of a 2-year-old. While we both are former filmmakers {working on a variety of Hollywood films} he really is the creative horsepower behind Braincandy.

When we began to concept the characters in Braincandy, we wanted to create a memorable, friendly, unique gang. We started with the idea of children with overly exaggerated sense parts when Johnny said, “forget it! What we need to do is have them be just the parts.” “Just the parts? You mean a disembodied brain?” “Yep, that’s exactly what I mean.” I thought he was crazy. But when we started working with our puppet creator, they began to come together and our own children fell in love with them.

Think of our content as the best combination of the fun characters and environment of Sesame Street, with the age appropriate pacing and gentleness of Baby Einstein. We believe we’re creating a whole new medium in early learning content. We use the visual medium to create a springboard for learning in the real world. We give parents and caregivers ideas so that when taking a walk to the park or to the beach with their children they can practice the ideas from the DVDs.

petit elefant

:: What was your previous job in the workplace, and how did that training prepare you for motherhood/twins?

braincandy:: I was one of those crazy kids who graduated from college with a film and photography degree. I worked in the film industry for almost 10 years doing everything from reading scripts to creating props for a swamp monster. Apparently my work at Disney creating media for theme park venues was attractive to the folks at Microsoft, because they hired me in 1995 and my husband and I moved to Seattle.
Microsoft was a challenging place. No matter who you are or what you do, you always feel like the dumbest person in the room. I think even the super brains feel that way. I felt like a fraud much of the time. Sound familiar? It’s the same way I felt when I took my two babies home from the hospital and was absolutely clueless about what to do with them. Just like at Microsoft, I figured it out—one day at a time. There were so many times I felt overwhelmed and ill equipped but I had built enough confidence in myself to know I’d figure it out. I gave myself over to the idea that I wouldn’t always have the right answer—just like at work—but that collaborating with friends, having a great support system would get me through.

petit elefant:: What words of advice do you have for other “Mompreneurs”?

braincandy:: I work harder now than I ever did at any of my previous jobs {mainly because the work is always there and it’s just about impossible to turn off}. My best advice is to loo
k at your venture not as the end but as the beginning. It’s a long hard road—whether you’re starting a business in your garage {or laundry room} or with a bunch of venture capital and employees; it’s up to you to balance how you grow. If you are at it 24/7 {which is what most of us do} there is the same danger of burn out as with other jobs you’ve had in the past.

It’s important to remember it’s not your business that defines you; it’s you that defines it. Think carefully about what you really need—both personally and professionally—to take you down that long windy road. I do believe that what I am doing now sets a very positive example for both of my children—especially my daughter. I am the child of an entrepreneur as is my husband. It is a very difficult path but in some ways, I hope my children will choose the same one.

petit elefant

:: How is Braincandy different than the other educational kids shows on the market, & how has it positively affected your own kids?

braincandy:: Braincandy is clearly different from the other “edutainment” products on the market. We don’t make claims of creating super genius babies or teaching your child to read before they can talk. Really, what’s the point of that?

Educational or entertaining? Why should a parent have to choose? With Braincandy, our approach is to infuse the fun back into learning and to honor each child’s ability to construct meaning on their own. Our sweet, simple recipe forms the fundamental building blocks for early learning and begins to lay a foundation for social and emotional development. The content combines real kids doing real things, funny sense part puppets, simple face animations {in bright bold colors}, and our ever popular Ipodders {silhouetted dancers}, all set against a background of engaging, “kidified” music from reggae to classical and more.

petit elefant

:: How has motherhood affected your business model and your involvement in the business world?

braincandy

:: Being a mother and a good one, is my first priority. There is nothing in my business life that will ever trump ballet recitals and pony league play offs. Women and moms are still a bit of an anomaly in business. However, I believe if you are savvy and recognize the pitfalls, you can make it work to your advantage. Women have intangible qualities that men do not—and I’m not talking about a pair of good Jimmy Choos. Motherhood teaches us qualities like patience, endurance, tolerance and how to arrive at a business meeting and conceal the spit up that you just noticed on your silk shirt (thank you Tide stain stick.) We learn to listen and not always talk, we learn to collaborate (can you say carpool?) These are all traits of a successful business person. At Braincandy, if you get the call from school that says you have a sick child, you don’t ask, you leave. That is something that was never an option in my previous jobs. We intend to always keep our priorities top of mind without sacrificing the business. It is a hard challenge sometimes. I did show up at a pitch once with one of my children in tow because my child care fell through and teachers had an in-service day. You know what? It wasn’t so bad. I’m in the children’s business. Children are a big part of my world. And they’ve become a big part of my business world.

Thanks Sam for taking the time to give us an interview. Keep track of Sam & her Braincandy team here.