I’m turning my book series into a children’s show! Well, that’s the goal. I’m taking all of the goodness from the things I love about my books, from my dogs, and from my life, and compiling it into the perfect little pilot episode that I’m creating by any means necessary. Truth is, I have no idea what I’m doing! I have a fraction of the necessary skills, and sadly few if any network connections. So, I hope you’ll join me as I figure this thing out and focus on having fun doing it!
What I learned from making books is that there’s no right way to start, and there’s no guarantee something will succeed. But there are infinite ways to fail. Just as every book is different, so is every road to getting it into your hands. I gather that same goes for creating an animated series. Do you pitch to networks? Do you create a pilot and try to sell it to a production studio? Do you hope your idea goes viral on social media? Yes! Yes to all of it. But if you have a good idea, and a heart to do it, then I’m hoping it’s fair game.
Over the next few years I’ll have a bunch more books coming out featuring my favourite actors: Yaya and Boo. These are real characters in my actual life. Like any dog, if you observe them for long enough, you’ll start to see the makings of a cartoon character. I’m sure we can create a character bible for all of our dogs (the document that compiles everything about a character in a production). Yaya and Boo are no exception, though they are exceptional characters:
Boo: a ball-obsessed athlete, confident and independent and a little bit anxious. He’s the older brother that’s always ready to explore and push his limits.
Yaya: he has energy bigger than his body. He’s bouncy and clumsy and happy-go-lucky and chatty and he can befriend just about anyone.
These new books present an incredible opportunity to build the Yaya & Boo empire and take over the world with thoughtful, value focused projects. All with an underlying goal to get your kids to turn off the screen and go explore the world.
Of course, Momo is forever a big part of my life, so he’ll be a big part of the show. In the next instalment of this series, I’ll share my initial ideas about the show, the working story for the pilot episode, and how it’ll all work together. And of course, how Momo will be included. This idea is young, so everything is fluid at this point. It’s my belief that with a strong foundation, all of the added elements will help build something big and beautiful and well, really fun.
The idea has strong components: a compelling story, colourful characters, and endless opportunities for adventures. As I develop the idea I’ll be focussed on making sure it has fun dialogue, a beautiful colour palette, melodious music, a strong team, and a visual style that is born out of something earnest.
Over the coming months, I’m going to be exploring all of the aspects of creating a children’s show and take you along for the ride. So I hope you’ll join me on this big endeavour. Here’s some of the topics I’ll be exploring with your help:
The story
Animation styles
Scripting & storyboarding
Character development
Music & sound effects
Funding & pitching
Building a team
If you want to support this endeavor, please consider becoming a paid member on this Substack. You can also follow my updates on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok!
Ok, so what are your initial thoughts? What do you want to see next? Is anybody reading this?
With love,
Andrew, Yaya, & Boo!
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