Explainer Videos
I’ve been writing and producing animation for TV, streaming and games for many years for PBS KIDS and many others. Here are some recent examples of videos that explain technology, part of my wider work in media literacy. Each example is for a different audience, with its own scope and production structure; no two projects are the same.
Family Online Safety Institute: “What’s the Deal with Age Assurance”
With a tight budget and a sharp turnaround, I wrote and produced this video to explain a complex topic for a general, adult audience. In a playful but serious way, it brings to life FOSI's policy white paper about technology safety to support civic engagement ahead of ongoing state and federal legislation.
This schematic summarizes how I approached this:
Ruff Ruffman, Humble Media Genius: “Algorithms”
Much of my work over 30 years has been in producing digital content for kids. In this example, one of a series of fun animations for PBS KIDS that explore and explain the digital world, we took a 1980’s power ballad approach to show how algorithms work. Completed with a talented team including writer Gentry Menzel, this popular web series, Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius has seen over 150 million streams. Animation for this one is by Hero4Hire Creative, with Jim Conroy and Janine Brown on vocals.
Minecraft Education: “Introducing AI: Building the Basics”
Here I devised, and Gentry and I co-wrote, a series of AI explainer videos for Minecraft Education, working closely with Microsoft’s animation partners at Broken Doll in Stockholm. These videos have also been incorporated unto live action sequences that I produced, supported by downloadable materials I designed, and featured in professional development webinars that I scripted.