SAFE STEPS: Kids

Client: Cartoon Network

Roles Performed: Executive Creative Director, Creator, Story & Scripting Lead, Visual Development, Production Assistance, Sound Design

Description: If we’re being honest with ourselves, I think we can all admit that most kids are woefully unprepared to be on fire. Most adults, too. When you inevitably find yourself in a situation where you are on fire, you’re probably going to want to know what to do.

Into this lucrative market of public safety cartoons steps SAFE STEPS: Kids, a CSR initiative from Cartoon Network and Prudence Foundation with support from Red Cross.

For twelve mini-episodes, we join the cast of some of the most popular Cartoon Network shows — including We Bare Bears, Powerpuff Girls, and The Amazing World of Gumball — as they learn what to do during natural disasters, how to stay safe on the road, and in case of a medical emergency.

For this series, I was responsible for the concepting and scripting of each episode, liaising with the brand managers for each IP to guarantee that the situations and dialogue were acceptable from an in-universe prospective, and supporting the animation production, which was handled by industry heavyweight Inspidea.

Dubbed in nearly a dozen languages and broadcast globally, the shorts were the winner of the Bronze for Social Good at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. You might think that was the highlight of this project, but it wasn’t.

The real crowning moment was when We Bare Bears show creator Daniel Chong saw the short where Ice Bear broke his arm and was comforted by his anime body-pillow girlfriend and Tweeted: “Whoever wrote this, give them a raise.”