Hi BabyBoo!: Video Series & App from Yo Gabba Gabba Creator

Project: HI BABYBOO! \\\ Video Series & App for Babies and Families

Creator: Scott Schultz (Hi Babyboo)

Description: When Scott Schultz, one of the creators of the very popular (and successful) Nick Jr. TV show (and tour and album-generator and product-generator) Yo Gabba Gabba!, believes crowdfunding is the best way to raise money for his next project, it's clear something has shifted in the media production landscape.

Schultz is seeking to raise $150,000 for the show, with a goal of producing about 30 minutes of content.  To a great extent, the series sounds like Yo Gabba Gabba!  for a slightly younger set, though in his slick Kickstarter video, Schultz outlines how the show might differ from its older sibling.  Fewer words! More pictures! Lots of drooling! (I'm just kidding on that last one.)  There will be music from interesting bands (plus a soundtrack available to certain backers).

The most interesting thing to me about the project (besides its funding) is integration of an app as part of the project.  I'm sure that a lot of shows are developed with apps in mind these days, but with Portland-based Night & Day Studios, who have been part of a lot of apps, including one with Cat Doorman, working on the project, I have high hopes for it.

App Camp For Girls: Non-Profit Camp Teaching Girls To Program iOS Apps

Project Title:  App Camp For Girls

Creator : Jean McDonald (App Camp for Girls)

Description:  It's a little sad that there has to be a fundraiser to establish a non-profit camp to encourage girls to get into programming.  Software is such an important part of our lives these days that one might hope that their wouldn't be massive gender disparity in terms of who's coding and that these camps targeted at older tween and early teenaged girls wouldn't be necessary.

But the disparity does  exist, and so here we are.  And while the camp right now is set up for a Portland-area event only, if it goes well (and they raise enough money), they're hoping to expand to other areas of the country in 2014.  Hear, hear.