Amazing things are coming from Randi Zuckerberg, who is the Zuckerberg Media founder and CEO, and of course, Mark Zuckerberg’s sister. She has partnered with NBCUniversal’s kids’ network Sprout and The Jim Henson Co. to bring “Dot.” to TV, which is a story about a tech-savvy young girl. The story is based off of her children’s book “Dot.”
The TV show, due out in September, is going to be an animated series, which would be Zuckerberg’s first time as an EP on an animated series, and her second on a TV show, as she previously worked on the 2012 Bravo reality series “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley.” The show is set to target kids ages 4 to 7. She recently shared what inspired her to do the series with The Hollywood Reporter:
“The inspiration came from two places. First, there really is a lack of women in tech, and we need to expose young girls to role models that are tech-savvy. Second, we need a clear message out in society that it is important to find a balance—knowing when to plug in and when to unplug.”
Zuckerberg hopes the show’s storylines will help parents and kids learn how to integrate technology successfully into their lives, which I personally find extremely helpful. Technology isn’t going anywhere–if anything, there’s only going to be more of it in time–and adapting and using these changes to better our lives (not overwhelm them) is essential. She explained:
READ: Talking with Randi Zuckerberg About Parenting, Technology & Kids Who Use iPads
“For parents who watch the show, I hope they see that tech can be a wonderful place of creativity and excitement for children and not just go to a place of negativity around screen time. For kids, I hope they feel inspired and excited by the adventures that Dot and her friends have with technology. I hope Dot excites them enough to try things on their own like a coding class at school or build something with their parents.”
Sandy Wax, Sprout president, also agrees that now is the time, because technology isn’t even a question for most kids, stating:
“They’re not even digital native anymore; it’s just part of their fiber. ‘Dot.’ is an opportunity to reach kids who are in that stage of adapting and embracing technology in a slightly more sophisticated way than the younger ones and teaching kids how to responsibly live in a technological world in a way that is fun and engaging.”
Besides the show, Zuckerberg is the editor-in-chief of a modern lifestyle blog, a host of a SiriusXM show, an author of a book, which are also all called “Dot Complicated.” She was also famously an early employee of Facebook, which was co-founded by her brother Mark Zuckerberg. What a fabulous sibling duo, right?
We can’t wait to check out the new show this fall.
