The words “road trip” often take on different meanings for parents and kids. Much like holiday breaks from school and snow days, there’s a fine line between having fun and keeping kids entertained. Sometimes, this leads to parents leaning heavily on screen time to distract children. But that’s about to change; Gen-Z Media, a family-friendly media company, is producing high-concept podcasts that’ll keep the whole house entertained.
“The idea came out of the notion of being able to create a sophisticated story from scratch and to fully realize it,” CEO Ben Strouse explained to Best of NJ. He established Gen-Z alongside David Kreizman and Chris Tarry in January 2017.
“There are not a lot of sophisticated stories that serve eight to 12 year olds who aren’t ready for YA.”
This is the gap that Gen-Z is working to fill.
Gen-Z recently welcomed three newcomers to its lineup. It already boasts critically acclaimed shows like the Peabody Award-Winning The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel; the network is also home to The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian.
Pants on Fire is a game show that introduces kids to two experts on kid-friendly topics. It’s up to the young contestants to pick which expert is for real and which one is faking it. Families are invited to test out their skills and see if they can spot the phony each Thursday.
Six Minutes is a Jason Bourne-esque serial mystery. It follows Holiday, an 11-year-old girl pulled from the icy waters of Alaska with no memory. The final addition (for now) is a folktale called The Mayan Crystal. It’s about a young girl from Belize who uses magic crystals to summon the legendary Mayan gods.
Gen-Z Produces Award-Winning Podcasts for Kids
The podcasts are certainly geared towards children as their main audience; but Gen-Z also works to ensure that parents will enjoy the shows as well.
“A lot of our audience is adults and that’s not an accident,” shared Strouse. “We try to write and create stories that the parents will listen to happily because we want kids and families to listen together.”
Podcasts provide an effective way to stay entertained without engaging in the use of visually stimulating technologies; whether you’re going for a long car ride or trying to settle down before bedtime.
It’s no secret that kids spend a large part of their day in front of one screen or another. From phones to tablets to good, old fashioned televisions, screens are a big part of modern life. While this has become the new norm, it isn’t a necessarily healthy way to stay entertained; especially when the strain on a child’s eyes is considered.
But to Strouse, there’s an ever more important reason to focus on screen-less storytelling; the listener’s ability to use their own creative license.
“When they listen…their imaginations seem to work a little differently,” Strouse said. Without characters created for them on screen, kids are able to think up their own versions of their favorite stories.
Gen-Z’s podcasts are available for streaming at www.bestrobotever.com.
All Photos: © Gen-Z Media (Used with Permission)
