The award-winning classic CBS/Fox Video/Nickelodeon series, Kids in Motion: A Creative Movement and Music Show, is being rebooted by original creator, Julie W. Markovitz, and producer George Paige. They have established a team with digital content experts, Amber Cordero and Steve Smythe, to bring this heritage program back to life as new OTT content targeting kids 2 to 8 years in age. Production for New Kids in Motion is slated to start in early 2020.
Movement/dance educator and certified yoga instructor Markovitz, who teaches creative movement and yoga to children, explained, “New Kids In Motion is an OTT network featuring contemporary music and dance videos hosted by fun characters interacting with kids with upbeat sing-alongs, creative movement and activities to get kids off the couch moving and singing. Aside from being based on a successful creative dance program, it’s the uniquely crafted ‘get up and move’ music videos that separates Kids in Motion from any other children’s programs.”
The original and “New Kids in Motion” songs consist of a myriad of different musical styles written by well-known songwriters and composers for Disney TV, movies and recognized children’s performing artists. Each song features catchy melodies with interactive action lyrics that encourage kids to use their imaginations to dance and move in their own individual ways.
“This unique combination of well-crafted songs with action lyrics is the reason the original Kids in Motion caught lightning in a bottle for parents, teachers and most importantly kids between 2-8 years old for over three decades,” said producer and former educator Paige.
Millennials remember the iconic show, which included an original soundtrack, home video, a book and a small stage tour. Fans are now posting videos from the original show on YouTube with millions of views and demanding a comeback for a new New Kids in Motion for their children. The show’s soundtrack is still a top seller in its category on Amazon receiving thousands of 5 star reviews.
Originally, Kids in Motion secured a deal with CBS/FOX Playhouse Home Video. Kids In Motion became an instant hit with children, parents and educators, earning the Parent’s Choice Award, Action for Children’s Television Award, Good Housekeeping Award and was endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Shortly after, Nickelodeon came on board and aired the show interstitially for several years as evergreen content. Following that, Good Housekeeping Home Video rereleased Kids in Motion, giving it a whole new life that took the show into the ‘90s.
Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.
Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.
"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.
His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.
Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.
"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More