Kidvid Distributor Willmoss Film Launches

15 Aug, 2008 By: Billy Gil

Rodney Satterwhite, former COO of Genius Products, has launched a new distributor of educational videos for children: Willmoss Film.

The kidvid label is a division of The Willmoss Co., which assists entertainment entities in operating strategies and managing resources. Satterwhite is president of the minority-run company.

“What we want to do is bring products to market not necessarily from a minority perspective, but that address issues affecting minorities, such as high dropout rates,” Satterwhite said.

Willmoss Film has partnered with children's entertainment company Brandissimo! for the company's first line, “It's Monkey Time!” The first of four titles in the series, Meet the Monkeys, streets Sept. 2 at $11.98.

Satterwhite said the company strives to distribute quality educational product for children and young adults, employing such tactics as including printable bonus materials with DVD releases, such as flash cards, kid-friendly recipes, storybooks and coloring sheets.

“Our first product is geared to get parents involved in their child's education and giving them the tools to do that,” Satterwhite said. “Another element is promoting diversity, so [each monkey] represents different sides of our society. There's a rural monkey with a thick country accent, while another is a stiff British monkey who speaks perfect English and is very much into social graces.”

Satterwhite said the company plans to release titles quarterly, with a focus on grocery, drug and bookstore distribution. He also said by next year, free episodes of the series will likely be made available on the Web.