Two directors are introducing English speakers to popular children’s characters from around the world. Danny Prussman and A.J. Tesler are the Co-Founders of Uncommon Threads Media, a company that will import foreign-language family content.
The first character to join the Uncommon Threads library is Joze, a giraffe who hails from Georgia (the nation, not the state). On his main Georgian-language YouTube channel, Joze’s catchy songs, simple lessons, and cheerful tone have attracted 362,000 subscribers. That makes him one of the biggest YouTube stars in Georgia, where the total population is under four million. One of Joze’s musical compilations has picked up more than 47 million views on its own.
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Prussman and Tesler are betting that these international hits can reach new audiences via translation. Their localized version of Joze will feature voiceovers from Booth Daniels and some slight shifts in the subject matter. According to Kidscreen, the show’s crow characters have had their plumage recolored to match American species.
Prussman discovered Joze when his wife, who is from Georgia, introduced the character to their son. He called the channel a “needle in a haystack” and he is out to discover more programs like it. “Joze fosters learning through the power of storytelling and loveable characters, and we’re excited to see the impact it will have on young audiences in the United States.”
International children’s video producers regularly rank among the most-watched channels in our Global Top 50 charts. The increase in YouTube traffic is pushing more attention to family-centric content in countries like Georgia. One hotbed for those videos is Kyrgyzstan, where the success of local channels like D Billions has spawned a government-supported industry.
As Uncommon Threads brings those types of channels over to America, it will contend with the creators and media companies that are producing English-language originals for kids. Pocket.watch works with a vast network of family-friendly channels that got big on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, while Moonbug has turned CoComelon and Blippi into multimedia franchises.
We’ll be watching to see how Joze sticks his neck into that busy space. His English-language channel can be found here, and his first videos arrive on November 3.
