Stories From the Storyteller™ Animated Series and Book

Timbuktoons was hired to develop and produce an animated series (and companion book illustrations) from initial concept through post-production for Jonathan Evans (former NFL
football player, chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys/Co-chaplain of the Dallas Mavericks, and son of Dr. Tony Evans, lead pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and founder of The Urban Alternative which is heard on over 1,400 radio stations in over 130 countries), TUA, RightNow Media, and Harvest House Publishers.

Out of the development process (and through a unique partnership between TUA/Tony Evans Films, RightNow Media, Jonathan Evans, Harvest House Publishers, and Timbuktoons) came, Stories From The Storyteller—an animated kids show that features Jonathan’s family and teaches lessons from the life of Jesus in a unique and relatable format.

Join the Evans family as Jonathan leverages the ministry of Jesus to teach life lessons to his five children through everyday activities and family adventures. Seemingly normal activities— such as a fun family cooking competition, camping in the great outdoors, a trip to a theme park, or a hands-on homeschool activity—turn into hysterical adventures and epic teachable moments.

Jonathan and Kanika follow up the day’s events with a bedtime Bible lesson that connects their experience to the teachings of Jesus in a way their children will never forget! Whenever the kids realize they are about to hear the Stories from the Storyteller, they’ll be begging for bedtime!

Timbuktoons is producing 2 seasons (24x11), plus Christmas and Easter Specials (2x22)

Challenge

  • Develop a show concept that would connect with Jonathan Evans’ audience
  • Write scripts that capture the stories Jonathan developed for each episode
  • Develop stories that connect everyday family events to the life of Christ
  • Help achieve the set goals of the five organizations that are involved
  • Navigate overlapping schedules of the two seasons for each phase of animation
  • Produce a series that has comedy, heart, and a biblical teaching component
  • Use Jonathan’s real-life family to voice the characters
  • Connect the series to books and ancillaries
  • Include a QR-code generated media component for the books

Solution

  • Recommended the portrayal of Jonathan Evans’ family to tell the stories
  • Achieved through story sessions with Jonathan Evans, beat sheets, rough scripts, and revisions
  • Established a dedicated crew for the series, a custom pipeline, and an online review/approval process
  • Streamlined communication system between production manager and crew, director and client point leads
  • Developed a show formula that achieves the goals of the show
  • Remote video dialog direction with voice talent and onsite studio tech
  • Scheduled development and visual development congruently with book production needs
  • Coordinated production to supply the specific QR-code clips that needed to coincide with book release dates

If you’re a content provider interested in seeing your intellectual property come to amazing animated life with excellence, great communication, a can-do attitude, flexibility, timeliness, cost-consciousness, graciousness—all in a meaningful partnership, connect with Todd Hampson and the team at Timbuktoons!

Bob Hawkins | President, Harvest House Publishers

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