Genevieve LeDoux
Producer, Content Creator, Brand Storyteller
Genevieve LeDoux lives in a literal fairy world. Yes, I’m using the word “literal” correctly. Or maybe I’m hyperbolizing, whatever. Her home in Georgia is surrounded by lush, old trees, historic railroads, and a garden full of handmade fairy treehouses. It’s no wonder she is bursting with fantastical ideas for kids' entertainment.
After we bonded over our magical thinking and witchy ways, we got into the part I was most excited about: her powerhouse production company, “Silver Comet Productions” Before we get into that let’s start from the beginning.
Genevieve was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. She is no stranger to the strangeness that a big city brings. If anything, she embraced “the strange” and made a successful living out of it. She majored in fashion design in college and worked tirelessly and passionately with her architect father at his interior design company. Interior design will definitely scratch that creative itch for almost any artist. I mean who wouldn’t want to turn their home into the Madonna Inn? But Genevieve was bursting with other creative ideas and just HAD to get them out.
Genevieve’s sister was the nanny for the Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs for Warner Bros. “I kept bugging my sister that I had this show idea and I wanted to pitch it to her boss and my sister kept saying no,” she told me. Eventually Genevieve wore her down and got a meeting. This is a great lesson for everyone: Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. If you don’t, you will never get that chance anyway. (Should I be a motivational speaker/take my own advice?).
Without any industry experience, but a big creative mind and a ton of motivation, Genevieve pitched her first idea directly to Linda Steiner, one of the Senior Vice Presidents at Warner Bros. Entertainment. Can you imagine this being your first pitch? No pressure. No pressure at all. Although the VP did not take the pitch, she loved Genevieve’s moxy and took her on as an assistant.
So at 30 years old, “I went from having a career, successfully working as a sought after interior designer, and officially left my father’s renowned architectural firm to getting her (the VP) coffee and answering phones. Very girl Friday.” It wasn’t an easy decision. Big risk. High reward. Worth it. “I’m so grateful she took a chance on me. You have to go for it. It’s like all the cliches, you get to the end of your days and you wish you would have done that.”
So that’s how a woman who owns and runs her own production studio got started in the business of making children’s content. Now I just have to find a babysitter who works for a high powered individual, get close to her/him, convince them to get me a pitch session, work really hard for 10 years and make my dreams come true. Easy as pie.
Once Genevieve was immersed in the entertainment industry, she found a couple of true mentors that would change her life, Christopher Keenan and Kelli Bixler. These are the people she then collaborated with as a producer on an Amazon’s preschool series Tumble Leaf, a stop motion animated show for young kids. It is so visually stunning, I almost thought it was done in 3D. The claymation was seamless yet textural. Bright colors contrasted with each other in a leafy green forest environment, making it encapsulating. I wish I could LIVE in the world of Tumble Leaf. The show is about a blue fox, with a gorgeous blue fohawk, named Fig and his friends go on adventures and learn how things work in the world. You may not trust my opinion (I don’t know why you wouldn't. I am a genius) trust the Emmys! Genevieve LeDoux is an Emmy Winner. She received the daytime Emmy for Outstanding Preschool Children’s Animated Program.
Genevieve was thriving in Los Angeles, just thriving! But there were new successful adventures ahead of her that she didn’t even see coming. Her husband Chris LeDoux, had the opportunity to start his own VFX company in Georgia. Turns out, Georgia only had a couple production companies, and no established VFX companies, so it seemed like a really great opportunity to take a chance. Her husband likes big risk, high rewards as well. That adventurous youthful spirit that Genevieve has said, “Why not, let’s go for it!” And thank God she did because in 2011, he started a VFX company named, Crafty Apes VFX with his brother Tim LeDoux and Jason Sanford. It’s a full service visual effects company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Vancouver, Montreal, New Mexico and Atlanta. Genevieve, inspired by this idea, realized there was a lack of major production companies in Georgia, creating kids content. And where was her expertise? In kids content! That’s when she established Silver Comet Productions LLC.
The name Silver Comet comes from an old railroad turned walking trail that literally runs through Genevieve’s Georgia backyard. She would walk along it while taking in the surroundings and imagine the trips people used to go on. This is where she would come up with incredible ideas for new shows or movies or artwork. Plus, “Silver Comet” totally fits her whimsical brand. She has established several different shows, worked with incredible people and was feeling overall fulfilled. It wasn’t until 2019 though, that she began to work on her true passion baby, “Star Forest.”
Sidenote: Have I mentioned Genevieve’s adorable children? Well, they have a huge impact on her success story. One fine Georgia day, her youngest son, Dempsey was enjoying one of his musical kids programs filled with repetitive verses and crude melodies. Her eldest son, Hudson, then randomly had a mental break, and said, “I’ve had it! There’s music for babies and Dempsey, but there’s no music for me!” Genevieve did not know how to answer him.
She started looking into this, what kind of music is good for kids around 5 or 6? What is being made for them? Why does children’s music have to be annoying? The more she looked around, the more she thought, “Why can’t I fill this gap?” That was how the idea of “Star Forest” was born.
Genevieve reached out to her cousin, a successful rock musician, audio engineer and composer (Andy Kurtz), about an idea for a kids album that featured music made for a certain demographic of kids. She didn’t want KidsBop, she wanted something cinematic. At first he wasn’t on board, he could not wrap his head around a kids program after performing and writing adult rock music his whole life. But then he thought about his own kids. Both parents were stuck at home during the pandemic. Andy got on board and “KILLED IT,” according to her.
“Instead of creating a show and doing the music for the show, we are doing it backwards, and “Star Forest” is a kids record for 5-8 year olds.” She continued, “The band, Star Forest, is The Gorillaz for kids. It’s virtual with characters designed by illustrator Dusty Higgins. The next step is creating music videos. And then we are going to do short form live-action videos with live action characters.” There is an Octopus drummer, Rocktopus, and a bass guitar player, Sleuth the Sloth. And the two main characters, Fawn Velvette and Hawk Frost, both based on Genevieve and her cousin. They actually do the voice acting as well! She added, “My cousin’s rock n’ roll, dramatic sensibility really came through in the acting.”
After developing the album, Star Forest became a place. A digital space or metaverse for kids to enter and interact in. Star Forest is an island that hangs in the universe with mossy green trees, dinosaur skeletons, and golden dragons. Genevieve wanted it to exude adventure, female empowerment, and satisfy the whimsy and curiosity that children naturally have. “It started out as a kids record and now it’s a full world and a universe. Eventually we are going to have immersive live shows!”
Kids will be able to attend live Star Forest concerts via Roblox. Ever heard of it? Well even if you haven’t, every single kid in the world has. Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system. It allows users to program games and play games created by other users. Lil Nas X performed a live Roblox show in 2020, where over 30 million people attended. You can buy digital merchandise and music as well. I think that’s a good amount of attention and promotion. Look out for Star Forest, because it’s coming for you and your children - and it appears so far that the parents dig it just as much as the kids.
For music lovers and smart people who just like good cool high quality things, the Star Forest album is one to check out. It is indie music meets David Bowie meets pop musical meets Beastie Boys meets high cinematic score. If you want to have a fun jaunt or an inspirational cry, this album can provide both. It is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. If you care about kids' production and cinematic score at ALL, you have to check out this creation by Genevieve LeDoux and her co-creator, Andy Kurtz.
I feel so privileged to be able to have talked to Genevieve, and it was The Creator’s Society connection that made that possible. Genevieve met President Eric Miller, at Kidscreen, which is NOT the first time I’ve heard this story. You guys, we ALL NEED TO GO TO KIDSCREEN. But Genevieve is a part of that exclusive group I mentioned in the Jacqueline Gault story, Kickass KidScreeners. This is a group of friends and supporters and collaborators, something all of us need in this industry.
(I shall find my tribe and create my own tribe! I am a writer and story artist. Come find me, my friends.)
Genevieve’s story is so inspirational and we really ended on an amazing note. She said, “There’s a little voice inside all of us, and throughout our life, whether it’s our parents, teachers, or peers, whether it’s intentionally or unintentionally, they try to quiet that voice. That little voice is everything. At ten years old, Star Forest, which I’m creating now, was living there. That dream was as real then as it is to me now. You have to, especially in kids TV, retain that childlike wonder...I am a child in my way of thinking. There are no limitations. There are no limiting ideas. There’s nothing holding you back except yourself. That’s it. It’s up to you.”
I’ll be the first one to buy my Star Forest ticket, so sorry...not sorry. I might virtually shove you out of the way.