Sam Reich-Dagnen and John Dagnen, co-founders of Branncandy share their story about how and why they started making videos for children. When their twins - Blaise and Logan - were babies, they were motivated to rethink their lives, their sense of family and their careers. Out of that process, Braincandy was born. In 2004, they quit their jobs and set up an office in the laundry room of their Seattle home. Having young twins was a handful and like all parents there were times when they just needed a little down time to take a shower or make dinner. In their diligent efforts to be conscientious parents, they discovered that appropriate video content that truly engaged their children was hard to find.
That's when they began to form the ideas and concepts behind Braincandy. Editing their first video between "spin cycles" and the zen-like sounds of their Kenmore dryer, was when they saw their vision turn into reality. With Braincandy, their approach was to infuse the fun back into learning and to honor each child's ability to construct meaning on their own.
Braincandy is an award-winning, early learning entertainment company that specializes in video and music centered on young children learning about themselves and the world through each of their five senses. Braincandy uses visual media as a springboard to real world experiences. Rather than creating digital flashcards or rote drill and repeat visuals, they use young children engaged in experiential activities that children who are watching mimic and repeat in the real world.
The pacing, unique characters and formula they employ is specifically created in an age appropriate way based on early learning research. Michael Cohen, PhD, the renown children's media researcher has endorsed and validated their content and believes there has not been anything in the category as innovative as Braincandy that he has seen since his early work with the Sesame Street brand. They are not child development experts,but parents trying to give their children great opportunities to build the foundation for independent, creative thinking. They believe that this is accomplished through active play and experimentation.
Sam Reich-Dagnen has over 20 years of experience creative film making. Her 10 year career at the Microsoft Corporation found her working in various parts of the company including the their interactive television group. Sam's previous 10 years were spent in Los Angeles working on independent and studio film projects. Much of her early experience was spent working with celebrated filmmakers such as Lawrence Kasdan (Big Chill, Silverado) and Roger Corman (Boxcar Bertha, Dangerous Curves) among others. Sam was at the Walt Disney Company creating and producing innovative, location-based media for the Disney theme parks located in Los Angeles, Florida and Paris. Sam has a Bachelor of Arts degree in filmmaking and photography from the University of Michigan and spent one year abroad in Florence, Italy studying Art History. She also holds a degree from the prestigious American Film Institute in film directing.
John Dagnen has spent the past 20 years in developing creative media ranging from feature filmmaking, commercials, documentary films and music. Having grown up near Seattle but honing his skills as a professional editor in Los Angeles, the draw of the Microsoft Corporation brought him back to the Pacific Northwest. His 10 years with Microsoft found him producing, directing and editing a diverse set of projects including Interactive TV, MSN shows, and Games and Windows media projects. His extensive resume also found him editing several seasons of national PBS TV shows such as "Master Chef" and many network TV commercials for the Mariners, Southwest Airlines campaign and others. In 2000, his series of three short documentaries titled, "Tuner" aired on PBS to rave reviews. His previous 10 years were spent in Los Angeles working on over 35 feature films as an award-winning film editor. Most notably, his features aired on such networks as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and USA and featured actors such as Mickey Rooney, David Carradine, and Robert Patrick. John also led production and post-production for various independent production houses in and around Hollywood. John received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film/Television from the University of Arizona. He also spent one year at Washington State University as a music major. He is an accomplished classical and jazz pianist.
