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You have an opportunity to produce fruit that lasts with a quality, wholesome animated series that is rooted in biblical truth. As the entertainment industry desperately tries to shape the next generation, you can help nurture children’s hearts and minds with lasting wisdom and godly values. Right now, when you give toward Fruit That Lasts, your gift will help us complete the Storyboard Animatics phase. Will you join us?
God has called us to nurture children’s hearts and minds with lasting wisdom and godly values, using clever storytelling that is grounded in His love. “Pom Pom and Franny" is a new animated series from Fruit That Lasts Media that blends timeless values, Southern charm, and stories that bring families together. Imagine the storytelling magic of Disney, but rooted in Biblical truth that sparks faith conversations at home and brings families closer to God.
Today’s entertainment continues to influence the next generation with worldly values, yet we have a tremendous opportunity to enter that space with wholesome entertainment that will provide an anchor for children to hold onto and a light they will be drawn to. These stories are a vehicle that fosters meaningful conversations that create moments for the Gospel to flourish, and for the transfer of wisdom and values from one generation to the next.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Pom Pom and Franny™ is a high-quality animation series about two little fruit trees who encounter a variety of challenges that reveal what is most important in life and ultimately shapes their character. They are joined by their woodland friends, Tedo the skunk and Oscar the wise old owl, as well as their beloved grandmothers, Rue Rue and Nana, who are always there to guide them… with a bit of humor, a lot of wisdom, and heaps of Southern charm.
The first season is made up of 10 seven-minute episodes, just the right amount of time for young children. We’re also sure it will be enjoyed by grown-ups, too. Our first episode sees Pom Pom and Franny meeting for the first time at Boot Camp, where they discover the basics of moving around freely and understanding the world around them in Harvest Holler. With this new responsibility comes a lot of new freedom that they will have to learn how to handle, and it doesn’t always go well. Fortunately, their grandmothers will be there to offer wisdom and important lessons.
Families crave media that doesn’t just entertain but uplifts, helping live out Deuteronomy 6:6–7: “Impress them on your children… talk about them when you sit at home.” After years of prayerful development, we believe this is the right time to launch these stories that speak to the heart and connect generations.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Right now, we have an amazing opportunity to present our series to distributors, streaming platforms, and other heavy influencers in Christian media, including a personal invitation from the Chief Distribution Officer at Angel Studios (The Chosen, Sound of Freedom). To advance development and production of the series, and to be considered for distribution, we are producing a prototype of our pilot episode. This is essentially the entire first episode in storyboard format, called animatic, with a small portion of it as fully rendered animation, complete with recorded dialogue, music and sound.
We are also pleased to announce that Bob Saenz, a veteran screenwriter of many family-friendly films, has joined our team to write the entire first season and is already working on our pilot script. This means we will be ready to begin storyboarding and dialogue very soon, so it’s important to keep the momentum going.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We have the characters, and we have the stories, but we need you to help us bring them to life. We are launching this campaign to give our friends and family an opportunity to join in our dream and be a part of making it a reality. We can’t go very far on ideas alone, which is why we need this prototype to showcase the style, characters, and story so we can give investors, studios and audiences a relatable understanding of the series.
Whether you can give $5 or $5,000, every gift brings us closer to sharing Pom Pom and Franny™ with the world. We have also received pledges of matching gifts from a few generous donors, so your gift will go twice as far.
Your donation helps cover the following milestones to product the Pilot Episode Demo:
- $5k - Scriptwriting
- $5k - Voice recording & Music
- $5k - Storyboard Design
- $5k - Storyboard Animatics
- $25k - 3D Character Modeling & Texturing
- $30k - 3D Animation & Rendering
- $5k - Editing, color, and final mastering
We hope you’ll join our mission to nurture children’s hearts and minds with lasting wisdom and godly values, with clever stories that are grounded in His love. Thank you for believing in storytelling that plants seeds of faith, wisdom, and fruit that lasts in the next generation.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.” - John 15:16
BEN DAVIS
Co-Founder & CEO
Ben Davis is the CEO and co-founder of MOONDOG Animation Studio with more than 20 years of experience in applying high-level technology to his love for art and storytelling. His expertise includes developing creative concepts that connect with audiences by using constantly evolving technology.
NENA JACKSON
Co-Founder & COO
Nena is a co-author of Fruit That Lasts, an illustrated children’s book, along with four followup books in the series and co-creator of a Fruit That Lasts VBS curriculum. She previously had a 20-year leadership career in financial technology and was an Alpha director at churches in Charleston, SC.
KRISTI SMITH
Co-Founder & Content Director
Kristi is a co-author of Fruit That Lasts, an illustrated children’s book, along with four followup books in the series. She is also the co-creator of a Fruit That Lasts VBS curriculum. She has a 37-year career in nursing and has a Certificate of Ministry from Highlands College.
JEAN-MARC KHAYAT
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Jean-Marc is the Creative Director and co-founder of MOONDOG Animation Studio. He has successfully overseen hundreds of hours of animated television and film, with titles distributed globally, including for Nickelodeon, Netflix, Peacock and Discovery.
CHRIS WOLF
Communications Director
Chris is the founder and CEO of Shift2, LLC, a creative communication design company that specializes in web development and has over 25 years of experience in mass media, helping dozens of entrepreneurs and more than 100 nonprofits.
BOB SAENZ
Pom Pom & Franny Scriptwriter
Bob has been writing professionally for over 25 years and has over a dozen produced works included on Hallmark, LIfetime, and theatrical releases. He is also the author of the highly praised book for screenwriters, "That's Not the Way it Works."
BOB STARNES
Advisor
Bob Starnes is the co-founder and co-owner of Brentwood Studios, a leading children’s media company, as well as VP of Distribution & Licensing with The Chosen. He has guided some of the biggest brands in the children’s space, including VeggieTales, for over 30 years.
BEN HOWARD
Advisor
Ben Howard is a Senior Advisor to Impact Foundation and brings his experience in the entertainment business to help creatively gifted people exercise those gifts in a way that can build an on-going business actively engaged in helping people find hope and meaning through storytelling.
MARYANNE POOLE
Advisor
MaryAnne has 20+ years as a highly accomplished strategy executive with an ability to secure funding for new ventures by optimizing positioning relative to donors’ and investors’ needs, while working with multiple stakeholders to achieve implementable results.
