DAVID CAMPBELL
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CARTOON PIZZA, INC.
It all started with pigeons. And a naked lady. Well, not naked exactly; the pigeons covered her up. But somebody had to clean the pigeon’s cages. Someone with a really, really intense desire to get into show business. And meet that naked lady. That’s how David Campbell came to a job cleaning pigeon cages for the bird act in “Sugar Babies” where the birds were making twice the salary he was. But David cleaned. And persevered. And before he was finished, he was the producer of “Sugar Babies” companies around the world.
Born in Arkansas, David was the typing champion of Harding Academy and bedazzled his fellow students at the Arkansas Interscholastic typing competition. That’s entertainment . . . in Arkansas. David had high hopes of making the United States Olympic team and was crushed to learn that his teacher had lied; there was no such event. But he keeps his fingers in shape, just in case.
David went on to earn a degree from Harding University and later studied Theatre History at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. As a performer at Pepperdine, his roles included The Boy in “The Fantastiks” and Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” After leaving Pepperdine, he headlined at Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, California, and toured with a production of “A Little Night Music.” He gave up acting because he got tired of doing the same thing night after night.
That’s where the pigeons came in. He toured the country with Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller in “Sugar Babies,” ending up on Broadway. He later served as producer for several companies of the show and went on to co-produce and/or write many other hit Broadway and off-Broadway shows, including “Honky Tonk Nights” with Joe Morton and Reginald Vel Johnson, and “Colette” with Diana Rigg.
In addition to his theatre work, David has had a successful career in film and television production and talent management. He produced and executive produced specials for HBO, Comedy Central and Lifetime, including “Some People” starring Danny Hoch, and “One Night Stand” with Dana Gould. As a manager, he represented such talent as Mr. Hoch, Mr. Gould, Brett Butler, Steve and David Higgins, and Joel Hodgson, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
His friendship with Jim Jinkins led to the observation that one of Jim’s doodles was really interesting and could turn into something big. It did. The doodle was Doug Funnie, and in 1991, David and Jim co-founded Jumbo Pictures to produce Doug for Nickelodeon. David served as executive producer for Doug on Nickelodeon and Disney’s Doug on ABC. He also executive produced Allegra’s Window for Nickelodeon and PB&J Otter for Disney Channel. He served as an executive producer on the animated series of 101 Dalmatians. He is currently involved in the development of a number of television, film, theatre, and online projects. Most recently David Campbell and his partner Jim Jinkins co-created and co-produced the Walt Disney series Stanley and JoJo’s Circus for Disney Channel.
David lives in Manhattan with his wife and family in a pigeon-free environment.
JIM JINKINS
PRESIDENT
CARTOON PIZZA, INC.
It all started with a number two pencil and a doodle. The doodle Jim Jinkins drew turned into Doug Funnie, a character who has touched the hearts and lifted the spirits of millions of children around the world. And incidentally, along the way, turned into a multi-million-dollar business enterprise.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Jim’s earliest career goals were either to be a forest ranger or to move to the Congo and become Tarzan. But, as with most best-laid plans, they went astray, and he ended up at Ohio State University instead, studying animation and filmmaking.
Next, all the times he got sent to stand in the corner for drawing in school paid off with a job as Graphics Director for Children’s Television Workshop’s Square One TV on PBS.
For Nickelodeon, he appeared as an on-camera performer and artist for Pinwheel and later co-created and produced the award-winning live action series, Allegra’s Window. And then, in 1991 Jim and his partner David Campbell founded Jumbo Pictures to produce Doug, which became one of Nickelodeon’s first big hits and an instant phenomenon with kids and critics alike.
In 1996, Jumbo Pictures was sold to The Walt Disney Company and a new show, Disney’s Doug was born. Jumbo also created and produced 65 episodes of the top-rated Disney Channel series PB&J Otter and 65 episodes of the animated series 101 Dalmatians for ABC.
In 2001, Jim and David co-founded a new independent company, Cartoon Pizza, where they produced 65 episodes of Stanley, one of the highest-rated pre-school programs for Playhouse Disney. Jim also co-created JoJo’s Circus, along with his partner David and his wife Lisa Jinkins.
Jim is also the author/illustrator of Pinky Dinky Doo, a 14-book series distributed by Random House, debuted in May 2004. Pinky Dinky Doo was inspired by bedtime stories Jim made up for his 2 kids, Molly and Heath.
Jim lives in Waccabuc, New York, with his wife, his 2 children, and a big ol’ box of number two pencils.
KURT MUELLER
DIRECTOR, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
SESAME WORKSHOP
Kurt Mueller serves as Director, Creative Development, for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the award-winning series Sesame Street and Dragon Tales. He is responsible for creative content, and the development and production activities for properties in a variety of formats for preschoolers to preteens. In addition, he is charged with identifying and attracting global talent and partnerships.
Mueller is currently overseeing production of Pinky Dinky Doo, a new animated preschool series about a seven-year-old girl with a vivid imagination. The series, which uniquely blends flash animation over photo collage backgrounds, explores early literacy through storytelling and interactive game-play. He is also overseeing the development and production of The Upside Down Show with the Umbilical Brothers for Noggin. The Upside Down Show, slated to bow in Fall 2006, is based upon an original idea by Mueller.
Most recently, Mueller developed and supervised production for Out There, an off-beat drama that invited viewers (9-14) into the lives of four young teenagers whose seemingly unrelated worlds suddenly converged, and acted as Creative Executive for Sponk!, the first-ever tween comedy improv series which aired on Noggin.
Mueller has held the title of Manager, Creative Development, Sesame Workshop (1996-1999). Prior to that, he was a teacher and curriculum developer for Teach for America (1992-1995).
Mueller earned a BA in English and Theatre from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.
RITA WEISSKOFF, Ph.D.
CONTENT DIRECTOR, PINKY DINKY DOO
SESAME WORKSHOP.
Rita Weisskoff is a writer and educator with a special interest in using the power of popular media to support children’s growth and development. She has extensive experience working with creative teams to design and integrate educational content into entertainment vehicles for children, including three preschool series currently on air and online: Dragon Tales, Sesame Workshop and Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group (PBS Kids); Emmy-award winner Little Bill, based on Bill Cosby’s Scholastic, Inc. books (Nick Jr.); and Max and Ruby, based on characters in books by Rosemary Wells, Nelvana/Silver Lining Productions (Nick Jr.). She also directed curriculum development for Out There, the award-winning live action series for 9-14 year olds (Sesame Workshop, CBBC, ABC Australia and Noggin.)
Dr. Weisskoff was the content director for Ghostwriter, Sesame Workshop’s TV-based literacy project, where for eight years she directed the development and implementation of curriculum for the PBS series, as well as ancillary materials, licensed print and interactive products, and outreach activities.
From 1983-1988 Weisskoff was vice-president/director of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), the division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus responsible for the self-regulation of advertising in all media for children. At CARU she consulted with advertisers and agencies on children’s understanding of persuasive messages in the media and asked for changes in advertising when needed.
For 11 years Weisskoff, a language arts and reading consultant, taught in public schools and universities in Connecticut with a special emphasis on developing children’s literacy skills. She co-authored Live and Learn and Yesterdays, two textbooks encouraging classroom writing; and created a column for Nick Jr. Magazine with parenting tips. Other publications include: “It’s 2001. Do you know what your children are watching? The critical role of children’s television in the age of new media,” in Lawrence K. Grossman and Newton N. Minow, A Digital Gift to the Nation. (New York, The Century Foundation Press, 2001.)
She received her B.A. in English from the University of California at Los Angeles and her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Connecticut, where she conducted research on the effects on children’s academic skills of integrating popular music into language arts materials.
