🏄🏽How We Built Our Bubble Buddies - 3 🐙
Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Money (So We Moved Forward Anyway)
At this point, we were buzzing. Excited. Overflowing with ideas. Possibly too many ideas. What we did not have was funding. Very little, actually. But instead of panicking (well, not only panicking), we decided to do the most sensible thing we could think of: we moved forward anyway.
Our next steps were clear: create a fantastic Activity Book and a website where we could finally start showing off all our ideas and dreams.
THE ACTIVITY BOOK: EASIER THAN EXPECTED (BUT STILL NOT EASY-EASY)
Let us start with the book. Surprisingly, this was the easier part. Not easy-easy, but more like challenging but manageable.
We gathered all the stories we had so far, improved the weak points, and shaped everything into a beautiful package. It is funny how, once you really start looking at something, you always find something to improve. Always.
In reality, Tamsin did most of the work. The rest of us supported her enthusiastically, mostly by lying on the sofa and cheering her on like a football crowd during a crucial match.
Very loud. Morally supportive. Questionable usefulness.
Still, step by step, the book came together. One big milestone reached.
BUILDING THE WEBSITE: BUBBLE BY BUBBLE
The second step was bigger and messier: building the website and organising a stronger team. Unfortunately, the website was not going to build itself. We asked the fantastic Claire if she could help us set everything up. She said yes. Absolute legend.
There was just one small detail: she would build the backend, but we had to create the structure and all the content. Luckily, Debra is an expert webmaster. Unluckily, I am not. I bring very little technical knowledge and a lot of wildly unrealistic ideas. Still, this is how Debra and I work. We do not stop. We just keep moving.
Apart from the Activity Book and our lovely Bubble Buddies, we did not actually have that much ready material. And we wanted something fun and different. A real playground.
Our friend Suzanne, a branding and marketing genius, stepped in to help. She gave us brilliant advice about layout and structure. Sometimes I missed half of what she said because she speaks at the speed of a missile and occasionally forgets that I am not British. Somehow, through confused nodding and lots of laughter, we agreed on a plan.
And then we started building. Page by page. Bubble by bubble.
World-defining questions were ping-ponged across Europe: Should the games section come before or after the characters? Tahoma or Trebuchet? Why does this button look wrong again? We debated for weeks. Months. We tested pages, approved some, deleted others, changed and changed again, always searching for the most fun solution.
THE BIRTH OF SOPHIA’S BLOG (LOGIC? WHAT LOGIC?)
During this building phase, we decided we needed a blog. We did not want a serious adult blog about difficult science or boring descriptions. We wanted something magical. So we decided the blog should be written by one of our characters.
We looked at our line-up and, through a moment of pure, unadulterated instinct, pointed at Sophia. Why Sophia? There was no logical reason. Perhaps it is because she is a seahorse: unique, very slow, and undeniably cute. She floats through the water with a quiet charm. And she looks like Tricia. We simply loved her. So, Sophia it was.
Finding the Voice (or: Talking to Imaginary Seahorses)
I sat down with Tricia to start, and that is when reality hit. I had never written a blog before. I had never written a story for children. I spent a terrifyingly long time staring at a blank screen, trying to become a seahorse.
I had to figure out Sophia’s voice. What would a seahorse say? What would a four-year-old find fascinating? And, most importantly, what would make them yawn and go looking for a biscuit?
My first attempt began with: “Greetings, marine enthusiasts!” Debra laughed so hard she nearly fell off her chair. Try again, Rosa. This time, think like you are four.
The good thing was that, because we were not scientists, we could not talk about hard science even if we wanted to. This actually helped. If we did not understand a long, scary word, we knew a five-year-old would not either.
The Inner Child and the Red Pen
Luckily, Debra pointed out the obvious: I am basically still a child. And, to be fair, so is she. Once I embraced my inner toddler, the words started to flow. I would write a draft in a burst of seahorse inspiration, then Debra and Tricia would swoop in like the most supportive sharks in the sea to amend and polish it.
We discovered that writing for children is a bit like magic. You have to be serious enough to be trusted, but silly enough to be fun.
THE SEARCH FOR A DIRECTOR
We also started looking for a director for our animated series. Since we were already mostly women, we thought we would look for a woman director. Not because we wanted to exclude anyone, but because representation matters.
So we searched. And searched. And searched some more. Out of around 100 animation directors with solid experience, we found two women. Two. That is like diving into the sea expecting a whole school of fish and discovering only two lonely seahorses drifting past.
Luckily, one of them was Ruth. She loved the project. She is amazing. That was a huge step forward, because we could finally start talking seriously to broadcasters and funders. And then... reality gently tapped us on the shoulder.
THE BORING BUT VERY IMPORTANT BITS
Of course, between all the creative fun, there were grown-up responsibilities we could not ignore anymore. Things like a pitch deck, a budget, and a business plan.
It is not that we did not have a plan, we were just circling around it like a fish around a shiny new object. Or like when you have to do your homework but suddenly realise you must first feed the pet, clean your shoes, and rearrange your desk.
Ahahahaha. Yes. The business plan really is that boring.
Unfortunately, these parts are also very important. You cannot make an animated series with enthusiasm alone. Luckily, Ruth introduced us to Jane, a brilliant young line producer who knows how to turn animation dreams into numbers. She helped us build the budget carefully and patiently.
Tricia, Debra, and I rolled up our sleeves and moved forward, pretending to love and fully understand spreadsheets. It was not glamorous. But it was very necessary. And here is the secret: it never really ends. You always go back to change a number, fix a sentence, or adjust a plan. You tell yourself it is the last change. (It never is.)
ONE LAST THING
Once the book was done, we decided to test it. We launched a small campaign, and we were very happy to discover something important: children loved it.
That is when it hit us. If we wanted to be serious, we had to be reliable. We were becoming more and more aware that Bubble Buddies could turn into a very important educational tool. Which meant one thing: our science had to be real, not fantasy, and had to be validated.
We realised we had built something beautiful. Now we had to make sure it was also accurate. Even though Tricia is brilliant and knowledgeable, there are things only scientists truly know in depth. We did not want to accidentally teach a child something that was not true or outdated.
We needed backup. We needed experts. That... is a story for the next episode.
Coming up next: Episode 4 – Getting the Science Right
Speak Soon and have fun, Rosa
Bubbles of Wisdom
⏩Sometimes the best way forward is to pretend you know what you are doing... until you actually do. 👁️
🫧A website is built one bubble at a time, even when you debate the same button placement for three Zoom calls. 🦚
🌊 “Greetings, marine enthusiasts!” is not how four-year-olds talk. Lesson learned. 🏄🏽
