Old Macs Farm Web Series Pilot

Old Mac's Farm is a series of fun, entertaining and inspirational programs that provide information on essential life skills to children aged 3-7 years.

It combines a fantastic amount of creative talent including puppetry, character acting and dance. Not to mention the amazing talents that are involved in filming our series.

By joining us in making Old Mac's Farm you can create real positive change in the lives of the children we reach. Any donation, large all small, makes a difference. Our mission is to create iconic and inspirational stars, for the next generation of NZ kids. Generating positivity, creativity and confidence.

Who is The Illumination Workshop?

We are a nonprofit charity organisation that produces entertaining educational media. 

We believe in the philosophy: teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. Our work is in teaching and inspiring children to care for themselves and others and become the best person they can be.

What is Old Mac's Farm? 

There are five parts to Old Mac's Farm. They cover five key topics of self development and are presented by a collection of quirky characters that are learning about where they fit in the world.

Each part can be viewed separately for targeted learning on resilience, relationships, personal safety / peer pressure, healthy eating and physical movement. When compiled into Old Mac's Farm they will be glued together with fun snippets of handy info such as personal hygiene (as a mum of two boys this topic is essential!!!!).

Why puppets?

Unlike common children's animation, puppets; such as those used on Sesame Street, have been proven to extend the realm of reality for children. Children are more likely to believe and invest in puppet characters and empathise with situations that are presented in a realistic environment.

The Plan

We have decided to film the five parts of our pilot in two separate blocks to allow more time to fundraise and prepare. The first three short parts will be filmed in April and the last two, more complicated parts will be filmed in June.

Once the pilot is made and tested we are on to the next part of the plan; to develop a long term series.

Our eventual plan is to have a live touring show that supports the program. This will connect with the community and provide an opportunity to share our information with children and families, assess our relevance and find inspiration and ideas for future content. 

Sustainability

We have a great plan for sustainability. It's a 5-10 year plan. It has the potential to make sure that we don't have to put our hands out again but our program will still remain free to children throughout New Zealand. This all hinges on the pilot and it has to be good!

By producing Old Mac's Farm in Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, we are creating an industry that can support a wealth of amazing creative people that live here but struggle to earn a living from their talents.

We have so many wonderful people working in kind and donating their time but we do need to pay for some professionals and their equipment, to boost our quality to a higher level, and sets don't get built out of thin air. 

After 20 years of dreaming and devising and two years of solid planning and preparation we are on the threshold of creating something amazing and you can be a part of it. Whether it's a little or a lot we gratefully appreciate any support you can give to help make this dream a reality. Donate today!