Having carved out a career in kids animation production, screenwriting and directing, creative founder Omari McCarthy set his sights on something bigger. The idea? What if you could create wholesome, bespoke animated content for children that was personalised in every way. The concept? A new app that delivers on that exact promise.
“AI came along a couple of years ago while I was looking at the state of the industry and starting to have the ambition to start a production company,” says McCarthy, explaining the impact artificial intelligence had on his trajectory. “I didn’t think it made sense to start a traditional production company. If you’re going to start the next big thing, you have to jump on the next big wave,” he reasons. “That’s when I started Tinkr - a company that uses AI to create personalized content for kids on a scale that’s never been done before.”
In addition to riding the tip of a new creative wave, Tinkr also aims to fill a void that McCarthy noticed during his time in children’s entertainment. Having worked on Cbeebies hits like Jo Jo and Gran Gran, he was shocked to discover that this was the first Black British pre-school show of its kind. This underserved space in the sector got McCarthy thinking about the importance of culture and the stories we pass on to the next generation via the content we share.
“Culture is at the centre of everything we do at Tinkr. It’s also a key part of parenting,” continues McCarthy. “Kids content is used as a pacifier so no matter what your culture is, knowingly or unknowingly, you’re teaching your kids your culture depending on what you show them - be it music, film, fashion or whatever it is. Diverse parents struggle to find diverse content for their kids,” he says. “Tinkr professional and playfully uses culture as a way into families through the ritual of storytime while making sure our content is wholesome.”
To help catalyze his journey, McCarthy joined our Screen LaunchPad cohort. This Creative Enterprise-run scheme is designed to fine-tune founders from under-represented backgrounds, while preparing them for the next stage of their creative journeys.
“It was really all about knowing how to build a road map,” says McCarthy on his decision to combined Tinkr with Screen Launchpad. “It’s a very different and much harder process when you’re going directly to consumers. One of the best decisions I made was picking my mentor very carefully,” he adds, reflecting on the scheme’s ability to pair founders with industry experts for bespoke guidance. “He got me thinking about who my ideal customer was and inspired me to talk to them. It was really insightful.”
While much of Omari’s ideal customer persona work up until that point had been hypothetical, this suggestion from his mentor to actively find the perfect Tinkr user proved invaluable. “That was the best decision I ever made and it’s informing a lot of what I’m doing. Talking to customers has been a revelation,” he tells us. “It was a big eye-opener.”
Also, having an eye on the future while his company is still in its early stages has also been key. “How do I set things up in a way that lets me think about long-term success? I’m always hearing about business owners with self-inflicted wounds - but if you think further out, you’ll make smart decisions now that can inform you further down the road.”
Screen Launchpad’s remit of providing opportunity for creatives from under-represented groups was also something that Omari found refreshing. “I think the team did a really good job in terms of keeping the cohort diverse. Quite a few of its members were Black women in their 20s, which was really good to see,” says the founder. “One of the final sessions was specifically about diversity and inclusion and how to navigate the industry if you’re from a diverse background,” he adds. “That was a really good session.”
Looking ahead, Omari believes Screen Launchpad has positively impacted his creative trajectory - and he’d suggest other founders undergo a similar experience. “I definitely feel much more confident about pushing the company. I’m proud that I’m starting off the right way and doing the right things,” he says. “I’d definitely [tell other founders] to go through it. Be ambitious and future focused. You’re going to leave with a really good mentor and a good cohort of people that you can stay in touch with.”