Kids like on-demand television as much as adults do, don't they? It's looking like Amazon Studios is banking on that, as they're moving forward on another children's pilot, which would presumably be made available via Prime Instant Video if it ends up going to series. Titled Maker Shack Agency, the pilot joins the five other previously announced pilots in development for the streaming video subscription service.
Produced by Electus Studios, Maker Shack Agency centers on 13-year-old inventor Angus Wolfe, known as Wolfie, and his two best friends and fellow "makers," Joe and Merle. They live in "the hardscrabble town of Akron, Ohio," and spend their hours thinking and tinkering in all branches of science and personal ingenuity, using inventions to solve their clients' problems. From Amazon's description, it sounds like each episode will showcase a different invention. "Together, they make people's lives better by coming up with science and technology-inspired inventions for their various problems."
I like the description, as it sounds like it could be a mix of educational, inspirational and entertaining, with its focus on three kids using their brains to come up with innovative ideas and bring them to fruition. And from what Electus' Drew Buckley says, inspiration is one of their goals.
“We are incredibly excited for our first initiative with Amazon and we look forward to inspiring the next generation of makers. With Maker Shack Agency, we hope to inspire kids to think about new and different ways to solve life’s problems and to never be afraid of failure—as Wolfie always says, ‘Fail Forward.’”
Maker Shack Agency is just one of numerous projects in the works at Amazon, as they gear up to join in on the original programming trend we're seeing among the streaming video services. Amazon Prime subscribers already have a number of series to look forward to, including comedies Alpha House and Betas, and children's programs Creative Galaxy, Annebots, Tumble, all of which have been ordered to series.
Still at the pilot stage among the children's pilots are Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street, Hard-Boiled Eggheads, The Jo B. & G. Raff Show, Grid Smasher and Wishenpoof. WIth those in mind, and now adding Maker Shack Agency to the list, it seems obvious that Amazon's pushing toward loading up on kids shows. That's not a terrible idea. While we know Netflix has plans of their own for original children's programming, that market hasn't exactly been cornered yet, and this could be an opportunity for Amazon Prime to carve out a bigger presence for itself among the streaming video services and lure in new subscribers - particularly those looking for more worth-watching shows for their kids.
Looking at the premise of Maker Shack Agency, the project could also prove to be a bigger success for Amazon Prime if they're toying with the idea of expanding the series to a line of toys. This may be thinking too far ahead at this stage in the project's development, but if the pilot goes to series and it takes off, perhaps the mentioned inventions featured in the series will make their way into Amazon.com's toy department.
