Left to Right: Michael Sammaciccia, Nikki Reed, Brent Coble, Angela Vargas, and Chris Viscardi.
Image credit: Michael Gauthier.

Five former Nickelodeon colleagues had been holding a series of informal meetings to discuss adapting to major changes in the children’s media industry. What began as conversations about industry shifts quickly revealed a market opportunity as major streaming platforms downsized or eliminated their kids and family departments.

Namely, brands, established creators, and celebrities recognized the potential in children’s content but lacked specialized expertise in this space.

Drawing on their complementary backgrounds, industry veterans Brent Coble, Mike Sammaciccia, Nikki Reed, Angela Silak Vargas, and Chris Viscardi formed The Kids’ Table Content in April, connecting traditional media expertise with digital strategy. The company focuses specifically on premium children’s content for YouTube and beyond.

“We are combining our powers,” Brent explains. “I come from the world of the Internet. Angela is an expert in preschool and educational content. Chris has worked on animated series and showrun projects. Mike is our film expert, having run Nickelodeon Films. Nikki handles franchises. We all do something very different in this space, but we all truly believe in it and want to see it win.”

Having started his own YouTube channel in 2006, Brent was among the first partners in the creator program “when Google was trying to figure out how to pay people.” His career includes scaling creator channels like TheFineBros, Jubilee Media, and Cut, working at YouTube Spaces, and serving on Google’s editorial team alongside then-CEO Susan Wojcicki. At Nickelodeon, he led the production and development of digital original content, helping grow the channel from under a million subscribers to over 10 million during his tenure.

The Kids’ Table aims to “bring kids and families together by crafting unforgettable stories, building those iconic characters.” 

“For a brand or creator who’s not already in that space, we can increase your reach, increase your relevance, and ultimately increase your revenue,” Brent states.

Central to The Kids’ Table’s mission is a commitment to creating content that transcends what Brent describes as “brain rot”—videos that may capture attention through flashy techniques but provide little substantive value to young viewers.

“We don’t want just that moment-by-moment transaction. We want to help create those lasting memories where you want to go back to those characters again and again,” Brent emphasizes. “We want to make stuff that parents aren’t just trusting in when they hand over a device or they turn on the TV, but that the whole family can sit down with and enjoy.”

This philosophy stems in part from Brent’s personal experience as a father of a four-year-old daughter. “She calls Paramount+ the blue one, and Netflix is the red one. And then kids go to her or the YouTube app is like the fun one,” he shares. Observing his daughter’s relationship with digital content heightened his awareness of the quality gap in children’s media.

“Some people have this thought of like, ‘oh, they’re just kids, you can post anything,'” Brent notes. “Kids are so smart and they want stories and characters.”

The Production Approach

As Brent explains, The Kids’ Table offers a full-service model that covers the entire content creation process, providing hands-on development, production, and distribution support.

“We’re not consultants. We’re not just going to point you in the direction of somebody who can go do it for you and kind of act as the middleman,” Brent clarifies. “We will help you strategize it, develop it, produce it, and then help you distribute it on whatever platform that is.”

This soup-to-nuts approach spans multiple formats and platforms. While Brent admits his personal bias toward YouTube as a starting point, the company’s capabilities extend to traditional media channels. “If you want to go make a feature film, we’ve got the connections to do that and try to get you a theatrical release,” he confirms.

YouTube: The New Center of Children’s Media

Despite the founders’ deep roots in traditional media, The Kids’ Table has identified YouTube as the primary platform for successful kids’ content today. “I’d say 90% of the conversations we have center around YouTube and capturing that audience because we need to be where kids are and they are online,” Brent explains.

This focus follows the shift in children’s viewing habits. “YouTube is the new ‘Saturday Morning,’ but that’s every day, and we can program content that hits them and it’s great and it’s not brain rot nonsense,” says Brent.

The company’s approach leverages successful models, such as Ms. Rachel, who built a large following on YouTube before transitioning to Netflix. “You’re going to build an audience to prove that IP works,” Brent notes. “If you do this in a really big way, a huge opportunity opens up to then go license that content.”

Connecting with Creators: The Business Case

The Kids’ Table collaborates with two primary types of creators: established personalities seeking to expand their reach without increasing their personal workload, and content creators who, often as parents themselves, have identified gaps in children’s programming.

“YouTubers recognize that their bandwidth and their time are the most valuable thing they have,” Brent observes. “Maybe they started that channel when they were 20, and maybe they’re getting close to 40, have families themselves. So one big motivator is trying to figure out how to continue building this empire without needing to physically be there all the time.”

Brent cites his experience at Nickelodeon developing “The JoJo & BowBow Show” for JoJo Siwa. When Siwa became overwhelmed by her demanding schedule, the animated series allowed her to expand her brand with minimal time investment. 

“Instead of her needing to be on set for 30 days and to shoot that out and having these grueling hours, she came in twice for two-three hour recording sessions to get her voice. And then we took care of it, animated it, and got a dozen episodes of that up, which crushed and opened up a whole new audience for her.”

The transition from quick-turnaround social media content to premium children’s programming requires a mental shift for many creators. “It’s a very different way of thinking,” Brent acknowledges. “This is no longer setting up a camera and knocking out a YouTube video.”

Emotional Connection Over Metrics

While views and impressions remain important business indicators, The Kids’ Table measures success primarily through the emotional connections their content creates. “For us and for many people we’re talking to, we get way more excited about that emotional connection and the quality of that content,” Brent shares.

He notes that this approach aligns with the distinctive nature of children’s content consumption. “It’s not a watch pattern or an algorithm thing for kids. They become emotionally connected with characters and stories, and they want that on their backpack, and they want their birthday party to be themed,” he explains.

For brands partnering with The Kids’ Table, this emotional connection translates to increased relevance and revenue. “We want to be great content that happens to have this brand or this thing to sell,” Brent explains.

Improving the Digital Experience for Children

Beyond its commercial objectives, The Kids’ Table has a mission to elevate the overall quality of children’s digital content, particularly on YouTube Kids. “My secret mission is to make YouTube Kids an amazing, trusted place,” Brent admits.

The company has formed partnerships with organizations focused on children’s mental health and media consumption, including Mindful Media Foundation. “There’s a real untangling that needs to take place, especially online for kids’ media diets,” Brent notes.

As parents themselves, all five founders share a personal stake in this mission. “There are ‘what I think it will be’ and ‘what I hope it will be,’” Brent says when discussing the future of children’s content. While he acknowledges the growing challenge of AI-generated content and the continued production of low-quality material, he sees an opportunity for meaningful storytelling to stand out.

A Vision of Quality Storytelling

Brent points to shows like “Bluey” as examples of what quality children’s content can achieve. “I have openly wept in front of my family while watching episodes because it’s touching and it’s real, and they’re just cartoon dogs,” he shares. “The things they talk about in that show, the way they open up conversations for me to have with my daughter, the way they help raise questions for her to ask, is exactly what good children’s entertainment should do.”

For Brent, who has championed digital media throughout his career, the industry’s current direction represents a validation of his long-held beliefs. “I planted my flag in digital media so long ago with the belief that one day these folks from traditional media would realize the tides are turning. That’s exactly what we’re seeing right now.”

As The Kids’ Table continues to grow, it remains committed to elevating children’s content by creating stories and characters that foster lasting emotional connections while betting that quality storytelling will not only capture attention but build enduring relationships with what Brent calls “the most loyal audience in the world”—children.