The many birds of the Holy Land provided inspiration for a Little Rock couple’s DVD series on the teachings of Jesus - one that has reached the top of the Christian book sellers charts.
Jared and Natalie Hankins, the parents of three, were frustrated by the lack of quality entertainment for their children - entertainment with a spiritual foundation - so they decided to develop their own. Jared Hankins has experience in television production and contacts in the industry as well. He serves as chief operating officer of Kombine Media Inc. whose clients include big names such as Cartoon Network, Tommy Hilfiger and Warner Bros. Records.
For the project, the couple partnered with Rollman Entertainment Inc., Zaya Toonz, LLC and Kombine Media. Their goal was to develop a series that shared the teachings of Jesus in a way children would enjoy.
Natalie Hankins said she was especially excited about the series after countless shopping excursions looking for videos that she and the couple’s children would approve.
“As a mom shopping with the kids for good entertainment to find things they like and I approve of, it’s really challenging,” she said. “We wanted to create something they are genuinely entertained with and we’re really passionate about, sharing the message Jesus came to share.”
The idea of using birds to represent biblical characters came from a friend who had recently visited the Holy Land. While there he took picture after picture of the wide variety of birds.
“There are so many different kinds of birds and they represent humans really well,” Natalie Hankins said.
They settled on a name for the series, too - Iesodo (pronounced Yay-Sa-Doe). It’s a Japanese word meaning “the way of Jesus.” It’s also the name of the main character, a white dove, who represents Jesus. He’s joined by a variety of other birds. Maggie, a Palestinian sunbird, represents Mary Magdalene, while Barry, a hoopoe (the national bird of Israel), represents the Apostle Paul. The kingfisher Tom is Thomas, Rocky the bulbul is Peter and James and John are pelicans Jack and Jacob.
“The word [Iesodo] is tricky. It takes a while to learn to pronounce it but we hope it will be a trendy name with kids,” Natalie Hankins said.
The first DVD in the series, Believe, came out in October. It features two 15-minute episodes of the birds of Cypress Tree on the shores of Lake Galilee. The first episode, “The Gathering,” introduces viewers to Iesodo and the rest of the cast as they gather to hear the dove speak. In “Believing Is Seeing,” Iesodo helps a blind finch named Luke.
So far, Believe has been a hit. It was the No. 1 new children’s animated video for Christian Book Stores this past quarter.
“This series is taking off with kids of all ages because of the high production quality, fun adventures, memorable songs and lovable characters in each episode,” Jared Hankins said. “Our goal is to reach as many children as possible with the stories of Jesus, and we are excited that families are enjoying the series together.”
The series has also received the Award of Excellence in Animation and the Award of Merit for an Original Song in the Accolade Competition.
The Hankins’ children - ages 12, 10 and 4 - have also been impressed.
“They are excited and we find them really getting involved and caring about it and offering up suggestions,” Jared Hankins said.
He said the children have helped with firsthand market research by watching the videos during production.
“They asked questions that helped us and sparked conversations about values and teaching but also allowed us to do market research,” he said. “It’s fun for all of them to be a part of it.”
The series includes original music and features the work of some Arkansas musicians.
The second DVD in the series, Love, comes out Jan. 21 and will include two episodes. In total, seven DVDs are planned. Believe is available at local Christian bookstores and in January, the second DVD will be available for live streaming or rental from Amazon.
For the Hankins family, it’s a project they’ve put their hearts and souls into, and they hope other families will enjoy the series as much as they do.
“We hope people will like it but success for us would be for it to be a tool to help families open discussions about faith with their kids,” said Natalie Hankins.
Information about Iesodo is available online at iesodo.com.
Religion, Pages 14 on 12/28/2013