Reflections from our Day One Employees

Mike: Even before BrainPOP, I had worked with Dr. Kadar to teach kids about Asthma and the human body and science and other cool stuff. I started my career as an animator. I came up with Tim and Moby! I remember when we launched the site with 30 movies—which we think of as BrainPOP’s first “day.” We weren’t totally sure what we were doing—but we knew we wanted to do a good job of it. 

Raffi: I had just moved to the US and connected to Dr. Kadar through a friend. The more I learned about BrainPOP and the more I got to know Dr. Kadar, I felt that BrainPOP was an amazing opportunity. I was the first BrainPOP engineer and helped build our internal engineering capabilities. We were a tiny company…I remember on my first day there was no space for my chair–we had to move the copy machine to another area so I could sit!

Annie: In the beginning I was there just a few days a week helping develop content before BrainPOP was even launched. We were still iterating on the concept, characters, design, learning objectives, etc. It was all possibilities! My first day at BrainPOP was a TINY group of folks in a small office space. I knew I had found my crew. We were loud, we were silly, we cared deeply about snacks. I’ve been here forever and I still love it.

Ilana: My first job at BrainPOP was serving as the right hand to Dr. Avraham Kadar. Every day brought different challenges and opportunities (including an office buildout!). BrainPOP was my first job in edtech and I immediately sensed there was something special about it. Dr. Kadar’s mission to educate and empower kids was deeply personal and I wanted to be part of it. I committed to learning everything I could and growing within the organization. BrainPOP has been my “education in education.”

Channy: When I joined BrainPOP in 2006, edtech was still in its early stages. The focus was mostly on basic digital tools and resources that supported traditional classroom teaching, like interactive whiteboards. BrainPOP stood out by making complex subjects accessible and fun for students when others were text-heavy and lacked interactivity. We were part of a movement that was transforming education, making it more dynamic and engaging for students around the world.

Demian: When I joined BrainPOP in 1999, the internet was just starting to gain traction as an educational tool. The idea of using short, animated videos to explain complex topics in a fun, relatable way was groundbreaking. BrainPOP was a pioneer in this space. We were driven by the belief that education could be both informative and enjoyable, which was a radical idea at the time.

Ilana: Dr. Kadar often says, “BrainPOP was edtech before edtech existed.” We have been pioneering and innovating with purpose since those early days. The state of technology was a completely different world: the iPad was released in 2010—the year I joined BrainPOP. We launched the Featured Movie app concurrently with the first iPad! The concept of learning anywhere, anytime was revolutionary, and we played a leading role in that shift.

Ilana: I like to look at a brand as a promise, which means that certain things should always hold true even as your brand evolves. In our case, that is BrainPOP being the highlight of every student’s day. We are deeply invested in making learning stick. We have always prioritized our partnership with educators. We have evolved our products so much, from how kids can gain background knowledge and apply it in so many self-directed, creative, differentiated ways. We have expanded into new product areas like inquiry-based science, which stays true to our ethos of encouraging kids to lead with curiosity. And we’ve evolved the ways in which we give teachers actionable insights into student performance and where they need more practice.

Raffi: It’s incredible to see how BrainPOP has evolved into a world class learning platform that serves millions of students each year. Originally we thought what we were doing would best serve parents, but it was teachers who saw the power of BrainPOP and brought it to their schools. Teachers are the reason for our growth, and the reason we are so loved and widely used today.

Annie: BrainPOP’s brand has always been about engaging content that helps students understand big ideas in fun, delightful ways. That has never changed and it never will. I think our most growth has been with our people. We’ve hired so many incredibly talented and intelligent folks and together we’ve been able to reach more classrooms and schools.

Channy: The family atmosphere that made BrainPOP special from the beginning has remained constant. It’s this supportive environment that continues to inspire and drive our work, keeping the spirit of collaboration and creativity alive. That’s how BrainPOP continues to innovate, making digital learning more accessible and impactful for students everywhere​.

Annie: If I had to choose one moment, it’d be the launch of BrainPOP Jr. I was there during the early days. It was a very, very, very small crew and it’s a miracle that we got it all done. I have written every single movie and I’m really proud about that; creating content for Annie and Moby is still the best part of my job.

Raffi: A moment I remember most was how we decided to provide free BrainPOP access to everyone during COVID-19, when our customers needed to quickly pivot to remote instruction. We had so much traffic it almost took down our server! That decision backed up our ethos of always putting kids first–it was a real privilege to support students and educators at such a time of need.

Channy: I’m incredibly proud of how BrainPOP has become a beloved and trusted resource for both educators and students. Hearing first hand from kids about how much they’ve learned from BrainPOP is deeply rewarding. Knowing that I’ve contributed to something that has made a real difference in education and helped so many students grasp complex topics in a fun and engaging way is something I’m really proud of.

Demian: I’m proud of the consistency we’ve maintained in our creative process. Even as the company has grown from an ambitious startup into a trusted leader and the educational landscape has changed, we’ve stayed true to our original goal of making learning fun and accessible for kids. The fact that Moby and his friends are still as loved today as they were two decades ago speaks to the enduring appeal of what we’ve created.

Annie: That we’ve made it this far! We’ve been in the industry far longer than most edtech companies. We’ve weathered budget cuts, COVID, and more, but BrainPOP has withstood all these hardships. It’s a testament to our teams, but also to our devoted fans of Moby and his crew.

Mike: The fact that the stuff we make resonates with so many is wonderful—and not completely weird, since the joy of learning can be universal, but it’s a nice surprise, nonetheless.

Demian: When we first created Moby, he was just a character meant to guide kids through our content. But over the years, he’s become much more than that. It’s been amazing to see how students and teachers alike have embraced Moby and the rest of the BrainPOP universe.

Channy: I’m most excited about how BrainPOP is set to break new ground, expanding into new markets and embracing the latest technologies like AI and immersive learning. The potential to innovate further and reach even more students around the world makes the future so promising.

Raffi: We’ve just completed huge platform updates that will put our product capabilities on a new level. For example, now we can add the tech-enhanced question types you’d see on state assessments, which will be a big support for teachers, and boost students’ confidence. I’m excited to keep building on that and more, and show how BrainPOP delivers on our promise of learning gains!

We also just launched a new AI-assisted grading tool for BrainPOP Science and I’m very excited to keep thoughtfully building out our AI capabilities.

Demian: One of the most exciting prospects is our continued exploration of personalized learning. I’m excited about the potential to create even more interactive, adaptive content that responds to how students learn best. The edtech landscape will continue to evolve quickly, and the most impactful thing we can do is to keep evolving with the needs of our learners and the world they are inheriting.

Mike: What excites me most about our future is that we’ve been around long enough to hear from kids who grew up learning with Tim,Annie, Moby, and the gang and can testify to the lasting power of our approach. I’m excited to hear from a generation of people who grew up with BrainPOP!

Ilana: I’m excited about reaching even more kids around the world. Every time I meet someone who positively lights up when I tell them I work at BrainPOP, I am reminded how impactful our work is. Dr. Kadar always emphasized that our work is both a privilege and a responsibility because parents and teachers entrust their kids to us. That feels very personal to me.

Annie: We should keep innovating and listening to students and teachers. Keep loving what we do. Keep doing the hard work. We can solve the challenges in education and make teachers’ lives easier. As long as we keep meeting the changing needs of classrooms everywhere, we’ll be able to make a lasting impact.