CEO of Wimage, LLC, Michael Hyacinthe joins Lynne to discuss how Consumers’ partnership with Wimee helps kids learn about money and create great savings habits.

 

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0:00:06.5 Lynne Jarman-Johnson: Money, I’m Home. Welcome in, I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. From finance to fitness, we have it all. And today we have our very special guest and partner. I’m going to say Wimee because Wimee is so important, but Michael Hyacinthe thank you so much for being with us.

0:00:24.3 Michael Hyacinthe: Thank you Lynne for having us.

0:00:25.9 LJJ: We love our Wimee kids’ club partnership. It has just grown by leaps and bounds. Tell us a little bit about the very first inkling you had that, “Wow. Wimee was really going to take this community by storm.”

0:00:40.7 MH: Well, as a veteran, I’m always proud to recognize that in all of my conversations, and thank you for the great work you guys do for veterans. We saw the power of creativity, so we wanted to inspire kids at an early age to use creativity to learn, to express themselves. And so that’s why we created Wimee, right? This character that is lovable, that is inspiring and that would help kids learn all around our community and we saw that this robot can inspire kids. And so, creating the show to the technology intent to now our great partnership, we’re really gaining traction.

0:01:22.2 LJJ: Not only did you start with this little robot that has become its own character, you have a mascot now, but the cool part about it was I met you when you were starting to win these huge awards. Not only locally but across the country—because of the fact that you opened up the doors to say, “What if? What if we could create not only a fun robot?” Hi, Wimee! But you’ve got animation, you have education, you have books now you have coloring, you have stickers, you have everything your own Studio in downtown Grand Rapids. Does it just keep getting better and better?

0:01:57.4 MH: We are dreamers, right? And so, the sky’s the limit. We believe that through creativity so many things can be achieved—imagination and hard work. And so, we are passionate about this character and all of the different opportunities that has opened up for us. And you’re absolutely right. We are now doing animations. We are on PBS doing live interactions where kids at home can connect and engage with us in real time. And we are getting ready to launch our second book called Wimee Learns About Money.

0:02:35.2 LJJ: Money! [laughter] It’s such a good book.

0:02:37.2 MH: It is, it is. We’re excited. It’s fun, it’s colorful. And it’s teaching kids about finances at an early age which we know it’s really important.

0:02:45.7 LJJ: Now, in the new year, for those of you who are listening and watching, the money book will become a part of our kids’ club which we are just thrilled about it. The dreams book is just as important, because without dreams you can’t also build the foundation of laying how to make sure that your life is successful, even at an early age.

0:03:10.4 MH: Yeah. We truly believe in inspiring kids to dream big and dream often so that they can actually go and pursue those dreams. But as they get older those dreams become a reality and that’s when money becomes a key issue. And so, this next book, and we’re excited that it’s going to be a part of the kit, is going to be very very important. But it’s also a fun colorful book.

0:03:38.4 LJJ: Does it just seem surreal to you? I mean, it has to a little bit because you have become such a … And then the word popular is not even right. Truly, is you’ve become integral in many people’s lives.

0:03:49.5 MH: Well, it’s not just me but we’ve got a great team. Kevin, Stephanie our author, Gwen our producer and Jim our other producer. It really takes a collaboration and that’s what is with you and I; Wimage and Consumers Credit Union. This is a collaboration, a partnership. And we truly believe that’s the way to truly succeed. And whatever we do is to develop collaborations.

0:04:14.1 LJJ: And one of the things that I think that people don’t really realize is the collaborations that are bigger than that. You were at the zoo with STEAM Day. You were at the Griffins with our school day that we hold. And what I find just so refreshing is how kids and families react when Wimee walks in a room.

0:04:40.6 MH: Yeah, it’s interesting. When we built the character, we wanted to build a robot that didn’t act like a robot. That, to a sense, kids come up to Wimee and say, “Wow, this robot has a heart.” And, “This robot is real.” And so, we intentionally make Wimee a character that appears as if he has a soul and a heart and that’s purposely done so that kids can really be inspired by the character.

0:05:00.5 LJJ: So, tell us what you’re looking forward to. I know there’s a new book. But let’s talk a little bit about how … Okay. How long does it take you to produce just one of our Wimee kids’ club minutes?

0:05:21.2 MH: Yeah, there is time. We’ve got to write the script we then have to consult with our partners and so we get your feedback and it’s important to us because we want to make sure that we hit those educational points. So, there is a bit of writing time then editing then filming. So regardless of if it’s a one-minute episode or five-minute episodes, each of the episodes have their own lengthy process. So, it just depends on the script.

0:05:44.1 LJJ: What I think is interesting is every single person that touches that script has ideas that you then incorporate and build it to make it even better.

0:05:57.2 MH: Yeah, absolutely. And so, the entire team takes a look at the script and then we just continue to build on it. But ultimately, we want to make sure that you, our partner, is happy with the script. And we can create a product that the kids will receive exceptionally well. That is our ultimate goal, is to make sure that your customer and their kids love what they’re watching, and they want to share it and continue to watch it over and over again until they themselves have learned and mastered the different episodes that we’ve created.

0:06:25.7 LJJ: Well. And I think that when you look at money, it can be a very difficult conversation to have with children. Not because it’s scary. Adults make it scary.

0:06:44.5 MH: Yeah, yeah. And not only that but there are certain people who grew up in households where money was not discussed. And so, for adults as well the very basic knowledge that we’re incorporating in Money Minutes can continue to help adults learn how to truly spend and how to save and how to shop around without buying the first item that they see. All those things while we’re teaching kids many of us could still use a refresher.

0:07:09.7 LJJ: I love the … The most recent Money Minutes is coming out. It talks about the importance of a shopping list. And what I think is, oh my goodness, so important and what you showed was just because you see that bright for sale sign, this is on sale, that doesn’t mean you have to buy something that really shouldn’t go in your cart because it’s not on the list.

0:07:34.3 MH: Yeah, absolutely. Just being mindful of what you’re doing and how do you properly shop without breaking the finances, is extremely important. So having a plan is also key.

0:07:52.9 LJJ: One of the other components of the Money Minute was something we used to do with our kids. We had six, growing up. And we would sit around the dinner table, and we’d be eating and we would say, “What do you think this cost?” And we would then add it all up to see which child was close to seeing what was our dinner, what did our dinner cost? It was always shocking and eye-opening to have them not … They just didn’t understand if they didn’t go shopping with you, right?

0:08:12.3 MH: Yeah.

0:08:13.1 LJJ: So how fun is that?

0:08:20.2 MH: Yeah, it is. And I think it’s important for kids to recognize the different value of a specific item. And so, all of our Money Minutes help educate kids on various components of saving money, creating a shopping list. We’ve got some really cute ones where we’re going to figure out how do you start a business, right? At an early age, I think it’s important for kids to build the understanding of how, being an entrepreneur. And it starts with the basic lemonade stand. What are those different things that you need to be a successful lemonade stand owner. [chuckle]

0:08:55.7 LJJ: I love it. I love it. Hey, thank you so much for listening today. You can become a part of Wimee in our kids’ club. Just head online. Also look at Wimee on Facebook and all the social medias. Really quickly, Michael, if you don’t mind me asking, tell me a little bit about the PBS show and when it’s on and how people can watch it.

0:09:14.1 MH: Yes. So, we are on 12:30 Friday in the afternoon. That’s the live interaction show. And then Saturday morning cartoons at 7:30 on WGVU.

0:09:31.4 LJJ: And it’s always learning.

0:09:34.7 MH: It’s always learning, fun, creativity, storytelling and imagination.

0:09:37.6 LJJ: And thank you Wimee. I appreciate you sitting next to me today. [chuckle] I know you’re a little shy today but that’s okay. [laughter]

0:09:39.0 MH: Yes. But he’s always happy.

0:09:41.2 LJJ: It’s always the production people behind the scenes, including Jake Esselink, our producer. Thank you so much Jake. I hope all of you have a wonderful week. And don’t forget to check out Wimee and our kids’ club, and also PBS. And hey, if you’re ever down at the studio in Ottawa and Grand Rapids stop in. They’d love to see you and say hi. I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. Money, I’m Home.

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