The main character Ziggy and his friends – members of The Junkyard Band – are the brainchild of a Louisiana artist, Clay Achee, who approached LPB with the desire to share his creation with a wider audience. LPB saw the potential and made an initial investment and developed Ziggy as a digital first 9-episode educational children’s series that uses the power of art, music and storytelling to build critical and creative thinkers and strives to capture the elusive tween audience. To enhance the local impact and align with LPB’s mission, each episode features a special guest artist; everything from musicians, dancers to painters and poets. The series not only educates this demographic about art, it also helps foster a sense of pride in Louisiana and celebrates our culture. Through script development and educational and artistic advisors, LPB ensured the series aligned with the Louisiana Academic & Arts Standards. Studies show that arts education helps children succeed in academics, but arts programs are often the first to get eliminated.
LPB believes Ziggy’s Arts Adventure is a trusted and effective resource that educators and parents alike will use to help spark a love of the arts and facilitate learning. Marketing of the series began 6-weeks out & included digital billboards that progressively introduced the characters along with a robust social media campaign including TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram content. Select influencers were invited to view tapings and the guest artists themselves all helped spread awareness and generate excitement on social media. A Ziggy mini-site was created on lpb.org, which helped introduce new viewers to other LPB programs and events. LPB created a YouTube channel just for Ziggy’s Arts Adventure ensuring that the viewing experience remains in a safe space that parents can trust.
To kick-off the digital premiere, LPB partnered with Baton Rouge’s main public library to hold a special community outreach event with live music from Ziggy and his band. The premiere event also included a sneak peek at the first two episodes and free lemonade to help everyone beat the Louisiana heat. Fans also got a chance to meet Ziggy and the gang. While Ziggy himself is definitely one-of-a-kind, LPB believes that any station considering development of original children’s programs can benefit by leaning into their local arts and education communities and consider a digital first pathway as a way to attract the teen and tween audience.