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The award-winning children's animated series "Jay Jay the Jet Plane" arrives today on PBS, joining the PBS Kids "Ready to Learn" lineup. The network will air 40 half-hour episodes--14 new installments along with 26 episodes that were previously shown on the Learning Channel.
The 3-D animated series geared for preschoolers follows the adventures of a curious 6-year-old jet plane named Jay Jay and his airplane friends who live and have fun at the Tarrytown Airport, a magical place where imagination takes flight.
Each episode of "Jay Jay" includes two stories with songs and explores such subjects as holidays, birthdays, friendship and safety.
"Jay Jay" is the brainchild of David Michel, who quit his job as a Dallas-based marketing executive because he couldn't find quality TV available for his son John, then 3. Michel poured his life savings into creating three "Jay Jay the Jet Plane" home videos. Partnering a few years ago with Porchlight Entertainment, he transformed "Jay Jay" into a popular series on the Learning Channel, and it has won 12 national awards for excellence.
Michel, who is also the executive producer of "Jay Jay," discussed the genesis of the series and its long road to PBS.
Question: How did you make the transition from business executive to creating "Jay Jay the Jet Plane"?
Answer: I was head of sales and marketing for a medical consulting firm, and the particular job I had had me traveling a lot . . . logging over 100,000 miles a year. While I was traveling I was...