CoolSchool Makes the Grade

Children's YouTube channel will make its licensing debut at Licensing Expo, May 23-25.

CoolSchool, a children's YouTube channel aimed at kids ages 4 to 9, will showcase its suite of brands now available for licensing at this year's Licensing Expo.

Launched in 2012 by Weitz and Rob Kurtz, CoolSchool is created by Driver Digital Studios and is making its mark with original content that now has more than 630,000 subscribers, 730 million video views and boasts 2.5 billion minutes of content consumed.

The concept for CoolSchool is rather elementary.

"It's time to make kids laugh," says Weitz, a father of five. "There needs to be a place for kids that is really wholesome, safe and makes you laugh."

Key CoolSchool characters include Ms. Booksy, who immerses herself in the story by bringing books to life via animation and live-action; Crafty Carol, who makes simple craft projects for kids; and Drew Pendous, CoolSchool's first animated superhero, who uses his artistic talents to draw gadgets that get him out of trouble.

Driver Digital Studios also has a separate production service, generating YouTube content for Mattel's "Thomas The Tank Engine" and American Girl brands, to name a few.

Represented by Danny Simon of The Licensing Group, CoolSchool founder and chief executive officer Scott Weitz will be meeting with potential licensors at the trade show, taking place in Las Vegas, Nev., May 23-25.

Future goals for CoolSchool includes to continue, as Weitz puts it "entertaining children in a great way," building out longer versions of its programming on other content platforms, and growing CoolSchool's licensing portfolio.

"We believe in kids, and CoolSchool speaks to that," says Weitz. "This is wide open, and it's great content that parents would love to know their kids are watching. It's really positive."