Local Children’s Musician, Animal Farm, partners with Head Room Sessions for new PBS12 series, Farmer Dave and Friends
Denver (July 14, 2021) – Acclaimed children’s band Animal Farm has teamed up with Head Room Sessions Productions and PBS12 to bring you Farmer Dave and Friends – an engaging new online and on-air short-form children’s series that explores themes of social-emotional learning, community, self-expression, and the environment through songs, skits, and stories.
Join ‘Farmer Dave’ Ladon as he and his friends blending original music, educational comedy, puppets, special guests, and interactive videos, designed to bring your family into a world of fun – whether it’s hanging out on the brightly colored Animal Farm, traversing the globe with our imaginations, or going on field trips across the Denver metro area. Informed by Ladon’s extensive experience as a children’s musician and early childhood educator, Farmer Dave and Friends is PBS12’s only locally produced children’s series.
"PBS12 is thrilled to share Farmer Dave and Friends with our viewers,” said Heather Dalton, Director of Production for PBS12. "We are proud to feature this phenomenal short-form series alongside our robust and essential line-up of national children’s programming. Farmer Dave and Friends speaks deeply to our core values as an organization, integrating themes of diversity and equity though a joyous and educational lens."
"The show feels like a natural progression from running daily live streams,” reflects Ladon. "When I started streaming on March 16, 2020, I had a laptop on a stool and a USB mic. Over the course of three months, I built out a full production studio in my basement, funded by donations I received from my daily Facebook live streams." Since then, Ladon has performed over 300 virtual programs, including concerts as Farmer Dave (Animal Farm), as well as with Beanstalk.CO and Altitunes, a Wheat Ridge, CO-based music school. "As much as I love streaming live concerts, I find that producing videos gives me the freedom and flexibility to produce higher quality videos and collaborate with other artists."
After Animal Farm’s 2020 shows were cancelled in March (including a performance at the Denver Botanic Gardens, as well as in Houston, Chicago, and Boston), Ladon began working on producing a web series that would feature a range of segments and characters, including ones for children by children. On the show, young friends and fans from across the country share what they’re most passionate about – from animals to the solar system, to being a great older sibling.
After connecting with Head Room Sessions in late 2020, Farmer Dave and Friends grew to include puppets Matt and Elle (voiced by HRS’s Matthew Shaw and Elle Naef) and a diverse cast of musical guests from throughout Colorado and beyond. Written by Ladon and directed/produced by Ladon, Shaw, and Naef, Farmer Dave and Friends is available at video.PBS12.org with new video clips premiering every week. And keep an eye out for surprise Farmer Dave and Friends clips broadcasting on PBS12 between your favorite family programs.