IR-08-15 Initiative Radio audio opensource_audio BRIAN FITZGERALD & ROSCOE ORMAN AUDIBLE.COM/AUDIBLE KIDS Brian Fitzgerald is the Vice President of Audible Kids, created under the auspices of Amazon.com and Audible.com. The company strives to get kids excited about reading during this age of “digital literacy”, regardless of background or socio-economic status, by providing free access to certain audiobooks at all times on their website. After working with Yahoo in 1997, Fitzgerald got to see firsthand how young people interact with various internet platforms and new media technologies. He is fully aware that the company has to be in business to make profit but is eager to use it as a tool for social good and for a higher purpose. The audiobooks are narrated by vibrant professional actors or the authors of the books themselves, as if the child was listening to a grand theatrical performance, making it all the more fun to be engaged with. Roscoe Orman, who plays Gordon Robinson on Sesame Street, and is now the chief storyteller for Audible Kids, reveals the wonders of working opposite animals, monsters, puppets and children for over thirty seasons on one of the most popular kids shows of all time. He discusses some of his important life achievements form acting on Broadway, to becoming a father, and writing his first book. He details the importance and power of storytelling for children and how he started working with Audible Kids. He is excited to be a part of such a worthy project that makes stories such as Shakespeare’s Othello, appropriate and accessible for kids of all different ages. Written by Fatima Shabbir, Associate Producer Roscoe Orman http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ 2008-11-14 20:19:46 2008-11-14 20:12:02 amck83@hotmail.com initiative radio 2010-10-26 01:41:53 2010-10-26 01:47:06 initiative radio