Kids videos on YouTube are some of the highest viewed content on the platform. In the often overwhelming landscape of sensory videos, nursery rhymes and toy unboxings, Cleveland-based CeCe TV is an endearing variety show for babies and toddlers.
CeCe, clad with big smiles and bright colored clothes, is the brainchild of sister duo Callie Ryles and Tara Thompson. The YouTube channel, It’s CeCe TV, has more than 41,000 subscribers.
The sisters grew up in Grafton and after college they both ended up moving to Los Angeles. Ryles pursued acting and comedy while Thompson began a career in photography.
“We were both doing creative things but we were always, like, ‘We should work together,’” Ryles says. “We always bounced ideas off each other, but we were always moving in parallel directions.”
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After getting married and starting a family in LA, Thompson decided to move back to Northeast Ohio in 2018. Ryles followed with her young family in 2021.
“We were both moms and we were watching YouTube a lot,” Ryles says, “and we were, like, ‘Man, I think there’s some space for more real people on here with a unique point of view.’”
With Ryles’s experience in acting and filmmaking and Thompson’s history as a photographer and editor and the help of their mom, a retired kindergarten teacher, CeCe TV was born.
The sisters say their mom is a “fountain of ideas.” The two work closely with her to produce their content, using her experience as a teacher to guide their videos.
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CeCe TV fills the need for parents who want to entertain their children with engaging and free-to-watch content that can teach their little ones important lessons about empathy and language. The local duo’s creation is in some ways similar to social media-famous Ms. Rachel, who has more than 13 million followers on YouTube.
“As a mom it felt very isolating when I was having to just be with my son and take care of him in the house, but I also had things to do,” says Thompson. “When I would put him in front of the TV for a half hour to do dishes, I realized there were a lot of shows that were just eye candy.”
The duo wanted to create something that was as engaging for parents as it was for children, while making the content educational and not overstimulating.
They acquired the help of Cleveland Institute of Music alum Chris Neiner and Tiffin University music professor Dan Myers to compose original music for the show with the goal of creating something easy on the ears for parents, and still palatable for kids.
“We also use a lot of humor, and find that humor will keep kids engaged with what we’re teaching them as opposed to these jump cuts that make kids’ brains crazy,” says Ryles.
At the core of CeCe TV’s mission is to create a space for parents and kids to have fun while learning. “We want to remind parents that being silly with their children is really important, and it’s what kids really want from us, right?”
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