Children’s Media Professionals of Philly (CMPoP)

What is CMPoP?

CMPoP was founded in June 2023 by Kaz Long & Sherri Hope Culver with the purpose of fostering a community of children’s media professionals in the Philadelphia region. Philly has a growing community of children’s media professionals, due to several production and animation houses, university programs, and the growth of virtual work. In addition to working locally, members also live in Philly and work for companies in New York, California, Virginia and abroad. As of 2026, we have almost 60 CMPoP members and our community continues to grow. If you’d like to be added to the list, please email Sherri directly.

Coming Up

We are working on planning our next event. Check back in a few weeks for details!

Past Meetings & Events

September 11, 2026

We had a great time touring the Please Touch museum and getting behind-the-scenes details on the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood exhibit from Olivia Thomas, Chief Learning Officer at the museum, and Ana Acosta Ruiz from Fred Rogers Productions. 

JUNE 18, 2026

CMPoP met at WHYY Public Media for a book presentation from Ryan Bunch. Ryan discussed his new publication; a chapter in the book, “Radical Children’s Film and Television” titled, “F is for Friends, G is for Gay: Bert, Ernie, and the Radical Potential of Childhood’s Queer Friendships”.

NOVEMBER 19, 2025

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CMPoP hosted a meet-up at The Post on 30th Street, bringing Philly children’s media professionals together to reconnect, network, and share ongoing projects. Supported by the Children’s Media Association, the event helped strengthen momentum as CMPoP works toward becoming an official CMA chapter.

APRIL 4, 2025

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CMPoP once again had the opportunity to attend the Children’s Media Career Symposium at Temple University welcomed children’s media industry leaders from the Philadelphia area to share insight and network with the Temple and CMPoP communities.

MARCH 21, 2025

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CMPoP had the chance to visit Monkey Boys Production and met with co-founder Marc Petrosino and production manager Betsy Falk. It has become a leading studio for crafting puppets, props, creatures, costumes, practical effects, and live entertainment for film, TV, and stage productions.

DECEMBER 7, 2024

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We co-presented the Philadelphia premiere of the web series, Stori Strong from filmmaker Laura Zaylea. Details about the series may be found here.

JUNE 7, 2024

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Kathy Hirsh Pasek served as the guest speaker at the CMPoP’s meeting in June! Kathy is a professor of psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute. She is world renowned for her research exploring the intersection of children, education and play.

APRIL 4, 2024

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The Children’s Media Career Symposium at Temple University welcomed children’s media industry leaders from the Philadelphia area to share insight and network with the Temple and CMPoP communities.

MARCH 15, 2024

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CMPoP visited Mighty Picnic and met with the company’s founder, Dave Peth, and the production team.

NOVEMBER 1O, 2023

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Big Howl Productions invited CMPoP to tour their studio in November. There, they met with Kevin Kelly and the Big Howl production team.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

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CMPoP held an informal networking event to plan and discuss upcoming events at the OCF Cafe in Fairmount.

JULY 6, 2023

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July 6th, 2023 was the first meeting for the networking group. The meeting was held at Green Eggs Cafe on Girard Avenue, kicking off the start of CMPoP.

Please contact Sherri Hope-Culver (sherri.hope.culver@temple.edu) if you would like to be added to the CMPoP listserv or have questions about CMPoP.