Created by NBA Legend Kobe Bryant, The Punies is a narrative podcast for kids about a diverse group of friends who play sports in their neighborhood park. Diving into the different backgrounds of each character, this podcast gives the unique opportunity for kids and parents to enjoy stories of adventure and sports while simultaneously bringing valuable life lessons that can be learned from relatable characters. For the podcast’s second season, we set out to create easily digestible life lessons that are learned through the lens of sports.
The underlying theme in The Punies series is to rise in the eye of defeat, to bring people together to achieve a common goal and to show kids that external and internal pressures are found throughout life and there are ways to overcome those obstacles. Our strategy was to target kids and their parents and show them the lessons being taught were deeper than sports and teamwork. Learning how to effectively communicate with others, building on kids’ understanding of strong ethics and moral high ground, and how treating others with respect and kindness can have great effects on a team. Reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons of the past, new episodes were released every Saturday morning in hopes of providing listening entertainment for the whole family on the way to weekend sporting activities. Told in the style of a radio broadcast, each episode features a different lesson, a new sport, and is filled with humor, original upbeat music, and an unforgettable cast of characters known as “The Good Ol’ Gang.” We promoted the series with small introductions to each character on social channels with their voiceover encouraging viewers to tune in to each new episode.
The Punies has made history as the first youth sports podcast to market and will be one of the few sports-focused podcasts to be integrated into school curriculums. With the release of its second season in August of 2019, this unique podcast continues to make a positive impact on kids and families tuning in to learn, explore, and engage with fun characters and storylines. With the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant, we are motivated to continue the narrative around kids from all backgrounds with unique experiences and their own set of struggles to help them find ways to overcome and find success on their personal journey.
