Warren Buffett wants to help your children become millionaires
What do Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Bill Gates, and Nick Cannon have in common with billionaire investor Warren Buffett? They have all starred in movies and cartoons produced by Andy Hayward.
Heyward is the CEO of Genius Brands International (GNUS) . He is brains behind the humorous film that has opened the Berkshire Hathaway meetings for the last 20 years. He is also the creator and executive producer of “The Secret Millionaires Club,” an animated television and web series for children starring the Oracle of Omaha.
Heyward has spent over 25 years producing children’s animation. He met Buffett in 1993, when his then production company was purchased by Capital Cities/ABC. Buffett was the largest shareholder of Capital City.
Susie Buffett, Buffett's daughter, invited Heyward to produce shows for the children’s theater in Omaha. That led to a conversation about creating a movie to open the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting that would star Buffett, his partner Charlie Munger and feature cameos by celebrities. Hollywood writers, actors, and directors like John Landis and Vince Gilligan contribute. The movie, which takes about six months to create, is always a spoof on pop culture programming, such as “Bat Man and Robin,” “James Bond,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and this year, the 1983 business movie, “Trading Places”
Heyward says collaborating with Buffett is a delight. “He has an unusual mixture of wit and wisdom; he lets creative people do their thing, and when he thinks it might be going off track, he is not shy to speak up”
A few years ago, Heyward, who has also produced about 5,000 half-hour episodes of children’s programming, approached Buffett with the idea of “The Secret Millionaires Club.”
“There are a lot of shows that promote reading and science and history but there is nothing that promotes anything to do with financial knowledge,” he said. “I went to Warren and said why don’t we do a series together that is going to teach them things that will serve them in life.”
The “Secret Millionaire’s Club” follows the business adventures of a robot named Starty and his three friends Radley, Elena, and Jones. Buffett is their wise mentor.
“He does all of his own voices. We are very fortunate that he does not require retakes and retakes. He gets them all right. He is amazing, and he gets them immediately, and we have guest stars at every episode.” Guests include rapper Jay-Z, former NBA Star Shaquille O’Neal, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
“Bill Gates, for his episode, was very engaged with the story. He rewrote it; he gave us a lot of notes. It's an adventure that takes place in Africa where kids need energy in a local village to help them become more active with computer skills, and the Secret Millionaire Club kids fly to Africa, and they make friendships there and build the generators in the village with the kids,” said Heyward.
“The Secret Millionaire Club” has a series of books about how to start your own business which were exhibited and sold at the Berkshire Hathaway meetings this year. The books come with a card reader from “Square” to help teach kids 21st-century business skills.
Click here to view a full replay of the 2016 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting, which Yahoo Finance live-streamed exclusively. At this page you can also find our extensive coverage of the event.
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