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Greg Page, the origional “Yellow Wiggle” of “The Wiggles” Children’s TV show and music, recently awsnered some quesitons for us about his new project, “Explore, Discover, and Grow”. Here’s what he has to say.
What will it take to launch “Explore, Discover, and Grow”?
Explore, Discover and Grow is a massive project which is going to take a lot of passion, hard work, dedication and some money to bring it to life! We are working at the moment to “pre-sell” as many subscription packages as possible so we can gauge the demand for the product. This will also enable us to get started on production for the series before we launch the mass-marketing campaign next year. It is also a major objective to give the people that back the project in its development phase, a major discount on the content that will be offered when we go live with the series next year. Essentially, if you get in now, on the ground level, we will be rewarding you with the equivalent of a 50% discount on what you would otherwise be paying if you subscribe when we are live with the program next year.
What made you want to work in children’s entertainment?
It’s an interesting question – and it probably sounds a little trite, but I just had this feeling inside me from a young age that I was going to be on stage, and then as I got older, the feeling turned to being in the education field. As the “universe” would have it, I met Anthony Field (the original, and still-current Blue WIggle) and he suggested that I get into early childhood teaching, as it involved a lot of music and creativity – for the child and also the teacher! So I went along to check out the early childhood diploma course that Anthony was doing at the time, and that sealed it for me. I think I had found my calling, and after seeing what was achievable with The Wiggles and how we applied our teaching knowledge to entertaining children it has been a passion of mine ever since – to create entertainment that is purposeful and delivers outcomes for children.
What was life like after leaving “The Wiggles”?
Life after The Wiggles was tough – I had been removed from what was essentially all of my adult life – my passion and my driving force. I was also going through a marriage breakdown which was affecting me greatly, so I was battling a number of factors. But, I knew that life could, and would be good again. I met someone who I had known in school, and we started dating and then finally married. This lifted my spirits incredibly and then finally, I was able to start creating content for children again after 5 years of being out of The Wiggles. That period where I was unable to work in the field of children’s entertainment was difficult, because that was all I had ever known. I tried other things which didn’t work out for me, and then, I got back to doing what felt right. I have now been a co-creator or creator of over 40 brands, with 2 of them being aired on national broadcasters, and 4 in co-productions with animation studios. So, it has been a long road to get back to doing what I love, and I am SO excited to be producing content that is going to really restore a balance in children’s screen-time diets with Explore, Discover and Grow!
Are you still in touch with any of your castmates?
Not often, they are still very busy. And the funny thing is that it was never normal, or usual for us to contact each other outside of the business of The Wiggles! Not that we weren’t friends or friendly, it’s just that was the way it was – we spent SO much time together on the road, that when we got home to Sydney, we would just stay out of each other’s pockets. And when I got sick and left the group, it kind of just stayed that way really – the guys were touring and they would check in on me every now and then, but then I got “better” and kept doing our own things. I see them maybe once a year and do “reunion” shows of the original lineup of The Wiggles for the original fans who are now in their 20’s – we play at licensed venues here in Australia where our “over-age” fans can now enjoy a drink while they watch The Wiggles perform live! I must say it is a strange thing, but it is a LOT of fun, because we just deliver a 100% Wiggles experience – keeping things on the same level that we did for these fans when they were 3 or 4 years old – and they love being able to reminisce about their childhoods.
How has life changed since your diagnoses of autonomic neuropathy/ dysautonomia?
Things are back to normal for me. It’s one of those things that I have had all my life, and just thought everyone felt the way I did in certain situations. There’s no doubt that years of touring and losing sweat from my body affected me greatly toward the end of 2006, and that was undoubtedly compounded by the event so my personal life. However, like a lot of things, once you finally get a diagnosis and you understand what you are dealing with, things can be managed, and it doesn’t affect me at all today with what I do in my life. I am very lucky, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. That part of my life led me to a new chapter of my life where I am able to create again, with a new vigour and energy that I didn’t have before.
Was your family musical?
My mum played piano from a young age, and we had a piano in the house from the time I was about 7 years old. My sister learned piano and did a few grade exams, but gave up. I learned guitar from age 6, but never really practiced enough , or properly which I now regret, as I am nowhere near as good on the guitar as I think I would have been had I practised harder, but hey, you live and learn – sometimes!
Have you ever performed for adults?
What was that like for you personally in comparison with performing for children? Yes, I have performed for adults, and it is a very different experience. I enjoy it, but it is different. I am lucky that most adults know me from The Wiggles so I can fall back on my WIggles persona a little bit, which is easy to do, because it is inherently my persona I guess anyway! But it does make it easier to break the ice in those performance situations where people might be a little bit like “OK, this guy can sing and dance for kids, but is he going to be able to entertain me?” – and hopefully I do!
What do you see yourself doing next?
I think I will always be creating for children, and trying to find ways that are enjoyable for them to learn new things – either about the world or themselves. The world is in a funny situation right now I think. We are tying to progress things socially, culturally and technologically, and I think that sometimes we forget the basics of what makes us who we are. There is no need for pushing boundaries for the sake of it, and I guess I a bit conservative when it comes to children’s edutainment – if it ain’t broke, then why fix it? There are a raft of educational shows that worked for children over the course of many years – shows that were not fast-paced, and allowed children to digest the content easily. It seems that a lot of content these days is more about the quality of the production rather than the content, and I think that’s a shame, so I am going to be sticking to my path on this as I feel it si the right thing to do for the best interests of the children! I think this is my life, and my passion!
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