Developer Interview with Susan Miller of Cupcake Digital

Today’s interview is with Susan Miller of Cupcake Digital. Please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter pages!

Susan, thank you for participating in our interview. Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Susan Miller, I’m President at Cupcake Digital, Inc., a company that was established in June 2012 with the intent of transforming children’s entertainment properties into deluxe story experiences infused with educational elements. Prior to founding Cupcake Digital, I have had a long career in producing children’s entertainment including the Emmy Award-winning Nick Jr. series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Ella Enchanted starring Anne Hathaway, and working with Sherry Lewis’ lamb chop for PBS. It’s no coincidence that our first apps are based on “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!.” It’s through my initial interest in developing apps based on the series that I came to partner with Brad Powers to start this company. Since then, every story experience app created by our company has been very well received, and this is only the beginning.

How did the idea for your app come about?
The Night Before Christmas is a perennial favorite poem, and many great authors and artists have reinterpreted the tale. We decided there was no better mashup than the magical world of Wuzzleburg and the tradition of this timeless poem to result in an original concept starring the lovable Wubbzy.

And how long was the process from the original idea to the release of the app?
We came up with the idea in August in a Cupcake Labs development brainstorm. One of our young producers had the idea to do this, and we thought it was a fresh take on Wubbzy’s Christmas season, and a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season.

Did you hire a developer or do it yourself?
At Cupcake Digital, we have a complete team of developers consisting of designers, engineers, programmers, copywriters and artists. We are fortunate to be able to produce our entire product internally with a group who is so dedicated to every step of the process.

What has been the hardest obstacle you have had to overcome in the development process?
There have been lots of challenges and things to be learned. The biggest challenge for us is creating the right blend of story, interactivity, music and art that make up the app. There isn’t much of a point of reference since this medium is just a toddler, having only really taken off with the introduction of the iPad in 2010. Our approach has been very similar to what I’ve experienced developing a movie, TV or book publishing series, however, we’re working to the constraints of the medium such as clock speed, memory, etc. I do feel my experience in producing kid’s television like Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Ella Enchanted and working with Sherry Lewis’ lamb chop for PBS, has been very helpful. I understand the challenges that come with creating content in various mediums and I’ve worked with people in all skill sets to meet the needs of every step of the process. I like working with all kinds of talent and bringing them together to create a product that feels like it came out of one mind and one heart.

Have you had much support during the development process (from family, peers, Apple Inc.)?
We are a family-oriented organization. Any energetic, growing company requires a big commitment so it’s really important for everyone on our team to have understanding family, partners, friends, but we also want to be mindful of work/life balance for our team. Many of us are parents and caregivers and we have a vested interest in growing this company because we know that in the not so distant future the first entrainment, reading and film experiences young children will have will be on mobile devices.

We’re delighted by the support Cupcake Digital has received from Apple, Amazon and others. We’ve had great results on all the platforms, and we continue to strive to get every app distributed through as many channels as possible to make them as widely available as possible.

What are your plans for the future? Will you be developing any more apps?
At Cupcake Digital, we’ve only just begun. Our plan is to continue to have an aggressive release schedule featuring world-class children’s entertainment properties. In Q1 we will be making major announcements about some incredible beloved children’s properties we will be working with to create deluxe story experiences.

What sort of feedback has your app been receiving so far?
We send it out to a large community of people to get feedback, and it has been said to be a fresh take on a holiday classic while maintaining the heartwarming qualities. The biggest compliment we receive is that the effects and story are perfect for young children for Christmas.

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone considering creating their own app?
Do it! I tell anybody who wants to produce anything that is creative to dig in, understand the product, dream big, put together a financial plan, and go for it. In my opinion, there has never been a better time to be someone who wants to create products for children because from your home, office, coffee shop, you can create something that can be distributed globally.

Thank you so much for talking with us today Susan and sharing a bit about your company.  We really appreciated the chance to get to know you!

Wubbzy's Pirate Treasure by GoodTalkApps Category: Books, Education Requirements: Compatible with iPad 2 WiFI, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G, iPadThirdGen, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPhone4S, iPadMini4G, iPadFourthGen4G, iPad 2 3G, iPhone 4, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPadThirdGen4G, iPadFourthGen, iPad WiFi, iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPhone5, iPadMini Size: 93.75 MB

$1.99USD

Wubbzy's Kooky Kostume Kreator by Cupcake Digital Category: Games, Family, Entertainment, Kids Requirements: Compatible with iPodTouchFifthGen, iPadMini4G, iPadThirdGen, iPhone 4, iPad 2 3G, iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPadFourthGen, iPadFourthGen4G, iPadMini, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPad WiFi, iPad 2 WiFI, iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPadThirdGen4G, iPad 3G Size: 16.76 MB

$0.99USD

Wubbzy's Disco Dancin' by Cupcake Digital Category: Games, Kids, Educational, Entertainment Requirements: Compatible with iPhone4S, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPad 2 3G, iPadFourthGen, iPadFourthGen4G, iPad 2 WiFI, iPadMini, iPad WiFi, iPad 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPadThirdGen4G, iPadThirdGen, iPadMini4G, iPhone5 Size: 22.42 MB

$0.99USD

Wubbzy's Space Adventure by Cupcake Digital Category: Books, Entertainment Requirements: Compatible with iPad WiFi, iPhone4S, iPadMini4G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone5, iPadFourthGen, iPad 2 3G, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPadMini, iPadThirdGen, iPhone 4, iPadFourthGen4G, iPadThirdGen4G, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPad 3G, iPad 2 WiFI Size: 88.37 MB

$1.99USD

Wubbzy's Train Adventure by Cupcake Digital Category: Books, Education Requirements: Compatible with iPadFourthGen4G, iPadMini4G, iPhone4S, iPad 3G, iPadThirdGen, iPhone 3GS, iPadMini, iPad 2 WiFI, iPhone 4, iPad WiFi, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPadFourthGen, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPadThirdGen4G, iPhone5, iPad 2 3G, iPod Touch (4. Gen.) Size: 84.64 MB

$1.99USD

Wubbzy's The Night Before Christmas by Cupcake Digital Category: Books, Entertainment Requirements: Compatible with iPadFourthGen, iPadMini, iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPodTouchFifthGen, iPhone 4, iPad WiFi, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2 WiFI, iPad 2 3G, iPadThirdGen, iPhone4S, iPadThirdGen4G, iPadMini4G, iPadFourthGen4G, iPad 3G, iPhone5, iPod Touch (3. Gen.) Size: 85.14 MB

$1.99USD

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Alison

Alison, the American iMum is from Illinois. She lives there with her son and husband. In their spare time, they enjoy playing outside, enjoying nature and of course testing apps on their devices. They have a variety of devices including an iPad, iPhone, and an iPod.

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