Before Richard passed late last year he was working on an interview with Leah Ringlestein from Zigazoo. We are so grateful that we are able to obtain and provide the interview here on Global Toy News for everyone to enjoy.
During my career, I have had the opportunity to enjoy the success of two tremendous husband-and-wife teams, Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello, who founded Think Fun, and Melissa Bernstein and Doug Bernstein, who launched their namesake company, Melissa & Doug. Both of these companies were and are successful because their founders had more than a great idea. They had the ability, some innate and some learned, to build a company and take it to new heights.
Today, I am fortunate to get to know another great couple, Leah Ringelstein and Zak Ringelstein, the founders and leaders of Zigazoo, a leading, non-toxic social media site. I had the opportunity last year to join Chris Byrne in interviewing Zak Ringelstein, the company’s C.E.O.
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview the other half of that team, Leah Ringelstein, Director of Impact at Zigazoo.
Richard: Some readers may need to become more familiar with Zigazoo. What is Zigazoo, and what makes it different from other social media sites?
Leah: We created Zigazoo to give kids a chance to connect with one another around creativity and play using technology in ways that are safe, positive and engaging. It is now the world’s largest social network for kids with over 8 million users and the highest safety reviews from Common Sense Media. The way it works is that a video challenge is posed by a brand, celebrity or kid talent and millions of Zigazoo kids get to submit their response through short form video. All responses are human moderated to make sure that they are not only submitted by verified kids, but that they are appropriate and positive – a safety mote that is at the core of all Zigazoo does. For example JoJo Siwa and the MLB teamed up to create a video where she stands on a field in uniform and shares what her walk up song would be if she were a professional baseball player. She then asks Zigazooers what their walk up song would be and they respond with their own creative short videos! This inspired and guided interaction facilitates creativity and positivity as kids share their ideas and are met with positive-only feedback from peers. We believe that with thoughtful design technology CAN build self esteem, foster authentic relationships and promote creativity.
Richard: I have you listed as the Director of Impact. What does the Director of Impact do?
Leah: I like to think about my work on “Impact” at Zigazoo from two angles. The first is the impact that Zigazoo has in the lives of kids and families. I am constantly in touch with families and thought leaders about how we can shape the Zigazoo experience to uphold our mission of building confidence, relationships, digital citizenship skills and joy for kids on the app. It is a very delicate and nuanced process to continually observe and respond to what kids want and what they need to grow healthy and strong. We look closely at each partnership, feature and content initiative through this lens. My work in this realm is quality control to ensure that our impact on Zigazoo kids’ lives is positive. We take that very seriously.
The second part of my Impact work is how Zigazoo impacts the dialogue about social media and the kids’ space at large. There are too many companies that prioritize business goals at the expense of individuals. The repercussions of this are becoming part of the mainstream dialogue for kids and adults, which is good because that means that people will push for change. Zigazoo stands as a model for what social media CAN be, how we can focus on spreading positivity, training people to behave in considerate ways, promoting activity and creativity instead of sedentary consumption AND hitting home runs in our business model.
Great things can happen when people can inspire each other and connect beyond boundaries and tech can facilitate that. My perspective as an educator and parent helps me to steward the conversation about what these digital spaces can and should look like for kids. We want to push the dialogue at large because our kids are the future and as digital natives they carry a torch forward. We want to be part of making sure that torch is one that lights the way to good things for them and our world.
Richard: You have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Education in Special Education and Teaching. You took that education and put it to work in schools as diverse as the Bronx in New York and the country of Tanganyika. How have your education and experiences in teaching informed your vision for Zigazoo?
Leah: My husband and I were both teachers, as you know, and together we have taken the most powerful pedagogy that we learned in the classroom and applied it to Zigazoo. Project Based Learning is an amazing instructional model where kids are provided with inspiration, guidelines and central questions and encouraged to take the lead in their learning and present their findings to a real world audience. Zigazoo follows this model by allowing partners like museums, celebrities, the NBA and other kids to present an inspiration and then a challenge that invites Zigazoo kids to show what they know. It is so amazing because we watch kids on Zigazoo take so much pride in sharing their free throw skills, their dance moves, their Squishmallow collections and their perspectives on the world. While they are doing this they are learning how to use presentation skills, becoming part of a conversation with diverse perspectives, bonding with kids beyond their own community and learning about interesting content in engaging ways.
In addition to educational pedagogy we have incorporated the community building skills that we learned in the classroom. Each time we managed a classroom we knew that at the center of success was teaching our students to be kind and positive and to care about one another. When they felt encouraged by their classmates they had the confidence to take risks, to share their ideas and to grow. Zigazoo is carefully constructed to create that same feeling with positive-only feedback mechanisms, algorithms that honor hard work and a community that is coached to set a tone of encouragement.
Richard: You are also an entrepreneur. Where did that skill set come from, and how have you employed it?
Leah: When I look back at my life I can see so many examples of people believing in me, giving me chances to play my fiddle on a stage as a kid, lead arts workshops for kids in need in college, take my students at an urban school to a local farm to learn about where their food comes from. Each time someone trusts you to try something new and to carry an idea through to fruition that “I can!” resounds louder in your mind. When you get to try your big ideas out you learn what works and what doesn’t. My husband and cofounder Zak is a stellar example of this! He is full of big ideas with no fear and so much skill in giving them a try. Together we have cultivated this amazing trust in saying “yes” to big ideas and a resilience and stamina for breathing life into them. It isn’t easy, but it’s what we tell every kid growing up- right? “You can do it! You can change the world!” In our family we know that there are ups and downs along the way, but you have to try! That’s what entrepreneurship is really, giving things a chance and building the skills that you need to nurture dreams and see them through. Zigazoo is actually a reflection of that theory, giving every kid their own little spotlight and a lot of applause and inspiration and a community that they can grow in!
Richard: Leah, it’s so lovely to get to know you. Can you tell us about the genesis of Zigazoo? Was there a eureka moment, or did it take a while to develop the idea?
Leah: Zak and I have three awesome little kids and share a background as teachers. So when the pandemic silenced the world in 2020 we were doing all kinds of activities at our house to keep our little guys busy. We knew we could give them a great time just at home, but we couldn’t give them contact with other kids and we know how important that is to development. Technology was one of the only open doors for people to connect at that time, but we were not going to put our kids into online communities where they could see things that were inappropriate or connect with people who didn’t have their best interests in mind or where they were just going to “zombie out” all day. So we lit up that entrepreneurial spirit that we just talked about and thought “what if we made a place where kids can play together and it can be safe, but also enriching? We can shape it just for kids!” At first we made all the challenges ourselves and we invited people that we knew to join us in building a volcano or singing a song and then we got museums and libraries and teachers and others who had great content to share, but no where to make it live and interactive and it just took off from there! And it turns out that now that the world is back in person, this space is still unlike any other and kids love it!
Richard: It’s one thing to come up with a great idea; it’s another to turn it into reality. How were you able to take your vision from a great idea to a substantial company?
Leah: I truly credit Zak for that! He has a mind for building dreams and is always polishing his skill set to put them in motion. I mean it, finding the right people to carry out each part has really been key and he is so great at structuring a community like that. Everyone who works at Zigazoo (and our company has grown quite a lot since those days in our living room!) really cares about the mission. From partnerships to engineers everyone lights up about the work that we are doing for kids and that is key. Everyone is truly invested and works hard. Zak is a great leader because he brings people on like that and creates a culture of investment and teamwork that you have to have to bring something like this to life. And he is never out of ideas, he is always pushing us all to be creative, to show up, to reflect and to solve problems. My personal entrepreneurial journey has really blossomed in partnership with Zak and our work together is a special part of what we’ve built in our life as a family.
Richard: What feature or aspect of Zigazoo do you think is most representative of your world view?
Leah: I believe that if we light a path of goodness we can make a better world. Sure there is a lot of dark stuff out there and it is human nature to push others down sometimes to get where they want to go. But we made Zigazoo to be that place where you only get positive feedback, where you feel your own little spotlight and are asked to share what YOU think, what YOU love, what YOU can do and you are given a million chances to practice celebrating others for what they share. It’s validating and it’s a training ground for kindness and confidence. This culture is created by moderated content- nothing inappropriate can hit the feed, no bullying, no negativity. It is created by the features that are designed to celebrate others- no negative comments, no tearing eachother down. It is created by guiding the partners and creators who pose the challenges- to be role models for positivity, creativity and activity to draw out the best in the community.
Social media spreads ideas, we know that. Zigazoo is an example of spreading the idea of kindness, encouragement and collaboration and honestly, kids are the best leaders in that! I am inspired by them every day!
Richard: What is next for Zigazoo? Are there any plans to take the company public?
Leah: We have a couple of really cool developments. One is the release of our app for 13+ so youth seeking non-toxic social media, but craving a structure designed a bit differently than our kids app have a safe and positive place to be themselves!
Our partnerships are out of this world with blockbuster movies, celebrities and toy companies, kid actors and musicians… You’ll always be amazed by who will be asking you to show your best dance move or your favorite slime when you hop on Zigazoo!
We have raised 20+million dollars with the support of brilliant leaders like Serena Ventures, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio and Jimmy Kimmel. There are great things to come from Zigazoo.
Richard: One question we like to ask is, is there a toy you had as a child that was an indicator of what you chose to do in life?
Leah: I LOVED this babydoll named Peter. I took him everywhere and was so proud when people pretended that they thought he was a real baby. I think it was clear from early on that I wanted to work with kids and be a mom. And here I am doing both!
