Ashley Mady has spent her career building brands, franchises, and experiences for kids. Now, as the newly appointed CEO of Zigazoo, she is taking on something much bigger.
The company already has more than 10 million users and over a thousand kid stars. The next step is turning that audience into a full entertainment ecosystem built around original content, creators, live experiences, consumer products, and major partnerships.
With the launch of Zigazoo Studios alongside Wheelhouse Entertainment, Mady is betting that the next Disney or Nickelodeon will be built very differently from the last one.
This time, the audience will not just watch. They will participate.
Congratulations on your new CEO role! When we last spoke, Zigazoo was focused on being a social-first platform. With the new focus on becoming the Disney or Nickelodeon for Gen Alpha, walk us through how you’re expanding this to become a 360-degree entertainment powerhouse?
The opportunity is to build Zigazoo into the media company Gen Alpha grows up with. We already have over 10 million users and more than a thousand kid stars, which gives us an incredible foundation of young people discovering content, creating, participating and connecting around what they love. Now we’re building outward from that. That means expanding into original content and franchises, creators, live experiences, consumer products and partnerships that can reach kids across multiple touchpoints. We recently launched Zigazoo Studios with Wheelhouse Entertainment, which is an exciting part of that expansion, and we’re continuing to grow the ways brands and entertainment partners can engage with our community.
Disney and Nickelodeon built iconic entertainment brands for generations of kids. We have the opportunity to build that kind of enduring relationship with Gen Alpha in a way that reflects how this generation experiences media today. For us, community and participation sit at the center of that vision.
Are you looking for material from independent producers? If so, what types of projects are you looking for, and how should producers approach you?
Right now, our focus is on building the next chapter of Zigazoo Studios alongside our new partners at Wheelhouse. Together, we’re developing original formats and franchises designed specifically for Gen Alpha.
At the same time, we’re expanding opportunities inside the Zigazoo platform, creating new ways for creators to launch recurring series and for brands to partner with those formats in authentic ways. I’m really excited about giving creators the tools to build shows and audiences. Down the road, as Zigazoo Studios grows, I expect we’ll have more opportunities to collaborate with the broader creative community. Today, our priority is building a strong foundation.
How will you balance the creator-first vibe and the expansion into Hollywood and other corporate partnerships?
I see those pieces as incredibly complementary. Creators are central to how Gen Alpha discovers and experiences entertainment. Hollywood brings world-class storytelling and franchise building. Brands bring characters, worlds and experiences kids already love. Zigazoo can bring all of those elements together in a way that feels uniquely authentic to this generation. Participation will remain at the heart of the experience. As we expand our original content, entertainment partnerships and brand relationships, kids and creators will continue to have a voice and play an active role.
That combination of community, creators, brands and great storytelling is exactly what makes this moment so exciting.
What is the biggest challenge you’re excited or even terrified about in this new role, either personally or for the company?
The scale of the opportunity is probably what excites me the most. We have the chance to build something really special for this generation, and there are so many directions we can take it. My focus is making sure we are thoughtful about where we place our bets and continue building around a clear vision. We want to grow our community, build franchises, expand our partnerships and create experiences that become a meaningful part of kids’ lives.
Personally, I’ve spent my career building brands, franchises and experiences for kids, and this role gives me the chance to bring all of those pieces together. There’s something incredibly energizing about building a company that can grow alongside an entire generation.
