We recently connected with Genevieve LeDoux and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Genevieve thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When Kelli Bixler hired me as the sole creative producer for Tumbleleaf from 2012-2014, neither of us could predict how this opportunity would transform my life. Amazon had just greenlit this preschool series—one of their first ventures into original programming when streaming television was still an unproven frontier.

What made this experience so meaningful wasn’t just the professional opportunity, but the extraordinary gift of creative freedom. Kelli didn’t hire me because of an impressive resume or industry connections. She saw something more valuable: a creative spirit willing to take risks, someone passionate about supporting artists and developing original intellectual property.

“Play here,” she told me, opening the doors to Bix Pix Studio. In that space, I discovered how creativity builds confidence. Through Stop Motion animation and storytelling, I found my voice as a creator while helping bring a beloved children’s series to life.

This experience taught me the transformative power of mentorship. Kelli’s belief in my potential created a foundation for growth that continues to shape my creative journey today. I’m grateful not just for her, but for all the mentors who’ve illuminated my path by recognizing possibilities in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up as that kid who never quite colored inside the lines – literally and figuratively. While other children were finishing their math homework, I was painting elaborate stories across my bedroom walls, turning school desks into canvases, and filling notebooks with songs, characters and worlds that existed only in my head. School was a complicated place for me; I’d often find myself staring out windows, lost in daydreams while lessons carried on without me.

What made all the difference was having parents who didn’t clip my wings. When teachers complained about my doodled-over assignments or tendency to drift into imagination mid-lesson, my parents recognized something I wouldn’t understand until much later: my brain simply processed the world differently. Instead of forcing me to conform, they gave me more notebooks, more paint, more instruments – more ways to express the universe constantly expanding in my mind.

This foundation led me on a winding path through the entertainment industry, from classical music training to rock bands, to producing Emmy-winning children’s content. Each step taught me something about storytelling, about connecting with audiences who experience the world in beautifully diverse ways.

Today, I’m the creator of Star Forest – an immersive world that blends music, animation, and interactive storytelling. Using art, music and technology like Unreal Engine, we’re building an entertainment ecosystem that celebrates neurodivergent thinking rather than trying to “correct” it. Our characters, stories, and music are designed to resonate with Gen Alpha kids who, like my younger self, might feel a bit out of sync with traditional entertainment.

What sets our work apart is our approach to neurodiversity – not as something to overcome, but as a creative superpower. In Star Forest, different minds don’t just belong; they lead. We’re creating content that speaks to kids who think in hyperlinks, dream in neon colors, and process the world through unique lenses.

I’m most proud of comments from people finally feel seen in our stories and songs. The traditional entertainment industry often creates content that works for neurotypical minds, leaving so many brilliant, creative kids feeling like outsiders. We’re flipping that script, creating experiences where different ways of thinking aren’t just accommodated – they’re celebrated.

At its heart, my mission is to build the world I needed as a child: one where daydreamers are visionaries, where notebook doodlers become world-builders, and where thinking differently isn’t a deficit but a gift. Through Star Forest, we’re creating not just entertainment, but recognition, connection, and a sense of belonging for a generation of amazing minds who deserve to see their uniqueness as strength.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We are just getting started and right now my life is a blend of stardust and sawdust.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

My entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by several key works that fundamentally altered how I approach creativity, business, and leadership.

“Be Like Walt” profoundly impacted my creative philosophy by reinforcing what I’ve always intuitively believed: there should be no limiting beliefs in artistic expression. Walt Disney’s approach to imagination without boundaries while still maintaining a keen business sense showed me that these seemingly opposite worlds could not only coexist but thrive together. His willingness to risk everything on seemingly impossible ideas resonated deeply with me.

“Making a Name for Yourself” by Robin Fisher Roffer transformed how I conceptualize personal branding. It taught me to thoughtfully cultivate my professional identity as cheerful, imaginative, and welcoming, with that essential dash of weird and unexpected that makes it authentically mine. This deliberate approach to brand-building has informed every aspect of Star Forest’s development.

The writings about and by Fred Rogers have been instrumental in shaping my leadership ethos. Mr. Rogers demonstrated that gentleness and depth aren’t mutually exclusive, and that treating children with profound respect means creating content that honors their intelligence and emotional complexity. His approach to addressing difficult subjects with honesty and care guides our storytelling principles.

Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” revolutionized how I understand the creative process and nurture it in myself and my teams. Her emphasis on creative recovery and establishing rituals that protect our imaginative energy has been invaluable during the inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship.

For world-building specifically, Tolkien stands as my north star. His meticulous attention to creating consistent, deeply realized universes with their own internal logic, languages, and histories has been my blueprint for developing Star Forest as a coherent and immersive experience rather than just a collection of characters.

Donald Miller’s “Story Brand 2.0” refined my understanding of narrative as a business tool – not just in marketing, but in clarifying mission and purpose. His framework helped me articulate exactly what problems we’re solving and why our approach matters.

These influences converge in my leadership philosophy: create environments where different minds thrive, maintain unwavering standards of quality while embracing experimentation, and always return to the central question – are we creating something that makes people feel they truly belong to something larger than themselves?

Like the musicians who inspire me to uplift and connect, I believe the greatest measure of successful entrepreneurship isn’t just financial return, but whether you’ve created something that makes people feel seen, included, and inspired to dream bigger.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2020, I walked into Kidscreen—the children’s media industry convention—with a completely different energy than in years past. After dedicating countless overtime hours to building other people’s IPs and strengthening their revenue streams as an executive development executive, I had made the leap. This time, I wasn’t representing someone else’s company; I was representing my own vision.

I arrived nervous but determined, armed with 12 fully conceptualized ideas, complete with bibles and scripts. Walking up to people who were once my colleagues and pitching them as peers rather than as their employee felt surreal. The reception was encouraging—lots of traction, positive feedback, and genuine interest in what I was creating.

Buoyed by this response, I returned home in February and took the plunge: opening my own production company with plans to bring these shows to life one at a time. I secured office space and convinced my sister to join as our “chaos coordinator.” The pieces were falling into place, and the mountain I had long dreamed of climbing finally seemed within reach.

Then—wham. The global pandemic hit, upending everyone’s plans and throwing the world into uncertainty. For many, this would have been reason enough to retreat, to put dreams on hold until more stable times. As a mom suddenly balancing remote schooling, household management during lockdown, and the launch of a new business, the pressure was immense.

But it was precisely in this crucible of constraints, fear, and unexpected family time that Star Forest was born. Watching my children up close every day—observing how they played, what engaged them, what they were missing—sparked the idea that would become our flagship project. Without that intense period of limitation and observation, I might never have conceived it, let alone found the determination to bring it to life.

This is the paradox I’ve come to embrace: sometimes our greatest innovations emerge not from abundance but from constraint; not from perfect circumstances but from navigating imperfect ones.

Star Forest has grown into a tree with many branches, and yes, some of those branches have fallen along the way. Team members have come and gone. Plans have been rewritten. But the tree continues to grow, stronger for each adaptation it has made to changing conditions.

Every single person who has contributed to Star Forest—whether they’re still with us or not—was part of this dream’s evolution. They took a chance on me, on a vision that existed only in concept form during a time when the entertainment industry was in turmoil. For that leap of faith, I remain forever grateful, regardless of how our paths may have diverged.

My father’s wisdom has proven true again and again: life happens *for* you, not *to* you. The pandemic that could have derailed everything instead gave birth to our most vibrant creation. The team changes that felt devastating in the moment created space for new voices and perspectives. The uncertainty of entrepreneurship has yielded a strength and clarity I might never have discovered in the comfort of a corporate position.

This is the essence of resilience as I’ve come to understand it—not just enduring difficulties, but allowing them to reshape you into something more adaptive, more creative, and ultimately more authentic than you could have otherwise become.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.silvercometstudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starforestrocks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-ledoux-demars-a4241814?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@starforestrocks?si=qQ1b1eqje2X9TeFg.
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0C8GCJW2PlpUgoJoTsfAXA?si=xYNeqQOdTkS673g-Pp4UEg