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Devin: What is your superpower?
Mel: Passion for raising good kids.
Building resilient, compassionate children is no small feat, especially in today’s fast-paced, diverse world. That’s why Mel Sauder, Founder and President of MVP Kids, is inspiring others with his dedication to helping kids develop critical “living skills” through immersive storytelling and multimedia resources.
MVP Kids is a mission-driven company that creates award-winning books, puppets, and now, a groundbreaking animated series. “We founded MVP Kids 10 years ago because we have a passion for kids. Our kids, your kids, all kids,” Mel explained. “How do kids learn living skills? How do they learn what their emotions are and how to manage them? How do they build their character?” These are the questions that drive their work.
At the heart of MVP Kids are 16 diverse characters carefully designed to help children see themselves and others in an inclusive, inspiring way. “We developed 16 unique kids where every child can see themselves and kids who are different from themselves,” Mel said. “We celebrate differences—not just skin color, but hair, size, family structure, and personality.” By creating relatable, trusted friends, MVP Kids teaches essential values like kindness, resilience, and emotional intelligence.
The next big step for MVP Kids is bringing these characters to life through animation. Working with legendary children’s storyteller John Semper, whose credits include “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” and “Fraggle Rock,” MVP Kids is developing an adventure-filled series aimed at teaching kids while entertaining them. The company has already secured a $2.5 million matching commitment from animation studio Toonz and is raising the rest through a regulated investment crowdfunding campaign on NetCapital.
Mel’s passion for this work stems from personal experience. As the proud grandfather of 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, he’s witnessed firsthand the importance of building character from a young age. “Kids’ character isn’t developed overnight—it’s built day by day,” he noted. MVP Kids creates tools for parents and educators to foster those daily lessons in fun, meaningful ways.
What stands out most about MVP Kids is its commitment to leaving no child behind. Whether it’s a puppet helping a boy work through anger issues or an animated hero teaching resilience, Mel and his team are creating life-changing resources for families.
You can support this inspiring mission by exploring their crowdfunding campaign at NetCapital. Everyone deserves the chance to invest in a brighter future for kids.
tl;dr:
MVP Kids helps children build character and resilience through multimedia tools like books and animation.
Mel Sauder’s passion for kids inspired him to create 16 diverse characters kids can relate to.
The company’s animated series is being developed with storytelling legend John Semper.
MVP Kids is raising capital via NetCapital, with a $2.5M match from animation studio Toonz.
Mel’s mission is to empower parents and educators to raise compassionate, high-character children.
How to Develop Passion for Raising Good Kids As a Superpower
Mel Sauder’s superpower is his deep passion for helping children grow into resilient, high-character individuals. “Our superpower is just our passion for kids, for raising what we call real MVPs,” he explained. This relentless commitment has driven Mel and his wife to dedicate over a decade to creating tools that empower parents and educators to build strong, compassionate children. By focusing on universal virtues and avoiding divisive topics, Mel ensures that every child can benefit from their resources.
Illustrative Story:
Mel’s passion stems from personal experience. When he married into a family with two teenagers, he faced the challenges of blended family dynamics and realized how much support parents need. His efforts to build a strong, loving family inspired his mission to help other parents. Now, MVP Kids provides tools like books, puppets, and animated stories to ensure every child has trusted friends and mentors to guide their growth.
Tips for Developing This Superpower:
Take ownership of your role in shaping children’s futures.
Commit to spending daily interactive time with kids, even before birth.
Use creative tools like stories and laughter to teach character and life skills.
Collaborate with experts in fields like child psychology to enrich your efforts.
Focus on empowering kids to be their unique selves rather than pushing specific agendas.
By following Mel’s example and advice, you can make passion for raising good kids a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Mel Sauder (he/him):
Founder and President, MVP Kids
About MVP Kids: MVP Kids® is an immersive entertainment ecosystem combining fun storytelling with our sixteen trusted friends—relatable MVP Kids characters who celebrate differences and grow alongside the audience. Our vision is that every child has a trusted friend in MVP Kids. Through our proprietary Learning Universal Virtues™ (LUV™) Framework, we inspire friendship, conflict resolution, resilience, unity, and emotional intelligence across streaming series, mobile apps & games, curriculum, books, puppets, music, merchandising, and short-form video.
Website: mvpkids.com
Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/realMVPkids
Instagram Handle: @realmvpkids
Other URL: netcapital.com/companies/mvp-kids
Biographical Information: Mel Sauder is the Founder and President of MVP Kids, an immersive children’s media brand integrating animation, books, games, and curriculum to help families and educators instill virtues and life skills in children. With nearly four decades of executive leadership experience, Mel has served as Chairman, CEO, President, and CFO across start-ups, pre-IPO ventures, and Fortune 200 companies, including Fuji Photo Film and AmerisourceBergen. A Certified Public Accountant and graduate of The Ohio State University, he has led the launch of multiple disruptive innovations in consumer products, technology, and education.
LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/melsauder
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