Going Zen This group of moms created a video series to help their children--and everyone else's--enjoy the beauty of nature.
By Sara Wilson
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What: A company that produces inspirational and relaxingvideos for families to watch together
Who: Nicole Evenhuis, Miki Shaler and Kirsten Taylor Hallof Zen Baby
Where: Los Angeles
When: Started in 2001
Yes, 2001 was an unforgettable year for Nicole Evenhuis, MikiShaler and Kirsten Taylor Hall, all 35 and close friends for morethan a decade. That year, Shaler returned home from the PeaceCorps, and Evenhuis and Taylor Hall became new mothers. It was alsothe year they decided to create Zen Baby, a video that inspires,relaxes, and captures the simple beauty of infants interacting withnature. Evenhuis, Taylor Hall and Shaler--a producer, adirector/cinematographer and a marketing expert, respectively--hadthe perfect mixture of creativity and talent to realize their idea.Says Evenhuis, "We set out to create something we feltcelebrated the beauty in the world around us and created a feelingof peace and well-being in the home that both child and parentcould enjoy."
By working at home and pooling their money, they were able toself-fund their project. The result was a 30-minute video thatfeatures children as they experience their first year of life. Thevideo also reminds parents of simple ways to incite theirchildren's curiosity. "Go look for shapes in the clouds,crunch leaves, touch sand," says Shaler, "very basicthings, [because] as we get taller, we lose our connection with theEarth."
The video made its debut on their website, www.zen-baby.com, andAmazon.com. Asorders increased, so did the number of honors, including Amazon.comTop Seller and iParenting Media Award for Best of the Best 2004.The trio recently partnered with a distributor and has plans fortwo more videos and possibly ancillary products, including books,which will push 2005 sales to a projected $250,000. "[ZenBaby] was what I like to call an elegant idea," says TaylorHall. "It came out very truthfully and cleanly, and it'snever really wavered."
