Former CNN digital boss KC Estenson is running GoNoodle, an educational video company

KC Estenson used to spend his time trying to get you to click on his stories and watch his videos. Now he wants your kids to watch his videos and run around the classroom.

Estenson is the new CEO of GoNoodle, an education company that distributes videos to schools and homes, aimed at getting kids active while teaching them something, or at least entertaining them.

Estenson ran CNN’s digital arm from 2008 through 2014; he left two years into the Jeff Zucker era.

At GoNoodle, he replaces co-founder Scott McQuigg as the company’s leader; McQuigg will take a seat on the company’s board. The Nashville-based company has raised $16 million since 2013.

GoNoodle’s software is free. It generates revenue via underwriting deals from health care companies like HealthNet and, increasingly, licensing/ad deals from entertainment companies, who pay it to incorporate their characters and brands into the software.

Here’s the kind of video GoNoodle produces:

And here’s a sample of some GoNoodle-branded content from Viacom’s Paramount, promoting its upcoming Sherlock Gnomes movie:

GoNoodle says 14 million kids use its software, primarily in schools. One of Estenson’s jobs will be to increase its reach in homes. The challenge, which Estenson is well aware of: Kids and their parents have unlimited other options.

“The shelf space is super full, and yet there’s nothing healthy on the shelves,” he said. “We’ve found a way to create content that is good for kids and enjoyable to watch.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

We're here to shed some clarity

One of our core beliefs here at Vox is that everyone needs and deserves access to the information that helps them understand the world, regardless of whether they can pay for a subscription. With the 2024 election on the horizon, more people are turning to us for clear and balanced explanations of the issues and policies at stake. We’re so grateful that we’re on track to hit 85,000 contributions to the Vox Contributions program before the end of the year, which in turn helps us keep this work free. We need to add 2,500 contributions this month to hit that goal. Will you make a contribution today to help us hit this goal and support our policy coverage? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via