It’s February 2020, and the crowds have started to gather in the ballroom for Camp Southern Ground, Zac Brown’s summer camp for kids. Stan Tucker is the outreach director at the camp. However, tonight, he’s hosting a fundraising gala for his non-profit, Leap For Literacy. The twins, Matthew and Jared, haul their cameras around the large room conducting interviews with joyful guests, many of whom are already willing to support the cause.

“I think a program like this allows students who traditionally may not be encouraged to read, to do so,” a man says on camera.

But despite the hopeful atmosphere, there is an undercurrent of fear in the room. In fact, it’s the same sense of anxiety one might find at any large gathering around the world. The new, novel Coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate. In fact, there have already been talks of possible shutdowns and quarantine measures.

If this were to happen, it could mean that the schools Stan is scheduled to visit in the coming months might no longer be open. (To be continued…)

It’s February 2020, and the crowds have started to gather in the ballroom for Camp Southern Ground, Zac Brown’s summer camp for kids. Stan Tucker is the outreach director at the camp. However, tonight, he’s hosting a fundraising gala for his non-profit, Leap For Literacy. The twins, Matthew and Jared, haul their cameras around the large room conducting interviews with joyful guests, many of whom are already willing to support the cause.

“I think a program like this allows students who traditionally may not be encouraged to read, to do so,” a man says on camera.

But despite the hopeful atmosphere, there is an undercurrent of fear in the room. In fact, it’s the same sense of anxiety one might find at any large gathering around the world. The new, novel Coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate. In fact, there have already been talks of possible shutdowns and quarantine measures.

If this were to happen, it could mean that the schools Stan is scheduled to visit in the coming months might no longer be open. (To be continued…)

“Due to government regulations, we will be closing the school for the foreseeable future,” an email from another school reads. Stan closes his laptop and breathes in a deep sigh of frustration. He glances over at his Read N’ Roll bus, which sits just outside his window. A thick blanket of Georgia’s famous snot green pollen gathers on the windows.

“Man, this is hard,” he reflects.

Even before he left his teaching job, it was Stan’s dream to spread his love of literacy to kids. In fact, he had been riding a huge wave of momentum since his appearance on the Ellen show back in October of 2019. During the program, she’d gifted him $25,000 for Leap for Literacy.

“Now what,” he murmurs to himself.

After a few minutes of some well-deserved self-pity, Stan gathers himself and sets to work solving his problem. After some reflection, he comes up with an idea that just might work. However, he can’t do it alone. He pulls out his phone and thumbs through the contacts for a bit before finding the number he’s looking for.

“I hope they go for this,” Stan says to himself as he punches the call button…

“Do we need this?” Jared asks his brother as he holds up yet another unidentifiable piece of film gear. The room was littered with relics from a bygone era of movie production. 

With the world shut down and nothing but free time, Matthew and Jared had decided it was time to clean out the studio they’d owned for nearly a decade. However, years of accumulated props and equipment have turned the ample space into something more akin to a Hollywood junk closet. 

“If we don’t need it, get rid of it,” Matthew replies. “We have to be ruthless.”

Despite everything, the pandemic had provided the twins with the rare opportunity to do a hard reset. For years, the brothers dreamed of returning to their production roots: children’s shows. In fact, back in their 20’s, the brothers had made a modest name for themselves producing content for the likes of Phil Vischer (Veggietales). But somewhere along the way, life and bills had gotten in the way, just as they always do. 

As Matthew hauls another mysterious load of junk to the dumpster, his phone vibrates. “Matthew, it’s Stan Tucker. I need your help with something.” (to be continued)

Stan, Jared, and Matthew sit across from each other in the Brothers Young Studio. 

"So, you want to do a YouTube show where you just read children's books?" Matthew asks. 

"I need a way to keep reaching out to kids while the world is shut down," Stan replies.

After some additional discussion, the three agree to start a channel called Stories with Stan. The premise is simple: Stan will read books on camera. They keep the filming really easy as well, using just a plain, gray background and a two-camera setup. One camera will focus on Stan, while another will be placed overhead, pointing down at the book. 

"Who knew that something so simple could be so frustrating to light?" Jared comments to Matthew. "It’s taken an hour just to get rid of the shadows.” 

“So what book is first?” Matthew asks Stan. 

“Oh I got a good one, a really good one,” Stan replies behind a smile.

t’s been a few weeks since Stan read “When You’re Feeling Sick” by Coy Bowles, for the first ever Stories with Stan episode.The filming set up has become routine, maybe even a little boring.

It’s been a few weeks since Stan read “When You’re Feeling Sick”  by Coy Bowles, for the first ever Stories with Stan episode.  The filming set up has become routine, maybe even a little boring.

“So what book do we have today?” Jared asks Stan.

 Stan now holds up a beautifully illustrated book. 

“It’s called, ‘What Do You Do with An Idea?’ and it’s one of my favorite books,” he says. “It’s written by a fella named Kobi Yamada. I reached out to him on Instagram, and he said I could read it.”

Matthew thumbs through the book, “The artwork is amazing.”

While the crew sets up for filming, Jared has an idea. Something that could add a little whimsy to the show.

“What if we built you a set?” Jared asks. 

“What type of set?” Stan replies with curiosity.

A carpenter stands in the center of the studio. He’s working diligently on two simple flats, extending his tape measure to ensure he has the correct height.

“It just has to be tall enough for our low-angle shots,” Matthew says. “We don’t want to see the ceiling in the studio.” 

Stan has commissioned the twins to build a simple set for Stories With Stan. After a little thought, Jared described his vision as “a colorful writing room nestled in a cozy countryside.” 

“And make sure you put wheels on it,” Matthew adds. “We have to move this thing every time we film.” 

The Brothers are in a bit of a rush. Stan has already booked the show's first guest, and he arrives next week. 

DeCorey Hale sits on a stool next to Stan, watching as a crew member makes some last-minute adjustments to the lighting.

“I think we’re about ready,” Jared says as he presses record on the camera. “Just look directly into the lens and say your name and where you’re from.”

The small crew spends the next two hours filming an interview between Stan and his first guest author. The author’s book, “Ebenezer The Sneezer,” lays comfortably in his lap

“Man, this set looks a lot bigger on camera,” DeCorey says. 

“I know. I have to be careful how much I move,” Stan replies. 

After the filming is finished, Stan pulls the twins aside.

“I want to show you something I’ve been working on,” he says. 

Stan pulls a flier from his bag and shows the twins. They look at one another the way twins do when they’re thinking the same thing. 

Matthew looks at Stan, “I think you might have something here.”

“Woah, it’s so cool,” Jaxon calls to his Mom as he admires the tiny set in the modest studio.

“I want ya’ll to meet my friend, Jaxon,” Stan says. “He wrote a book about his favorite football player, Julio Jones.”

At just six years old, Jaxon is one of the first graduates of Stan’s Share Your Story program, an eight-week course designed to teach kids how to write their own books. Jaxon’s book, If I Could Meet Julio Jones, was eventually chosen to be featured on Stories with Stan.

After some time, Jaxon finishes reading his book. He looks at Stan, and the two turn to the camera.

“You ready?” asks Stan.

Jaxon nods, and the pair say in unison, “Remember to always be kind and never judge a book - or a person - by their cover.”

Matthew, Jared, Stan, and the small crew watch as Connie Crawley reads her book, Amazing YOU!

The film lights illuminate the set behind her, and the room is incredibly quiet. In fact, it’s as if the camera itself is mesmerized by the story.

Connie finishes her book and softly closes it shut.

“How was that,” she asks.

Matthew and Jared both wipe the small tears from their eyes. The twins cry a lot.

“That was amazing, so beautifully written,” Matthew says.

“And the way you read it,” Jared adds.

Connie blushes, “Aw, thank you. Lots of practice reading books as a teacher.”

Connie Crawley spent 15 years as an elementary school teacher. Now she writes books and acts as a consultant at an educational company. However, it was plain to see that her authenticity could be something special – especially if harnessed appropriately.

Much like Stan, Connie was the real deal, and the world needed to see it.

That’s when a lightbulb went off in Jared’s head.

“Hey,” he asked Connie. “Have you ever acted before?”

Matthew and Jared Young have always enjoyed making things. As twins, it’s hardly a surprise that they make a pretty good team. Back in the first grade, they won a county-wide milk cart stacking competition. Of course, this was mainly due to the other team’s tower falling over at the last minute. Still, a win’s a win.

Both attended the University of Georgia, and - coincidentally - both fell in love with acting in the fall of their senior year. They had gotten the “bug,” so to speak. Sadly, college was coming to an end, and it was time for them to enter the “real world.”

Luckily for everyone concerned, the twins decided to forgo the corporate thing and continue painting houses until something more interesting presented itself.

“It’s called Youtube, and you can just put videos on it,” Jared says to his brother.

“And people watch them?” replies Matthew.

“Theoretically,” Jared concludes.

Always creatively restless, the brothers found a public outlet for even their wildest whims. So, for the next few years, they painted houses while also making videos for various characters they created, specifically Bill and Charles Peterson (Warning: you can still find these on Youtube).

But as the years went by, the two started to see more and more bills coming in the mail every month. And so when commercial video work called, the twins answered.

10 years later, the phone is ringing again. Once again, the twins will answer.

“This is where the door would go, and then your desk could go over here,” says Jared as he paces around the empty room.

It’s been a few months since Stories with Stan began filming. In that time, Matthew, Jared, and Stan have developed real chemistry, which, in turn, has served to spark the trio’s creative juices.

Now the group is eyeing something a little bigger: a real children’s show. Cleaning the studio has opened up some space, and with more space comes more ideas and opportunities. After all, Matthew and Jared not the types to pass up the chance to make something bigger and better.

“We can do a three-wall set, maybe 12 feet deep,” says Matthew. “That should give us plenty of space for guests to move around the room.”

With Stan’s blessing, Matthew and Jared will begin work on a brand new set.

“So, what’s the premise of the show?” Stan asks.

“No idea,” the brothers reply.

It’s 2013, and Stan Tucker is standing at the front of his second-grade classroom doing roll call. It’s his first year teaching, and he’s still getting used to the joyful chaos the mornings bring.

“OK, everyone, it’s just about book fair time,” he says. “I want ya’ll to go ahead and line up—”

Before Stan can finish, there is a tug at his shirt. A boy named Juan gathers his words.

“Mr. Tucker, um, my Mom didn’t have any extra money for books,” he says hesitantly. “So, should I just stay here?”

It was in that moment that Stan realized how important it was to eliminate financial barriers between a child and literacy. A seed had been planted inside his heart. However, he couldn’t possibly imagine where it would take him once it began to grow.

“So there’s this ancient library in the middle of this old forgotten forest,” Matthew continues. “And the legend is that the library contains every book ever written.”

Stan and Jared nod as he speaks.

“Stand wants to find this library. So he searches and searches. But when he finally gets there, it’s in shambles.”

Matthew has spent the last few days conceptualizing the premise for the trio’s new children’s show. He wants to loosely base the idea on what Stan was already doing with his Read N’ Roll bus. However, he wanted to give the concept enough room for growth.

“So, you decide to rebuild the library into a flying contraption,” Matthew says to Stan. “That way, you can visit authors all over the world.”

“I love it,” Stan replies. “And what would you call the show?”

“Stan’s Flying Book Mobile!” Matthew proclaims.

Jared, never one to mince words, curls his lips into a skeptical frown. “Meh. Name needs work.”

The “naming” process was proving to be more frustrating than anticipated. It wasn’t that Matthew, Jared, and Stan couldn’t think of anything interesting. It’s just that their options weren’t original or imaginative enough.

“I’ll bet Connie would have some ideas,” Stan suggested. “She’s pretty good with that kind of stuff.”

If you know Connie Crawley, then you know her imagination affords her the unique ability to pull interesting words from seemingly nowhere. In Stan’s mind, she was the perfect person to bestow an appropriate moniker on the new show. So that night, he typed up an email and fired it off to his friend.

The very next day, he received a list of unique possibilities.

“Here are some ideas you can play with,” read the subject line from Connie’s email. The 22nd option on the list jumped out immediately.

Matthew, Jared, and Stan all agreed - this was a name they had never heard before.

The set for “The Very Airy Library” was beginning to take shape. Fortunately, The twins were able to repurpose some materials from previous productions. This expedited the creation of some of the more elaborate set pieces.

Matthew pointed to an odd-looking lamp they had acquired from their landlord, Rip Potter. Rip was a master carpenter who, at one point in his youth, was known for designing some of Atlanta’s swankiest dance clubs. In this case, the “lamp” resembled something like a 70’s Time Machine made for little people.

“This can be the gobbler,” Matthew suggests.

“The what?” Jared replies.

“The Gobbler.” Matthew reiterates the name as if it should’ve been obvious to his brother. “Not sure what it does yet. Maybe it’s for putting books in? Or maybe spitting them out?”

“I trust you’ll figure it out,” Jared responds, mimicking Matthew’s matter-of-fact tone.

Jared smiles before turning his attention to a bank of empty shelves he’d recently finished installing the set walls.

“The more pressing issue is, how are we going to fill these?” he asks aloud.

“You’ll figure it out,” Matthew replies with a smirk.

When building a “library” set, there is one key ingredient: books!

The trio’s initial thought was to collect them from anywhere they could - personal book collections, Goodwill, and perhaps some garage sales. The twins love a colorful set, so Jared suggested that the books they source all be very colorful.

After all, he didn’t want The Very Airy Library to look like your typical local public library.

However, even after spending weeks amassing as many books as possible, finding enough to fill the shelves of the library was proving to be difficult.

“This isn’t nearly enough,” Jared said to Matthew. “We need hundreds more than this. Unfortunately, buying them all from Goodwill is going to be too expensive.”

Matthew pulls out his phone and opens Facebook Marketplace. After some quick finger tapping, he announces that he might have just found the answer.