BUYING GUIDE.

Children’s television has morphed mightily over the last few decades from a steady stream of programs critics once called 30-minute toy advertisements into a lineup that must justify its educational purpose to watchdogs or risk federal scrutiny.

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a public warning about the health risks television poses to young children, and many activists who had railed against any TV for tots were suddenly vindicated. They soon found a more receptive audience in the courts, and since then, threats of legal action have risen sharply.

The impact was also felt in the home video market. In September, Walt Disney, the owner of the Baby Einstein company, announced that it would issue refunds to consumers who purchased Baby Einstein DVDs after a study suggested the videos had a negative impact on vocabulary development. Since then, more groups have called for similar refunds from the industry.

Now, as the standards for children’s television and video have grown stricter and the revenue models have changed, a new crop of producers has emerged with their own ideas about what children should be watching and why.

Take, for instance, Julia Pimsleur Levine, the owner Little Pim, an educational, second-language DVD series for children. She sees the refund issue from a number of angles. As a mother of two, she says she has mixed feelings about the industry, but as an entrepreneur, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ latest warning may have gone too far. (Of course, as for her own business, she’s not concerned. She projects pulling in $500,000 by the end of this year — up from $160,000 in 2008 — and $1.2 million in 2010. She also anticipates earning a profit for the first time next year.)

SmartMoney asked Pimsleur Levine a few questions about her company and the broader industry. Here are her condensed answers.

You were a documentary filmmaker. Why did you make the switch to producing child-focused foreign-language DVDs?

I was raised in the foreign language business. My father, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, created the Pimsleur System, a foreign language study method for adults. So, naturally, I grew up speaking French fluently, as well as a little bit of Spanish, German and Italian. I wanted my children to learn French, as well. However, right after my first son was born, I discovered that there weren’t any high-quality language systems crafted specifically for young minds. I decided to make one.

Did being a filmmaker help you in launching Little Pim?

Part of the success of Little Pim is that it stands up to very high quality standards. For example, my former production company, Big Mouth Productions, films all of Little Pim’s videos in high definition. Although shooting this way is more expensive, parents often say they appreciate the attention to detail.

Are there any other benefits to shooting in high definition?

Little Pim’s DVDs are now sold directly to parents at LittlePim.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and in about 200 book and toy stores throughout the country. However, we really see the DVD as a pit stop on the way to being fully digital. Our ultimate plan is to allow parents to download Little Pim digitally from the web. Shooting in HD is ideal for digital transmission via the web, as well as over mobile devises.

What goes into shooting a Little Pim video?

First, I had to find an animator that could encapsulate what I wanted in a main character — Little Pim, a cartoon panda. Now, each video takes a year to produce and requires the participation of child actors. But rather than tap 80 kids to make three different videos in three separate languages, we use one set of actors and then change the audio, depending on the language. Right now, Little Pim offers tutorials in 10 languages: Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, English/ESL, Russian, Arabic and German.

You call yourself a “mompreneur.” What’s it like to run a company and raise two kids?

I really built the business to work with my family life. I work every single day, but I find that, as the owner of my own company, I’m able to go to parent-teacher meetings as needed. Then, if necessary, I do work on my own time. You can work at any business 24/7 — and it’s easy to do so — but I’m respectful of work-life balance for my employees and myself.

What is your reaction to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance and Disney’s refund?

While my feelings are mixed, since I am a mother of two children under the age of five, I believe the ban-TV-for-tots frenzy that has ensued is misguided. First of all, there is a big difference between a baby or toddler watching a few minutes of an educational DVD and the two to three hours of viewing per day that the American Academy of Pediatrics found to be potentially unsound for young minds and prompted it to issue a warning against any screen time for kids under the age of two.

Secondly, for every study that says TV is bad, there’s one that says learning a foreign language at a young age can be positive. It is really about the benefits of starting young. Children will have much better accents and they’ll be able to absorb more, the younger they are and the more neurally committed their minds are to language. Past the age of five, language adoption gets incrementally harder. Several other studies show that learning a foreign language at a young age offers children a cognitive advantage.

What’s your best advice for future entrepreneurs?

Trust your vision. But also build a group of advisors who can help you navigate the early stages of a business.

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