Here is our small and passionate team with business development in Berlin, Germany and creative projects and education outreach based in Folkestone, Kent, UK.

About Us

The Team

Our story is in its early stages, but there's already plenty to share, from the projects that formed the foundation of ootiboo to the people bringing it all to life.

Partnerships

Contributors

Our beginnings

Funding

Years later I achieved this goal, resulting in a thirty-year career in film visual effects (VFX), Stereoscopic 3D and Virtual Reality on over sixty films. My work fuelled a passion for travel with contracts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Cutting-edge technology has always been closely tied to my work although I have always seen myself as an artist with technology providing the tools.&nbsp;In 2017 I switched focus to personal projects which resulted in the formation of East Cliff Creatives to support local artists in Kent, UK.&nbsp;This sparked a series of large-scale community art projects which formed the thinking behind ootiboo.&nbsp;I am dedicated to shining a light on the opportunities and benefits creativity can offer, especially to those who would not consider themselves creative.Get in touch with Goose at <a href=mailto:“goose@ootiboo.com”>goose@ootiboo.com</a>.

Angus Cameron

Image

Co-Founder & Creative Director

Horse riding, playing the piano, sailing, singing or gardening with my grandma – growing up I tried out a lot of things but I wasn’t outstanding at anything and nothing helped me to figure out what I wanted to become when I grew up. I majored in Arts for my A-Level just because I had the best marks at it.&nbsp;At the age of 24 I fulfilled my dream to live in Australia. After an internship in Sydney I got back home and became a working student at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the biggest research association in Europe dedicated to applied science. They gave me the job mainly because I was fluent in English.&nbsp;At the age of 30 they asked me to establish a 3D Innovation Center. Through that job I meet electrical engineers, filmmakers, digital &amp; fine artists and machine learning specialists. The intersection of arts and science really shaped my thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;Although I struggled in physics and chemistry in school, I am now fascinated by quantum physics and neuroscience. I am a trained yoga teacher and did a permaculture design course. I believe the more we understand that humans are part of nature and that by nature humans are creative beings, the more we can tackle the big problems of the world we live in.Get in touch with Kathleen at <a href=mailto:“kathleen@ootiboo.com”>kathleen@ootiboo.com</a>.

Kathleen Schroeter

Co-Founder & CEO

Whether it was working for the United Nations in war torn societies or in top tier consultancy companies like KPMG, from running ultra-marathons in the Alps to leading vulnerable kids’ groups on nature trips. I love to merge these experiences, build bridges between these worlds and connect dots of insights that others haven’t seen – yet. A common red thread is the art of decision making under pressure and how to lead others in volatile environments. Advising companies and individuals alike I try to pass on what I have picked up along the way so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;And when I was a teenager I finally managed to get lost in the Canadian wilderness, but that’s a story for another campfire.Get in touch with Hendrik at <a href=mailto:“hendrik@ootiboo.com”>hendrik@ootiboo.com</a>.

Hendrik Wantia

Co-Founder & Cool Dude

I really enjoyed working on the logistics of the Propa Happy project ootiboo ran to support Ant & Dec's debut book; there were lots of challenges and I found working out a new solution for each very satisfying. I'm working on more projects for upcoming workshops, and everything about building new projects from scratch appeals to the way I like to work.

I have my own illustration business, where I mostly focus on very precise architectural line work; I want kids to understand that creativity isn't all chaos and mess, it can be very measured and methodical - if that's how you work best. 

ootiboo's atttitude to creativity - that it needs to be inclusive and available to all - echoes my own thoughts, and I'm very happy to be helping kids discover their own creativity and find out how they like to express themselves best.Get in touch with Ben at <a href=mailto:“ben@ootiboo.com”>ben@ootiboo.com</a>.

Ben Braudy

Project Lead

That love of books quickly evolved into a love of writing, and at about 11 I managed to write half a novel on my parents' groaningly slow boulder of a computer (it didn't even have a mouse!) before the ancient thing died an unassuming death and took my novel with it. My mum was heartbroken but I was secretly relieved as they would never realise I'd just completely plagiarised The Children of Cherry Tree Farm.&nbsp;&nbsp;After studying English with American Film and Literature at Loughborough University, I stuck around for an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature and some time after completed a Diploma in Professional Proofreading. I now look after all the words you see on these pages and make sure they're all spelt correctly and put in the right order; I do still make the occasional spelling mistake (please email me on <a href="mailto:amanda@ootiboo.com">amanda@ootiboo.com</a> if you spot one on ootiboo.com and don't mention it to anyone else) but I try very hard not to and I usually do okay.&nbsp;I also enjoy lino printing and making buttons in my spare time.

Amanda Angus

Content Manager & Word Spinner

I work with Avid, FCPX, DaVinci, Adobe Creative Suite and Ableton live. I have also produced several Multi-cam live and as live streams events.
 
I enjoy helping and motivating people and companies from all backgrounds realise their potential and aspirations.
 
For ootiboo, I delivered the multi-camera element for the live stream event for <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/propa-happy-positivity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Propa Happy</a> and edited a short film documenting the <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/projects/my-imaginary-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">My imaginary world</a> project. 
 
 Find out more at <a href="https://www.thetalentmanager.com/talent/32482/adrian-charles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Talent Manager.</a>

Adrian Charles

Filmmaker and Editor

Nothing gives me a greater sense of self-worth, pride and happiness than seeing children engrossed in something I have created, or witnessing that ‘lightbulb moment’ when a child finally understands something that has been hard for them to grasp.
 
I am creative by nature and I feed my creative flair by handmaking birthday and Christmas cards (my personal favourite was 2020’s card, where I squashed Covid under the Christmas tree!). I also love to create costumes from whatever I can find around the house. Recently (at school), I have been 6 Dinner Sid, Elmer and Luna Lovegood. This love of dressing up also extends into my passion of horse riding; my horse and I have been Pudsey bear, an elf and reindeer, and Fiona and Donkey. Luckily for me, my horse is a very patient boy!

As a teacher, I believe that providing every child with the opportunity to shine is the most important part of my role. I think it’s essential to give them high quality texts to develop their imagination, and allow them to explore and express themselves through well planned and resourced activities. This isn’t always easy with the constraints put on schools, so this is where ootiboo is like a ray of positive energy that so many schools will benefit from. I am very excited to be part of that!Get in touch with Sam at <a href=mailto:“sam@ootiboo.com”>sam@ootiboo.com</a>.

Sam Green

Project Resource Developer

As a Headteacher, I enjoyed creating a creative curriculum for all the children in my school. I aimed to provide an education for the children that went beyond the constraints of the National Curriculum. Working together with ootiboo on their World Builder Project opened my eyes to even more exciting creative possibilities for all children, not just the ones at my school. I joined the ootiboo team in 2022 as the resident Headteacher to help develop the school strategy and grow school participation with the ootiboo platform. I firmly believe that creativity is for all and can’t wait to engage as many schools and children as possible with the exciting projects ootiboo has to offer.&nbsp;&nbsp;I write most of the posts on <a href="https://teachers.ootiboo.com/blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ootiboo's teachers blog</a> - come and have a read!Get in touch with Chris at <a href=mailto:“chris@ootiboo.com”>chris@ootiboo.com</a>.

Chris Green

ootiboo's education liaison

My current role is as Publishing Strategy Director for Farshore, where I have responsibility for both the editorial and marketing teams.&nbsp; As a dedicated children’s imprint, I get to work with some of the brightest and best authors, illustrators and content creators to acquire the right books and position, publish and market them effectively to ensure every child can find a way into reading through our portfolio. I am passionate about sharing the joy of reading with children to inspire a love of stories, magic and imagination that will arm them to be a happy, resourceful and successful generation of critical and creative thinkers.

Sarah Bates

Partner In Crime

A primary school teacher for 13 years, I have always searched for ways to enhance the creativity of the children and my practice. Living in a rapidly evolving world in which creativity is becoming stifled in the classroom while becoming a greater requirement to get ahead in all aspects of life, I want to ensure that the children in my care are agile, flexible thinkers able to conquer the challenges of an uncertain future.I am enthused by finding opportunities for children to take risks in their learning which help them move outside their comfort zones and into a world of possibility and imagination which will place them in great stead for the future.

Andy Wright

Teacher & Practitioner

As a child, I was the weird kid who loved to make my own flower fairies and collect spiders for my indoor tent/spider cave. I was rarely fully dressed – unless the opportunity presented itself for a spot of fancy dress. My grandparents ran and lived above a country pub in Kent, and I lived there with my mum, little sister and extended family. It was less Waltons, more Emmerdale Farm. I loved it. My favourite hobby at the time was to sit at the bar and write little stories about the regulars.
 
In my last year of primary school, my mum developed a drinking problem and I started to use my writing as a means of escape. I’d create wonderful, complex worlds through my stories – and I’d retreat there whenever I needed to.
 
In my 20s, after studying English, Media and Sociology, I took a distance learning course in writing for children. I started work as a copywriter and journalist and spent 12 years writing for Hamleys.
 
Whilst on holiday with my youngest son in 2018, he said something that gave me the idea for <a href="https://play.ootiboo.com/about-us/partnerships/picture-this-books" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Picture-This Books™</a> : “That’s not how I imagined it in my head, Mummy” – on seeing the illustrations in a book I was reading him.
 
A mouth of babes, pure of heart statement that transported me back to being a child myself.
 
I began to research the importance of imagination and creativity in childhood, particularly in response to trauma, anxiety, and mental health more generally. This took me down a rabbit hole and led to me exploring the issue of representation in children’s books. I learned about the importance of children seeing characters who look like them – yet how little that actually happens.
 
At the same time, I was alarmed to find out that more and more schools are decreasing access to “soft subjects”, that the curriculum is being squeezed, that, between school and screens - children are being given less opportunity for investigative, trial and error learning. Less opportunity to be creative, to use their imagination to problem solve and invent.
 
I am a mum of two. I’m also a neurodiversity advocate. I am passionate about the power of imagination and the importance of creativity to the arts, the sciences, and wider societal progress.

About us