Couple creates Jools TV, a YouTube channel that teaches, entertains kids
They started the channel to honor their first-born son
By Shardaa Gray
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — It’s been a problem for generations — getting kids to clean up and do chores.
But a couple from Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood may have found a way to make it happen, and to educate and entertain kids in all different ways. The couple, Justin and Patrice Brim, founded a YouTube channel that millions are now watching.
The Brims created Jools TV four years ago.
“We would see some channels that have like classic nursery rhymes, but we caught ourselves like always remixing the channels,” said Patrice Brim, “and so it was hard to find things that were representative of, you know, who our family was — like our culture.”
They started the channel to honor their first-born son, Justin Jr., otherwise known as JJ. He was a toddler when he passed away in 2017.
“That part of it is something we never speak on, but it was a tragedy,” said Justin Brim. “You know, anybody who’s a parent, they know that the intention is never that you bury your own child.”
The Brim family turned their pain into passion. They have 767,000 subscribers, and have created 339 videos.
All the videos animated, and are designed to teach kids such lessons as how to act at school — or to encourage them to do chores at home.
The Brims have thousands of views of each video, even millions for some. One of them—a hip-hop remix of the alphabet song — has 29 million views.
The Brim family creates content in one room in their home, and releases it every week. Everyone is involved, including their 1-year-old son, Jojo.
“Honestly, he is one of the people who lets us know if he likes it or not,” said Justin Brim, “and that kind of lets us know about our audience.”
The Brims put a twist on hit songs like Monica and Brandy’s “The Boy is Mine” to teach kids how to share — modifying the lyrics to “the toy is mine.”
As to copyright concerns for the music they use, Justin Brim said they are protected under the Fair Use Act, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without the copyright owner’s permission.
“We are flipping the records. Not the same beat, but the melody is the same,” said Justin Brim. “The content is not the same.”
The Brims said they plan to take their songs on the road. They said they will be collaborating with some famous entertainers.
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