OUR MISSION
To empowers teens & tweens to manage BIG feelings with engaging music, animation and Mood Tools they can use every day.
WHY WE CREATED MOOD
A mental health crisis
Today's adolescents are in distress, grappling with a spectrum of emotional challenges from anxiety to fear to loneliness. According to the CDC, one in five children is facing, or will face, a significant mental health issue. The Surgeon General has labeled this reality as 'devastating.' Research indicates that the cumulative effect of daily stress plays a significant role. It's critical that we act now to alleviate the daily emotional battles faced by tweens and teens—before it’s too late.
Our core team
JANE HOFFMAN
Artist & Mental Health Advocate
MOOD FOUNDER
Jane has been a visual artist for more than 25 years under the name Jane Maxwell Studio. Her motivation for creating MOOD comes from her personal experiences supporting her children through their own mental health struggles. Along that journey, Jane was exposed to excellent emotional regulation tools used in acute treatment programs (that helped her children survive and thrive). It is these tools which, through MOOD, Jane is introducing to a wider audience of ‘everyday’ adolescents to help them manage difficult feelings.
DR. BLAISE AGUIRRE, MD
Michael Hollander, PHD, Endowed Director, McLean Hospital, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
MOOD LEADING PSYCHIATRIST
Dr. Aguirre is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. He has been a staff psychiatrist at McLean Hospital in MA since 2000 and is nationally and internationally recognized for his extensive work in the treatment of adolescent mood and personality disorders. He lectures regularly throughout the world and is the author of many books. He specializes in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as well as other treatments for borderline personality disorder and associated conditions.
CHARLOTTE DIETZ
Founder, Speakwell Partners
MOOD CREATIVE CONSULTANT
Charlotte is a communications coach and founding partner at SpeakWell Partners. She brings decades of theater performance, professional presentation experience and leadership development to MOOD. Her enthusiasm and keen eye and ear for creative expression makes her an invaluable contributor to all things MOOD.
WEB FLETCHER
Vice President, Global Retail Analytics, Circana
MOOD BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Web is a marketing, strategy and analytics leader focused on data-driven, customer growth. Web has an MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and his expertise in strategy and organizations is instrumental to his role at MOOD.
MONTY POWELL
MOOD SINGER / SONGWRITER
Monty is a highly decorated songwriter, earning SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year (2009), The prestigious CMA Triple Play Award (2010), and seven BMI Millionaire Awards. He has penned hits for Tim McGraw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Brooks & Dunn and many more. Additionally, he was a key creative force in establishing Keith Urban’s mega success. Together, he and Urban earned a Golden Globe Award nomination and Critics Choice award nomination for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. Monty is also an accomplished music producer. He and his co-writing partner Anna Wilson have penned all of MOOD original music!
ANNA WILSON
MOOD SINGER / SONGWRITER
Anna Wilson is a critically acclaimed artist. Her numerous albums have been released to rave reviews and she has been hailed as the ‘queen of the country-jazz duet.’ She has recorded and performed with Grammy award-winning and legendary artists Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Rogers and many more. She is an award-winning ASCAP songwriter, whose works appear on over 7 million RIAA certified records and composed and recorded the international theme song for Habitat for Humanity, “A House, A Home”. Anna and her co-writing partner Monty Powell pen all of MOOD’s original music!
MOOD ANIMATION STUDIO
Makematic is a leading global producer of educational video and animated content for both the classroom and informal learning.
BECKY JONES
MOOD EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Becky is the Executive Producer and Head of Original IP at Makematic. Previously a specialist documentary producer/director for broadcasters including the BBC, she saw a growing gap in quality factual content for kids. She became the Executive Producer at Discovery Education before setting up her own production company. With over 25 years experience in the media sector, and the mother of three boys, Becky is greatly enjoying bringing MOOD to the digital screen.
SREE KADALAYIL
MOOD HEAD OF ANIMATION
Sree Kadalayil is the Director of Animation at Makematic. Sree has worked as an animator and motion designer for the past 18 years, bringing experience from previous roles at Sixteensouth, 360 Production and Flickerpix Animations. With a varied skill set that includes 2D Animation, storyboarding and character designs, Sree contributes invaluable insights into the animation of MOOD.
FREYA WATSON
MOOD PRODUCER
Freya is a Senior Producer at Makematic where she oversees the production of various animated and live action series. With over 10 years experience in award winning factual and children’s television she has gone on to carve out a career in the digital space creating short form content for broadcasters, brands and social channels. Freya has a personal interest in mental health from her own experiences and loves bringing the vision of MOOD to life.
ETHAN SMYTH
MOOD ANIMATOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Ethan Smyth is an Illustrator and Motion Graphics Artist at Makematic with over 10 years’ experience within the creative industry. Ethan has built a rich illustration and animation portfolio collaborating with advertising and marketing agencies across the UK and Ireland. His experience working within the TV and Film industry, producing graphics and visuals on a range of award-winning primetime HETV productions adds to his diverse skill set. He is currently the lead illustrator and animator for MOOD.
Our brand & marketing partners
INK & ICON
BRAND & MARKETING
Ink & Icon is a boutique brand and marketing consultancy that leverages decades of big agency experience within a focused, agile team. Serving a diverse clientele ranging from high-profile corporations to dynamic start-ups, they are adept at crafting bespoke branding, go-to-market strategies, and compelling marketing activations that engage and maintain relationships with targeted audiences in the most impactful spaces. Their multi-generational, women-led team offers an extensive range of services encompassing strategy, design, copywriting, illustration, animation, & web design.
inkandicon.com
SERENDIPIT CONSULTING
SOCIAL MEDIA & PR
Serendipit Consulting is a PR and social media agency that creates, promotes and grows brands with an unconventional team of driven creative souls. Since 2008, Serendipit makes it uncomplicated to bring big ideas to life for a diverse group of clients across the country. From earned media to influencer collaborations, from brand partnerships to TikTok channel activations, Serendipit is KPI-driven and brings energy and in-the-moment trending knowledge to the table to cultivate long-term brand success. serendipitconsulting.com
A letter from our founder
MOOD was inspired by my lived experience.
A passion project born of heartache and hope from my own children’s mental health challenges. This journey launched my mission to offer tools, skills and information to help adolescents navigate the onslaught of feelings they confront every day.
Not long ago, my family experienced fear and despair when two of my kids fell into mental health spirals. Seemingly overnight, we were tossed into the maze of a dysfunctional mental health system. I spent months navigating and advocating for my children, while trying to keep my head (and my own mental health) above water.
We were extremely lucky. We had the resources, time and support to get excellent help. I’m beyond grateful that my kids were receptive to treatment, did the hard work and clawed their way back to health.
Few are as lucky. The mental health crisis is real. Exorbitant treatment costs, therapist waiting lists, ER beds in the hallway, grossly inadequate insurance coverage. It’s an absolute travesty.
There has to be a better way. Along our journey we learned about concrete ‘emotional regulation’ skills that were created by psychiatrists for acute patients in clinical settings. These tools helped turn our lives around (skills we all still use today!). However, despite being intuitive and quite simple to use, these proven tools are virtually unknown to everyday kids with everyday feelings. Kids need these skills! They have the potential to help manage feelings before they lead to more serious mental health issues.
That’s why MOOD was created. To offer easy-to-use tools and information in an entertaining and digestible format that help kids normalize and neutralize emotions and feel better. Every day.
Thank you for your interest!
All best,