When Eric and Alexa Lewis picked up a camera in February 2020 to film their first YouTube video, they didn’t expect to pioneer a new approach to children’s content. Their initial cooking videos with their two young children, Levi and Ivy, have grown into a multi-platform enterprise that prioritizes substantive entertainment for young viewers.

Creating Content with Purpose

For Alexa, starting a YouTube channel came from her observations about children’s entertainment. 

“I was not a huge fan of what YouTube was doing for kids,” she explains. “There’s tons of stuff that has to do with ‘gimme, gimme, and what you have  isn’t enough.’ I care about the person that’s watching. A child out there won’t have a Christmas tree full of presents… I don’t want kids to watch content that makes them feel bad about what they don’t have..”

This vision became the foundation for the Lively Lewis Show, a channel targeting children ages 4-8. The launch coincided with an unexpected opportunity—the COVID-19 lockdowns provided additional family time to develop their content. “We started two weeks before COVID shut down the U.S.,” Alexa shares. “We made five videos but didn’t post them.”

During lockdown, the Lewis family created an environment focused on positivity. “We created like a very blissful bubble for our little family… we didn’t want the kids’ worlds to feel dark and scary when the world felt like that,” Alexa shares. 

Eric adds, “It was a combination of that and the extra time we spent with the kids. It was a crazy and terrible time. But we found a lot of joy in it.”

Unexpected Growth Through Challenge

The channel’s impact extended beyond entertainment. Their son, who struggled with speech development, showed significant improvement through video participation. 

“By doing YouTube, we’re feeding him lines, and he’s watching my mouth; he’s responding,” Alexa explains. “Within months, he went from a pretty limited word bank to excelling.”

This progress came at a crucial moment, as Alexa recalls: “Because of COVID shutting down the world, all of these services were shut down, and our son was pretty speech delayed. Right before, I wondered how to get him therapy and help him with his speaking?”

Their viewership surged in April 2021. “We were probably getting 50,000 views a day,” Eric recalls, adding that between April and August 2021, they consistently reached 7-8 million daily views.

Alexa describes their growth trajectory: “The graph was almost comical because it was down, and then it shot [straight up].” 

She highlighted their focus on impact: “There’s that amazing part when you realize that parents and kids are watching and receiving the positive messages we try to convey.

Building a Sustainable Business Model

Despite high viewership, monetization presented challenges due to children’s content regulations. 

“While our views and subscriber count were [growing], it didn’t translate to the financial side,” Alexa notes, adding that right before they started, the U.S. FTC reinforced the COPPA law, banning targeted ads for kids. Nevertheless, by mid-2023, they established sustainable revenue streams, enabling them to hire professional writers and editors.

Eric maintains his partnership with a family health insurance firm, providing stability for their content creation. 

“If the kids say they don’t want to do it, that’s fine,” Eric says. “I still have my full-time job, and [Alexa] and I have another channel on which we create content. So we’d just pivot.”

Maintaining Privacy in Public Content

The Lewis family implements specific measures to protect their privacy. 

“If you pay attention to what happens on the Lively Lewis Show, it’s all scripted… we don’t share the kids doing something that would ever be embarrassing or uncomfortable for them,” Alexa stresses. “Even when Levi is sick in a video, he’s fine in reality. I don’t want to capitalize on his misery so that someone can watch it.”

Their production process includes careful location management. “We have a mailbox where you can take the letters or the numbers off… you can’t see the street signs,” Alexa shares. “We try not to go to a Target store [near us] or a restaurant that can only be found in one place.” Eric adds, “We’ll blur out street signs and things like that… it’s got to look pretty generic for the most part.”

Professional Production Development

The Lewis’ content creation has matured alongside their children’s interests. “We started just making whatever we could and whatever we thought would be fun,” Eric explains. “But as Levi and Ivy have  gotten older and shown interest in different things, we’ve been able to make videos about what they’re interested in and what they like.”

The children actively participate in content development. “Levi and Ivy will say, ‘What if we made a video about this?’ And then we try to develop a concept, script, or outline,” Eric shares. Alexa adds, “We’ve given them a lot of voice in it. And I think it’s how it should be. We make kids content; shouldn’t the kids’ voices be heard?”

Their commitment to quality led to hiring professional team members. “We have this incredible editor, Ryan, who has gone to college for editing, and we have this script writer who went to college for script writing,” Alexa explains.

Alexa brings theatrical expertise to their productions: “I love theatrics. I love the storytelling… I can see how it will turn out, but I can’t get it from here to there without explaining my idea.” 

Their Furby music video exemplifies this creative collaboration: “I’d come to Eric, and say, ‘Hey babe, hear me out. The world is going to be in black and white. And then Furby comes to each person and makes the color return to them.’”

Expanding Creative Horizons

The Lewis family’s 2025 plans include diverse media projects. They’ve launched “Lively Lewis Stories,” a kids’ podcast, and partnered with Cartoon Conrad for animation projects. “Our imagination is limited in live action, but with animation, anything is possible,” Alexa explains.

Their merchandise line adapts to their children’s preferences. “We have an Ivy doll. We’re revamping it because Ivy’s getting older and has new favorite colors. Purple’s not in our logo, but who cares? If she wants her plush doll to have a purple outfit, we’re doing it,” We are also launching a Levi Plush doll in a few months. Alexa shares.

Eric reveals that they recently finished production on the first episode of their original series, filmed in collaboration with pocket.watch. It will run the Ryan and Friends app and potentially some other streaming platforms.

All in all, the Lewis’ foundational mission remains constant. “We wouldn’t be talking to you without them,” Eric reflects on their audience. “We’re not perfect, but we strive to do as best as we possibly can in every video and try to be a little bit better in the next video.”

“I want people to find peace and happiness with who they are and what they have … You don’t need more to feel better,” Alexa concludes.