Lesley University

Doris Wilhousky '71

"When we began in 1984, there was just condescending garbage on television. We decided kids don't have to watch this. My background at Lesley helped me to realize there is some wonderful children's literature out there that not enough children know about."

Not too long ago, Doris Wilhousky, a 1971 Lesley College graduate was teaching by day and playing rock'n'roll by night. Barroom last call and homeroom roll call were sometimes uncomfortably close.

Today Doris is executive vice president of Rabbit Ears Productions, a Connecticut company established and headed by Doris and her husband Mark Sottnick. From humble beginnings at their family kitchen table in 1984, Rabbit Ears has become a leader in the production of books, videos and audio recordings of classic children's tales. Their work has received countless honors, including two Grammy awards, and has met with unquestioned business and artistic success.

It all started with "The Velveteen Rabbit," and through a friend's connection, Doris' husband got Meryl Streep to narrate the story and George Winston to do the score. They eventually sold 200,000 videos and three-quarters of a million tapes and books of the story. Since then, recruiting talent has been easier.

"What we do is truly fine art," Doris says." We adapt classical children's literature. Each piece is done by only one illustrator who does about 200 drawings." The illustrations are then shown in succession." It's not the feeling of full animation with blinking eyes and moving mouths. They're individual pieces of fine art that are dissolved onto one another," says Doris. The roster of Rabbit Ears artists has been staggering. Narrators have included the likes of Denzel Washington, Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, and Garrison Keillor. The narration is complemented by original music scores by artists such as Herbie Hancock, Yo Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin and Leo Kottke.

"Not in a million years" would Doris have thought this is what she'd be doing, but she has no doubt that her Lesley education contributed to her success." My background was very, very important in this endeavor," she says, citing her Lesley economics courses, researching skills she acquired as a student, and her knowledge of children's literature." All that plus the interpersonal experience I gained teaching, have very much helped what I do here."

This profile was compiled from previously published material: Lesley Magazine, Summer 1992.