Fun Farm Studios

Today I'm talking with Troy, author of Fun Farm Studios. You can follow on Facebook as well.

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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters, and topics adjacent. I'm your host, Mary Lewis.  A Tiny Homestead podcast is sponsored by Homegrown Collective, a free-to-use farm-to-table platform emphasizing local connections with ability to sell online, buy, sell, trade in local garden groups, and help us grow a new food system.  You can find them at homegrowncollective.org. If you're enjoying this podcast, please like, subscribe.

00:29
share it with a friend or leave a comment. Thank you. Today I'm talking with Troy at Fun Farm Studios and I don't know where you are Troy. What state are you in? We are in New Haven, Indiana. Okay, well in New Haven, Indiana. What's the weather like there today? Oh, it's beautiful. I love Northeast Indiana. We get all the seasons. We have nine seasons in this part of the state. Oh really? Yeah, the joke is if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

00:57
Yeah, my dad used to say that I grew up in Maine and it would be beautiful and then it be boring. We'd come run in the house and be like, what happened? He'd be like, if you don't like it, wait five minutes. That's right. It lives true here. So I'm used to that. I'm in Minnesota and it is incredibly gray and windy. And yesterday they were saying we're going to get six inches of snow. And then when I got up this morning, the storm had taken us

01:25
of more southerly tracks, so we're probably going see some flurries and that's it.  Oh no.  It's fine.  I really wasn't looking forward to six inches of snow on the day before the first day of spring, so  we're good. Minnesota only has two seasons, right? Winter's near and winter's here. Minnesota has two seasons and winter and allergy. That's great.

01:55
Yeah, no, we have spring, summer, fall and winter. And the joke here is that we suffer through the winters because the spring, summer and fall are so beautiful. That's true. So, OK, so we've talked about the weather because I try to talk about the weather at beginning of every single episode because it's a good way to keep track of it. So tell me about yourself and what you do.  My my inner child is on the outside. I am what I wanted to be when I grew up.

02:24
and I've known since I was seven. And it's  been art. They are an artist and entertainer has been the wonderful evolution  of the dream since I was in second grade. And it has come to fruition in a big way with this beautiful homestead that we purchased about 11 years ago in New Haven. It's a historical property, although it doesn't quite.

02:48
Meet the standards of the registry.  You can't paint that. You can't change that window. The windows 143 here, so we gotta change the window so  but it's rich with history on this property. There are Johnny Apple seed trees on our property. We have everything Indiana has on our property except a cave, so it's just beautiful everywhere you look. There's something to see.  And it's been a wonderful fruition.  We started our company tag our company  on the.

03:17
turn of the millennium, Y2K, when we realized the computers weren't taking over. Three, two, one, okay, we're fine, all right, all right, so let's start a business. 26th year in business now. And it has just grown organically from customer needs with a focus on making good memories and family-friendly fun. And the property that we are stewarding now that we've been delivered to is just a huge blessing that has the fruition of

03:47
offering people an option to come to us. We always have gone to them, but they've never been able to come to us. So we have a village that we have built on the property that represents the variety, the versatility of services that we possess and can provide. And we call it the fun farm. So the fun farm is kind of a cart before the horse because we have a TV show on YouTube now, Fun Farm Studios,  which  is

04:13
I guess  the Disney movie and then we built Disneyland or he built Disneyland. We've built Disneyland and now we built the show. So  it's just whatever, it's all happening. And  the, village is inspired by playhouse design. So we have a giant UFO and castle and pirate ship and,  uh, an A-frame for the dinosaurs. And it's just a, like we bought a park and it doesn't disrupt the land. It's a wonderful flow. So people can, can look it up and see it.

04:41
Google Earth is just an amazing aerial view of the property from what the previous owners did and what we have continued to enhance it with never destroying anything that we that wasn't a dangerous thing I mean some things fall over some things rot but whatever we could preserve we have so it's been a wonderful blend from their efforts which were primarily history and horticulture they wanted to build an arboretum out here and then ours was the entertainment  so

05:10
It was like meeting ourselves 30 years into the future. They just loved meeting us. It was kindred.  so he was, we, well, I should restart. We are the first non-family to ever own this place since it was plotted in the 1800s. So his great grandfather bought it from the guy who sells the land for the government and blah, blah. So he was born on the porch. And so just amazing stories out here.  And it just declared him call of stewardship.

05:41
which it's surreal. I wake up to my life. I joke that if there was a movie made to tell my story, it would be the opposite of it's a wonderful life. It would be a reverse Clarence. I wouldn't need someone to tell me what the world, love things. Everything's great. It's fine. I'd have a demon Clarence, know, like, no, every time a baby cries, the devil gets its horns. Like, no Clarence, I'm fine, stop it. So it's, it's a beautiful existence. So get busy living.

06:08
and  it's just a real purpose-driven life, and it is infectious in a good way, the things that their passions have infected us. So to date, we have planted over 9,000 trees on the property, and so continuing their arboretum focus, we are well past the halfway point of every state tree here, which some...

06:32
It might be a real uphill battle like ash trees, know, the  emerald ash borer some just get in the stock getting it started and getting them growing  It might be a never so I don't know that we'll ever achieve that arboretum, but it's real impressive  the things that are prevalent here and then what the land does and what it shows you and the topography the  The whirlings were the family that we bought it from and his relative is Jen's Jensen

07:00
Who was a landscape architect, famous landscape architect. So his influence on what has done out here.  It's just a wonderful hybrid Jordan with the club.  wonderful hybrid  of. All these focus points and all these homages to history and horticulture and stewardship and family and  and now entertainment. So.

07:27
It is really something I love to share. There's an arresting peace out here everywhere. You look, there's something to see, including the stars in the sky. We don't even have light pollution. It's awesome. It's  all the vastness of space. It calls me up to prayer. It is just  awesome. And we overuse that word, don't we? Yeah, know, this oatmeal is awesome. No, it's not.  This is awesome. So  awe inspiring. Yes, that's

07:54
That's a really good distinction right there. You are so passionate about what you're doing that you would talk for two hours straight. Awesome is there's two awesomes. That's awesome or that's full of awe. So you're talking about full of awesome. Indeed, indeed. We love to share. We've had people come out and have date nights out here and just wander around. Let the peace overwhelm you, overcome you.

08:22
and decompress. is what life was meant to be. Slow down, observe, enjoy, savor, like good cooking.  Good food takes time. It simmers, it stews, and  you really bring out the flavors and you enjoy the process. And everybody wants bigger, faster, stronger, but some things need to be slower, more purposeful, more intimate.

08:45
Our relationships, they need to be a little bit more purposeful and get to know each other and let things evolve and take time. We can't speed date and speed friendship everybody, you know? It's not, hey, I like you, let's meet, no, no, no. You can't, it just doesn't work that way. And with our efforts, with our show, with our cause, our mission, all of these things are being the change that we wanna see in the world, which it goes back to our primal nature. We're a herd, we're a pack animal, we're a social creature.

09:14
the opinions, the vastness, the speed, the overwhelming, the overstimulating trends that are happening right now. They're just making us dumber.  It's against our grain. So, yeah, put up or shut up. So I'm  fighting, I'm fighting. Uh-huh, and I agree with everything you just said because  one of the things I love about this podcast is that I get to just sit down and ask questions and really listen.

09:43
to what people are saying when they answer them. I love it. I really do. Okay. So  after that, I don't know, 10 minute introduction, which was great. Thank you.  So tell me about this kids show because I've watched like five minutes, if it was five minutes of one of them,  it's very cute. And it's certainly better than the freaking Teletubbies. Oh my gosh. Yeah.  I have.

10:10
watching like what just happened? Why is the baby a son? What's that robot thing? What just it is a rerun in the same show. Yeah, my my youngest is 23 and Teletubbies was one of his favorite things to watch when he was a toddler and I was just like, okay, it keeps you focused for 20 minutes so I can get dishes done really quick. So it's probably harmless. It's not really gonna do any damage. I don't think you can watch it.

10:37
but I couldn't sit and watch it with him, it drove me crazy. So having said that, your show, I could probably sit down and watch with a toddler grand kid if I had any toddler grand kids. So tell me about how that came to be because that's what I'm really interested in. Well, thank you and I appreciate your interest. And it's another be the change you wanna see in the world. I enjoy relaxing and watching something and go on and whatever streaming service. And I'm sorry, but half of it is just

11:07
And you're wondering who made this. I mean, there were people in a room who had lots of money and thought it was a brilliant idea and push forward and created this.  And then there's a bunch of this  and you can insert whatever position you have. But if I want to sit and be entertained, I don't want to be preached to. I don't want to be told my opinion. I don't want something force fed. It's like the awkward relative at Thanksgiving who says the stuff like, can we just eat and be relaxed and just be friendly?

11:36
And so  I  see that there's this  very sad lack of a human role model  for kids. I mean, you tell me who is the human role model for kids. And we think about people who formulated our  examples. You got Fred, Mr. Rogers and Walt Disney and Steve Irwin and Bob Ross and Jim Henson. They're all dead.  They were standing on the shoulders of giants. Who's doing it now? There's cartoons.

12:04
And the cartoons keep getting bigger, faster, stronger, more intense, bright colors and fast moving and shouting. And it's like Vegas. And  kids are developing psychological issues. They're getting ADHD, their brain drain, their gray matter issues.  There's articles written on it and they're naming names. I'm not trying to disparage, but there are people who are only perpetuating this escalation  of just shove it in your face and babysit the kids. And what did I learn?

12:33
Maybe one, two, three, maybe ABC with some public domain content that we, if I hear the wheels on the bus go round and round in some iteration again,  eh. So  yeah, please know. I know Mary had a little lamb. I know jingle bells. Thank you. We don't need another version of this with some CGI mass produce  nonsense  that does nothing for the kids. They're getting that in schools. They're going to learn their ABCs and one, two, threes, but who's talking about emotional.

13:03
boundaries and and emotional strength and growth and getting along with each other and being friends and the things that we enjoyed you and I when we were young watching PBS and  and people just sitting and having a conversational conversation not hey what what  oh ha fast moving but what just happened here there was no lesson and so the show is all of the things that we wanted to see it's conversational in pace it's muted colors

13:32
It's quieter, it's gentler. TJ the turtle is the perpetual child. He's 85, but in turtle years, that's more like 8.5. And Mr. G is the caretaker. He's not TJ's dad. TJ has a family. He's just another good role model. And they discuss things and TJ will have an issue,  a concern, a problem, a question. And Mr. G is more of a mentor. And so between the two of them, they do have things and they instill certain values that are folded in and not overt.

14:02
such as  do a good job, or we've got to do some things, some work, some chores, some efforts, some responsibilities. There still can be fun, very Mary Poppins, know, spoonful of sugar. And there are original concepts as well as some things that we're taking an homage to  that I think a lot of people say they want, but  I don't see a lot of people giving that option. You know, it's nice to know, and we hope to really get on people's screens.

14:32
and tell, hey, here's exactly what you're talking about. Please support us.  And  I know it is something that we are bootstrapping. We have put our money where our mouth is. We have spent a lot of money on having these things produced. And we  do have a lot of things  to share, season two, three, four, et cetera. So the impetus is, I want to be Mr. Rogers. We cannot have too many  good, kind, scandal-free.

15:00
You know, I grew up with Bill Cosby thought he was America's dad. Bill Cosby did what?  And how sad, how sad. And Mr. Rogers is a great, he is exactly what you saw. He was a great father, a great husband. There was no scandals. He didn't have tattoos. He wasn't a secret sniper.  He was just Mr. Rogers and he was unapologetic, but it wasn't that he had delusions of grandeur either. And these are all things that I tried to instill in my character when we're doing the show.

15:29
This is not the me show. This is not me having a secret delusion of grandeur or my ego or I want to be on Broadway or the red carpet. I don't care. This is a mission that we are called to do. And I really want to see what God can create. I want to stand back, do our best, then let just, just go with it. Just show us what you got planned for us. Spirit led.  And so we can, we have enormous potential. And and I love that

15:59
We are consistently getting feedback such as yours and nobody is doing the oh, that's nice You know that that placating kind of response like your mom might go. Oh, that's nice and just to get you.  Okay?  They're wow that is really good and kids are following along and they're enjoying it and they they like the kazoo part and they are interested in seeing more and you don't have this look on their face afterwards like what the overwhelmed look like their eyes wide open and just the

16:29
their brain freeze. So we're checking the boxes. We're having conversations. We want to partner with other organizations with like minds and kindred spirits and like values and like missions.  So  again, no egos. It's a humble effort. And there's a lot of room for potential.  There's a lot of room for growth.  So  it's enormous.  I'm excited. We're excited about it. We have some good talented people involved.

16:58
from Michael the puppeteer for TJ to Rod the producer director to Jesse the animator. We're small and mighty,  but look at what we're creating.  Uh-huh. Absolutely.  So  the thing that I noticed when I watched  the couple minutes is that  most of it is animation, but you're not an animation. You're a human being in it. Right? Yes. Correct. Are you the only non animation in it?  So far.

17:28
So far,  there's, yes, there's a little, and it is kind of fighting fire with fire. Like, okay, kids, you're going to go online. get it. You're going to scroll or you're going to search. But if we can do a shepherd hook and like, but come over and look at this. Yes, you want to be entertained. We've got the, the, the entertainment aspect and the educational aspect. And maybe we start to call the impact and call the direction and break some habits. So.

17:53
Sure, a little bit of puppetry, a little bit of role model, human role model, a little bit of animation, not denying it, not trying to be like, clowns are cool. Well, yeah, maybe in the seventies, they have their place, but we've got to embrace change. We've got to evolve with the technologies. We've got to kind of compromise a bit. And it's just like anything, I suppose, where you're not trying to proselytize. You're not trying to force a mission or a voice or a perspective. It's a...

18:22
a friendship. It's establishing friendships with the viewers. And  as you establish those friendships, as you provide that role model and that mentorship, then people want to learn more about you. And  just like you wouldn't force feed anybody,  as they discover more about you, maybe it becomes a greater impact, a deeper impact. And then that ripples into their impacts on their friends and those that they mentor and disciple and steward. And  it's beautiful. It really can be.

18:51
But the way it should be, if you're gonna share something, you're gonna make change. You can't just shout it and yell at somebody and be angry and hit them over the head with stuff.  It's gotta be kind. It's gotta be human.  It's gotta be special.  So,  yeah,  you're building the no like trust bond. Yes. Yes. So our why is big and deep and rich and driven and purposeful and overdue  and  so much.

19:22
so much example of why what we need. There's a show here that was from the 80s in Fort Wayne. It's called Happy's Place, Happy the Hobo. People still talk about that. I wasn't, I grew up in South Bend, but  there were three Happys. The original Happy went down to Indy, had a fortune cookie factory. He's long since passed, but people want that. People,  we need more of that. We need more of the real, the in your face in a good way, the special, the kind, the human.

19:52
That's what we need. We're just not getting it. Yes, absolutely. You also have the perfect voice for this kind of thing. Thank you. Your voice is so... I don't know, if I was a little kid and you were saying something, it would get my attention. Well, thank you. And maybe that's that background in education. I mean, you don't want to be the guy from Ferris Bureau like, Fry...

20:20
Yeah,  was one of the things that we taught early on in classes like vary your tone a little bit because if you talk like this and nobody's gonna realize what you just said and then what is that two plus two? you listening? Yeah, you can't you can't be flat monotone.  My my dad  is My dad has the most beautiful voice and he also sings and he's a tenor and he hasn't saying you know He doesn't sing for money or anything. He just has a really pretty voice and he loves to sing  and he

20:50
would listen to certain singers in country music back in the day and I'm not going to mention them because I don't want to disparage them.  But he would be like, I can't listen to them. They're monotone. They don't have any feeling or inflection in their voice. They're singing the right notes. There's just nothing there. Right. So I think that's what you're talking about.  Exactly. It's almost painful. Like the feeling. That's  a brilliant observation that there's no heart, there's no soul. just

21:21
phoning it in.  Exactly.  Okay.  So  what's the future look like for for the show? Well, we're going to keep spreading the word and promoting it and looking for people who want to be involved and making it not a best kept secret. And the goal is to do this. This could be my opus, if you will, if I look back on my life and I want to be able to say, I can't believe I did that instead of I wish I would have done that.

21:51
So my life is regret free.  It's just been fantastic. And I credit that seven year old version where you know and you're wired that way and you just keep going forward.  And for anybody listening, there's nothing superhuman or alien or trust fund baby about me. All of this has been bootstrapped from absolute nothing with no basis for  comparison. This is pre internet. There were no YouTube tutorials that taught us any of this stuff.

22:21
And so  I hope to  role model, guess, any anybody who has a dream, a drive, the entrepreneurial seed in them that you can achieve things. You just got to keep moving forward. And I think that's a Disney quote too,  but it can be done. You can't achieve it. And you're to have people who tell you, nah, I've had people tell me I'm not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, talented enough.

22:46
I guess in the end, kind of all loved those stories, right? Where they overcame great odds and they became the Spice Girls or I don't know, but. The underdog story. The underdog story. We love the underdog story. You don't want it to be a Rocky movie and Rocky throws one punch in the end, but that's it. That's all you got to do. I mean, we a little bit of struggle. So there is struggle, but it's good. It's good work. It's good, hard work like going to the gym afterwards. You're glad you did that. Yeah, you suffered, but it's good suffering. So.

23:16
There are the fleas that come with the dog and I even have a t-shirt on right now that says that. Nice. Yeah, and it's not always a money struggle or an equipment struggle. It can just be your own struggle inside your head about, I have what it takes to do the thing that I'm dreaming of doing? Absolutely. Because I've told this story a couple of times now on the podcast. I did not like

23:46
Number one, I do not like being on video. I barely like being in front, you know, having my picture taken. And when I was a kid, I learned to sing before I could talk and I sang all the time. And I got told to be quiet in not so not such a nice way for, you know, quite a few times. And it wasn't that I was off key. It's just that I was always singing the last thing I heard. And so I felt like my voice wasn't good and that I didn't really need to be.

24:15
heard. when I decided to do this podcast thing, I was like, well, I'm going to give it a shot, but we'll see. And a year and a half, I, and the thing is, I am starting to believe that because you're not the first person to say that since I started the podcast, but I figured I would give it a shot and it would probably go nowhere. And a year and a half later, this is where I am and I really enjoy it. And I'm, I'm now

24:42
able to sit down and listen to the episodes back and not cringe every time I hear  my voice. So this podcast had a really good chance of never having been started. I just had to get over that that block. So it can just be your own mental block. Oh, you're so you're so right. And I would liken your voice in the same category as Delilah, the radio show host. I mean, it's very soothing and comforting. And people respond to that. I don't know who Delilah is.

25:11
I think she's got an evening program. I imagine you could Google her, but she has a little bit of a here's your your dedication to your friend and here's a little help helpful and Landers kind of advice. OK, yeah, so it's it's an evening program, but it's not like you know Venus flytrap on WKRP. Children and this is the evening hour, but it's it's a soothing voice.

25:39
And so it's a  warm motherly kind of a voice. You could check it out. You might find like, ah, all right. I'll have to go find her, yes. Yeah. So good for you for not listening to that. Because I think if it's meant to pull you forward and  achieve more, it's from God. And if it's the other one, it's the devil.  wonderful, great examples, not necessarily from celebrities. But  I have never met somebody who was successful by their own definition.

26:06
who did not have great adversity, who had those dark nights of the souls.  But there are great examples. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for not being creative enough. Walt Disney?  Clint Eastwood's girlfriend dragged him into acting.  Elvis Presley, I mean, he could go on. are people who, Van Damme made it as an actor because the guy missed out on Schwarzenegger and he's like, you don't want to be the next, you know.

26:31
And so that's how he got his break. This guy's got an accent. He's got muscles. Let's give him a shot.  So it's funny, just the things that people are like, I'm going to do this  and you're going to find your audience. Yeah. Funnily enough, that's what happens.  And I'm so glad that we do because otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you today because I wouldn't have a podcast to be talking to  you  on. I think that you and I have kind of the same,  I don't know,

27:01
passion and it's it's to make the world a better place. Amen. And I have been trying so hard to find people like you and people like everybody else I've talked to over the last year and a half who are doing good things with their talents to either help their community or teach or share things that are really important right now. Well, those people are quiet.

27:27
And they're focused on their they're minding their own business. They're doing their job and the world gets out of the way for the person who knows where they're going. But they're also focused on others. They're not the me me me. Look at me. Look what I'm doing. I need my praise and my accolades and stuff. They just aren't the reward is in what they're doing that  it's a German thing where the work is its own reward.  There are other cultures, of course, but you may have a dirt hovel, but it will be the neatest.

27:55
cleanest dirt hovel you've ever seen. And so there's that ethic where it doesn't matter what other people thinking you're doing right because it's right.  so that you might have trouble finding them because they're too busy doing the thing just as  so many other species on this planet are just growing and sharing and living and we're the only species on the planet that is burdened with this crippling self doubt. And what will my mother think of me and am I my best tiger self?

28:24
The only species that pays to live on the planet. mean, what's our problem?  We have free will and we can plan for the future. That's our problem. Right. Well, I'm not having I'm not having trouble finding people. It's just certain seasons of the year are very busy for people who are growing things or raising animals. Right. So right now,  I believe this coming week I have to get on it and find some crafters and some people who bake.

28:52
to talk to you because everybody who's planting things or birthing  goats and calves right now are busy. That's  right. It's all good. I mean, I'm tickled that I found you. I saw I found you on Facebook and I was like, oh, I have to talk to this guy. He's doing great things. And it's a pleasure and I'd be happy to come back. Yeah. Let's  get together like in  November. Good.

29:20
That's a time. Yeah. Busy season is May through October. Yeah. When it's not so crazy and then we can see where you're at. And Troy, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me and keep doing the good work because we need it. Absolutely. Will do. And I'm enjoying it. I'm loving it. And it's exciting to see what the future will bring. And I really appreciate your support.

29:45
Oh yeah, I want parents everywhere to have their kids watch your show. think that the I think it would be good for the parents and the kids. Right on, yes. And I joke with the parents like you won't feel you won't feel dumber after watching and I promise you and there's there's no hidden agenda. You're not gonna be like, oh, now I have some parenting to do. What does that mean, Mommy? I don't know. Google it. Why? That's too many syllables.

30:13
All right, Troy, you have a fantastic day and I look forward to talking with you again. Thank you. You too. Thanks. Bye.