Catching Up With Susan McLain, General Manager of The Baby Einstein Company
In 1996, mother Julie Aigner-Clark shot the first Baby Einstein video in her basement in Georgia. She did this for one simple reason—she wanted to share her love of the arts with her baby. Clark then began producing and selling the videos. By the end of the decade, a line of videos/DVDs, books, and CDs were available at retail. In addition, an online store was launched, which was still a relatively new concept at that time. In 2001, Disney acquired The Baby Einstein Company. Since then the brand has grown by leaps and bounds through licensing. It is now considered one of the must-haves for new parents. However, the brand is evolving to address the needs of a new generation of parents. Once known primarily for its DVDs, Baby Einstein will now be sold as a kit, which will include a DVD, CD, and either a board book or cards (depending on the kit).