Feel Good Friday: Local man nominated for Emmy Award
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- "Karma’s World" on Netflix is the newest children’s animated show taking the world by storm.
It tells the story of lyrically-gifted youngster Karma, juggling rap dreams and rhyme schemes while using her talent, ambition and heart to solve any problem.
One of the people who is part of making this show happen is Charlottesville native and recently Emmy-nominated Darnell Walker.
"I get to teach kids about mindfulness, which is a large part of what I did in college. I get to teach kids about mental health, and I get to sneak in very educational tools," said Walker.
Growing up in Charlottesville, Walker always knew he wanted to be a writer. He started writing fairy tales, before eventually going into theater at Charlottesville High School, and making his way into a Sesame Street workshop.
From there, his career took off and he has been writing for children’s shows ever since.
"You realize, as an adult, 'Oh! I learned this from so and so,' or 'I learned this from here.' And it’s a fun way to, you’re not really tricking the kid, but you’re tricking the kids into learning, and it’s great," Walker added.
He credits his success to the community of Charlottesville, saying he still talks to neighbors who were cheering him on the entire time and the audience he gets to entertain, which makes his job exciting.
"Kids love TV. Kids love interaction, they love animation, and it’s like well, if this is how we’re going to give it to them," said Walker.
Walker is waiting to see if he wins the prestigious award, but for now, he is still creating and engaging with audiences through his captivating writing.
"I’m a strong believer in there’s no such thing as just entertainment," he said. "And so, even when we are trying to entertain, we’re trying to put something in there."
Just like Karma says, the power is in your mind and the little light of yours is always going to shine.