Building an App for Children, AI and Creativity with Hiro Stories Founder David Sokoler
Season 3 • Episode 5
27 min
Published September 2025
App Development • AI • Creativity
Episode summary
Rebecca Franks and Beverly Clarke MBE welcome David Sokoler, founder of Hiro Stories, an app that transforms children into the stars of their own interactive films. David shares how a simple moment filming his young cousin acting out Star Wars scenes sparked the idea for Hiro Stories and explains how creativity, storytelling and technology came together to create an engaging educational experience.
The conversation explores the realities of building an app as a non-technical founder. David explains the importance of rapid prototyping, testing ideas before investing heavily in development and gathering user feedback throughout the design process. He also discusses creating intuitive user experiences for young children and why keeping technology simple often leads to the best products.
Drawing on his experience as a television producer working with Meredith Vieira, John Oliver and Jon Stewart, David reflects on storytelling, entrepreneurship and the changing media landscape. The discussion also explores AI, user-generated content and why creators should embrace technology thoughtfully while continuing to champion human creativity.
Journey insights
- Test ideas quickly before investing heavily in technology.
- Great user experiences are often built around simplicity rather than complexity.
- Creativity grows through making, experimenting and learning by doing.
- AI should support human creativity, not replace thoughtful storytelling.
- Building relationships with other entrepreneurs provides valuable support and perspective.
Is this episode for you?
This episode is for you if you are:
- Entrepreneurs building apps or digital products.
- Teachers interested in creative technology and storytelling.
- Parents looking for meaningful technology experiences for children.
- Designers and developers creating user-centred products.
- Anyone interested in entrepreneurship, AI and digital creativity.
About this episode
Rebecca Franks and Beverly Clarke MBE are joined by David Sokoler, founder of Hiro Stories, to explore app development, creativity and entrepreneurship. Together they discuss rapid prototyping, designing technology for children, storytelling, artificial intelligence and the future of creative digital experiences.
About the speakers
David Sokoler
David Sokoler is the founder of Hiro Stories, an interactive storytelling app that transforms children into the stars of their own imaginative films. A former television producer who has worked with Meredith Vieira, John Oliver and Jon Stewart, David combines storytelling, creativity and technology to inspire children through immersive digital experiences.
Rebecca Franks
Rebecca Franks is an award-winning technology educator, entrepreneur and Co-founder of Flip Computing. With more than 20 years of experience in education, she has authored national computing curricula, developed AI education programmes and speaks internationally about technology, inclusion and innovation. Rebecca is passionate about helping people build confidence, develop digital skills and discover rewarding careers in technology.
Beverly Clarke MBE
Beverly Clarke MBE is a technology leader, educator, coach and author with over 20 years of experience in education and digital skills. She is the author of the Ava and Chip children’s book series and is passionate about digital inclusion, artificial intelligence, coaching and empowering people to achieve their potential. Beverly was awarded an MBE for services to computing and digital education.
Together, Rebecca and Beverly share honest conversations about technology, careers, entrepreneurship and the lessons they are learning along the way.
Resources mentioned
- Hiro Stories
- Upwork
- Apple Keynote
- iMovie
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- ChatGPT
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Meredith Vieira
- John Oliver
- Jon Stewart
