Our daughter inspired a YouTube show that we started in our closet. Now we're set on creating an empire.

Dr.

Javoris Hollingsworth and Dr.

Arlene Hollingsworth started Gracie's Corner.

Courtesy of Dr.

Javoris Hollingsworth and Dr.

Arlene Hollingsworth Javoris Hollingsworth had a tenured position teaching organic chemistry.

During the pandemic, he and his wife started "Gracie's Corner" for their own kids.

Two years after launching, he resigned from teaching to work on the show full-time.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Javoris Hollingsworth and Arlene Hollingsworth, founders of Gracie's Corner .

It has been edited for length and clarity .

My wife and I started Gracie's Corner out of necessity.

We were both working as professors during the pandemic, and we were using every resource we had to keep our three kids occupied.

One of those resources was YouTube.

But I noticed, there weren't many characters who looked like our kids.