Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand (born 1962) is an American songwriter and author publishing children's educational materials, based in Akron, Ohio.
Early life and education Hilderbrand was born Karen Mitzo on July 16, 1962, along with her twin sister Kim. She attended Purdue University and graduated in 1985 with a degree in Industrial Engineering.
Career Hilderbrand began writing songs in 1987 with her sister Kim Thompson, and after five years they began working full-time to create educational materials. They have since created more than 500 albums, written 3,000 songs and produced 160 e-books and 700 audiobooks.Kroll, Kathryn. "Twin Sisters Productions finds niche with products that help children learn using music". Cleveland.com. April 15, 2009. Accessed October 10, 2017. They have also produced 15 mobile apps."Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand." Openbooks. Accessed October 26, 2017.Kelly, Marguerite. "Finding the right gifts for kids this holiday season." Bangor Daily News, December 1, 2013. Accessed October 26, 2017. Hilderbrand is the CEO of Creative IP, LLC. and Twin Sisters Digital Media, headquartered in Stow, Ohio."Twin Sisters IP, LLC." Bloomberg. Accessed October 26, 2017. In 2012, Scholastic announced a distribution agreement with Twin Sisters for musical and non-fiction e-books."Storia, The Teacher-Recommended eReading App For Kids Created By Scholastic, To Offer Titles From Twin Sisters Productions." CISION, November 19, 2012. Accessed October 26, 2017.
Discography Hilderbrand and Thompson have total album sales of more than 50 million, including one RIAA certified platinum and eight certified gold albums. All albums are released under the Twin Sisters Productions label.
TitleDetailsCertificationsRIAA Gold & Platinum Program. Recording Industry Association of America.SalesPhonicsCertification date: August 21, 2000 Format: AlbumUS: GoldChristmas Through the Eyes of a ChildCertification date: December 6, 2002 Format: AlbumUS: GoldClassical MusicCertification date: January 18, 2006 Format: AlbumUS: Gold2002 Christmas JazzCertification date: February 13, 2006 Format: AlbumUS: Gold102 Children's SongsCertification date: February 13, 2006 Format: AlbumUS: GoldNature SoundsCertification date: October 26, 2006 Format: AlbumUS: Platinum2,000,000+Traditional LullabiesCertification date: September 28, 2007 Format: AlbumUS: GoldChristmas MemoriesCertification date: October 3, 2007 Format: AlbumUS: GoldAcoustic ChristmasCertification date: July 15, 2008 Format: AlbumUS: Gold
Awards and recognitions National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Gold Award (1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010"NAPPA Gold Award-Winners: Books, Music, Software, Websites & Video Games." Washington Parents. December 2010.) Dr. Toy's 10 Best Toys Winner (2009)"Awards." accessed October 10, 2017 Learning Magazine's Teachers Choice Award (1995, 2002, 2004) iParenting Media Award (2003, 2004) National Parenting Center Seal of Approval (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009) National Parenting Publications Award (2012)Beaman, Britney. "Twin Sisters ProductionsWins 2012 National Parenting Publications Award." Stow Patch, October 30, 2012. Accessed October 27, 2017. Smart Business Magazine Northeast Ohio Smart 50 Award (2017)"Northeast Ohio’s 2017 Smart 50 Awards celebrate area’s top executives." Smart Business. June 2, 2017. Accessed October 26, 2017. Voting member of The Recording Academy (NARAS) Prior member of Society of Women Engineers Prior member of Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
References
External links Official site