Biz Kids (stylized as biz KID$) is an American educational television series that teaches financial education and entrepreneurship to kids and teenagers. It uses sketch comedy, musical guests, guest and special guest appearances, and young actors to explain basic economic concepts. Its motto is "Where kids teach kids about money and business." Biz Kids has been described as comparable to KING-TV's Almost Live!, and is similar in format to CBC Television's Street Cents.
Production Biz Kids was created by the producers (Bill Nye the Science Guy), the Emmy Award winning science show from the 1990s.Davila, Florangela. "PBS series features local business whiz kids ", The Seattle Times. February 17, 2008. Comedy sketches, spoofs of mostly old TV shows and movies, commercial parodies, and silly antics are performed by a cast of Seattle teenage actors. Jamie Hammond served as executive producer. Jeannine Glista served as a co-producer.
Cast The Biz Kids cast is made up largely of teenage actors from the Seattle area. Writer John Keister also has small recurring roles.
Biz Kids is about a group of high school teenagers and one middle school preteen teaching kids about money and others, and they have also been friends since childhood (preschool to high school).
The original cast members were Lauren Dupree, Kaelon Horst, Bob Jones, Maia Lee, Alexander Oki, Amanda Powers, Miriam Schwartz, Austin Siedentopf, Devon Stark, Christina Taylor, and Elizabeth Wright.
Hosts Lauren (The Hip Hop Dancer), aka "The Popular Girl", a teenage girl who has her two childhood best pals Maia and Kaelon. She is a 17-year-old girl at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences because she loves theater, dance, and music. She is the most popular girl and theater girl in Seattle with her popular friends. She is Austin's dreamy childhood girlfriend. She had her popular attendance records when she was in preschool to kindergarten. She was voted "Miss Popularity", "Best Dressed", "Most Pretty Girl", "Best Popular Teen" and others when she was 14, 15, or 16 years old in her freshman, sophomore, or junior year of high school in 2004, 2005, or 2006. Her idols are Beyoncé, Scary Spice, Raven Symone, and more idols. She is the leader of her Theater Arts team at Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences. She is Lizzie's adoptive older sister. From her senior year of high school in season 1 to her college days in season 5. The show ended when Lauren was 21 years old and she graduated from Howard University, By the sixth season, she was a 30-something woman. She starred in a movie called Crossroads when she was a young child in middle school. Her parents got married. She is 17 years old in Season 1, 18 years old in Season 2, 19 years old in Season 3, 20 years old in Season 4, and 21 years old in Season 5. Kaelon (The Smooth and Suave Boy), aka, "The Jock/Popular Girl's Pal", Lauren's best male friend since childhood. She met him in the 1990s. He is a 17-year-old guy at South Kitsap High School where he loves to play basketball. He is smooth and suave, and he is Austin's adopted brother. He is a leader of The Biz Squad (a parody of The Mod Squad) with his childhood female friends Lauren and Maia. He had braces until later episodes. He appeared in episodes of the South Kitsap High School show Wolf Tracks. The show ended when Kaelon was 21 years old, and he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, He is a leader of the South Kitsap High School basketball team and later the University of California, Los Angeles basketball team. His idol are his idols. And by the sixth season, he was a 30-something man. He married his wife in the future. He starred in the short film Driver's Ed when he was 15 years old in his sophomore year of high school. His parents got married. He is 17 years old in Season 1, 18 years old in Season 2, 19 years old in Season 3, 20 years old in Season 4, and 21 years old in Season 5. Maia (The Friend Lover), aka "The Popular Girl's Other Pal", Lauren's best female friend since childhood, the second youngest of the Biz Kids. They met her in the early 2000s. She is a 14-year-old girl at her high school where she loves shopping, music, and friends. She's like a younger sister to Alex. Her idols are Marie Osmond, Selena Gomez, Sporty Spice, and more. She was wearing so many different flats that they were better than her shoes. She got ended by the third season when Maia was 16. From her freshman year of high school in season 1 to her junior year in season 3. She starred as a young girl in the film Max Rules! when she was 11 or 12 years old in the sixth or seventh grade and as an orphan in a silent movie, Brand Upon the Brain! when she was 13 in the eighth grade from her middle school days. Her parents got married. She is 14 years old in Season 1, 15 years old in Season 2, and 16 years old in Season 3. Alex (The Language Speaker), aka "The Smart Boy", He is a 17-year-old guy at Lakeside School where he is learning different languages. He's like an older brother to Maia. They met him from preschool to their sophomore year. His idols are Donny Osmond, David Henrie, and more idols. He is Amanda's love interest. He is a leader of Alex's Angels (a parody of Charlie's Angels), with his female childhood friends Amanda, Miriam, and Christina. The show ended when Alex was 21 years old, and he graduated from Yale University. From his junior year of school in season 1 to his college days in season 5. By the sixth season, he was a 30-something man. He played baseball. He starred as Woody in a ReAct Theater production of Six Degrees of Separation when he was just 16 years old. His parents got married. He is 17 years old in Season 1, 18 years old in Season 2, 19 years old in Season 3, 20 years old in Season 4, and 21 years old in Season 5. Amanda (The Attention Girl), aka "The Second Popular Girl," is an 18-year-old girl at her high school when she is friendly and outgoing. She likes to pay attention. She is the oldest of Biz Kids. Her idols are Britney Spears, Madonna, Baby Spice, and more idols. She is one of Christina's childhood best friends from Pre-K to their high school days. She is Alex's love interest and Austin's former girlfriend/ex-girlfriend. The show ended when Amanda was 22 years old, and she graduated from college. From her high school days in season 1 to her college days in season 5. She has her friends from her past when she was a little girl. Now she has her own friends. Her parents got married. She is 18 years old in Season 1, 19 years old in Season 2, 20 years old in Season 3, 21 years old in Season 4, and 22 years old in Season 5. Miriam (The Funny People Laugher), aka "The Funniest One," is a 17-year-old girl at Roosevelt High School where she makes people laugh. Her idols are Cher, Posh Spice, and more. She is one of Christina and Amanda's childhood best friends. She is also Lizzie’s childhood best friend from Pre-K to high school. She’s the princess of theater drama and others like Lauren. She's like a sister to Alex and Maia. The show ended when Miriam was 21 years old, and she graduated from University of Minnesota. By the sixth season, she was in her mid-20s. She married her friend Adam in Oregon in the future. She had her own comedy shows, funny shows and her smart times when she was a kid. From her high school years in season 1 to her college days in season 5. Her parents got married. She is 17 years old in Season 1, 18 years old in Season 2, 19 years old in Season 3, 20 years old in Season 4, and 21 years old in Season 5. Austin (The Pranker Boy), aka "The Prankster," is a 15- or 16-year-old guy at Issaquah High School where he enjoys teaching kids, and he played football. He is Alex's best friend/childhood best friend. His idols are Drake Bell, Zac Efron, and more. He is Kaelon's adopted brother. He moved to Nashville then moved to Seattle. He is Lauren's dreamy childhood boyfriend and Amanda's former boyfriend/ex-boyfriend. The show ended when Austin was 20 years old, and he graduated from the University of Washington. From his sophomore years in high school in season 1 to his college days in season 5. He had his attending rules when he was a kid. His parents got married. He is 15-16 years old in Season 1, 17 years old in Season 2, 18 years old in Season 3, 19 years old in Season 4, and 20 years old in Season 5. Devon (The Tae Kwon Do Boy), aka "The Karate Biz Kid," is a 12-year-old 7th grader at his middle school where he enjoys karate and taekwondo. He is the youngest of the Biz Kids. His idols are Michael Jackson and more. He is Lauren and Lizzie's adoptive younger brother. The show ended when Devon was 16. From his middle school days in season 1 to his junior year of high school in season 5. He has his friends from his childhood. He was having his kung fu trophy when he was a kid. His parents got married. He is 12 years old in Season 1, 13 years old in Season 2, 14 years old in Season 3, 15 years old in Season 4, and 16 years old in Season 5. Christina (The Perfectionist), aka "The Smartest Perfectionist," is a teenage girl with her glasses from her school, where she is the perfectionist. She is one of Amanda & Miriam's childhood best friends. Her idols are Ginger Spice and more. The show ended when she was a young adult; she lost a couple of pounds from her weight loss, her diet and exercises, and she graduated from college. She had her own daily exercises when she was a little girl to her early, mid, and late teens. From her high school days in seasons 1 to 3 to her college days in seasons 4 and 5. She lost weight, and her healthy diet plan is great for her. Her parents got married. From her teenage years to her college years. Lizzie (The Creative Girl), aka "The Clothing Designing Girl," is a teenage girl from her high school who loves to make clothes, prom dresses, and others. She is another one of Christina & Amanda's childhood best friends. She is also Miriam’s childhood best friend. She is Lauren's adoptive younger sister. Her idols are Kyla Pratt and more. She had her own fashion plan when she was younger. She is a leader of Get Lizzie Love! (a parody of Get Christie Love!) The show ended when she was a young adult and graduated from college. From her high school days in season 1 to her college days in season 5. She made clothing designs when she was little. Her parents got married. From her teenage years to her college years.
Guest stars Judith Levine, an author of Not Buying It! Ace Young, an American Idol finalist Richard Karn, Home Improvement star and the fourth host of Family Feud from 2002 to 2006. Brie Larson, an actress who needs to wear her clothes in Hollywood, California. Cymphonique Miller, an actress, singer, dancer, and rapper who makes Byou. Tracey Conway, Steve Wilson, Nancy Guppy, and more of John Keister and Pat Cashman's former Almost Live! cast members. Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder.
Sketches All My Investments, a parody of the soap opera on ABC, All My Children. Featured in two episodes: "Saving and Investing for Your Future" and "Bulls, Bears, and Financial Markets". The No-Sale Zone, a parody of the television series The Twilight Zone. Featured in an episode "Sell, Sell, Sell (The Science of Sales)". Mr. Squeezya Card, a commercial parody of the Visa card. Featured in an episode "Using Your Credit-Crazy or Compelling?". As the Economy Turns and As the Budget Turns, both parodies of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. Featured in two episodes. The Adventures of Compulsive and Compare Kid, Amanda and Miriam as two teenage girls named Compulsive and Compare Kid to look at the newest phone ever. Featured in an episode "How to Be a Smart Consumer". Banks of Our Lives, a parody of the soap opera on NBC, Days of Our Lives. Featured in an episode "Take it to the Bank!".