A Redland Bay mum’s business has been recognised by A-list celebrities and is set to bring magic into children’s hospital wards.
During lockdown, Poppy Hepburn was looking for a simple solution to entertain her two young children as a busy mum.
“One of my children wanted to be outside and the other loved watching the Wiggles,” she said.
“I needed something that would cater to their needs and I just could not find any product that could do that.”
Mrs Hepburn decided to tackle this problem and Pixxie Projectors was born – a pocket projector to transform any place into a cinema.
“We have had people project on their ceilings, the wall, on sheets, fences and even on the side of white cars,” Mrs Hepburn said.
The Pixxie Projector comes equipped with apps pre-loaded including Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, YouTube and Spotify.
She said the inspiration behind Pixxie started with spending hundreds of hours in hospital with her mother for cancer treatments in 2014.
“At the time, public hospitals did not have TVs unless you paid extra for those wards,” Mrs Hepburn said.
“Hospitals are a sad environment, and my mum told me that movies meant magic and a place she could escape to.”
Pixxie Projectors recently took the stage on the TV series Shark Tank.
Mrs Hepburn said the experience was a great pathway to get more eyeballs on Pixxie Projectors and an opportunity to work with more hospitals.
“We knew going into it, that it was not necessarily about the deal but the opportunities,” she said.
“We want to help as many people as we can, so we are partnering with and donating to many hospitals to get Pixxie specifically in children’s wards.”
Mrs Hepburn said giving back to hospitals was close to her heart and although Pixxie Projectors was a business, it was all about giving back.
Pixxie Projectors can be currently found in Redland Hospital, Lismore Base Hospital, Grafton Hospital and Tweed Heads Hospital.
