A new holiday tradition is emerging from an unlikely source: a mother’s determination to help her son see himself differently during the Christmas season. The Not-So-Naughty List, a children’s book and holiday campaign, reimagines the familiar Santa mythology through a lens of empathy and emotional growth.
Created by Cherie Antoinette, an award-winning filmmaker and nurse who founded Pathway Productions, the project represents a departure from traditional holiday narratives that divide children into categories of naughty and nice. Instead, the story invites families to embrace complexity, honor memories, and find beauty in imperfection.
The inspiration came directly from Antoinette’s own son, Logan, whose experiences shaped the foundation of this new approach to seasonal storytelling. What began as a personal family challenge has evolved into a broader movement that’s attracting national attention, with features in LA News Daily and growing momentum across media outlets.
The project brings together an impressive creative team. Acclaimed illustrator Candice Bradley, whose artwork has been showcased alongside Oprah Book Club authors and who has earned Executive Producer credits next to Matthew Cherry, contributed visual storytelling that brings the narrative to life. The team also collaborated with Orion, a creative AI partner, demonstrating how technology and human creativity can merge in service of meaningful storytelling.
At its core, The Not-So-Naughty List challenges the binary thinking often embedded in holiday traditions. Rather than categorizing behavior simply as good or bad, the story encourages families to consider the full spectrum of childhood experience, including the missteps and learning moments that define growing up.
This philosophy extends from Antoinette’s unique background at the intersection of healthcare and entertainment. As both a nurse and filmmaker, she brings an understanding of trauma, healing, and human resilience to her creative work. Her production company operates on the principle that storytelling itself can be therapeutic, a concept she describes as meeting audiences where healing and entertainment converge.
The Not-So-Naughty List campaign is currently raising funds through a crowdfunding effort, inviting supporters to participate in bringing what could become the next holiday classic to wider audiences. The campaign positions backers not just as financial supporters but as collaborators in shaping a new kind of seasonal story.
Pathway Productions has built a track record of creating what Antoinette calls “Soul-Fi”—a fusion of soul, science fiction, and lived wisdom. The company’s previous work includes Hard Drive, a webseries starring Kiah Clingman that won Best Webseries at the 2023 National Black Film Festival in Houston and achieved viral status. Another project, the short film The Porcelain Chef, has received awards and recognition across the festival circuit.
The production company’s work has attracted attention from major media outlets including NPR and the BBC, establishing Pathway Productions as a voice in independent filmmaking that prioritizes emotional resonance alongside entertainment value.
The approach reflects a broader shift in how some creators are thinking about children’s content and family entertainment. Rather than simplifying complex emotional realities for young audiences, projects like The Not-So-Naughty List trust children to engage with nuanced ideas about behavior, consequences, and growth.
For Antoinette, the work is deeply personal. “We don’t just tell stories—we help families heal and see themselves anew,” she has said, articulating a vision of filmmaking as a form of care work that extends her background in nursing into a different arena.
The timing of the campaign aligns with growing conversations about how holiday traditions can evolve to reflect contemporary understandings of child development and emotional intelligence. Parents increasingly seek stories that help children develop self-compassion and resilience rather than fear of judgment.
The holiday storytelling project targets mothers, families, and children, while also appealing to audiences interested in science fiction and technology—a reflection of both the creative AI collaboration and the broader Soul-Fi approach that characterizes Pathway’s body of work.
As the crowdfunding campaign continues, the project represents a test of whether audiences are ready for holiday stories that challenge conventional narratives. The early media attention and growing supporter base suggest that many families are indeed looking for alternatives to traditional Christmas tales.
For a production company that formerly operated as Pathway Cinema before rebranding to Pathway Productions, the evolution reflects an expanding vision. The company now positions itself not just as a creator of individual films or series, but as a catalyst for cultural conversations about storytelling, healing, and human connection.
The success of The Not-So-Naughty List could pave the way for more holiday narratives that embrace complexity over simplicity, compassion over judgment. Whether it becomes the next holiday classic remains to be seen, but the project has already succeeded in sparking conversations about what stories we tell our children and why.
