When Bruce Barone Jr. decided to teach his 10-year-old son, Brucie, about bitcoin, he did not expect the lesson to turn into a media company the two now work on every day.
Origins of a lesson
Brucie has been homeschooled for the past three years with a private tutor, after his parents decided it was a better fit for him due to his autism diagnosis. Barone, who had previously invested in bitcoin, decided to add the subject to his son’s education as a way for them to learn together — and for another reason.
“The kind of joke is, I needed somebody to talk to, other than my wife. I needed somebody to chat with about bitcoin,” Barone said. “So, I started watching videos with him and introducing it to him.”
Brucie took to the mythology of bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto: the idea of someone creating something powerful and then stepping away from it.
Barone describes Brucie as a “creative genius.” He is a writer, artist and musician who can play Beethoven or Mozart after hearing the music once.
From bitcoin to storytelling
As they continued learning about bitcoin, Brucie began turning ideas into stories, eventually creating characters and a storyline that became Brucie Bitcoin & the Guardians of the Timechain. The YouTube series explores a niche intersection of Christianity and bitcoin mythology. It teaches lessons about how truth is preserved, how power corrupts, the difference between stewardship and control, and why sacrifice still matters.
The characters draw inspiration from figures in Christianity. Brucie Bitcoin and Satoshi Nakamoto are portrayed with Christ-like qualities, while the Oracle is based on John the Baptist. The villain, Cronus, shares traits associated with Satan.
Everything is written as a Christian allegory, in the same vein as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Barone said: “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” influenced the family as they developed the storylines.
“It’s the fundamental of good versus evil,” Barone said. “All of the characters are working together. It’s a very detailed and layered world.”
They spent about 18 months developing the world before releasing any content.
Launching BrainSprout Studios
On Nov. 30, they released their first video — a trailer for Brucie Bitcoin: Guardians of the Timechain — on their YouTube channel, BrainSprout Studios, the creative studio where the universe’s stories will be told. The video currently has 39,000 views.
In just over a month, the channel has surpassed 1.7 million views and gained more than 55,000 subscribers.
“We really weren’t expecting anything like that,” Barone said.
Close friend and film producer Rob Goodrich advised the Barones as they made their videos. At first, he said, it was all just fun and games until the story began to take shape.
“We got to a stage where I could actually start giving them real feedback,” Goodrich said. “How to cut a trailer, what key story points to highlight.”
Visual style and creative process
The 10 videos currently posted are geared toward children’s entertainment and feature visuals that resemble a video game. The family collaborates with a design and graphics team to help refine the videos, but all creative direction remains in-house. The visuals are produced using artificial intelligence software.
Barone says both of his sons love video games.
“There’s a natural inclination for kids and gamers to be interested in this. It matches a lot of the PS5, role-playing games and sci-fi content that’s out there,” he said.
Barone’s youngest son, Henry, 6, also takes part in the creative process, giving Barone a chance to work daily with his sons. He said the project has taken on added meaning since his father died in 2024.
Personal impact
He said the loss reshaped everything for him, both personally and professionally. He was close to his father, saying they were a tight-knit family. After his father’s passing, Barone stepped down as executive director of Fifth Avenue South.
“The influence my father has given me, and his tremendous wealth and generosity — just being the best dad there could be — has given me the platform and ability to do this [BrainSprout Studios] with my sons. We’re absolutely taking advantage of the opportunity to be with them and spend time with them every day,” Barone said.
Looking ahead
Moving forward, the father-and-son duo are planning a “Brucie Bitcoin” graphic novel, a learning handbook, a 10-episode serialized YouTube narrative series and new characters.
They also will be attending the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas this April.
“We’re excited about what the opportunity is out there,” Barone said. “We think that the more people that see it, the more people enjoy it and gravitate to it.”
