Why I Built Tinkr

When I was little, our dad made up bedtime stories for me and my sisters each night. He would let us choose the characters, the places, and little treasures to include, then turn them into a brand new adventure before we fell asleep.

What I remember most is not just the stories themselves, but how personal they felt. They were shaped around us, around that evening, and around whatever had captured our imagination that day. Looking back, I can see that those moments were about more than entertainment. They were about comfort, connection, and helping children settle at the end of the day.

Years later, I realised how rare that feeling has become.

Modern family life can be intense, and bedtime is often one of the most pressured parts of the day. Many parents are trying to guide tired, overstimulated children into sleep while carrying the weight of work, routines, and everything else life demands. At the same time, many children’s digital products are designed to capture attention for as long as possible, rather than help families wind down.

That gap is what led me to build Tinkr.

I’m not a parent myself, and I think that is worth saying clearly. But I am a proud uncle to twins who are just over one year old, and watching them explore the world and develop their own personalities has given me a fresh perspective on childhood, routine, and the importance of calm, caring environments. It has also reminded me how important the adults around children are, and how much support families deserve.

Tinkr was created to bring the warmth of personalised bedtime storytelling into modern family life. Each night, parents answer three quick questions about how their child is feeling. Tinkr then creates a personalised story designed to help that child slow down emotionally and settle for sleep. In the morning, parents give quick feedback on how bedtime went, allowing the system to learn what seems to help over time.

My background is in children’s television as a writer-director, and I’ve worked on projects for CBeebies, CBBC and Sky Kids, including JoJo & Gran Gran. Storytelling has always mattered to me, not only as entertainment, but as something that can reassure children, help them process feelings, and create meaningful rituals within family life.

That is how I think about Tinkr. It is not simply a content product. It is an attempt to use storytelling in a more useful way.

Right now, Tinkr is being tested through a live 7-night pilot with families.

The question is simple:

Can personalised bedtime stories reduce bedtime effort?

That is what I’m setting out to learn, and I’ll be sharing what we discover along the way.

— Omari McCarthy (Founder)