At right, Paul Gianino and Bridget Moran accept a Business Improvement Grant check for $5,000 for improvements to Bee’s Backyard, an indoor children’s play center located on the second floor of The Marketplace at Steamtown, 300 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton.

Meet Bridget Moran, owner of Bee’s Backyard, a 12,000-square-foot activity space offering activity and play areas for children from infancy to 13 years of age. The space includes a 57-foot soft play area, an interactive floor projection system, inflatable “bounce houses” and other attractions.

Tell us about Bee’s Backyard. We are an indoor play area for children that prides ourselves on safety and cleanliness.

Who or what was your inspiration? I was a full-time working mom of two, who was also in graduate school and was longing for a place like Bee's that I could take my children to play while I was studying. I needed it to be safe and clean.

Tell us about the Luminivision Floor and Lego wall. Our interactive floor display is in the middle of the facility. We can change the games that the children play and interact with to suit the clientele. Our son is a HUGE Lego fan and this is his favorite spot! Kids can build Legos on horizontal and vertical planes at Bee's!

Tell us about your time at MTV and your role as personal assistant to rapper Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000, of hip-hop duo Outkast. I started at MTV as an intern and was hired when I completed college. I worked my way up to be the manager of the Wardrobe Department. It was a great experience! I started to work for Andre Benjamin when I moved to Atlanta. I was able to gain a ton of experience in many different areas: A&R, his clothing line, Benjamin Bixby, Cartoon Production, Class of 3000, licensing and much more. We moved back to Scranton to start our family near my family.

Why is free play so important for kids today? Kids are SO over-scheduled ... mine included! Bee's Backyard allows kids to come and be kids. It is amazing to see kids who do not know each other come and play together in imaginative play. Parents can sit and relax or interact with their children if they would like.