Christa Pitts

Christa Pitts was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, Robert C. Aebersold, worked as a self-employed engineer and her mother, Carol Aebersold, a former music teacher was an active stay-at-home mom. Pitts grew up in humble circumstance with her twin sister, Chanda A. Bell, and her younger brother Brandon, in the rural suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently the Co-CEO of her family's consumer product and entertainment company CCA and B, LLC (Creatively Classic Activities and Books), home to the bestselling title, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. A sought after speaker on entrepreneurship, she oversees the day-to-day operations and the business strategy for the company. A former on air QVC program host, she serves as Executive Producer for the animated stories being churned out by her family owned production company, Scout Elf Productions. Their first special launched in the fall of 2018, Elf Pets: Santa's St. Bernards Save Christmas. Pitts was also an Executive Producer for An Elf's Story, a modern day Christmas classic, produced by Big Canoe Entertainment. Pitts graduated from McEachern High School in 1992 and went on to major in mass communication from the University of West Georgia in 1997. Before graduation, Pitts had a small stint as an intern for a news station outside of Panama City, Florida, and after graduation she worked a series of odd jobs. She found employment for a small time in the Georgia governor's office and in sales for Aramark Industries. She even sold glass doors. Finally in 2001, Pitts found her true calling as a program host for QVC. Beloved by fans as the "girl next door," she worked with successful entrepreneurs such as Sara Blakely, Joan Rivers, Laura Geller and Lori Greiner. It was there Pitts says she perfected the "art of selling." However in 2005, after her sister, Chanda A Bell, and mom, Carol Aebersold, co-authored a book about their family tradition-Pitts knew she could help. She left her high-profile position with the QVC network behind and again took on odd jobs, including working the front desk of a hotel to provide for her family. She was determined to see her family's new book become a success. Seeing this new self-published book as a business and not just a good idea, Pitts was determined to help her family get their book into print, and turn this fledgling startup into a success story. She relocated to Atlanta to run the marketing, sales and operational side of the business as the trio formed CCA and B, LLC (Creatively Classic Activities and Books) to market and sell the book. Strapped for start-up cash, Pitts used the proceeds from the sale of her home to help fund the first order. By the end of 2005, they sold their initial order of 5,000 units of The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition®. By 2008, the partners had progressed from selling books out of car trunks and at gift shows and specialty shops to placing products in major retailers, toy stores and bookstore chains. The keepsake box featuring a charming tale and a magical Scout Elf from the North Pole became a timeless Christmas tradition, with the storybook topping best-seller lists year after year. In 2011, in conjunction with Bell and Aebersold, Pitts founded Big Canoe Entertainment along with partners Catherine Scorcese, Kenneth Waddell, Tara Burtchaell, and Chad Eikhoff. The entertainment company's sole purpose was to write and produce An Elf's Story. The first animated tale based on The Elf on the Shelf property. An Elf's Story debuted on CBS and is now considered a modern day Christmas classic viewed year after year on Turner Networks: TBS and Cartoon Network. To date, the special has been viewed by a combined audience of over 24 million people. The special has also aired to warm receptions in Canada and in the UK. Pitts served as an executive producer on the project. In 2017, Pitts co founded Scout Elf Productions(TM) with her mom and sister in order to, "Imaginatively tell the stories of Santa's North Pole and answer the age-old questions about his fantastical universe through the power of animation." A subsidiary of CCA and B, LLC, the production company released Elf Pets: Santa's St. Bernards Save Christmas, in the Fall of 2018. Pitts served as the executive producer of the 2018 animated special, and is now serving as an executive producer for a new animated property set to release in the fall of 2019.