Shining Isle Productions

What Shining Isle Productions does

Shining Isle Productions is a Nashville-based animation studio founded in 2021 that produces The Wingfeather Saga, an animated series adapted from co-founder Andrew Peterson's fantasy novels. The studio operates as a private LLC (Shining Isle Productions, LLC) with a wholly-owned Tennessee-incorporated subsidiary, Toothy Cow Productions, LLC, which functions as the investment vehicle for production financing. The studio employs 11-50 staff and has developed a proprietary character animation pipeline built on Unreal Engine that the company claims establishes a new benchmark for hand-painted CG production. The company is producing its third season, with The Ice Prairies scheduled to premiere exclusively on Angel Studios' platforms on November 12, 2025.

The studio's financing and distribution model is structurally distinctive. Production capital is raised through equity crowdfunding and SEC-registered securities offerings via the Toothy Cow Productions subsidiary, with multiple Form D filings under Rule 506(b) between 2022 and 2024 and cumulative crowdfunding raised of approximately $7 million+ (described as the largest crowdfunded family animation series in history). Additional SEC filings include rounds of $4.995M (February 2022), $1.716M (November 2022), and others, bringing cumulative raises to approximately $11M+. Distribution is handled exclusively by Angel Studios across Angel.com and mobile applications (iOS and Android), with Season 2 made exclusive to the Angel Guild membership tier. The studio monetizes through licensing arrangements with Angel Studios while maintaining direct investor communications via quarterly newsletters distributed since Q4 2021, with archives available through Q4 2025.

The customer base is bifurcated. The end consumer segment is families and animation viewers seeking narrative-driven content, accessed via Angel Studios' platform rather than directly through Shining Isle. A secondary segment consists of individual investors who back production through regulated securities offerings and receive quarterly investor updates. Leadership comprises co-founders J. Chris Wall (CEO) and Andrew Peterson (Executive Producer), with board representation from Angel Studios EVP Ajay Madhok and independent directors Jason Melton (Blue Ranch Farms) and Dr. William Cook (RxCe.com).

Name

Shining Isle Productions

Legal name

Shining Isle Productions, LLC

Website

https://shiningisleproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nashville-based animation studio founded in 2021 that produces The Wingfeather Saga, a crowdfunded animated family series adapted from Andrew Peterson's novels using a proprietary Unreal Engine pipeline, distributed exclusively through Angel Studios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)

Keywords

• Animated series production
• CG animation studio
• Crowdfunded animation series
• Unreal Engine animation
• Family animation content

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Animation Production and Licensing: The studio produces animated content (The Wingfeather Saga) and generates revenue through licensing deals with Angel Studios for streaming distribution. Content is crowdfunded during production.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shining Isle Productions is a Nashville-based animation studio that produces The Wingfeather Saga animated series using a proprietary character animation pipeline built on Unreal Engine for hand-painted CG production. The studio operates a crowdfunded production model and distributes content exclusively through Angel Studios' streaming platform and apps. Toothy Cow Productions, LLC serves as the wholly-owned subsidiary that holds the production and manages investor relations.

Product overview

Shining Isle Productions is a Nashville-based animation studio that produces The Wingfeather Saga, a crowdfunded animated series adapted from Andrew Peterson's novels. The studio has developed a proprietary character animation pipeline using Unreal Engine for hand-painted CG production. The series is distributed exclusively through Angel Studios' streaming platform. Toothy Cow Productions, LLC is the subsidiary entity that holds the production and handles investor relations, with over $7 million raised through crowdfunding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Wingfeather Saga Animated Series

Quantifiable outcome

• $7 million+ raised through crowdfunding campaigns

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Angel StudioscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAngel Studios serves as the exclusive distribution partner for The Wingfeather Saga animated series, streaming Seasons 1-3 exclusively on Angel's platforms. Angel Studios also handles product and production updates for investors and provides the Angel Guild membership program for exclusive content access.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Angel Studios: Faith/family-focused studio and streaming platform behind The Chosen. Direct distribution partner for Shining Isle (exclusive streaming of all Wingfeather Saga seasons) and operator of the Angel Guild membership program, making it the most strategically connected peer though broader in scope.
• DreamWorks Animation: Major animation studio producing theatrical and streaming family content. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the family animation category, though operating at vastly larger scale and via theatrical distribution.
• Netflix Animation: In-house animation division of Netflix producing family and adult animated series/films. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the streaming-animation category that competes for the same viewer attention and production talent.

Direct peers

• Big Idea Entertainment: Creator of VeggieTales and 3-2-1 Penguins, a long-established independent studio producing faith-based, family-friendly animated series. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping audience, content style, and studio-scale profile.
• Kingstone Studios: Faith-based animation studio that has produced Bible-themed animated content and licensing partnerships. Comparable as a niche, faith-aligned independent animation studio targeting the same family/Christian audience as Shining Isle.
• Wind Sun Sky Entertainment: Independent Canadian animation studio producing family-oriented animated features and series (e.g., co-productions with major platforms). Comparable as a small-to-mid independent animation studio with similar production model and family audience focus.
• Mercury Filmworks: Ottawa-based independent animation studio producing 2D and CG animated content (e.g., Hilda, The Owl House). Comparable as a specialized, mid-sized independent animation studio serving family/streaming audiences.
• Reel FX Animation: Independent animation studio behind The Book of Life, Free Birds, and other feature/series work. Comparable as an independent, family-targeted animation studio with proprietary production capabilities.
• Aardman Animations: Independent British stop-motion/CG animation studio known for family franchises (Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit). Comparable as a long-tenured independent studio with a family-audience focus and franchise IP.
• Laika: Independent Oregon-based animation studio producing stop-motion features (Coraline, Kubo, Wild Robot). Comparable as a privately-held, craft-driven independent animation studio focused on prestige family/animated storytelling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shining Isle Productions