Erly Stage Studios

What Erly Stage Studios does

Erly Stage Studios Limited is a London-headquartered, full-service creative agency and digital publishing business that produces graphic novels, games, animations, explainer videos, websites, and brand/UI/UX design for clients in education, publishing, financial services, technology, and government. The studio operates a globally distributed delivery model with teams across the UK, Czech Republic, North America, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and has secured credentialed partnerships with US federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on disinformation and public-health graphic novel series such as 'Real Fake,' 'Bug Bytes,' and 'Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History' (the latter co-developed with author Max Brooks and a US Congressional Blue Ribbon Panel).

Beyond agency services, the company owns and operates a small portfolio of consumer-facing digital products: Pollywords, an iOS language-learning game available in over 10 languages (including English, Turkish, Franko-Arabic, and romanised Urdu) and recognized as a Top 50 game in Asia; Return of the Wild, a planet-positive Roblox game tied to real-world tree planting; Dudat, an employee time-tracking platform; and Queendom, an original Japanime-style fantasy animation in development. The firm also designs and builds marketplaces, notably 'Broad Influence' (a two-sided platform for influencers and entertainment companies) in collaboration with Tony Award-winning producers.

The business model combines professional services revenue from custom, quote-based enterprise and government projects with one-time publishing sales through a dedicated storefront (publishing.erlystagestudios.com) and consumer product monetization via the iOS App Store and Roblox platform. The company has raised a single disclosed funding round of $294,721 (2016) and operates with a 1–10 person core team, indicating a lean, founder-led operation rather than a venture-scaled business. No management team data beyond the founder/CEO, CTO, and Chief Creative Officer is disclosed.

Name

Erly Stage Studios

Legal name

Erly Stage Studios Limited

Website

https://erlystagestudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

London-based full-service creative agency and digital publisher producing graphic novels, games, animations, explainer videos, websites, and UI/UX design for government, education, publishing, and financial services clients, with consumer products distributed via iOS and Roblox.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM), Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH), Game UI/UX, Scripting & Visual Authoring Tools (MPAFAFAK), Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Graphic novel publishing
• Explainer video production
• UI/UX design services
• Edutainment content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Custom project-based creative services including graphic novels, games, animations, brand identity, UI/UX design, explainer videos, websites, and presentations for enterprise and government clients.
2. Publishing Sales: Sale of proprietary graphic novel titles through publishing.erlystagestudios.com including educational and edutainment content.
3. Commissioned Works: Partnership arrangements with government agencies and organizations to create educational content addressing disinformation and public health topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Erly Stage Studios is a full-service creative agency that delivers custom creative projects across graphic novels, games, animations, UI/UX design, websites, explainer videos, brand identity, and presentations. The studio also operates an Education Venture Studio that produces and publishes proprietary edutainment content and digital products, including graphic novel series, the Pollywords language learning game, the Dudat employee tracking platform, and the Return of the Wild Roblox game, for clients in education, publishing, financial services, government, and technology sectors.

Product overview

Erly Stage Studios is a full-service creative agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of print and digital creative services. The company's offerings include original productions (Pollywords language learning game, Dudat employee tracking platform, Queendom animation, Return of the Wild Roblox game) and client services (Graphic Novels & Publications, Explainer Videos, Website Design, UI/UX Design, Identity & Brand, Animations). Their graphic novel portfolio includes titles like GERM WARFARE (with Max Brooks), REAL FAKE, BUG BYTES, MAKE HISTORY, REAL ECONOMICS, and TALKING UP. The studio operates across global teams in the UK, Czech Republic, North America, Pakistan, and the Philippines, serving sectors including education, publishing, financial services, and technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graphic Novels Custom graphic novel creation service covering concept, writing, illustration, and publishing, including the studio's proprietary series (Germ Warfare, Real Fake, Bug Bytes, Make History, Real Economics, Talking Up) and bespoke client projects.
• Games Custom game development service spanning design, prototyping, and delivery across mobile and platforms such as Roblox.
• Animations Custom animation production including short animations, animated graphics, motion graphics, and original productions such as the Queendom anime-style fantasy series.
• Identity & Brand Brand identity development, reimagining, and refinement services including strategic thinking, target audience assessment, and marketing campaign support.
• UI/UX Design User Experience and User Interface design services for games, websites, and other technology products, covering user stories, wireframes, prototyping, and end-to-end development.
• Explainer Videos Custom explainer video production including concept development, scriptwriting, and final production, used by clients in financial services and technology such as UBS Assetvault and the UBS App.
• Websites End-to-end website design and development services including user stories, wireframes, UI/UX design, prototyping, and development, delivered for clients such as Diversity.vc, AstraNova, and FiscalNote ESG Solutions.
• Pollywords iOS language learning game that allows players to learn new languages through word games, available in over 10 languages including English and Turkish and pioneering Franko-Arabic and romanised Urdu, using user-generated content for pronunciation capture.
• Dudat Digital platform that lets employees log into a system to track hours and tasks, clock in and out, log breaks, and enables employers to monitor productivity, project time allocation, and payroll inputs.
• Return of the Wild Planet-positive Roblox game in which players restore a virtual ecosystem in the Amazon Rainforest, with real trees planted for every 50 virtual trees planted in-game.
• Graphic Novel Publishing (publishing.erlystagestudios.com) Direct-to-consumer publishing storefront for the studio's proprietary graphic novel titles, including educational and edutainment content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pollywords game played across hundreds of schools in the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Blue Ribbon Panel and US CongresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnered with Blue Ribbon Panel and US Congress in 2019 (pre-Covid) to advocate for greater investment into fighting biological warfare. Led to the production of 'Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History' in collaboration with Max Brooks.
• Max BrookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning author Max Brooks partnered with Erly Stage Studios to produce 'Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History' - a highly stylized graphic novel depicting biological warfare events and public health security.
• DHS (Department of Homeland Security)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with US government agencies including DHS to fight disinformation around the US election and foreign state-led campaigns using social media influence through the 'Real Fake' graphic novel.
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CDC to fight disinformation around the Covid-19 Vaccine through 'Bug Bytes' graphic novel, communicating important public health information to college students and young adults.
• Tony Award-winning producerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Tony Award-winning producers and influencers to build 'Broad Influence' - a two-sided marketplace connecting influencers and entertainment companies, with Erly Stage Studios handling end-to-end design and development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nexus Studios: London-based creative studio producing animation, interactive experiences, and design-led content for global brands. Highly comparable as a similarly sized UK creative studio spanning film, games, and brand storytelling work for enterprise and cultural clients.
• Giant Ant: Animation and motion design studio producing character-driven content, games, and brand storytelling. Comparable in offering animation and game development services alongside brand identity work for global clients.
• Buck: Global creative studio specializing in design, animation, and interactive experiences for brands. Comparable to Erly Stage Studios as a design-and-animation-led creative agency serving enterprise clients with multi-format digital deliverables.
• Block & Tackle: London creative studio producing animation, games, and interactive experiences. Highly comparable as a boutique UK creative agency spanning animation, games, and digital storytelling for enterprise clients.
• Ueno: Creative studio offering branding, design, web, and content production for technology and consumer clients. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary creative agency producing brand, web, and content work for enterprise customers.
• Not To Scale: London-based animation and motion design studio delivering creative content for brands and agencies. Closely aligned with Erly Stage Studios as a UK creative studio producing animation, branded content, and design services.
• Cub Studio: London motion design and animation studio serving brands, broadcasters, and cultural institutions. Comparable as a UK creative studio offering animation, motion graphics, and brand-driven content production.

Broad incumbents

• Buck (already listed above as direct peer; replaced with) Psyop: US-based creative production studio producing film, animation, and interactive content for global brands. Comparable to Erly Stage Studios as a creative studio producing brand-driven film, animation, and interactive experiences, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Pentagram: Largest independent design consultancy in the world, with offices in London and globally. Comparable as a design-led creative agency serving major enterprise and government clients, though far larger and broader in scope than Erly Stage Studios.

Emerging players

• First Second Books: Publisher of graphic novels for young adults and educational markets. Comparable for the graphic novel publishing and edutainment content arm of Erly Stage Studios, particularly titles like Germ Warfare and Make History.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/erlystage?lang=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/Erly-Stage-Studios-2104093773159556
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erly-stage-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Erly Stage Studios