Screen Arts Institute

What Screen Arts Institute does

Screen Arts Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, founded in 1996 as the 'Screen Arts Animation Studio' in Baltimore by Mark Stansberry. The organization delivers media arts education — classical 2D animation, digital illustration, graphic design, mobile game building, and 3D printing — to teens and adults, with a primary mission of workforce development in rural, coal-impacted Northumberland County. Students work on the organization's own commercial animated productions, notably the family-friendly series 'Stan's Animation Hackstand' featuring the 'Puddin' character, which airs in Manhattan, the Bronx, York PA, and Stockholm, Sweden, providing portfolio-grade production experience alongside classroom instruction.

The Institute runs an expanding portfolio of offerings: in-person and live-stream classes (Animation Basics, Premiere Pro, mobile game building, art/illustration, 3D printing), a 9-month Broadcast Arts Initiative cohort program, an e-commerce storefront ('Puddin's Mart') selling branded merchandise and digital products, a three-tier subscription service for ongoing mobile/PC game content, and a $299 consulting package ('Grow a Grassroots Animated Series') aimed at aspiring creators. Its revenue model is diversified across subscription recurring revenue (Silver $4.99/mo, Gold $9.99/mo, Hackstand $7.99/mo), one-time product sales ($0.99–$25 merchandise, $19.99 e-books, $4.99 personalized RPG games), professional services, and grant funding. The October 2024 ARC POWER Grant ($400,000 plus $400,000 matching) and the concurrent acquisition of the former St. Mary's school facility represent the largest capital and capacity events in the organization's history. The organization remains small (1–10 employees) with no disclosed revenue and operates as founder-controlled with no institutional or PE/VC ownership.

Name

Screen Arts Institute

Legal name

Screen Arts Institute

Website

https://screenartsinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Screen Arts Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996, based in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, that delivers media arts education (animation, digital illustration, game building, 3D printing) to teens and adults in coal-impacted Northumberland County while producing the 'Stan's Animation Hackstand' animated series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE), Arts Education Instruction (Visual/Performing) (EDAJAFAK)

Keywords

• Media arts education
• Animation training
• Mobile game development
• Nonprofit workforce training
• Digital illustration

Headquarters

HQ city

Shamokin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription plans providing ongoing content access including new Android mobile games, PC RPG game chapters, exclusive animation, tutorials, and signed production artwork. Plans include Silver ($4.99/mo), Gold ($9.99/mo), and Stan's Animation Hackstand ($7.99/mo). Valid for 12 months.
2. One-Time Product Sales: Sale of merchandise including t-shirts featuring Puddin characters ($20-$25), personalized RPG games ($4.99), digital content downloads ($5-$20), and e-books ($19.99).
3. Consulting/Education Services: Three-session consulting service teaching creators how to brand, fund, and produce animated series for $299 (valid for 3 months).
4. Grant Funding: Received $400,000 ARC POWER Grant plus $400,000 matching funds totaling $800,000 for Broadcast Arts Initiative program to teach media arts to teens and adults in Northumberland County.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Screen Arts Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides hands-on media arts education in animation, digital illustration, graphic design, mobile game building, video editing, and 3D printing, anchored by its original animated series "Stan's Animation Hackstand" and the Puddin character franchise. Students learn by working on real production projects for the institute and pro bono work for local businesses, with graduated outputs including subscription-based mobile/PC games, broadcast animation, merchandise, and a 9-month Broadcast Arts Initiative workforce program funded by an $800,000 ARC POWER grant.

Product overview

Screen Arts Institute operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of animated media productions and educational programs. The core product is Stan's Animation Hackstand, a family animated series distributed in multiple US markets and Sweden. The Puddin character franchise spans animated content, mobile/PC games (offered via subscription plans and individual purchase), and merchandise. The Broadcast Arts Initiative is a 9-month educational program teaching animation, digital illustration, graphic design, mobile game building, and artrepreneurship. Individual class offerings include Animation Basics, Premiere Pro video editing, mobile game building (using RPG In a Box, Unity), art/illustration (using Adobe software), and 3D printing. The organization also operates Puddin's Mart, an e-commerce store selling t-shirts, merchandise, video content, and e-books, and offers consulting services for aspiring animated series creators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stan's Animation Hackstand: Family-friendly animated series produced by Screen Arts Institute featuring the character Puddin
• Puddin
• Broadcast Arts Initiative
• Puddin's Mart

Products and services

• Stan's Animation Hackstand A family-friendly animated series featuring the "Puddin" character, produced with the talents of Screen Arts Institute's students and interns and local voice actors, airing on Manhattan Neighborhood Network and distributed to multiple US markets and Sweden.
• Puddin Vs Game Series Silver Plan Subscription Monthly subscription providing subscribers with a new Android mobile game featuring Puddin and a new chapter of the Puddin PC RPG game each month, valid for 12 months at $4.99/month.
• Puddin Vs Game Series Gold Plan Subscription Premium monthly subscription delivering monthly Puddin Android games, a serialized PC RPG game, signed production artwork from the animated series, and exclusive access to unaired animation and tutorials, valid for 12 months at $9.99/month.
• Stan's Animation Hackstand Subscription Monthly subscription at $7.99/month delivering ongoing new content from Stan's Animation Hackstand, with exclusive member benefits and cancellation available anytime.
• Grow a Grassroots Animated Series Consulting Three-session consulting package at $299 (valid for 3 months) that teaches aspiring creators how to find audiences, fund, and produce an animated series, including micro animated series branding.
• Broadcast Arts Initiative Program Nine-month media arts training program (animation, digital illustration, graphic design, mobile game building, and artrepreneurship) for teens and adults in Northumberland County, PA, in which students gain real production experience on institute projects and pro bono work for local businesses. Funded by a $400,000 ARC POWER Grant plus $400,000 matching funds (total $800,000).
• Animation Basics Class In-person class teaching the fundamentals of classical 2D animation, originally launched as an online/virtual live-stream offering.
• Premiere Pro (Basic Video Editing) Class Class teaching basic video editing using Adobe Premiere Pro software.
• Mobile Game Building Classes Classes teaching students how to build mobile video games using RPG In a Box, Smile Game Builder, and Unity, with student-built games released on Android, iOS, and PC marketplaces.
• Art/Illustration Classes Classes teaching students how to create graphics, illustrations, and comic/manga work using Clip Studio Pro, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop.
• 3D Printing Classes Hands-on classes using the Qidi X-Max 3D Printer with software instruction in Blender, Fusion 360, and TinkerCad.
• New Birds Animated Short Film 30-minute animated short film from Stan's Animation Hackstand Season 1 in which Puddin, with her friend Ling and brother Nate, sets out to acquire new pets. Delivered as a PDF with a Google Drive download link. Priced at $5.00.
• Puddin vs. The 99 Steps (Android Game) Android mobile game in which Puddin competes against a local landmark in a small coal town, priced at $0.99.
• Puddin Vs The Mansion (Personalized RPG Game) Personalized RPG game in which the purchaser's portrait is integrated as the main character, helping Puddin and Ling find a hidden treasure. Available in Android/apk or PC/exe formats, limited to 200 copies at $4.99.
• Form Your Nonprofit in Two Weeks (E-book) E-book by founder Mark Stansberry that documents how Screen Arts Institute created and formed its 501(c)(3) nonprofit in two weeks and grew to over $800k in grants within two years. Priced at $19.99.
• Puddin's Mart (Merchandise Shop) Online shop selling Puddin character t-shirts, branded apparel (Coal Blooded, Made In Shamokin), wooden pendants, animated content, personalized RPG games, Android games, and e-books directly to consumers via screenartsinstitute.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully trained students in animation, digital illustration, graphic design, mobile game building and art entrepreneurship through 9-month Broadcast Arts Initiative program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Moore College of Art and DesignminorOthers · 1 May 2024Philadelphia art college providing student interns (Hannah Marsh and Lara Yildiz) who assist with animation production on Stan's Animation Hackstand and Puddin android games. Both students majoring in animation and game development.
• Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance (SCRA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Local community organization that sponsored the 2023 Animation Workshop Challenge event. Part of collaborative community efforts in Shamokin area.
• FAR Better TogetherminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Community organization that sponsored the 2023 Animation Workshop Challenge event.
• Shamokin CarbonsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Local business that sponsored the 2023 Animation Workshop Challenge event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/2danimator1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/screenartspuddin
• Facebookfacebook.com/StansAnimationHackstand
• Instagraminstagram.com/puddinsdad_1964
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/screen-arts-institute-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Screen Arts Institute