What Powerhouse Animation does

Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc. is a privately held, full-service 2D animation studio headquartered in Austin, Texas with a secondary office in Los Angeles. Founded in 2001 and operational since 2005, the studio produces animation work across television/streaming series, video game cinematics and trailers, advertising, and corporate explainer videos. Its core technology stack relies on traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation combined with Flash-based puppet animation and After Effects motion graphics, with proprietary expertise in motion comics production and stylized art direction (notably the Mary Blair aesthetic developed for Disney's Epic Mickey series). The studio's offering is organized into two product lines: Series Animation (full episodic content for platforms like Netflix) and Boutique Animation (shorter-form traditional animation, motion graphics, motion comics, limited animation, and mixed media).

Powerhouse generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements priced per scope and complexity, with multi-year contract cadences on series work. The studio's customer base spans major streaming platforms (Netflix for Castlevania, Castlevania: Nocturne, Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution, Blood of Zeus, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Skull Island, Seis Manos), video game publishers and developers (Disney/Junction Point for Epic Mickey, Sony for DC Universe Online, Riot Games for League of Legends cinematics, SEGA for Super Monkey Ball and Sonic Origins, Square Enix for Deus Ex, Devolver Digital for Enter/Exit the Gungeon, Airship Syndicate, HiRez Studios, Lightbox Interactive, NetherRealm/Warner Bros, 13AM Games), and advertising agencies and consumer brands (Coca Cola via Psyop, Magnum via Lola MullenLowe, Old Spice via Wieden + Kennedy, State Farm via DDB NY, Mountain Dew via Tribal DDB, Nickelodeon for The Adventures of Kid Danger). Go-to-market is sales-led, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio website, direct outreach, and industry relationships.

The studio is founder-led by Brad Graeber (CEO/CCO), Shane Minshew (Head of Production), and Jason Williams (Partner), operates with 11-50 employees, and has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding rounds. Its go-to-market is sales-led via direct business development, portfolio-driven outreach, and industry relationships, with no public revenue or contract values disclosed.

Name

Powerhouse Animation

Legal name

Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc.

Website

https://powerhouseanimation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Powerhouse Animation is a privately held, full-service 2D animation studio in Austin and Los Angeles producing series, video game cinematics, motion comics, and advertising for Netflix, Disney, Riot, SEGA, and major brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

2D (Traditional & Digital) Animation Production (MPADACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG), Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

Keywords

• Animation production services
• 2D traditional animation
• Video game cinematics
• Motion comics production
• Streaming series animation

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Project-based animation production services including video game cinematics, TV/streaming series, advertising campaigns, and motion comics. Revenue is generated through negotiated project fees based on scope, complexity, and animation style requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Powerhouse Animation is a full-service creative animation studio that produces 2D traditional animation, motion comics, video game cinematics, advertising spots, and streaming/TV series animation for enterprise clients. Its work spans pre-production (character design, concept design, storyboards, animatics) through final production, serving entertainment franchises (Netflix Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, Masters of the Universe), video game publishers (Disney Epic Mickey, Sony DC Universe Online, Riot Games League of Legends, SEGA Sonic Origins), and major consumer brands (Coca-Cola, Old Spice, Magnum, State Farm).

Product overview

Powerhouse Animation is a full-service creative agency (not a software product company) that produces animation work for TV, film, video games, advertising, and corporate explainer videos. Their portfolio consists of two main offerings: Series Animation (full episodic content for streaming platforms like Netflix) and Boutique Animation (shorter-form work including traditional animation, motion graphics, motion comics, and limited animation for advertisements, music videos, video game cinematics, and station IDs). The company works with major brands including Castlevania, Masters of the Universe, Disney, Netflix, Riot Games, and various video game publishers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Series Animation

Named customers24 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Titmouse Inc. Titmouse is a similarly-sized independent animation studio that has produced major animated series for Netflix, Amazon, and adult-swim networks. It directly competes with Powerhouse for streaming-service animated series contracts and shares a similar boutique, multi-style positioning.
• Studio Mir: Korean animation studio that produced the first two seasons of Netflix's Castlevania before Powerhouse took over for Nocturne. It is a direct competitor for adult-oriented animated series production and operates at a similar scale on similar content categories.
• Augenblick Studios: Boutique 2D animation studio specializing in adult comedy animation, working with clients like Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and FX. It is comparable to Powerhouse in scale and in its focus on stylized 2D animated content for entertainment clients.
• ShadowMachine: Independent animation and production studio behind BoJack Horseman, Final Space, and various stop-motion and 2D productions. Comparable to Powerhouse in its work for major streaming platforms and in offering full-service animation production across formats.
• Rough Draft Studios: Long-running animation services studio known for producing animated series for Adult Swim, Netflix, and various networks. Comparable to Powerhouse in offering traditional 2D animation production services for entertainment clients at boutique-to-mid scale.
• Mercury Filmworks: Canadian animation studio that has produced 2D animated content for Disney, Netflix, and other major clients (including DC Super Hero Girls). Comparable to Powerhouse in producing traditional 2D animation for major entertainment IP holders.
• Fortiche Production: French animation studio famous for Arcane (Netflix's League of Legends series) and other stylized animated projects. Highly comparable to Powerhouse in producing premium stylized 2D/CG-hybrid animation for major gaming IP and streaming platforms.

Broad incumbents

• WildBrain (DHX Media): Publicly-traded Canadian entertainment company that owns a large animation studio producing children's and family animated content (Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake). Overlaps with Powerhouse in providing animation production services for major IP, but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader portfolio.
• Cartoon Saloon: Irish animation studio known for hand-drawn animated feature films (Wolfwalkers, The Secret of Kells) with major streaming deals. Comparable to Powerhouse in its commitment to traditional 2D animation and its premium positioning, but operates more in feature films than series.

Emerging players

• Frederator Studios: Animation production company behind Adventure Time, Bee and PuppyCat, and Netflix's Castlevania (as executive producer). Directly connected to Powerhouse through Castlevania production, making it both a frequent collaborator and a potential competitor for streaming animated series work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/powerhouseanim
• Facebookfacebook.com/powerhouseanimation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powerhouse-animation-studios-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Powerhouse Animation