Evil Eye Pictures
Evil Eye Pictures is a private, virtual VFX and real-time content studio (founded 2004, San Francisco) that produces Unreal Engine cinematics, VR experiences, and feature-film VFX for enterprise clients including Epic Games, Google, Warner Bros., and Disney.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Evil Eye Pictures does
Evil Eye Pictures LLC is a private, virtual visual effects and real-time content production studio founded in 2004 and based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The studio is co-led by CEO Dan Rosen and COO Matt McDonald, both veterans of Academy Award-winning VFX productions including The Matrix and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and operates with a distributed 11-50 person team. Its core technology stack centers on Unreal Engine, where it holds Gold Service Partner accreditation, complemented by Unity, the Google Spotlight Stories SDK, and real-time ray tracing for cinematic lighting and reflections. Primary products and services include traditional VFX for feature films, real-time Unreal Engine cinematics and trailers for game publishers, and immersive 360-degree VR content; its most notable internal product is FUTURE.STAGE, a real-time, remote capture and animation software platform developed with 2020 Epic MegaGrant funding. The company makes money primarily through B2B professional services on a project-based engagement model with enterprise clients including Epic Games (Fortnite cinematics, The Matrix Awakens), Psyonix (Rocket League trailers), Google Spotlight Stories (Pearl, On Ice, Age of Sail, Piggy), Warner Bros. Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios. Marketing and demand generation are driven by a portfolio-based website, YouTube and Instagram presence, SIGGRAPH and Unreal Engine User Group participation, and the credibility conferred by Gold Service Partner and MegaGrant status.
Evil Eye Pictures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Evil Eye Pictures
- Legal name
- Evil Eye Pictures LLC
- Website
- https://evileyepictures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Evil Eye Pictures is a private, virtual VFX and real-time content studio (founded 2004, San Francisco) that produces Unreal Engine cinematics, VR experiences, and feature-film VFX for enterprise clients including Epic Games, Google, Warner Bros., and Disney.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Evil Eye Pictures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Visual Effects and Animation Production
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Virtual Production & LED Volume Services (Stage Ops, ICVFX, Real-Time Camera/Tracking) (MPADAHAB), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)
Keywords
Where Evil Eye Pictures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Evil Eye Pictures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Visual Effects Production Services: B2B production services for visual effects, animation, and cinematics work for entertainment companies, game publishers, and film studios. Projects are typically custom production engagements rather than standardized offerings.
- Real-time Content Production: Production of real-time rendered content using Unreal Engine for game cinematics, trailers, and promotional materials for clients like Epic Games and Psyonix.
- VR/Immersive Experience Production: Co-production and production services for VR experiences and interactive storytelling content, particularly through partnerships with Google Spotlight Stories.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Evil Eye Pictures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Evil Eye Pictures is a B2B production studio that delivers custom visual effects for feature films, real-time animation and cinematics using Unreal Engine for game publishers, and co-produced VR/360 immersive content for platforms such as Google Spotlight Stories. It is also developing FUTURE.STAGE, a proprietary real-time remote capture and animation software platform. Engagements are project-based with direct client relationships rather than standardized product offerings.
Product overview
Evil Eye Pictures is a visual effects and real-time content creation studio that operates as a unified production house rather than a modular software platform. The company offers a portfolio of services including VFX for feature films, real-time animation production using Unreal Engine, XR/VR experiences through Google Spotlight Stories, and Fortnite cinematics production. The primary product offering is FUTURE.STAGE, a real-time remote capture and animation software platform developed in-house. The studio's work spans theatrical VFX, game cinematics, VR storytelling, and immersive real-time experiences, with recent focus on Epic Games ecosystem including Fortnite trailers and The Matrix Awakens UE5 experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FUTURE.STAGE: A real-time, remote capture and animation software platform developed by Evil Eye Pictures with funding from Epic MegaGrant.
Products and services
- FUTURE.STAGE Proprietary real-time, remote capture and animation software platform developed by Evil Eye Pictures to enable remote collaboration in animation and capture workflows.
- Visual Effects Services Custom visual effects services for feature films including traditional invisible effects, innovative projection tricks, and real-time graphics for studios and directors.
- Real-Time Content Creation Unreal Engine-based real-time animation and cinematic production service for games (Fortnite, Rocket League), XR/VR content, and immersive experiences for enterprise clients.
- Google Spotlight Stories VR Production 360-degree immersive VR experience production using Google Spotlight Stories SDK, including award-winning narrative titles such as Pearl, On Ice, Piggy, and Age of Sail for technology partners and platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short for Pearl
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Evil Eye Pictures
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Evil Eye Pictures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Evil Eye Pictures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Studio FireflyminorCollaborated with Studio Firefly for timing and layout of the Unreal Engine User Group SIGGRAPH 2019 event for highest visual impact.
- Epic GamescoreEvil Eye Pictures is an accredited Gold Service Partner for Unreal Engine. They work extensively with Epic Games on Fortnite cinematics, The Matrix Awakens experience, and various real-time projects. The partnership includes receiving an Epic MegaGrant in 2020 for FUTURE.STAGE platform development.
- PsyonixcoreEvil Eye Pictures serves as both agency and production company for Psyonix's Rocket League, creating cinematic trailers including the major free-to-play announcement spot. They function as a creative partner for high-visibility game marketing content.
- Google Spotlight StoriescoreMultiple co-productions with Google Spotlight Stories for VR/360 immersive content including Pearl (Academy Award nominated, Emmy winning), On Ice, Piggy, Age of Sail, and The End AR app. Evil Eye worked alongside Google's engineers and producers on these projects.
- Boathouse StudiosminorCollaborated with Boathouse Studios on Age of Sail VR experience production alongside Google Spotlight Stories.
- Warner Bros. PicturesminorCo-Founder Dan Rosen served as VFX Supervisor on Bolden feature film; company has contributed VFX to multiple Warner Bros. productions over 20+ years including The Matrix sequels.
- Walt Disney StudiosminorVFX contributions to Marvel films and other Disney productions; attention to detail for Marvel movies mentioned as a core value.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Evil Eye Pictures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Luma Pictures: Los Angeles-based VFX and animation studio with comparable hybrid film/game work and real-time production capabilities. Closest peer in size and technical profile to Evil Eye, also focused on bridging traditional VFX with Unreal Engine workflows for both film studios and game publishers.
- Goodbye Kansas Studios: Swedish-based visual effects and digital animation studio producing VFX, in-game cinematics, and real-time content for film, TV, games, and trailers. Direct peer in offering real-time cinematic production services to game publishers, including Unreal Engine work.
- Jellyfish Pictures: UK-based VFX and animation studio known for Unreal Engine-driven real-time production and remote/virtual pipelines. Comparable to Evil Eye for its emphasis on real-time rendering, virtual production, and remote collaboration infrastructure.
- Rising Sun Pictures: Australia-based VFX studio producing feature film visual effects and increasingly real-time content. Similar in scale and positioning to Evil Eye as a mid-sized VFX shop competing for premium feature work.
Broad incumbents
- Framestore: Global, Oscar-winning VFX and immersive content studio with major film, advertising, and immersive divisions. A broader incumbent competitor to Evil Eye across feature film VFX, VR, and real-time production.
- Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): Lucasfilm's flagship VFX and virtual production studio and a pioneer of real-time/LED volume workflows (StageCraft). A much larger incumbent competing with Evil Eye on film VFX and increasingly on real-time virtual production.
- Wētā FX: New Zealand-based VFX studio behind Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and growing virtual production efforts. A broad incumbent competitor in premium film VFX and a growing player in real-time production pipelines.
- Digital Domain: Established VFX studio with feature film, episodic, and immersive content capabilities including real-time and virtual production. A broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Evil Eye in film VFX and immersive storytelling.
Emerging players
- Baobab Studios: Emmy-winning VR animation studio behind award-winning immersive short films. Directly comparable to Evil Eye's Google Spotlight Stories era work in VR/immersive narrative content.
- Penrose Studios: VR/immersive storytelling studio founded by former Oculus Story Studio head. Comparable to Evil Eye's Pearl/Age of Sail-era work in narrative-driven VR experiences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Evil Eye Pictures social profiles
Digital presenceEvil Eye Pictures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Evil Eye Pictures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Evil Eye Pictures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Evil Eye Pictures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Evil Eye Pictures
What does Evil Eye Pictures do?
Evil Eye Pictures is a B2B production studio that delivers custom visual effects for feature films, real-time animation and cinematics using Unreal Engine for game publishers, and co-produced VR/360 immersive content for platforms such as Google Spotlight Stories. It is also developing FUTURE.STAGE, a proprietary real-time remote capture and animation software platform. Engagements are project-based with direct client relationships rather than standardized product offerings.
Is Evil Eye Pictures a public or private company?
Evil Eye Pictures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Evil Eye Pictures founded?
Evil Eye Pictures was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Evil Eye Pictures based?
Evil Eye Pictures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Evil Eye Pictures make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Visual Effects Production Services are the primary driver. The others are real-time Content Production and VR/Immersive Experience Production.
Who are Evil Eye Pictures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Luma Pictures, Goodbye Kansas Studios, Jellyfish Pictures and Rising Sun Pictures. Broad incumbents are Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Wētā FX and Digital Domain. Emerging players are Baobab Studios and Penrose Studios.
Does Evil Eye Pictures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Evil Eye Pictures.
What industry is Evil Eye Pictures in?
Evil Eye Pictures's product category is Visual Effects and Animation Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHACAN, Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time), with a secondary code of MPADAHAB, Virtual Production & LED Volume Services (Stage Ops, ICVFX, Real-Time Camera/Tracking). Its SIC code is 7812.