Chocolate Moose Media

What Chocolate Moose Media does

Chocolate Moose Media is a privately held, Ottawa-based animation and documentary production company founded in 1995 by Firdaus Kharas that specializes in social and behaviour change communications. Its core product set comprises short-form animated spots and documentary series on global health (HIV/AIDS, malaria, Ebola, COVID-19, hypertension, dementia), human rights (domestic violence, anti-racism, refugee support, mental health for newcomers), and children's education, including flagship series such as The Three Amigos, Buzz and Bite, No Excuses, Nan and Lili, and Hind and Hamza. The firm operates a proprietary cultural-adaptation methodology that localizes productions into 400+ languages, paired with an international freelancer/contractor production network, and applies a human-centered, humor-driven communications approach rather than coercive messaging.

The company runs a project-based professional services model, contracting with governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and broadcasters on a quote-by-quote basis, while reserving the right to accept underfunded humanitarian work and to distribute qualifying content free of charge. Marquee clients and partners include UNICEF, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Rescue Committee, Harper Hill Global, Equitas, the Government of Canada, Switchboard (US HHS), Teletoon, the Discovery Channel, CBC, and OMNI. Distribution is direct to institutional partners for humanitarian use and via broadcasters and digital platforms (YouTube, Vimeo) for public reach, with content accessible in 198 countries.

Operationally the firm is a lean micro-studio of 1-10 employees centered on its founder, with no disclosed external funding, no subsidiaries, and no M&A history. The company is unprofitable in a conventional sense by choice, prioritizing social impact over margin, and has accumulated 125+ awards including a Peabody Award, UN Peace Medal, and Officer of the Order of Canada as credibility assets for institutional procurement.

Name

Chocolate Moose Media

Legal name

Chocolate Moose Media

Website

https://chocmoose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chocolate Moose Media is an Ottawa-based, founder-operated animation and documentary studio founded in 1995 that produces multilingual social and behaviour change media for the United Nations, governments, NGOs, and broadcasters across 198 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Media Production

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

Keywords

• Social behavior change media
• Animation production services
• Documentary production services
• Public health communications
• Humanitarian media production

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-Based Production Services: Creating custom animation and documentary content for governments, NGOs, and international organizations on social and health topics
2. Licensing and Distribution: Distributing completed productions to broadcasters, health organizations, and educational institutions globally, often free of charge for humanitarian causes

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chocolate Moose Media is an animation and documentary production company that creates visual content for social and behavior change communications. It produces multilingual animated campaigns, documentary series, and educational programming on public health, human rights, and humanitarian issues for governments, international organizations, NGOs, and broadcasters. The company operates an international production process out of Ottawa, delivering content adapted across hundreds of languages.

Product overview

Chocolate Moose Media is an animation and documentary production company specializing in social and behaviour change media. Founded in 1995 and based in Ottawa, Canada, the company creates visual content through an international production process. The company operates a portfolio of animated and documentary productions focused on social impact issues including health (HIV/AIDS, malaria, Ebola, COVID-19, dementia, diabetes), human rights, domestic violence prevention, anti-racism, refugee support, and education. Key animation products include The Three Amigos (HIV/AIDS prevention), Buzz and Bite (malaria prevention), No Excuses (domestic violence), Nan and Lili (Arabic preschool series), and Hind and Hamza (Arabic values series). Documentary productions include Odyssey: Beyond The Myth, Dementia: You Can Make A Difference, and A Child Without A Country: Pedro. The company also produces television series such as George of the Jungle, Working Animals, and Magic Cellar. With over 5,000 productions created and reach in 198 countries through 400 language versions, the company's content targets governments, educators, businesses, and international organizations. The company also authored a book on creativity in 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Three Amigos A series of 20 animated public service announcements designed to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, adapted into 45 languages with a potential reach of over 5.5 billion people. Used in over 100 countries and recipient of 30 international awards including a Peabody Award.
• Buzz and Bite A series of 30 animated spots designed to prevent malaria infection by mosquitoes, featuring animated female anopheles mosquitoes. Adapted into 23 languages with 690 total spots and used in over 50 countries.
• No Excuses A series of 11 animated spots designed to prevent domestic violence, targeted at abusers. Designed to be versioned into 73 languages for potential reach of 85% of the world's population.
• Nan and Lili The world's first animated pre-school series originally created in Arabic, with 300 episodes in Arabic, English and French. Features four animated characters targeting pre-school children between two and four years old.
• Hind and Hamza A series of 46 animated shorts designed to teach Arabic-speaking universal values including gender equality, racism prevention, fostering open dialogue, encouraging truthfulness, and child labour prevention. Broadcast in 27 countries in the Middle East.
• Magic Cellar The first long-form 3D animated series based on African culture, a co-production between Canada and South Africa.
• Ebola: A Poem For The Living

Quantifiable outcome

• Malaria prevention campaign used in over half the countries with malaria
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for children's rights, health campaigns including polio vaccination, immunizations, and children's programming. Multiple co-productions on rights of children with diabetes, maternal health, and early childhood education.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaigns launched at the UN including No Excuses (domestic violence) at the UN in April 2011, Buzz and Bite (malaria) launched at UN for World Malaria Day 2008. Multiple HIV/AIDS campaigns with UN support.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for refugee support content including COVID-19 materials, stress management, US refugee system explainers, and emergency preparedness videos.
• Harper Hill GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Ebola prevention videos, maternal health campaigns including hypertension among pregnant women, and ongoing public health communications.
• EquitasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for human rights awareness video 'Think Human Rights Don't Affect You?' created in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish.
• Switchboard (US Dept of Health and Human Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health content for Afghan newcomers exploring cultural beliefs around mental health, trauma, and substance use for service providers.
• Carleton UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership including honorary doctorate, research collaboration on Becoming Antiracist series based on University of Ottawa research.
• TeletoonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for George of the Jungle animated series and other children's content.
• Discovery ChannelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for Working Animals documentary series, aired internationally on Discovery and Animal Planet.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for perimenopause awareness video research conducted by professors from supported institutions.
• Science for PeaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on militarism and human security video in English and French, focused on nuclear disarmament.
• International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID-19 healthcare worker stigma video for Middle East and North Africa region.
• Asian Television AwardsminorOthersWinner recognition at Asian Television Awards for content production excellence.
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner for Desert Riders documentary on child camel jockeys in the Middle East.
• OMNI ChannelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommissioning broadcaster for Pedro: A Child Without a Country documentary.
• Refugee Housing SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for housing videos for newcomers and refugees with IRC funding from US Department of State.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BBC Media Action: The BBC's international development charity, producing multimedia content for social and behavioural change in dozens of countries. Much larger and donor-funded, but operates in the same thematic space with multilingual SBC outputs.
• Sesame Workshop: Global nonprofit producing educational children's media including international co-productions addressing health, rights, and inclusion. Comparable in producing localized educational animation targeting children across cultures.
• Participant Media: Los Angeles-based entertainment company producing films and series designed to drive social impact on issues such as human rights, health, and climate. Comparable in social-issue storytelling but operates at much larger commercial scale.
• Discovery Channel / BBC Studios (factual commissioning): Major documentary commissioners that air CMM's documentary content (Working Animals, Pedro). Comparable as documentary commissioning/distribution platforms, though much larger and commercially driven.

Direct peers

• Free Range Studios: Creative studio specializing in cause-based animated and live-action content for NGOs, foundations, and social enterprises. Comparable offering, customer base, and small boutique creative model.
• Population Media Center: Nonprofit that produces entertainment-education (radio, TV, digital) for social and behaviour change globally, including health and rights campaigns. Directly comparable to Chocolate Moose Media in mission, methodology, and UN/NGO client base.
• Development Media International: Social enterprise producing evidence-based mass-media campaigns for health and behaviour change across Africa and Asia. Comparable in methodology (multimedia SBC for donor-funded health and social outcomes) and customer base.

Regional players

• National Film Board of Canada: Canadian public producer and distributor of documentary and animated films, including social-issue and advocacy work. Comparable in craft (animation and documentary production) and Canadian base; broader scope than SBC alone.

Others

• Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3 / USAID Breakthrough ACTION): USAID-funded programs that commission SBC media (including animation) on health topics across the developing world. Comparable in commissioning social and behaviour change content for the same UN/NGO ecosystem, but as a donor-funded program rather than a production company.

Emerging players

• Vox Pictures / Barkley (cause-marketing collective): Creative video production partners frequently retained by NGOs, foundations, and purpose-driven brands for social impact video campaigns. Comparable in customer base (UN-adjacent and nonprofit clients) and creative service offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7arkTg61_NtkFyH8ggY8TQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fchocmoose.com%2F
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/firdaus-kharas-95a28016

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Chocolate Moose Media