Society of Visual Storytelling
Society of Visual Storytelling (SVSLearn) is a privately held, online illustration education platform founded in 2013 that delivers subscription memberships, workshops, and Pro Classes to aspiring and working picture book and graphic novel illustrators worldwide, supported by an instructor-led community and podcast.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersProvo, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Society of Visual Storytelling does
Society of Visual Storytelling (operating as SVSLearn and formerly School of Visual Storytelling) is a privately held, founder-operated online education platform founded in 2013 and based in Provo, Utah, governed under New York law. The company serves aspiring and working illustrators by delivering a tiered product portfolio: a recurring subscription membership (Desk and Studio tiers) granting access to a self-paced 24-class Essentials Curriculum, community discussions, and live events; short 2-3 week workshops such as Watercolor Essentials, Sketch Smart, Paper Stories, and Dynamic Comic Covers; and premium 9-10 week Pro Classes including Children's Book Pro and Graphic Novel Pro.
The platform is built on the Circle community software from CircleCo, Inc., which provides member accounts, discussion forums, direct messaging, and AI-powered community engagement features. Content is anchored by a small named instructor team including Jake Parker, Lee White, Will Terry, Samantha Cotterill, and Anthony Wheeler, whose personal brands drive distribution through the weekly 3 Point Perspective podcast (200+ episodes, distributed across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube), an Instagram presence, and recurring live events such as Office Hours, Freaky Friday draw-alongs, Hot Seat portfolio reviews, and Pro Demos. The company monetizes through subscription auto-renewals (monthly or annual), one-time workshop purchases (e.g., Paper Stories priced at $399), and annual Pro Class intensives, with separate refund windows for each product type. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the svslearn.com website, serving a global, primarily individual learner base in the picture book and graphic novel illustration niches; the "clients" displayed on the site (e.g., Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House, Cartoon Network) refer to instructors' portfolio clients rather than SVSLearn's paying customers.
Society of Visual Storytelling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Society of Visual Storytelling
- Legal name
- SVSLearn
- Website
- https://svslearn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Society of Visual Storytelling (SVSLearn) is a privately held, online illustration education platform founded in 2013 that delivers subscription memberships, workshops, and Pro Classes to aspiring and working picture book and graphic novel illustrators worldwide, supported by an instructor-led community and podcast.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Society of Visual Storytelling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Art Education
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Standalone Creator Course Platforms (Branded Schools) (MPACALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Membership Communities with Learning (Community-Led Education) (MPACALAF), Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)
Keywords
Where Society of Visual Storytelling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Provo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Society of Visual Storytelling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Membership: Recurring subscription membership (Desk and Studio tiers) providing access to self-guided illustration courses, community features, live events, podcast access, and monthly art challenges. Auto-renews on a monthly or annual basis.
- Workshops: Short, focused 2-3 week classes targeting specific skills with livestream instructor sessions and built-in peer groups. Purchased separately from membership as one-time payments. Includes Watercolor Essentials, Sketch Smart, Paper Stories, and Dynamic Comic Covers.
- Pro Classes: In-depth 9-10 week intensive courses highlighting specific illustration fields with weekly livestreams and peer groups. Currently includes Children's Book Pro and Graphic Novel Pro. Runs once per year as one-time purchases outside membership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Desk Membership - Basic tier with foundational access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Studio Membership - Premium tier with full access |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop Courses - Short intensive classes (2-3 weeks) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pro Classes - Long intensive courses (9-10 weeks) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Society of Visual Storytelling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SVSLearn operates an online illustration education platform offering a tiered membership subscription that grants access to a 24-class self-guided Essentials Curriculum, live events, community discussions, the 3 Point Perspective Podcast, and monthly art challenges. It also sells standalone short Workshops (2-3 weeks) and longer Pro Classes (9-10 weeks) focused on specialties like children's books, graphic novels, watercolor, and comics, taught by professional illustrators.
Product overview
SVSLearn (School of Visual Storytelling) is an online illustration education platform offering a tiered product structure. The core offering is the Membership Subscription, which provides access to the 24-class Essentials Curriculum (self-guided foundational courses), live events, community discussions, the 3 Point Perspective Podcast, and monthly art challenges. Additional paid offerings include Workshops (2-3 week focused classes like Watercolor Essentials, Sketch Smart, Paper Stories, and Dynamic Comic Covers) and Pro Classes (9-10 week intensive programs like Children's Book Pro and Graphic Novel Pro). The platform also hosts community events including Freaky Friday draw-alongs, How To Fix Your Art sessions, Office Hours, Pro Demos, and Podcast Live recordings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Membership Subscription Recurring subscription membership providing access to self-guided illustration courses, community features, live events, podcast access, and monthly art challenges at Desk and Studio tiers. Auto-renews monthly.
- Essentials Curriculum A 24-class self-guided curriculum designed as a complete learning experience where each lesson builds on the previous one, helping students develop foundational illustration skills with clarity and confidence.
- Workshops Short, focused 2-3 week classes targeting specific skills such as Watercolor Essentials, Sketch Smart, Paper Stories, Dynamic Comic Covers, and Comic Book Creator, featuring livestream instructor sessions and built-in peer groups.
- Children's Book Pro An in-depth Pro Class for children's book illustration, running 9-10 weeks with weekly livestreams with instructors and built-in peer groups.
- Graphic Novel Pro An in-depth Pro Class for graphic novel illustration, running 9-10 weeks with weekly livestreams with instructors and built-in peer groups.
Companies that use Society of Visual Storytelling
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Society of Visual Storytelling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Society of Visual Storytelling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CircleCo, Inc.coreCircle provides the community platform technology powering the SVSLearn online community. The platform enables member accounts, discussion forums, direct messaging between members, and AI-powered community features. SVSLearn operates its community on Circle's infrastructure.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Society of Visual Storytelling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Proko: Subscription-based online art education platform built around named instructor Stan Prokopenko, with a large free YouTube funnel feeding into paid courses and memberships. Closely comparable to SVSLearn in model: a single branded school with a charismatic instructor, free content for acquisition, and paid structured courses.
- Domestika: Global creator-led learning platform selling courses from individual named instructors across creative disciplines including illustration, with one-time purchase and bundle/subscription options. Highly comparable business model and customer profile to SVSLearn, though Domestika is a multi-instructor marketplace rather than a single branded school.
- New Masters Academy: Subscription-based art education platform offering structured video courses from multiple named instructors across drawing, painting, and illustration. Directly comparable to SVSLearn in pricing model (subscription), instructional format, and target learner.
- Schoolism: Online illustration school founded by Bobby Chiu offering workshops and term courses from named industry artists in concept art, character design, and picture book illustration. Direct historical peer to SVSLearn in format and audience, now folded into New Masters Academy but operating as a comparable offering.
- Ctrl+Paint: Digital art education platform with a library of structured video courses and a free video library that funnels into paid content. Closely comparable to SVSLearn in its single-instructor-led, subscription/course-hybrid model targeting digital illustrators.
Broad incumbents
- Skillshare: Large subscription-based creative learning marketplace with thousands of courses across illustration, design, and adjacent creative fields. Comparable audience and subscription mechanics but a broad, multi-creator marketplace model versus SVSLearn's single-brand curated approach.
- CreativeLive: Online learning platform offering courses from named creative professionals across illustration, photography, and design, with subscription and one-time purchase options. Overlapping customer base with SVSLearn but operating at a much broader category scope.
- Gnomon Workshop: Entertainment-industry-focused art training from the Gnomon School, offering video courses on concept art, VFX, and digital illustration from working professionals. Adjacent to SVSLearn in model (named instructors, video courses) but skews higher-end and more technical.
- CGMA: Online concept art and game art school offering term courses from working industry artists on a cohort basis. Comparable cohort-course mechanics to SVSLearn's Pro Classes, but oriented toward concept art rather than picture book/graphic novel illustration.
Emerging players
- Drawspace: Smaller online drawing and illustration education platform offering structured lessons and courses. Comparable in instructional format and target learner (aspiring illustrators) but smaller scale and less community/engagement infrastructure than SVSLearn.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Society of Visual Storytelling social profiles
Digital presenceSociety of Visual Storytelling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Society of Visual Storytelling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Society of Visual Storytelling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Society of Visual Storytelling 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 Society of Visual Storytelling
What does Society of Visual Storytelling do?
SVSLearn operates an online illustration education platform offering a tiered membership subscription that grants access to a 24-class self-guided Essentials Curriculum, live events, community discussions, the 3 Point Perspective Podcast, and monthly art challenges. It also sells standalone short Workshops (2-3 weeks) and longer Pro Classes (9-10 weeks) focused on specialties like children's books, graphic novels, watercolor, and comics, taught by professional illustrators.
Is Society of Visual Storytelling a public or private company?
Society of Visual Storytelling is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Society of Visual Storytelling founded?
Society of Visual Storytelling was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Society of Visual Storytelling based?
Society of Visual Storytelling is headquartered in Provo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Society of Visual Storytelling make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Membership is the primary driver. The others are workshops and pro Classes.
Who are Society of Visual Storytelling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Proko, Domestika, New Masters Academy, Schoolism and Ctrl+Paint. Broad incumbents are Skillshare, CreativeLive, Gnomon Workshop and CGMA. Drawspace is listed as an emerging player.
Does Society of Visual Storytelling have an API?
No public API is recorded for Society of Visual Storytelling.
What industry is Society of Visual Storytelling in?
Society of Visual Storytelling's product category is Online Art Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACALAB, Standalone Creator Course Platforms (Branded Schools), with a secondary code of MPACALAF, Membership Communities with Learning (Community-Led Education). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.