What Folktellers Studios LLC does

Folktellers Studios LLC is a private, independent transmedia storytelling company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Royal Oak, Michigan. It develops and produces family-safe, morally-grounded content across multiple formats, anchored by a publishing catalog of over 100 ISBNs spanning at least six named series — most notably the award-winning seven-book fantasy property 'Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook' by Josef Bastian, alongside The Chronicles of Silver Jack, 13 Tomes, Simply Gorgeous, Jack's Mettle, and the Mindset series. The studio extends this IP into film and television production that combines comics, animation, and live action, and into proprietary Live Transmedia Events that integrate narrative storytelling, comic artistry, animation, and live musical performance.

The business operates on a multi-revenue-stream model: direct-to-consumer sales of books, films, music, and merchandise through the folktellers.com e-commerce storefront (which supports 17 currencies), licensing and royalty income from film and television distribution, and professional-services revenue from live transmedia events. The company is also rolling out complete publishing services — concept development, editing, design, distribution, and screenplay adaptation — as a service line. A central commercial milestone is the April 2026 partnership with Alliance Studios and Emagine Theatres to adapt the 'Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook' series into a live-action property for digital and theatrical release, which materially broadens its distribution footprint and signals a strategic pivot into high-capital screen production.

The company is founder-led, with Stephen Sadler serving as Co-Founder and Executive Producer, and shows no disclosed institutional or venture backing. The operating model combines horizontal content production with a family/all-ages primary audience, supplemented by an emerging B2B layer of entertainment-industry partners. While the content library and brand positioning in the family-safe niche provide a degree of differentiation, the absence of disclosed revenue, funding, or headcount growth data limits visibility into commercial scale.

Name

Folktellers Studios LLC

Legal name

Folktellers Studios LLC

Website

https://folktellerstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Folktellers Studios LLC is a private, founder-led transmedia production company that develops family-safe books, film, and live events, anchored by a 100+ ISBN catalog and the award-winning 'Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook' fantasy series, serving families and all-ages audiences globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing & Media Production

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Sound Recording Studios (512240)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)

Keywords

• Family book publishing
• Transmedia storytelling
• Film production services
• Book publishing services
• Live transmedia events

Headquarters

HQ city

Royal Oak

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Publishing and Sales: Publishing family-safe, morally-grounded books with over 100 ISBNs including award-winning series. Complete publishing services offered: concept development, editing, design, distribution, and screenplay adaptation. Revenue from book sales through e-commerce shop.
2. Film and Television Production: Production of films combining comics, animation, and live action. Works with global partners to produce high-quality productions featuring original characters, mystical creatures, and superheroes. Revenue from distribution, licensing, and theatrical releases.
3. Music and Events: Live transmedia events delivering immersive experiences combining storytelling, comic artistry, animation, and musical performance. Music page suggests audio content offerings.
4. E-commerce Shop: Direct-to-consumer sales of books, films, music, and merchandise through the Folktellers.com online storefront supporting multiple currencies including USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, AUD, and others.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Folktellers Studios is a media production company that publishes family-safe, morally-grounded books across more than 100 ISBNs and produces films and live transmedia events. The company sells books, films, music, and merchandise directly to consumers through its online shop and also offers complete publishing services including concept development, editing, design, distribution, and screenplay adaptation.

Product overview

Folktellers Studios is a media production company offering family-safe, morally-grounded storytelling across books, film, television, gaming, and interactive events. The product portfolio centers on six named book series including the award-winning Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook (a seven-book fantasy series), The Chronicles of Silver Jack, 13 Tomes, Simply Gorgeous, Jack's Mettle, and the Mindset series, published across over 100 ISBNs. Film production combines comics, animation, and live action. Live transmedia events integrate narrative storytelling, comic artistry, animation, and musical performance. The company also offers complete publishing services (concept development, editing, design, distribution, screenplay adaptation) and partners with global collaborators for production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook series An award-winning seven-book fantasy series by Josef Bastian featuring mystical creatures and compelling characters, being adapted into a live-action series for digital and theatrical release in partnership with Alliance Studios and Emagine Theatres.
• The Chronicles of Silver Jack series A book series published by Folktellers Studios as part of its family-safe, morally-grounded publishing portfolio.
• 13 Tomes series A book series in Folktellers Studios' publishing catalog of family-safe, morally-grounded titles.
• Simply Gorgeous A book title in Folktellers Studios' family-safe, morally-grounded publishing portfolio.
• Jack's Mettle A book title in Folktellers Studios' family-safe, morally-grounded publishing portfolio.
• Mindset series A book series in Folktellers Studios' publishing catalog of family-safe, morally-grounded titles.
• Book Publishing Services Complete publishing services for family-safe, morally-grounded content including concept development, editing, design, distribution, and screenplay adaptation across the company's catalog of more than 100 ISBNs.
• Film Production Film production services that combine comics, animation, and live action to develop films for all audiences, featuring original characters, mystical creatures, and superheroes, produced with global partners.
• Live Transmedia Events Transmedia events that integrate narrative storytelling, comic artistry, animation, and live musical performance, allowing fans to explore the narratives and emotions embedded in the artists' music and content.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alliance StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Alliance Studios partnered with Folktellers Studios and Emagine Theatres to adapt Josef Bastian's seven-book fantasy series 'Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook' into a live-action series for digital and theatrical release. The collaboration aims to transform the literary work into visually engaging content for audiences of all ages.
• Emagine TheatrescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Emagine Theatres partnered with Folktellers Studios and Alliance Studios to adapt the 'Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook' series. The partnership includes theatrical distribution with select episodes potentially featured at Emagine Theatres community screenings. Additional details including release timelines and distribution plans will be announced in the coming months.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Major publisher producing family and children's books, including series-driven IP across age groups. Comparable to Folktellers as a family-safe book publisher with franchise potential, though at vastly larger scale.
• Lionsgate: Independent studio producing film and television across family, genre, and mainstream categories. Comparable to Folktellers as a partner/distributor option for family-friendly adaptations from independent book IP.
• DreamWorks Animation: Film and television studio producing family-friendly animated and live-action content with associated publishing programs. Comparable to Folktellers in family-safe narrative content bridging film and books, though operating at studio scale.
• Hasbro Entertainment: Major entertainment company producing family film, TV, and book content tied to character-driven IP. Comparable to Folktellers in family-safe, character-driven storytelling across books and screen, though at franchise scale.
• Pixar: Studio producing family-safe, character-driven animated films with adjacent publishing and merchandise programs. Comparable to Folktellers in family-safe narrative IP and franchise-thinking across formats, though at major studio scale.

Direct peers

• Quirk Books: Independent publisher known for distinctive, genre-driven titles with strong brand identity and adaptation potential. Comparable to Folktellers as a smaller publisher with award-recognized, character-driven series suitable for screen adaptation.
• Chronicle Books: Independent publisher producing design-forward, gift, and children's books with cross-format brand extensions. Comparable to Folktellers as an independent publisher extending titles into adjacent formats (merchandise, events).
• Jim Henson Company: Family-focused transmedia entertainment company producing film, TV, and live experiences around original characters and storytelling IP. Directly comparable to Folktellers' blend of family-safe narrative content across formats, including live events.
• Candlewick Press: Independent publisher specializing in high-quality children's and family titles with strong editorial identity. Comparable to Folktellers as an independent, quality-focused family book publisher building a catalog of original series.
• Workman Publishing: Independent publisher producing lifestyle, children's, and gift titles with strong direct-to-consumer distribution. Comparable to Folktellers as an independent publisher combining original IP creation with multi-format reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Folktellers
• Facebookfacebook.com/folktellers

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 Folktellers Studios LLC