Collaborate

What Collaborate does

Collaborate is a private UK-based creative agency (Collaborate Agency Ltd.) founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, specializing in children's content creation across printed, digital, animation, and live-action formats. The agency employs 101–250 staff distributed across studios and contact offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Seville, Brighton, Singapore, and Gibraltar, serving three primary verticals: children's publishers, entertainment brands and licensors, and educational publishers and institutions. Named clients include Pearson, Disney, Netflix, Scholastic, BBC, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Macmillan, Houghton Mifflin, DK, Walker Books, Ravensburger, Tonies, Chronicle, Lego, Mayo Clinic, and Ariana Grande.

The agency's core offerings are organized into seven service lines: Animation Services (bespoke 2D/3D assets and character designs), Book Design (novelty, board, picture, activity, and educational titles), Illustration Services (raster and vector formats), Educational Resources (textbooks, interactive books, and learning materials), Campaigns (brand content for young audiences), Book Packaging Services (end-to-end project management and art direction), and Available Book Ideas (pre-developed IP licensed through Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency). Production technology is built on Wacom pen tablets, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Character Animator, Premiere), Blender for 3D, Rebelle for digital painting, and Procreate/Procreate Dreams. Talent acquisition is formalized through a partnership with ITSme.

Collaborate operates a professional services model with project-based fees for creative services and project management, supplemented by licensing and royalty arrangements for branded and licensed content (Disney, Netflix, Lego, celebrity brands), and one-time IP licensing of pre-developed book concepts. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct relationships with major publishers and entertainment brands — supplemented by channel partnerships (Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency for IP sales; ITSme for illustrator sourcing). The agency holds long-standing supplier-contracted relationships with the leading educational publishers in the UK and US, which serve as a recurring revenue anchor.

Name

Collaborate

Legal name

Collaborate Agency Ltd.

Website

https://collaborate.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Collaborate is a UK-based creative agency (founded 2004) that designs bespoke children's content — including books, illustrations, animation, and educational resources — for major publishers, entertainment brands, and educational institutions globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Content Creative Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Children's book illustration
• Animation production services
• Book packaging services
• Educational content design
• Creative agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Project Management: Full-service children's content creation including project management, art direction, illustration, and book design for publishers and entertainment brands. Services are provided across printed page, digital, animation, and live action media.
2. Licensing and Royalty Arrangements: The company creates branded and licensed content for major entertainment properties including Disney, Netflix, Lego, and celebrity brands, generating revenue through project fees and potentially ongoing licensing arrangements.
3. Book Packaging and IP Creation: Development and sale of complete book concepts and packaging services, including original IP creation sold through Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Collaborate is a creative agency that designs and produces children's content, including bespoke illustration, full book design (novelty, board, picture, activity, and educational titles), 2D/3D animation assets, and brand campaigns, delivered for publishers, entertainment licensors, and educational institutions. The agency operates as an embedded creative partner, handling project management, art direction, and IP development across printed, digital, and animated media.

Product overview

Collaborate is a children's content creation agency offering a comprehensive suite of creative services for publishers and brands targeting young audiences. The core offerings include Animation Services (2D/3D animation for clients like Netflix and Toniebox), Book Design (novelty, board, picture, and activity books), Illustration Services (character development and environmental design across multiple styles), Educational Resources (textbooks, interactive books, and learning materials with established publisher partnerships), Campaigns (brand content for young audiences), Book Packaging Services (full project lifecycle management), and Available Book Ideas (pre-developed IP for licensing). These services are delivered through studios in London and Los Angeles, with a distributed team across USA, UK, Spain, Gibraltar, and Singapore, functioning as a creative extension of client teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animation Services Creation of bespoke 2D/3D animations for children's content, including character designs, concept art, and animation asset creation for clients such as Netflix and Toniebox.
• Book Design Full-service children's book creation including novelty books, board books, picture storybooks, activity books, and educational textbooks, covering project management, art direction, illustration, and design.
• Illustration Services Professional illustration services across raster and vector formats, character development, and environment design across wide genres and mediums, with age and content-appropriate outputs.
• Educational Resources Educational content creation including illustrated textbooks, interactive sticker books, educational board games, and teaching materials for publishers and educators, leveraging supplier relationships with Pearson, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Macmillan, Houghton Mifflin, and BBC.
• Campaigns Creative campaigns for brands targeting young audiences, including animations, marketing materials, and branded content across various media formats.
• Book Packaging Services End-to-end book packaging including concept development, project management, art direction, illustration, and design for children's publishing clients.
• Available Book Ideas Pre-developed children's book concepts and intellectual property available for licensing or sale through Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency, including story books, activity books, and novelty formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Created thousands of children's books, many achieving New York Times Best Seller and Amazon No. 1 status
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Caroline Wakeman Literary AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaborate sells available book ideas through Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency. The partnership allows publishers to access Collaborate's pre-developed book concepts and IP. Natasha holds the position of Head of Sales at Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency alongside her COO role at Collaborate.
• ITSmecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITSme works directly with Collaborate's agents to select and sign illustrators. Illustrators wishing to work with Collaborate must submit portfolios through ITSme. This partnership manages the agency's illustrator network and talent acquisition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lupus Films: Award-winning UK animation studio (The Snowman and the Snowdog, Ethel & Ernest). Operates in the same children's animation space as Collaborate's animation services arm, with a stronger emphasis on long-form broadcast specials.
• Blue Zoo Animation Studio: Established UK animation studio producing children's animated series for broadcasters and platforms. Comparable on the 2D/3D animation side of Collaborate's offering, though more focused on full series production than book/illustration work.
• DHX Media (WildBrain): Global children's content company managing major kids' brands (Peppa Pig, Teletubbies) across publishing, animation, and consumer products. Competes for the same entertainment-licensor budgets that drive Collaborate's character and licensing work.
• Tiger Aspect Kids & Family: Part of Endemol Shine Group, producing children's animation and family content for broadcasters and platforms. Comparable on the children's animation and character IP development side of Collaborate's service mix.
• Astley Baker Davies: UK animation studio behind Peppa Pig and other preschool IP. Overlaps with Collaborate's character development and animation work for licensors such as Disney, Netflix, and Tonies.

Direct peers

• Studio Liddell: Boutique creative studio producing children's illustration, animation, and book design for publishers and entertainment brands. Directly comparable in offering type and target clients.
• Advocate Art: Illustrator representation and children's content agency explicitly identified as Collaborate's 'sister agency'. Operates a similar model of sourcing illustrators and packaging artwork for publishers and brands targeting young audiences.
• Bright Group (The Bright Agency): UK-based illustration and children's content agency representing illustrators and producing licensed children's books, animation, and design work for major publishers and brands. Closest direct competitor in children's illustration representation and book packaging.
• Plum Pudding Illustration Agency: UK-based illustrator representation agency serving children's book, editorial, and advertising clients. Directly comparable in offering type (illustration sourcing and management) and target publishers.

Emerging players

• ITSme: Illustrator representation agency identified as Collaborate's talent sourcing partner. Operates as an upstream enabler (rather than direct competitor) in the children's illustration value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/c0llab0rate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Collaborate