What Kickstart Entertainment does

Kickstart Entertainment is a full-service animation and live-action production company founded in 1999 in Los Angeles and now headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The company provides end-to-end production services including 2D and CGI animation, executive production, and live-action series production across seven global studio locations (Vancouver, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Toronto, Hong Kong, China). Since founding, Kickstart has produced over 600 episodes of television and 20 feature films, with marquee productions spanning The Boys and Gen V (Amazon Prime Video), Preacher (AMC), Pretty Freekin Scary (Disney), and animated series including Barbie Mysteries, Deepa & Anoop, Barney's World, Angry Birds: Summer Madness, Brown & Friends, Star Trek Scouts, and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks.

The company operates across two primary production lines — Animation Production Services and Live-Action Production Services — alongside its joint venture CakeStart Entertainment (formed with CAKE in 2021) focused on kids' and family live-action content. Recent content launches include the feature film Love Me (Sundance Film Festival premiere, January 2024) and Barbie Mysteries: The Great Horse Chase (Netflix, November 2024). Kickstart also operates a production arm, Bentonville Way Entertainment, established through its long-running co-production role with the Bentonville Film Festival, and maintains a $10 million revolving fund with Media Capital Group for co-investment in mission-driven content.

Kickstart's business model is a B2B project-based professional services structure, with revenue derived from animation and live-action production fees billed to streaming platforms, IP holders, and broadcasters. Key customers include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney (via first-look deal through CakeStart), Mattel (Hot Wheels, Barbie, American Girl, Deepa & Anoop), Rovio Entertainment, IPX/Line Friends, and AMC. Distribution is handled through platform licensing and the CAKE partnership for global reach, while industry visibility is generated through award recognition (multiple Kidscreen Awards including five wins for Deepa & Anoop in 2024) and festival participation. The company employs 11–50 people across its global footprint.

Name

Kickstart Entertainment

Legal name

Kickstart Entertainment

Website

https://kickstartent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kickstart Entertainment is a Vancouver-based full-service animation and live-action production company founded in 1999, producing 600+ TV episodes and 20 feature films for global streaming platforms and IP holders including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney, and Mattel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Production services provided for animated series including Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, Star Trek Scouts, Barbie Mysteries, Brown & Friends. Services include animation, visual development, and post-production.
2. Live-Action Production Services: Executive producer and production services for live-action television series. Includes all four seasons of The Boys for Amazon and Preacher for AMC.
3. Feature Film Production: Feature film production including Love Me (Sundance premiere) and Bounty Killer. Animation services for theatrical releases.
4. Co-Investment and Development: Ten-million-dollar revolving fund through Media Capital Group to support co-investments into mission-driven content, both kids and non-kids programming.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kickstart Entertainment is a full-service animation and live-action production studio that develops and produces television series, streaming content, and feature films for global entertainment companies. The company delivers complete production services from concept through delivery, executing under contract with major streaming platforms, broadcasters, and IP holders across formats including 2D/CGI animation and live-action.

Product overview

Kickstart Entertainment is a full-service animation and live-action production company founded in 1999. The company operates a multi-product portfolio spanning both production service offerings and produced/owned content. Core offerings include Animation Production Services (including CGI and 2D animation for television series, streaming content, and feature films) and Live-Action Production Services (television and feature film production). The company's content portfolio includes major franchise productions such as The Boys and Gen V (Amazon Prime Video), Barbie Mysteries and Deepa & Anoop (Netflix), Star Trek Scouts (YouTube), Barney's World (Netflix/Max/Cartoon Network), Angry Birds: Summer Madness (Netflix), Pretty Freekin Scary (Disney), and Preacher (AMC). The company also produces feature films including Love Me and Bounty Killer. Through its CakeStart joint venture with CAKE, Kickstart develops and produces kids and family live-action content globally. The company has produced over 600 episodes of television and 20 feature films, with studio locations in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Toronto, Hong Kong, and China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animation Production Services Full-service animation production services including 2D and CGI animation for television series, streaming content, and feature films, delivered to major entertainment companies such as Mattel, Netflix, and Amazon.
• Live-Action Production Services Live-action television and feature film production services, including executive production, provided for major streaming series on Amazon Prime Video and AMC.
• The Boys Live-action superhero series based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, created by Eric Kripke, with four seasons streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
• Gen V Live-action spin-off series from The Boys, set at America's only college for superheroes, streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
• Preacher Live-action series adapted from the comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, produced for AMC with Kickstart as Executive Producer across four seasons.
• Pretty Freekin Scary Live-action comedy series about Frankie Ripp navigating life with Underworld guardians in middle school, ordered by Disney as part of first-look deal with CakeStart; available on Disney Channel and Disney+.
• Love Me Animated post-apocalyptic romance feature film in which a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love after the end of human civilization; premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun.
• Barbie Mysteries Animated mystery series based on Mattel's Barbie brand, including The Great Horse Chase and Beach Detectives seasons, streaming on Netflix globally.
• Barney's World Animated series featuring Barney, the singing and dancing purple dinosaur, including the special "I Love Me Too," distributed across Max, Cartoon Network, YouTube, and Netflix.
• Star Trek Scouts Animated series following JR, Roo, and Sprocket training to become future Starfleet explorers, streaming on YouTube.
• Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Animated series featuring Hot Wheels monster trucks including Camp Crush and Champions Cup seasons; production services for Mattel, streaming on YouTube.
• Deepa & Anoop Animated preschool series created by Munjal Shroff and Lisa Goldman, produced for Mattel Television as Mattel's first original series based on original intellectual property; Seasons 1 and 2 streaming on Netflix; winner of multiple Kidscreen Awards.
• Brown & Friends Nonverbal slapstick kids comedy featuring LINE FRIENDS globally beloved original characters from IPX, streaming on Netflix.
• Angry Birds: Summer Madness Animated series featuring Red, Chuck, Bomb and Stella from Angry Birds at summer camp, produced for Cake Entertainment and Rovio; Seasons 1-3 streaming on Netflix.
• American Girl - Isabel & Nicki's Super Duper Twin Adventures Animated series for Mattel's American Girl brand: 6 episodes and 2 music videos set in 1999 following twins Isabel and Nicki, streaming on YouTube.
• My First Barbie Animated series for young children featuring Barbie and her sister Chelsea, including the special Happy Dreamday, streaming on YouTube.
• The Barbie Band Official music video series for The Barbie Band featuring five original songs written by Lisa Loeb and Kyler England, streaming on YouTube.
• Bounty Killer Feature film adapted from the Kickstart comic by Henry Saine and Jason Dodson, produced in 2013 in partnership with Just Chorizo, set in a post-apocalyptic world with bounty hunters.
• CakeStart Entertainment Full-service production company developing and producing kids' and family live-action projects for the global market; joint venture between CAKE and Kickstart Entertainment, led by President Kory Lunsford; CAKE handles global distribution on all productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ episodes and 20 feature films produced since founding
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CAKEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2021Leading kids entertainment specialist CAKE partnered with Kickstart to form CakeStart, a full-service production company for kids and family live-action projects. CAKE handles global distribution on all CakeStart productions. Studio operating capabilities across four countries.
• CakeStart EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2021Joint venture production company led by former Disney executive Kory Lunsford as President and Partner. Develops and produces kids and family live-action projects for global market. Pretty Freekin Scary ordered by Disney as part of first-look deal.
• Bentonville Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Kickstart Entertainment has been the co-producer of the Bentonville Film Festival since its inaugural event in 2015. BFF champions content created by and for underrepresented communities including female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, API, and persons with disabilities. The partnership led to creation of Bentonville Way Entertainment production arm.
• Bentonville StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKickstart Entertainment is a partner studio with Bentonville Studios at the Farm - Arkansas' largest soundstage. Features 10,000 sqft stage, 50'x90' cyclorama wall, dressing rooms, and production offices.
• IPX (Line Friends)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerKickstart produces Brown & Friends animated series featuring IPX's globally beloved LINE FRIENDS original characters. Series streams on Netflix.
• MattelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMattel engaged Kickstart for production services on multiple properties including Hot Wheels Monster Trucks (Camp Crush, Champions Cup), Barbie Mysteries series, and American Girl content. Deepa & Anoop is Mattel Television's first original series.
• Rovio EntertainmentcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerKickstart provides production services for Angry Birds: Summer Madness (Seasons 1-3) in partnership with Cake Entertainment. Series streams on Netflix.
• Max/Cartoon NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Barney's World animated series along with Netflix, Cartoon Network, and YouTube.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bardel Entertainment: Vancouver-based animation production studio serving major global entertainment companies. Direct competitor for the same kind of outsourced animation services work that Kickstart provides to Mattel, Netflix, Amazon, and Rovio. Both serve as external production arms for major IP holders from the same Canadian animation hub.
• Titmouse Inc. Los Angeles and Vancouver-based animation production company known for work on shows like Metalocalypse, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Big Mouth. Direct peer offering multi-format animation services to major streamers and studios, including adult animation adjacent to Kickstart's The Boys-adjacent portfolio.
• Atomic Cartoons: Vancouver-based animation studio (now part of Paramount/Paramount Animation) producing series such as The Fairly OddParents, Last Kids on Earth, and Dead End: Paranormal Park. Closest geographic and capability peer to Kickstart's Vancouver animation operations.
• 9 Story Media Group: Canadian-based creator, producer, and distributor of kids and family content (Peppa Pig, Blue's Clues & You, Wild Kratts). Direct competitor in outsourced animation services for major brand owners and streamers, with comparable scale and breadth across animated series production.
• Guru Studio: Toronto-based animation production studio behind Paw Patrol, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, and Pikwik Pack. Direct peer competing for the same outsourced animation production contracts with major streamers and toy companies.
• WildBrain: Canadian animation production and rights management company (formerly DHX Media) producing kids' content including Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, and Snoopy in Space. Comparable in Canadian animation production scale and kids/family content focus, though WildBrain owns more proprietary IP than Kickstart.

Broad incumbents

• DNEG Animation: Global VFX and animation services provider (parent: DNEG) producing animation for feature films including Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Nimona. Broader incumbent operating at greater scale across VFX and feature animation, but competes with Kickstart for premium animation production services contracts.
• Lionsgate: Major studio with significant independent production and television operations including involvement with The Boys franchise at the studio level. Broader incumbent serving similar streaming customers but operating at portfolio scale rather than specialized production services.
• Hasbro/eOne: Major toy and entertainment IP owner with in-house entertainment production capabilities (eOne). Comparable to Mattel as a customer-type peer, and competes with Kickstart in production services capacity through owned studios.

Emerging players

• Aardman Animations: Independent British animation studio known for Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run. Comparable as a high-quality animation production studio serving major global IP owners, though operating primarily in stop-motion and family content rather than the full animation/live-action range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kickstartent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Kickstart Entertainment