Spike Productions

What Spike Productions does

Spike Productions is a home-based digital video production company founded in 2002 in Lyons, Colorado by Catherine (Cat) Ann Russell after a 16-year career as an atmospheric scientist at NOAA. Operating as a solopreneur venture (1-2 staff, with partner Ed Russell of Computer Terrain Mapping, Inc. collaborating on terrain projects), the company delivers five core multimedia services: custom terrain fly-through animation, E-learning video production, investigative documentary, how-to video, and web video promotion. Its technical differentiator is 3D terrain fly-through animation built from high-resolution digital elevation models, aerial photographs, satellite imagery and GPS data sourced through the CTM partnership; the work includes 3D fly-throughs, solar incidence and shadow casting animations, global views, dynamically traced routes through 3D terrain, and atmospheric/subsurface/volume applications, plus a pioneered 'crawling claims' effect for a Bureau of Land Management project on the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway.

The company serves a vertically segmented client mix led by government agencies (Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Parks, Town of Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission), nonprofit and historic-preservation organizations (National Trust for Historic Preservation, Lyons Redstone Museum), educational publishers (Worth Publishers for the Goolsbee/Levitt/Syverson 'Microeconomics' textbook), and small businesses plus individuals seeking affordable custom video. Pricing is project-based with no published rates and free brainstorming consultations; the company does not use paid advertising and relies on website presence, UWOL international wildlife film competition placements (UWOL 37 first place, UWOL 36 second runner-up), social sharing, and Vimeo-hosted creative work as its primary marketing surface.

A second, parallel business is the Basketful Relief Project (BRP), launched in 2019 as an in-house charitable initiative under which Spike Productions publishes and sells The Pearls Of Wisdom children's book series (The Little Book of Why, Get to Bed!, The Pond of Reflection, The Hyrax Song), with 10% of sales donated to Save the Children Yemen famine relief and the EFAA in Boulder, CO. Children's books are distributed through BookBaby Publishing, Amazon, and the local Red Canyon Art shop in Lyons, with documentary DVDs also sold through the Lyons Redstone Museum. The company remains privately held, founder-owned, with no institutional funding, no parent company, and disclosed revenue is null.

Name

Spike Productions

Legal name

Spike Productions

Website

https://spikeproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spike Productions is a home-based Lyons, Colorado digital video production company founded in 2002 by former NOAA scientist Cat Russell, producing custom terrain fly-through animations, e-learning videos, documentaries, and how-to and web-promotion videos for government, nonprofit, education, and small-business clients, and publishing the Basketful Relief Project children's book series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Production Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Explainer Videos (Demos, How-To, SaaS/Product Walkthroughs) (MPADAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sales Promotion Campaign Design & Management (BPAFAMAC)

Keywords

• Digital video production
• Documentary filmmaking
• 3D terrain animation
• E-learning video services
• Children's book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyons

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Video Production Services: Custom multimedia production including terrain fly-throughs, documentaries, E-learning, how-to videos, and web promotions. Project-based pricing with no published rates.
2. Children's Book Sales (Basketful Relief Project): Sale of children's books through BookBaby Publishing, Amazon, and Red Canyon Art. Each purchase includes free video bonus. 10% of sales donated to hunger relief organizations.
3. Documentary DVD Sales: Documentary productions sold on DVD through Spike Productions and the Lyons Redstone Museum.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spike Productions is a home-based digital video production company that provides custom multimedia services including terrain fly-through animations, E-learning videos, investigative documentaries, how-to videos, and web video promotions. It also operates the Basketful Relief Project (BRP), publishing a children's book series (The Pearls Of Wisdom) with a portion of sales donated to hunger relief organizations.

Product overview

Spike Productions is a home-based digital video production company founded in 2002, offering affordable digital multimedia services. The company provides five core video production services: Custom Terrain Fly-Through Animation (in partnership with Computer Terrain Mapping, Inc.), E-Learning Video, Investigative Documentary, How-To Video, and Web Video Promotion. Additionally, the company runs the Basketful Relief Project (BRP), a charitable initiative that publishes children's books under The Pearls Of Wisdom Series, with proceeds supporting hunger relief efforts. The company also creates creative short videos for the UWOL international wildlife film competition and long-form documentaries. The company was founded by Catherine Ann Russell after a 16-year career at NOAA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Basketful Relief Project (BRP): A charitable initiative launched in 2019 that writes and publishes children's books to support hunger relief programs. The BRP donates a percentage of book sales to organizations fighting hunger, including Save the Children Yemen and local organizations like EFAA in Boulder, CO.

Products and services

• Custom Terrain Fly-Through Animation High-resolution terrain-based 3D animations built from digital elevation models, aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and GPS data. Services include 3D terrain fly-throughs, solar incidence and shadow casting animations, global views, dynamically traced routes through 3D terrain, and atmospheric, subsurface, and volume applications. Delivered for government and nonprofit clients such as BLM's Alpine Loop project.
• E-Learning Video Educational video production that brings textbook graphics to life with animated, dynamic visual content for educational materials. Built for higher education textbook publishers such as the Goolsbee, Levitt and Syverson 'Microeconomics' textbook (Worth Publishers, 2013).
• Investigative Documentary Documentary production focused on natural events and environmental topics, investigating the what, how, and why behind phenomena through expert interviews and scientific presentation. Sold on DVD via the Lyons Redstone Museum and used for nonprofit and educational clients.
• How-To Video Instructional video production covering full services from storyboard to web capture to voiceover and production. Built for clients such as Colorado State Parks (data layer asset inventory training).
• Web Video Promotion Short 2–6 minute video creations for storytelling, business promotion, or event documentation, hosted on Vimeo or YouTube and embedded on websites. Used for clients such as the Town of Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission for the Bell of Renewal sculpture dedication.
• Creative Long-Form Documentary Long-form creative documentary production such as the 'Rocky Mountain National Park: Psalms from on High' documentary spanning four seasons.
• Creative Short Videos (UWOL Competition) Short creative videos under 4 minutes produced for the Under Water Over Land (UWOL) international wildlife film competition based on monthly themes; 2016 UWOL 37 Challenge winner for 'The Little Book of Why' (theme: Why) and 2015 UWOL 36 Challenge second runner-up for 'What Is It?' (theme: Weather).
• The Little Book of Why Hardcover children's book and first title in The Pearls Of Wisdom Series (BRP), sold at $21.68 via BookBaby and also available on Amazon. Each purchase includes free video bonus content and 10% of sales is donated to hunger relief.
• Get to Bed! Hardcover children's book and second title in The Pearls Of Wisdom Series (BRP), sold at $23.27 via BookBaby and also available on Amazon. Each purchase includes free video bonus content and 10% of sales is donated to hunger relief.
• The Pond of Reflection Hardcover glossy-page children's book illustrated by Brooke Connor, sold at $35.00 via BookBaby and also available on Amazon, with free video bonus content and 10% of sales donated to hunger relief.
• The Hyrax Song Hardcover 95-page children's book illustrated by Brooke Connor and part of The Pearls Of Wisdom Series (BRP), available through BookBaby and Red Canyon Art with free video bonus content and 10% of sales donated to hunger relief.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% of BRP book sales donated to hunger relief

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Computer Terrain Mapping, Inc. (CTM)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic technology partnership for terrain-based animation services. CTM provides high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and GPS data that Spike Productions uses to create 3D terrain fly-through animations, solar incidence animations, global views, and atmospheric/subsurface applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wyzowl: Wyzowl is an explainer video production agency focused on animated and live-action videos for SaaS and product marketing, overlapping directly with Spike's product/How-To/E-learning offerings.
• SweetRush: SweetRush specializes in e-learning video, animation, and learning experience design for enterprise and publishers — directly comparable to Spike's E-learning work for Worth Publishers and other educational clients.
• Demo Duck: Demo Duck produces explainer, product, and brand videos for B2B and B2C clients — closely matching Spike's how-to, E-learning, and web-promotion work, though at a larger scale and without the scientific/terrain specialization.
• Lemonlight: Lemonlight is a video production marketplace/agency producing explainer, brand, and testimonial content at scale — a comparable service offering and customer base to Spike's small-business and web-promotion work.
• Sandwich Video: Sandwich produces short, narrative-driven product and brand videos for tech and consumer clients — comparable creative positioning to Spike's web-promotion and documentary work, though at a higher-end creative tier.
• Casual Films: Casual Films produces creative brand, documentary-style, and explainer videos for global brands, mirroring Spike's mix of documentary, how-to, and web-promotion services for corporate and nonprofit clients.

Others

• Heifer International: Heifer publishes mission-driven children's books and learning materials tied to hunger/poverty alleviation — adjacent to Spike's Basketful Relief Project in combining charity, storytelling, and publishing, though it operates as a nonprofit rather than a commercial video producer.

Broad incumbents

• 90 Seconds: 90 Seconds operates a global cloud-based video production marketplace — a broader incumbent in the same video-production space Spike occupies, though it competes on platform/automation rather than specialist scientific storytelling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fspikeproductions.com%2F

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 Spike Productions