What Hieronymus does

Hieronymus is an independent design and animation studio founded in 2010 by Julia Thomas and Chris Thomas, operating from a single studio at 540 President St, Third Floor, in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The firm is structured as a 1-10 employee boutique and is explicitly 100% independent, with no external funding, parent company, or agency affiliation. Its core offering is project-based creative services — including premium campaign direction, motion graphics and kinetic storytelling, commercial film directing, cel animation, brand activations, main titles and sizzles, character design, and mobile-first design frameworks — delivered directly to corporate marketing teams under master services agreements rather than through agency intermediaries.

The studio's client portfolio spans at least 19 named enterprises across diverse verticals, including Apple (News+), Google (Fiber, Cloud), Toyota, IFC, Meta, Xfinity, Mountain Dew, Sephora, Discover, Chewy, Under Armour, The New York Times, Drunk Elephant, Olipop, Babyganics, Walgreens, Billboard, and Uber, with multi-year engagements evidenced by a three-year Drunk Elephant partnership and a three-year Apple News+ relationship that produced hundreds of custom commercials. Notable technical capabilities include hand-drawn cel animation, kinetic storytelling with sophisticated pacing architectures, and a mobile-first design approach where phone screens drive creative direction before adaptation to broadcast and CTV. The studio also maintains off-public-record work in healthcare and pharmaceutical campaigns gated by legal review.

The business model is professional services revenue earned through corporate MSAs and quote-based project work with enterprise marketing departments; there is no SaaS, productized offering, or marketplace presence. Go-to-market is purely direct-to-brand, with no intermediaries, resellers, or paid acquisition channels; marketing is limited to organic exposure via Julia Thomas's Instagram (@juliathomasdraws). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm's competitive positioning is built on eliminating agency layers and middleman overhead while offering direct senior creative access and an artistic pedigree anchored by Julia Thomas's standing as a frequently published New Yorker cartoonist.

Name

Hieronymus

Legal name

Hieronymus

Website

https://hieronymus.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hieronymus is an independent Brooklyn-based motion design and animation studio founded in 2010 by Julia and Chris Thomas, delivering campaign direction, brand narratives, cel animation, and kinetic storytelling directly to enterprise marketing teams at brands such as Apple, Google, Toyota, and Drunk Elephant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Design & Motion Studio Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Creative studio services
• Motion design
• Brand campaign direction
• Commercial animation
• Illustration services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Project-Based Work: Project-based creative services for campaign direction, motion design, and brand storytelling. Works under corporate master services agreements (MSAs) with enterprise clients for end-to-end production pipelines. Revenue derived from creative project fees and production services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Hieronymus is an independent design and animation studio that provides campaign direction, motion design, brand narrative development, commercial film production, brand activations, cel animation, character design, main titles, and sizzles. The studio operates as an approved vendor for internal enterprise marketing teams, managing end-to-end production pipelines under corporate master services agreements without traditional agency layers or subcontracting.

Product overview

Hieronymus is an independent design and animation studio that functions as a professional creative services agency rather than a product company. The studio offers a portfolio of creative services including campaign direction, branded content, creative strategy, commercial film production, brand activations, motion graphics, art direction, main titles and sizzles, character design, and cel animation. Services are delivered through a direct-to-brand partnership model, working with enterprise marketing teams as an approved vendor under corporate master services agreements. The studio executes end-to-end production pipelines for premium media campaigns, kinetic storytelling, and moving image layouts. No discrete, named software products, modules, or platform offerings are offered for sale; the studio's output consists of bespoke creative work produced for individual client engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Direction Premium creative campaign direction service for enterprise marketing teams executing national brand transformations, product rollouts, and executive presentation campaigns. Delivered under corporate master services agreements.
• Motion Design and Animation High-end motion graphics, kinetic storytelling, and animation services for CTV, broadcast, and digital platforms, including pre-roll layouts, social campaign assets, and extreme kinetic graphics spots for enterprise brands.
• Brand Narrative Development Brand narrative and storytelling service that translates high-level business goals into design, motion, and cinematic storytelling assets for enterprise brand campaigns.
• Commercial Film Direction Commercial film directing service delivered by co-founder Chris Thomas, producing high-end commercial spots for enterprise brands across broadcast, CTV, and digital.
• Brand Activations High-impact brand activation and creative direction service for enterprise marketing teams seeking sophisticated campaign executions.
• Character Design and Cel Animation Hand-drawn character design and fine line art cel animation service for brand storytelling and commercial campaigns, led by New Yorker cartoonist Julia Thomas.
• Main Titles and Sizzles Production of main title sequences and sizzle reels with sophisticated pacing architectures for entertainment, broadcast, and brand clients.
• Mobile-First Design Framework Mobile-first creative framework where mobile platforms drive the creative process, establishing visual look for phone first and working backward to broadcast to ensure native feel across all screen formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handled hundreds of custom commercials for Apple News+ over a three-year partnership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• B-Reel: B-Reel is a creative and production studio building interactive experiences, films, and branded content for global brands. Comparable to Hieronymus on direct-to-brand creative delivery, premium campaign work, and digital-first storytelling.
• Giant Ant: Giant Ant is an animation-led creative studio producing commercials and branded content through character-driven storytelling. Comparable to Hieronymus on motion-led brand campaigns, cel-inspired technique, and premium commercial clients.
• Golden Wolf: Golden Wolf is an animation and motion design studio working across advertising, entertainment, and branded content. Comparable to Hieronymus in premium kinetic graphics, character animation, and enterprise/commercial campaign delivery.
• The Line: The Line is a Brooklyn/NY-based animation studio producing commercials, broadcast, and branded content. Direct NYC-geographic and motion-design overlap with Hieronymus on kinetic typography, commercial spots, and brand films.
• Ordinary Folk: Ordinary Folk is an animation and design-led creative studio producing commercials and brand campaigns. Comparable to Hieronymus on boutique independent model, character-driven storytelling, and enterprise brand creative work.
• Psyop: Psyop is a hybrid animation, design, and live-action studio specializing in commercials, brand content, and feature storytelling. Closely comparable to Hieronymus in delivering premium motion, character, and brand-narrative work for major enterprise clients.
• Buck: Buck is an independent design-driven animation and motion studio producing brand films, title sequences, and commercial campaigns for global brands. Direct overlap with Hieronymus in motion design, brand storytelling, and Fortune 500 client base.
• Block & Tackle: Block & Tackle is a NY-based creative studio specializing in motion design, animation, and brand storytelling for advertising and entertainment clients. Closely mirrors Hieronymus in independent motion studio model and enterprise brand clients.
• Nexus Studios: Nexus Studios is an independent animation and film studio creating commercials, branded content, and short films. Direct overlap with Hieronymus in motion-led brand storytelling for enterprise/global brand clients.

Broad incumbents

• The Mill: The Mill is a global VFX and content studio producing commercials, title sequences, and experiential content for major brands. Broader incumbent competing with Hieronymus on premium motion, brand film, and enterprise creative delivery at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/juliathomasdraws
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hieronymus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hieronymus