Encyclopedia Pictura

What Encyclopedia Pictura does

Encyclopedia Pictura is a privately held film and animation studio headquartered in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, founded by three co-directors — Isaiah Saxon, Daren Rabinovitch, and Sean Hellfritsch — and operating since approximately 2008. The studio's core offerings are music videos for established artists (Björk, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, Metronomy, Grizzly Bear, Dan Deacon, Seventeen Evergreen, Zion I) and short-form films spanning documentary, artistic, and educational content. Beyond production services, the studio has developed interactive technology products including Visualpedia (a set of physical handbooks, an online encyclopedia, and AR applications for information visualization), Tree Explorer (a touch-gesture interactive tree-anatomy app with rotatable microscopic 3D models), and Visual Language (a visual dictionary and design system).

The business operates on a project-based revenue model combining one-time licenses for music video and short film work with professional-services engagements for commercial projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; inquiries are routed through global reps at Neighborhood Watch (music videos and commercials), agent Bryan Besser at Verve (feature films and television), and manager Kevin Rowe at 2AM (for Isaiah Saxon). The studio co-founded DIY.org in 2012 with Vimeo co-founder Zach Klein, a children's skill-learning platform covering 133 creative disciplines, and developed the unreleased 'Only One' video game with Kanye West (2015-2017). There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or parent-company relationships, and the studio is founder-owned.

Name

Encyclopedia Pictura

Legal name

Encyclopedia Pictura

Website

https://encyclopediapictura.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Encyclopedia Pictura is a privately held Los Angeles film and animation studio serving major music artists (Björk, Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, Kanye West) with music videos, short films, and interactive/AR design projects, operating since approximately 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD), Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment) (EDAGALAK), Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)

Keywords

• Film production services
• Music video production
• Animation studio
• Short film production
• Creative video production

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Music Video Production: Directed music videos for major artists including Bjork, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, Metronomy, Grizzly Bear, and others.
2. Commercial Projects: Brand and commercial video projects including the Only One video game project with Kanye West (2015-2017).
3. Short Films: Creation of short films and artistic content including DIY, Hillbelly, Tactical Advantage, Fortraits, Micro/Macro, Born Like Stars, and educational content like Ballistic Jaw Propulsion of Trap-Jaw Ants.
4. Design Projects: Design and development work including DIY.org platform co-founded in 2012.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Encyclopedia Pictura is a film and animation studio that produces directed music videos for major recording artists (Björk, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, Metronomy, Grizzly Bear, Dan Deacon, and others) and short films (DIY, Hillbelly, Tactical Advantage, Fortraits, Micro/Macro, Born Like Stars, Ballistic Jaw Propulsion of Trap-Jaw Ants). The studio also develops experimental interactive and design projects including Visualpedia (AR-enabled visual encyclopedia), Tree Explorer (touch-gesture tree anatomy app), Visual Language (design system), and co-founded the DIY.org kids' skill-learning platform.

Product overview

Encyclopedia Pictura is a film and animation studio in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, led by directors Isaiah Saxon, Daren Rabinovitch, and Sean Hellfritsch. The studio's core offerings center on music videos for major artists (Björk, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, Metronomy, Grizzly Bear, Dan Deacon) and short films. Beyond production work, the studio has developed several technology projects including Visualpedia (physical handbooks, online encyclopedia, and AR applications), Tree Explorer (an interactive tree anatomy app), Visual Language (design work), and the DIY.org platform for kids' skill learning. They also developed the unreleased ONLY ONE video game with Kanye West. The studio maintains a physical presence in Northern California's Trout Gulch community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Video Production Directed music video production for established recording artists including Björk, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, Metronomy, Grizzly Bear, Dan Deacon, Seventeen Evergreen, and Zion I.
• Short Film Production Production of short films spanning documentary-style explorations (Ballistic Jaw Propulsion of Trap-Jaw Ants, Born Like Stars) and artistic shorts (DIY, Fortraits, Tactical Advantage, Hillbelly, Earth Crisis, Sunbelly).
• DIY.org Platform Online community platform for kids to learn skills, featuring 133 DIY Skills spanning creative disciplines from Hardware Engineering to Backyard Farming, accompanied by a DIY App for iOS.
• Visualpedia

Named customers9 records

Segments3 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DIY.orgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Founded in 2012 by Isaiah Saxon and Daren Rabinovitch of EP along with Zach Klein (Vimeo co-founder) and Andrew Sliwinski. A new organization for kids to learn skills, fostering a radical community of kids online with 133 DIY Skills covering creative disciplines from Hardware Engineering to Backyard Farming.
• Zach KleinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of DIY.org along with EP founders. Zach Klein is the co-founder of Vimeo.
• Andrew SliwinskiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of DIY.org along with EP founders. Andrew Sliwinski is a technologist.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• B-Reel: B-Reel is a creative agency and production company producing film, interactive, and design-led content — overlapping EP's Visualpedia/Tree Explorer interactive-media trajectory and brand-content services.
• Brud (acquired by Dapper Labs): Brud was an LA-based creative-tech studio blending animation, narrative, and digital products (e.g., Lil Miquela); adjacent to EP on the intersection of director-led narrative, AR/interactive experiences, and productized IP, though wrapped in a celebrity-IP model.

Direct peers

• Hornet Inc. Hornet is an animation and motion-design studio producing commercials, music videos, and short films — overlapping EP in boutique animation craft, music-video client work, and producer-led creative direction.
• Giant Ant: Giant Ant is a motion-driven animation and storytelling studio serving brands, agencies, and artists — overlapping EP's commercial/music-video production model with similar boutique scale and reputation-led client acquisition.
• Psyop: Psyop is a long-tenured animation and content studio producing music videos, commercials, and short films for premium global brands and artists — directly comparable to EP in client roster depth (including music talent) and art-driven animation craft.
• Buck: Buck is an LA-based animation and design studio famous for work in music videos, commercials, and brand content — the closest direct analog to Encyclopedia Pictura in scale, clientele, and craft focus, with a similar music-video-to-brand-content business mix.
• Tool of North America: Tool of North America is a commercial production and directing company representing directors across commercials, music videos, and branded content — closely paralleling EP's agent-represented director-model for project booking.
• Caviar: Caviar is a globally distributed production company representing directors across commercials, music videos, and film — directly comparable to EP's Neighborhood Watch/Verve representation model and music-video-driven business mix.

Broad incumbents

• Framestore: Framestore is a global VFX, animation, and immersive-content studio with a much larger scope but overlapping in offering premium film/TV/animation services to the same A-list entertainment clients EP courts.
• Anonymous Content: Anonymous Content is an established film, TV, and commercial production company whose directing talent has produced top-tier music videos and feature films — comparable to EP's feature-film aspirations via Verve but at meaningfully larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/isaiah_saxon_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Encyclopedia Pictura