Brighton Zoo Studios
Brighton Zoo Studios is a 19-person Brighton-based B2B animation and digital content production studio, jointly owned with Blue Zoo, that produces commissioned 2D animation, live action, interactive games and branded entertainment for children's broadcasters, toy brands and educational publishers using a proprietary Unity-based Animoco live animation pipeline.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brighton Zoo Studios does
Brighton Zoo Studios is a UK-based B2B animation and digital content production studio founded in 2022 in Brighton as a joint venture between Plug-in Media (Dom Minns, Juliet Tzabar) and the larger animation studio Blue Zoo Group. Operating from a 19-person team, the studio produces commissioned content across 2D and 3D animation, live action, puppetry, interactive games, and branded entertainment for children's broadcasters, toy brands and educational publishers. Its flagship commissioned IP is the CBeebies/BBC Studios series Supertato (104 episodes across four seasons, ranked in the top 5 most-viewed UK children's shows of 2024), expanded into interactive games, e-books and music videos, alongside other clients including Sky Kids, Cartoon Network, Sesame Workshop, Tonies, Radio Flyer and Libertas Brands' Fugglers (a 90+ episode digital-first branded slate).
Brighton Zoo's technical differentiator is Animoco, a proprietary live animation pipeline built on Unity that captures real-time puppeted performance via game console joypads, reducing traditional frame-by-frame in-betweening and enabling faster, lower-cost, higher-volume digital-first production. The studio also integrates with BBC-owned engines (Genie for CBeebies Storytime interactive e-books, IVOR HTML5 for web games) and uses Toonboom Harmony for 2D series work, giving it multi-format technical depth across broadcast, connected TV, app, web and social channels. It is B Corp certified via the Blue Zoo Group.
The business model is project-based professional services revenue from commissions, broadcast licensing, and co-production arrangements, with no public pricing tiers and no disclosed external funding; the studio is privately held under Blue Zoo Group, with major broadcasters (especially BBC) and consumer-brand IP holders as anchor customers. GTM is sales-led, driven by industry events (Children's Media Conference, Brighton International Animation Festival), portfolio referrals and direct outreach, supplemented by organic social presence on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram showcasing project work.
Brighton Zoo Studios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brighton Zoo Studios
- Legal name
- Brighton Zoo Ltd
- Website
- https://brighton-zoo.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Brighton Zoo Studios is a 19-person Brighton-based B2B animation and digital content production studio, jointly owned with Blue Zoo, that produces commissioned 2D animation, live action, interactive games and branded entertainment for children's broadcasters, toy brands and educational publishers using a proprietary Unity-based Animoco live animation pipeline.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brighton Zoo Studios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animation Production Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI)
Keywords
Where Brighton Zoo Studios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Brighton Zoo Studios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Animation Production Services: Commissioned animation production for broadcasters and brands. Produces long-form series (Supertato for CBeebies), short-form content, interactive experiences, and branded entertainment. Revenue generated through production fees, broadcast licensing, and potentially co-production arrangements.
- Interactive Content Development: Development of interactive games, e-books, and app experiences for clients including BBC Bitesize, CBeebies Storytime, and Sky Kids.
- Branded Entertainment: Digital-first content production for toy brands and consumer product companies (Fugglers, Radio Flyer, Tonies) including YouTube series, social content, and promotional materials.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Brighton Zoo Studios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brighton Zoo Studios is a B2B animation and digital content production studio that produces commissioned content for broadcasters, brands, and IP holders. The studio creates long-form animated series, short-form digital and social content, interactive games and e-books, and branded entertainment across animation, live action, puppetry, and interactive formats. Its proprietary Animoco live animation pipeline enables rapid, cost-effective digital-first content production for clients including BBC, Cartoon Network, Sky Kids, and toy brands such as Fugglers, Radio Flyer, and Tonies.
Product overview
Brighton Zoo Studios is an animation and digital content production company offering a multi-platform portfolio of products spanning long-form animated TV series, interactive games, short-form digital content, and branded entertainment. The core offerings include: Supertato (2D animated CBeebies series with 104 episodes across multiple seasons, expanded into interactive games on BBC iPlayer and CBeebies Storytime app, plus animated music videos for YouTube); Fugglers branded content (90+ episode comedy series across multiple formats including Fugglermercials, Fuggler Business, Never Date a Fuggler, Fluff Up Your Fuggler, Fugg Law & Disorder, Living with Fugglers, and Fuggler FOMO distributed on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram); educational games for BBC Bitesize including My World; and branded content for clients including Tonies (Lalalinos music videos), Sky Kids (Smart TV quizzes), and Cartoon Network (Pixel and Patch pilot). The company also operates Animoco, a proprietary in-house live animation pipeline using Unity that enables real-time puppet animation for faster, lower-cost digital-first content production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Animoco: In-house live animation pipeline developed for digital-first content demands, enabling real-time animation production at lower costs.
Companies that use Brighton Zoo Studios
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Brighton Zoo Studios technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Brighton Zoo Studios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, secondary and minor.
- CBeebies / BBC StudioscorePrimary broadcast partner commissioning Supertato animated series. BBC Studios handles international distribution of the show worldwide.
- Blue ZoocoreParent company and joint venture partner. Blue Zoo is an award-winning animation studio and the regional hub model enables Brighton Zoo to leverage Blue Zoo's established infrastructure, resources, and industry relationships while maintaining regional creative autonomy.
- Plug-in MediacoreCo-founding partner alongside Blue Zoo. Principals Dom Minns and Juliet Tzabar led the creation of Brighton Zoo, bringing award-winning expertise and 15+ years of collaborative history with Blue Zoo.
- Wheel In MotionmajorProduction partner alongside Brighton Zoo and Blue Zoo for Moshi Monsters television series, set to launch in late 2028 as part of broader multi-platform brand relaunch.
- Curtis JoblingmajorCritically acclaimed creator and writer (known for Bob the Builder, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion) serving as creative lead on Moshi Monsters television series co-development.
- Peanut and CrumbsecondaryLocal production company collaborating with Brighton Zoo to develop Get Birding podcast into an animated series for preschoolers, with RSPB involvement for content validation.
- RSPBsecondaryRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds providing expertise and validation for Get Birding animated series content, ensuring accurate representation of birdwatching and diverse bird behaviors.
- FeitongsecondaryChinese animation studio co-production partner for Supertato Series 1, supporting regional production model and international collaboration.
- She Drew ThatminorCommunity of women, transgender and non-binary people in animation hosting workshops at Brighton Zoo studio, supporting industry diversity and networking.
- Libertas BrandsmajorCommissioned Brighton Zoo to produce 90+ episode digital-first comedy series for Fugglers toy brand across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram platforms.
- Radio FlyersecondaryBrand commissioning digital-first animated shorts featuring The Wheelios characters for their YouTube channel and TikTok account.
- ToniessecondarySmart speaker brand commissioning Lalalinos animated music videos and content, including localized versions in English, German, and French.
- Cartoon NetworksecondaryCommissioned Pixel and Patch animated vlogger pilot series for digital-first distribution, exploring new formats for Cartoon Network IP.
- Sky KidssecondaryCommissioned interactive quiz games for Smart TV platforms, reskinnable across multiple children's IPs for Sky Q and Sky Glass.
- Blue Zoo Group (B Corp Certified)coreBlue Zoo Group is Certified B Corporation, with Brighton Zoo operating as part of this accredited group and aligning with B Corp values including flexible working, inclusivity, and sustainability.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Brighton Zoo Studios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blue Zoo: Award-winning UK animation studio and parent company of Brighton Zoo. Operates as a closely aligned sister studio producing broadcast and commercial animation (e.g., Q Pootle 5, Olly the Little White Van) with shared infrastructure, leadership lineage, and the Moshi Monsters co-development pipeline.
- A Productions: Bristol-based animation studio producing shows such as Hey Duggee and The Secret Life of Boys. Directly comparable as a regional UK animation studio producing premium CBeebies-style content with multi-format delivery.
- Jam Filled Entertainment: Canadian animation services and production studio working on kids' shows (Corn & Peg, Total DramaRama). Comparable as a mid-sized animation services partner delivering high-volume episodic work for major North American and international broadcasters.
- Lupus Films: London-based animation studio producing premium children's content (The Snowman and the Snowdog, Ethel & Ernest, Kensuke's Kingdom). Comparable as a UK-focused independent animation house serving major broadcasters and producing both 2D and CGI work.
- Yeti Farm Creative: Canadian animation studio producing service work and original kids' content (Kiri and Lou, Pete the Cat). Comparable as a mid-sized independent animation house executing both commissioned broadcast series and original digital-first IP.
- Factory (formerly Factory Create): UK animation studio producing children's broadcast content (Hey Duggee co-production, Bing). Comparable as a peer-sized animation production house serving CBeebies/BBC and similar commissioners.
- Pocket.watch: US-based digital-first kids' content studio producing branded and original IP across YouTube and streaming. Directly comparable as a studio building platform-native children's entertainment for major toy and brand partners, using similar engagement-driven digital-first playbooks.
- Wildseed Studios: Digital-first children's content studio creating original IP for YouTube and social platforms (Rocket, Bad Internet). Comparable as a smaller UK studio focused on platform-native content for younger audiences, complementing Brighton Zoo's Animoco-powered approach.
Broad incumbents
- Aardman Animations: Iconic UK stop-motion and CG animation studio (Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit). A broader incumbent operating at much larger scale but in the same UK children's animation ecosystem and frequently partnering with or supplying into the same broadcasters Brighton Zoo serves.
- Tiger Aspect Kids (Banijay): Kids and family division of global production group Banijay (Charlie and Lola, Mr. Bean, Shaun the Sheep spin-offs). A broader incumbent competing for the same UK and international broadcast commissions as Brighton Zoo, with significantly deeper resources.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brighton Zoo Studios social profiles
Digital presenceBrighton Zoo Studios compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Brighton Zoo Studios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brighton Zoo Studios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Brighton Zoo Studios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brighton Zoo Studios M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brighton Zoo Studios
What does Brighton Zoo Studios do?
Brighton Zoo Studios is a B2B animation and digital content production studio that produces commissioned content for broadcasters, brands, and IP holders. The studio creates long-form animated series, short-form digital and social content, interactive games and e-books, and branded entertainment across animation, live action, puppetry, and interactive formats. Its proprietary Animoco live animation pipeline enables rapid, cost-effective digital-first content production for clients including BBC, Cartoon Network, Sky Kids, and toy brands such as Fugglers, Radio Flyer, and Tonies.
Is Brighton Zoo Studios a public or private company?
Brighton Zoo Studios is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Brighton Zoo Studios founded?
Brighton Zoo Studios was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Brighton Zoo Studios based?
Brighton Zoo Studios is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Brighton Zoo Studios make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Animation Production Services are the primary driver. The others are interactive Content Development and branded Entertainment.
Who are Brighton Zoo Studios's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blue Zoo, A Productions, Jam Filled Entertainment, Lupus Films, Yeti Farm Creative, Factory (formerly Factory Create), Pocket.watch and Wildseed Studios. Broad incumbents are Aardman Animations and Tiger Aspect Kids (Banijay).
Does Brighton Zoo Studios have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brighton Zoo Studios.
What industry is Brighton Zoo Studios in?
Brighton Zoo Studios's product category is Animation Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADACAE, Character & Creature Animation, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAI, Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7812.