Reel Black Studios

What Reel Black Studios does

Reel Black Studios (RBS) is a Black-owned creative animation studio founded in 2022 and co-led by Dara King and Chris Fequiere, with offices in Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA. The studio produces animated content for brands, advertising agencies, and television/film studios, with marquee engagements spanning HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, Lego, DC Comics, W Magazine, A&E, and Vox Media.

The studio's technical core is creative animation production with two notable specializations: pixel animation (used in DC Comics' Batman Curse of the White Knight and Netflix's Emmy-nominated High Score) and live action/animation hybrid production (used in the Lego Diverse Creators social series). RBS operates a fully in-house production model covering directing, animation, sound engineering, score composition, and voice talent direction, supported by a small named team including a Lead Animator, Composer, Sound Engineer, Lead Keyframe, and Executive Assistant. Award recognition includes an Emmy nomination for Netflix High Score and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Burning Rubber.

Revenue is generated through project-based, custom-quoted engagements: one-time licensing for commercial/advertising and film/TV production, plus professional services for agency creative partnerships. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct outreach to brands and agencies ([email protected]), with formal representation by Verve talent agency (agent Roberto Larios) for TV and film studio opportunities. The studio is privately held with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.

Name

Reel Black Studios

Legal name

Reel Black Studios

Website

https://reelblackstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Reel Black Studios is a Black-owned animation studio producing pixel animation and live action/animation hybrid content for brands, agencies, and TV studios, with marquee clients including HBO Max, Netflix, Lego, DC Comics, and Hulu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Animation production
• Creative studio
• Branded content
• Motion graphics
• Visual effects

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial and Advertising Projects: Project-based animation work for brand commercials and advertising campaigns, including social media content.
2. Film and Television Production: Episodic and short film animation projects for TV studios and streaming platforms, including original series development.
3. Agency Creative Services: Creative animation services as the creative arm for agencies, from concept to completion or integrating with agency teams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reel Black Studios is a Black-owned creative animation studio that produces animated and hybrid live-action/animation content for brands, advertising agencies, and television/film studios. The studio's work spans commercials, film, advertising, social media, and television projects, delivered from its Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA locations. Its signature technical approaches are pixel animation and live-action plus animation hybrid production.

Product overview

Reel Black Studios is a Black-owned creative animation studio offering a unified suite of animation production services rather than discrete software products. The studio provides animation services across multiple formats including Commercials, Film, Advertising, Social Media, and TV/Episodic content. Their portfolio demonstrates expertise in specialized animation styles including Pixel Animation and Live Action/Animation Hybrid production. The studio works with brands, agencies, and TV studios to tell stories through animated content, ranging from short commercial spots to full episodic productions. Notable client work includes projects for HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, Lego, DC Comics, W Magazine, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Animation Production Animation production services for advertising campaigns and commercial content, produced for brand and advertising agency clients seeking distinctive creative execution.
• Film Animation Production Animation production services for film projects, delivered to film studios and production clients.
• Television Animation Production Animation production services for television projects, delivered to TV studios and network clients.
• Social Media Animation Production Animation production services tailored for social media and short-form digital content, produced for brand and agency clients.
• Live Action + Animation Hybrid Production Hybrid production service combining live-action footage with animation, delivered to brand, agency, and studio clients seeking a signature visual style.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2M+ combined Instagram views for Lego Diverse Creators videos
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Great Big StorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Production partner for Netflix High Score. Great Big Story brought the project to Netflix and RBS was hired as part of the production team to complete animated scenes.
• VervecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional talent agency representing Reel Black Studios for TV and Film studio opportunities. Agent Roberto Larios handles commercial and film inquiries through [email protected].

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Giant Ant: Boutique animation and motion studio producing commercial and brand storytelling content for major advertisers. Comparable to Reel Black Studios in scale, client mix (brand-direct and agency), and full-service animation delivery model.
• Blinkink: Animation studio producing commercials, music videos, and short-form content with a roster of distinct directing styles. Comparable to RBS on stylized animation for brands and music/short-form clients, with comparable boutique scale.
• Gentleman Scholar: Boutique animation studio blending live action with stylized 2D and 3D animation for commercials, episodic, and branded content. Closely comparable to RBS's mixed-media live-action-plus-animation hybrid capability.
• Psyop: Multi-disciplinary animation and VFX studio delivering commercials, episodic, and branded content. Comparable to RBS on premium commercial animation and episodic delivery, though operating at meaningfully larger scale.
• Hush: Brooklyn-based creative studio producing animated brand storytelling, commercials, and digital content. Comparable to RBS on geography (NYC creative market), client base (major brands and agencies), and full-service animation production.
• Block & Tackle: Independent animation and content studio producing short-form branded and episodic animation. Closely comparable to RBS on boutique scale, project-based model, and focus on stylized animation for major clients.
• Nexus Studios: Independent animation and film studio producing commercials, short films, and episodic content with stylized 2D/3D and mixed-media techniques. Comparable to RBS on episodic short-film pipeline and award-credentialled brand work.

Broad incumbents

• Buck: Global design and animation studio working across commercials, episodic, and interactive for major brands and entertainment platforms. Overlaps with RBS on animation-for-brands and episodic work, but at materially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Laika: Feature-film animation studio with deep stop-motion and mixed-media capabilities and a strong award record. Comparable to RBS on stylized animation and award-credentialled IP work, though operating at much larger scale and exclusively on long-form film.
• Hornet: Established animation and content production company serving advertising, entertainment, and brand clients globally. Comparable to RBS on commercial animation services, with broader capabilities and larger headcount.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reel-black-studios

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 Reel Black Studios