Scarecrow Arts, Llc

What Scarecrow Arts, Llc does

Scarecrow Arts, LLC is a privately held, bootstrapped creative studio based in Dallas, Texas, founded in 2014 and operating with a core team of three (Malcolm as founder/artist/animator/writer/programmer, Anton as programmer, and Brandon Driesse as creative director). The company operates two distinct but related product lines: indie video games distributed on Steam and Xbox, including ODDCORE, The Story Goes On, and NEAR DEADline, and a portfolio of After Effects utilities and templates targeted at video editors and motion graphics artists. The After Effects offering includes three free scripts (labelME for label color management with 15,000+ unique users, Mouth Shapes for lip-syncing with 1,500+ users, and AE2A Markers for Adobe Audition interoperability) alongside a catalog of paid video templates priced at $8-$15 each, plus a discounted Super Collection bundle on Gumroad.

The business is monetized entirely through one-time purchases: Steam game sales and individual template transactions across the company's own website, Pond5, Motion Elements, Motion Array, ProVideoFactory, and Gumroad, with supplementary voluntary donations on free scripts. The go-to-market motion is community-driven, anchored on the Dev Talks video interview series produced at PAX East (most visibly 2018-2019), which serves as both content marketing and a positioning device within the indie developer community. There is no external funding, no enterprise customer base, and no app or subscription product; the operating model is a small, founder-controlled studio running at the intersection of indie games and motion graphics tooling.

Name

Scarecrow Arts, Llc

Legal name

Scarecrow Arts, LLC

Website

https://scarecrowarts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scarecrow Arts, LLC is a Dallas-based, bootstrapped indie game studio and motion graphics studio (founded 2014, 3-person core team) that develops Steam games, free After Effects utility scripts, and paid video templates for individual creators and SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Game Development

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

Keywords

• Indie game development
• Motion graphics templates
• After Effects scripts
• Video production tools
• Digital creative assets

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Indie games sold directly through Steam store. Current titles include ODDCORE, The Story Goes On, and NEAR DEADline. Revenue is one-time purchase per title.
2. After Effects Templates: Video templates sold for $8-$15 each. Available on own website, Pond5, Motion Elements, Motion Array, and ProVideoFactory. Bundle option (Super Collection) available at 50% discount.
3. Free Scripts with Optional Donations: labelME and Mouth Shapes distributed free with optional donation link. AE2A Markers also free. Revenue generated through voluntary contributions from users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scarecrow Arts is a small independent studio that develops and publishes indie video games (ODDCORE, The Story Goes On, NEAR DEADline) sold on Steam, and creates After Effects scripts and video templates for motion graphics professionals. The company distributes free automation scripts (labelME, Mouth Shapes, AE2A Markers) and a paid catalog of 40+ After Effects templates for video editors and content creators.

Product overview

Scarecrow Arts is a creative studio offering three core service areas: video game development (ODDCORE, The Story Goes On, NEAR DEADline), After Effects scripts and templates, and the Dev Talks video interview series. The game development division creates indie games published on Steam and Xbox. The After Effects product line consists of three free scripts (Mouth Shapes for lip syncing, labelME for label colors, and AE2A Markers for marker transfer to Audition) alongside a portfolio of over 50 paid video templates including logo reveals, title animations, lower thirds, and asset packs sold through the company's website, Pond5, Motion Elements, Motion Array, and ProVideoFactory. The Super Collection Bundle offers 9 templates at a 50% discount. Dev Talks is a supplementary content series featuring industry interviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ODDCORE An indie video game developed by Scarecrow Arts, sold on the Steam platform.
• The Story Goes On An indie video game with randomized room generation, developed by Scarecrow Arts as a team and published on Xbox and Steam.
• NEAR DEADline An indie video game developed by Scarecrow Arts members and available on Steam.
• Mouth Shapes A free After Effects script that automates lip syncing animation by creating toggle buttons for layer visibility based on phoneme keyframes, used by motion graphics artists for character animation.
• labelME A free After Effects script that allows users to change label colors in the layer panel and project window by clicking color tabs, serving as a free alternative to paid label management tools.
• AE2A Markers A free After Effects script that exports markers to .CSV format for direct import into Adobe Audition, solving the interoperability issue between the two Adobe products.
• Super Collection Bundle A bundle of 9 After Effects templates offered at 50% discount, available through Gumroad.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ unique labelME users
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Skullfish StudiosminorOthers · 1 January 2019Featured in Dev Talks interview at PAX East 2019. Developer of Lila's Tale for GearVR. Team scattered across the globe working remotely.
• Sweet Bandits StudiosminorOthers · 1 January 2019Featured in Dev Talks interview discussing avoiding Early Access and game pricing strategy.
• Headbang ClubminorOthers · 1 January 2019Featured in Dev Talks interview about Double Kick Heroes, open-source engines, and music licensing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Motion Array: Major online marketplace for After Effects templates, Premiere Pro presets, stock video, and music where Scarecrow Arts distributes its template catalog. Overlap is direct on AE templates but Motion Array operates as a broad platform with thousands of creators and a subscription business model.
• Envato (VideoHive): Envato's VideoHive is one of the largest marketplaces for After Effects templates and motion graphics assets, competing for the same AE-template buyer audience as Scarecrow Arts. VideoHive is a much larger incumbent serving the full creative-asset ecosystem beyond AE.
• PremiumBeat: PremiumBeat (a Shutterstock company) sells royalty-free music and After Effects templates to professional video creators. Comparable for AE template overlap with much larger curation, broader creative-asset portfolio, and backing from a major stock media incumbent.
• MotionElements: MotionElements is a global stock media and After Effects template marketplace where Scarecrow Arts lists templates. Direct overlap in product category with a much larger creator base spanning Asia-Pacific and Western markets.
• Pond5: Pond5 is a stock media and After Effects template marketplace where Scarecrow Arts actively distributes. Comparable as a sales channel and as a competitor for the same AE-template buyer, though Pond5's scope extends well beyond AE into broader stock footage and music.

Direct peers

• Video Copilot: Video Copilot creates After Effects tutorials, plugins, and design assets used by the same AE-professional audience Scarecrow targets with labelME and Mouth Shapes. Comparable as a small indie AE-tools creator with strong community standing and product-led growth.
• Studio MDHR: Studio MDHR is a small indie studio behind Cuphead, notable for shipping a polished, distinctive title with a very small team. Comparable in team size, indie-only distribution model, and emphasis on distinctive visual style to Scarecrow's game development arm.
• Aesprite: Aesprite is a small, founder-led pixel art and animation tool maker distributed with free tiers and paid upgrades. Closely analogous business model to Scarecrow's free AE scripts — community-driven indie tools with freemium monetization and a niche professional audience.
• Supergiant Games: Supergiant Games is a small, independent game studio that has shipped multiple critically acclaimed titles with a compact team. Comparable as a focused indie game developer operating at a similar small-team scale with self-publishing on Steam and console platforms.

Others

• GameMaker (YoYo Games): GameMaker is the game engine Scarecrow Arts uses to develop its Steam titles per Dev Talks content. Not a direct competitor but an enabling technology provider whose licensing changes and roadmap directly influence Scarecrow's development economics and platform reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Scarecrow_Arts
• GitHubgithub.com/ScarecrowArts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scarecrow-arts

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 Scarecrow Arts, Llc