HOWDY GANG
Howdy Gang is a woman-owned, Minnesota-based creative production consortium that delivers commercial production, film, photography, and animation services to enterprise consumer brands (BMW, Red Bull, Target, KFC, YETI, General Mills) and entertainment clients via a distributed roster of 12+ directors and creative specialists.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HOWDY GANG does
Howdy Gang (legal entity Howdy LLC, incorporated in Minnesota) is a woman-owned and operated creative production company that delivers visual storytelling services to consumer brands, agencies, and entertainment clients. Its service portfolio spans commercial production, film trailers and documentary production, narrative feature films, photography (lifestyle, action sports, portraiture), animation and stop-motion, production design, and art & design. The operating model is a creative consortium: a core production staff of five led by Founder & Executive Producer Donna Drewick and Partner & CFO Judson Kanwischer, working with a distributed roster of 12+ specialized directors, cinematographers, photographers, animators, and production designers based across Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and New York.
The company generates revenue through professional services engagements — custom, quote-based B2B project work sourced via direct outreach to brand marketing teams and agencies, supported by a portfolio-driven marketing presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and a Mailchimp newsletter. Notable client engagements span BMW, Red Bull, Target, KFC, YETI, Nikon, The North Face, Sperry, General Mills, Valspar, Best Buy, United Healthcare, Edward Jones, HOKA, eBay, Amazon, and Barbie/Warner Bros, with the About page citing 100+ brand relationships. The firm has produced acclaimed narrative work, including Alex Heller's feature 'The Year Between,' which premiered at Tribeca (2022), won Audience Awards at Chicago International Film Festival, and was acquired by Gravitas/Peacock.
Howdy Gang operates as a privately held, founder/partner-controlled entity with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity. Roster talent has earned industry recognition including Sundance Feature Film Fellow (Alex Heller, 2020), shots Awards New Director of the Year nomination (2024), SHOOT New Directors Showcase appearances (2022 and 2023), Porsche Young Director Awards shortlist (2023), and Emmy/Telly awards (Jasia Ka). The firm does not disclose pricing, revenue, or contract structures, and has not signaled entry into AI/ML tooling or platform-based offerings — its competitive position rests on creative talent and portfolio reputation rather than proprietary technology.
HOWDY GANG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HOWDY GANG
- Legal name
- Howdy LLC
- Website
- https://howdygang.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Howdy Gang is a woman-owned, Minnesota-based creative production consortium that delivers commercial production, film, photography, and animation services to enterprise consumer brands (BMW, Red Bull, Target, KFC, YETI, General Mills) and entertainment clients via a distributed roster of 12+ directors and creative specialists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HOWDY GANG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Production Services
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Production Design & Art Department Services (Sets, Props, Scenic) (MPADAFAG)
Keywords
Where HOWDY GANG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HOWDY GANG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Production Services: Production of branded content, commercials, and advertising materials for corporate clients and agencies.
- Film and Documentary Production: Narrative film projects, documentary trailers, and short films. Includes festival submissions and theatrical releases.
- Photography and Visual Content: Photography services and still image production for brands and clients, including lifestyle, product, and portrait photography.
- Animation and Motion Graphics: Stop-motion animation, illustration, and motion graphics production for commercials and branded content.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
HOWDY GANG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Howdy Gang is a woman-owned creative production company (legal entity Howdy LLC, Minnesota) that produces commercials, film trailers, narrative films, photography, animation, production design, and art/design content for brands and clients. The company operates as a creative consortium of specialized directors, cinematographers, photographers, animators, illustrators, and production designers, providing full-service visual storytelling for advertising campaigns and content projects across broadcast, digital, and social platforms.
Product overview
Howdy Gang is a woman-owned creative production company offering a unified suite of creative services centered on visual storytelling. The portfolio spans commercial production, film trailers, photography, animation (including stop-motion), production design, art & design, and narrative films. The core offering is a talent-driven creative consortium where directors like Alex Heller, Jeff Stonehouse, Sara Rubinstein, Ryan Taylor, and others provide capabilities across multiple creative disciplines under one roster.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial Production
- Film Trailers
- Photography Services
- Animation and Stop-Motion
- Production Design
Companies that use HOWDY GANG
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
HOWDY GANG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
HOWDY GANG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HOWDY GANG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hungry Man: Independent commercial production company with directors' roster for advertising and branded content. Direct peer in the boutique production studio category.
- Anonymous Content: Independent creative production company representing directors, writers, and producers across film, TV, and advertising. Closely comparable roster-based model with feature film and commercial production capabilities serving similar brand clients.
- Iconoclast: Global production and content company representing directors and talent across advertising and entertainment. Direct peer with similar roster-based commercial and film production capabilities.
- Radical Media: Multi-disciplinary creative production studio producing commercials, documentaries, and feature films. Direct peer with similar brand roster (BMW, Nike, Apple) and integrated production/photography/animation capabilities.
- Prettybird: Creative studio representing directors and creators across commercials, music videos, and branded content. Comparable boutique production model with talent roster serving major brand clients.
- Smuggler: Global commercial production company representing a roster of directors across film, commercials, and content. Direct peer as a multi-disciplinary boutique production studio serving major brand clients with the same roster-based model.
- Great Guns: International commercial production company representing directors across advertising and branded content. Direct peer in the indie production roster space, comparable in scale and client roster.
- Biscuit Filmworks: Independent commercial production company with a directors' roster serving advertising agencies and brands. Closely comparable in scale, roster model, and brand-client focus on commercials and content.
- Tool of North America: Boutique commercial production company with a director roster serving brands and agencies. Direct peer operating at similar scale with comparable service offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Wieden+Kennedy: Major independent advertising agency with substantial in-house production capabilities and content creation. Adjacent incumbent that competes for the same brand creative budgets, though focused on full advertising services rather than production-only roster model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HOWDY GANG social profiles
Digital presenceHOWDY GANG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HOWDY GANG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
HOWDY GANG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HOWDY GANG 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 HOWDY GANG
What does HOWDY GANG do?
Howdy Gang is a woman-owned creative production company (legal entity Howdy LLC, Minnesota) that produces commercials, film trailers, narrative films, photography, animation, production design, and art/design content for brands and clients. The company operates as a creative consortium of specialized directors, cinematographers, photographers, animators, illustrators, and production designers, providing full-service visual storytelling for advertising campaigns and content projects across broadcast, digital, and social platforms.
Is HOWDY GANG a public or private company?
HOWDY GANG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HOWDY GANG founded?
HOWDY GANG was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is HOWDY GANG based?
HOWDY GANG is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does HOWDY GANG make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Commercial Production Services are the primary driver. The others are film and Documentary Production, photography and Visual Content and animation and Motion Graphics.
Who are HOWDY GANG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hungry Man, Anonymous Content, Iconoclast, Radical Media, Prettybird, Smuggler, Great Guns, Biscuit Filmworks and Tool of North America. Wieden+Kennedy is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does HOWDY GANG have an API?
No public API is recorded for HOWDY GANG.
What industry is HOWDY GANG in?
HOWDY GANG's product category is Creative Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAFAG, Production Design & Art Department Services (Sets, Props, Scenic). Its SIC code is 7311.