Team Effort

What Team Effort does

Team Effort is a privately held, founder-led production studio that converts digital-first YouTube creator channels into repeatable television formats for linear cable networks and streaming platforms. Co-founded by Jason, a 20-year veteran of premium unscripted television production, and Ben, co-founder of Donut Media (the #1 automotive YouTube channel in North America), the studio maintains a roster of creators across Automotive, Home, Adventure, and Food verticals and pairs them with veteran digital and linear producers. Its portfolio includes prime-time and cable commissions such as Rico to the Rescue on HGTV and Hibbs Shows You How on Magnolia Network, plus branded content partnerships including Art of the Stunt with Genesis and the World of Warcraft Goblin Car build with Blizzard Entertainment.

The studio's core product is format development and production services, not a technology platform. Its proprietary output is licensable show concepts (e.g., the Hi-Low format, which has generated 200M+ views across four seasons on Donut Media) built to sustain multi-season runs across both YouTube creator channels and traditional television. Distribution occurs through commissioned linear relationships (HGTV, Magnolia Network), creator-owned YouTube channels, and direct branded content partnerships. The underlying production methodology is human-creative-led with no disclosed technology platform, AI tooling, or proprietary software architecture.

Team Effort operates on a professional services revenue model, generating income through project-based production contracts negotiated directly with cable networks, streaming platforms, and enterprise brand partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is actively operating with multiple projects in market and one (Unvarnished, with Foureyes Furniture) in production, and serves three primary customer segments: digital content creators seeking to expand into television, television networks seeking younger-skewing unscripted content, and brand marketers seeking authentic creator-led engagement with enthusiast audiences.

Name

Team Effort

Legal name

Team Effort

Website

https://teameffort.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Team Effort is a founder-led production studio that converts YouTube creator channels into repeatable television formats for cable networks, streaming platforms, and brand partners across Automotive, Home, Adventure, and Food verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Production & Talent Services (Casting, Crew, Production Management) (MPAAAMAF), Commercial Production Companies (Live-Action) (MPAAAMAA)

Keywords

• Television production services
• Unscripted show formats
• Branded content production
• Creator to network development
• Digital video studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Production Services: Team Effort generates revenue by producing television shows and formats for networks and streaming platforms. Projects are commissioned by networks like HGTV and Magnolia Network, as well as through branded content partnerships with automotive and consumer brands seeking to reach engaged audiences through creator-led content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Team Effort is a production studio that develops, produces, and packages unscripted television shows, digital video series, and repeatable show formats on behalf of YouTube creators, cable networks, streaming platforms, and consumer brand partners. The studio converts creator-led digital audiences into network-grade television programs and brand-driven content campaigns, delivering end-to-end production from concept and format development through distribution.

Product overview

Team Effort is a content production studio that creates TV shows and digital video content for creator channels and networks. Their portfolio includes multiple television programs (Rico to the Rescue on HGTV, Hibbs Shows You How on Magnolia Network, Unvarnished with Foureyes Furniture), branded content series (Art of the Stunt with Genesis, World of Warcraft Goblin Car with Blizzard), and licensable show formats (such as the Hi-Low format). The company operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing end-to-end production services from concept development through distribution across linear TV, streaming platforms, and digital creator channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rico to the Rescue
• Hibbs Shows You How An unscripted program on Magnolia Network featuring creator Jason Hibbs's biggest build project, ranking #8 out of more than 40 unscripted programs that premiered on Magnolia Network the same year and #7 among Total Viewers on its premiere date.
• Unvarnished A show conceived and produced in collaboration with Chris Salomone of Foureyes Furniture, examining the objects, aesthetics, and status symbols that shape modern culture. Currently in production.
• Art of the Stunt A four-part branded content series produced with Donut Media and Genesis, showcasing how Hollywood automotive stunts are executed using the Genesis G70 and featuring stunt coordinator Robert Nagle. The series generated 22M+ impressions and 10M+ views, 250K+ social growth, and 335% engagement increase for Genesis.
• World of Warcraft Goblin Car Project A collaboration with BigTime and Blizzard Entertainment to build a real, driveable World of Warcraft Goblin Car for a video game expansion, generating 900K+ views with 500K+ within the first 48 hours and 74% audience retention past 30 seconds.
• Show Format Licensing Licensable repeatable show concepts and formats (e.g., the Hi-Low format from Donut Media, which achieved 200 million views across four seasons) engineered to work season after season across digital and linear platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hi-Low format achieved 200 million views across four seasons, becoming the most successful format in Donut Media history
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Blizzard EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlizzard Entertainment partnered with Team Effort and BigTime to create the World of Warcraft Goblin Car—a real, driveable car inspired by the video game expansion. This project created content that resonated across both automotive enthusiasts and gaming fans.
• BigTimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBigTime collaborated with Team Effort and Blizzard to develop the World of Warcraft Goblin Car project, creating content that bridged automotive and gaming audiences.
• Donut MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Team Effort co-founder Ben, Donut Media is the #1 automotive YouTube channel in North America. Team Effort produces content for Donut Media including the Hi-Low format (200M+ views) and Art of the Stunt series.
• GenesiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGenesis partnered with Team Effort and Donut Media to create Art of the Stunt, a four-part series showcasing how Hollywood automotive stunts are performed using the Genesis G70. The series generated 22M+ impressions and 10M+ views, with 335% engagement increase for the brand.
• Jason HibbscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Hibbs is a creator/builder whose show Hibbs Shows You How is produced by Team Effort for Magnolia Network. The show ranked #8 out of 40+ unscripted programs premiering on Magnolia Network.
• Chris Salomone (Foureyes Furniture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChris Salomone of Foureyes Furniture partnered with Team Effort to conceive and produce Unvarnished, a show examining objects and status symbols in modern culture. The show is currently in production.

Scale indicators9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bunim/Murray Productions: Pioneering unscripted production company (The Real World, Project Runway, Keeping Up with the Kardashians). Closely comparable as a long-running boutique-to-mid-market production studio working across cable networks and streaming platforms.
• Propagate Content: Independent content studio that develops and produces unscripted and scripted television formats globally (e.g., The Voice, Versailles). Directly comparable to Team Effort as a format-development studio that converts creator/IP concepts into multi-season network commissions.
• Magical Elves: Independent unscripted production company behind shows such as Top Chef, Nailed It, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Same business model as Team Effort: produces project-based commissions for major cable/streaming networks.
• Truly Original: Unscripted production studio producing premium reality content for Bravo, E!, and Discovery+. Matches Team Effort's profile of producing commissions targeting engaged fan communities and lifestyle verticals.
• High Noon Entertainment: Unscripted production studio producing lifestyle and home programming for Discovery, HGTV, and Magnolia. Highly comparable given Team Effort's HGTV and Magnolia Network commissions in home/lifestyle verticals.
• Done and Done Productions: Independent production company behind Netflix's The Circle and other lifestyle/competition unscripted programming. Directly comparable as a boutique studio building brands into multi-season network franchises.

Others

• Donut Media: The #1 automotive YouTube channel in North America, co-founded by Team Effort co-founder Ben. They operate as a creator-network channel and content production entity, serving as both a key customer and ecosystem partner for Team Effort's automotive vertical.

Emerging players

• Sandstone Studios: Boutique production studio producing lifestyle and docuseries content. Comparable to Team Effort in being a smaller founder-led shop chasing network commissions in lifestyle and creator-driven programming.
• Portal Productions: Independent production studio developing and producing formats across cable and streaming. Closely comparable as a small-format-development studio targeting the same network commissioning ecosystem as Team Effort.

Broad incumbents

• Hello Sunshine: Reese Witherspoon's media company producing premium film/TV and brand partnerships. Broader portfolio but comparable model of using creator/founder personal brand and partnerships to win network commissions and branded content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@teameffort.studio
• Facebookfacebook.com/teameffort.studio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teameffortstudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/teameffort.studio

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 Team Effort