Terribly Terrific Productions

What Terribly Terrific Productions does

Terribly Terrific Productions is a New York City–based boutique animation studio specializing in children's educational media. Co-founded and led by Tim Shankweiler and Mike Luzzi, each with over 20 years of creative leadership experience at Nickelodeon, Disney, Sesame Workshop, PBS, and MTV, the studio operates as a small creative shop that develops original animated IP and provides animation services to broadcast, streaming, gaming, and educational technology buyers.

The studio's core work spans three product areas: original animated show and short-form development pitched to broadcast networks and streaming platforms (e.g., 'Pets Home Alone' for PBS/Sesame Workshop's The Electric Company, 'Sandwich Shape-off' for Sesame Street/HBO Max); character design and visual development for educational technology platforms (e.g., ABC Mouse redesign for Age of Learning); and animation, storyboarding, and 2½D world design for gaming and promotional clients (e.g., Supercell's Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Clash Royale). Technical strengths are in 2D and 2½D animation, curriculum-driven storytelling, and the ability to deliver production-ready pitches rather than conceptual treatments.

Revenue is generated primarily through project-based and development contracts: one-time license arrangements with networks and streamers when a pitch is greenlit, plus professional services engagements billed per project/contract with clients such as Supercell and Age of Learning. The studio reaches end audiences through HBO Max and PBS/Sesame Workshop distribution and through Age of Learning's ABC Mouse consumer platform, while enterprise clients in gaming and education are acquired through direct relationships. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, has no disclosed institutional funding, and operates at a small scale (1–10 employees) on a project-by-project basis.

Name

Terribly Terrific Productions

Legal name

Terribly Terrific Productions

Website

https://terriblyterrific.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Terribly Terrific Productions is a New York City boutique children's animation studio co-founded by Mike Luzzi and Tim Shankweiler. It develops original animated educational content and provides character design, storyboarding, and animation services to broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and gaming clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Set Virtual Art Department (VAD) & Previs/Postvis (MPAHADAD)

Keywords

• Children's animation production
• Educational content creation
• Character design services
• Animated short films
• Visual development studio

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Original Show Pitching and Production: Developing and pitching original children's animated show concepts to networks and streaming platforms. Revenue is generated through development deals and production contracts when a pitch is greenlit.
2. Animation and Design Services: Providing storyboarding, character design, animation, and visual development services to external clients including game studios (Supercell), educational media companies (Age of Learning for ABC Mouse), and broadcasters (Sesame Workshop). Billed on a project/contract basis.
3. Creative Development and Consulting: Offering experienced creative guidance to networks and streaming platforms as they bring shows to air, as part of their pitch and development process.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Terribly Terrific Productions is a boutique creative studio that develops and produces original animated children's content and provides animation production services. The studio pitches original show concepts to broadcast networks and streaming platforms, and delivers storyboarding, character design, 2D/2½D animation, and visual development services to external clients in gaming, educational technology, and broadcasting.

Product overview

Terribly Terrific Productions is a New York City-based animation studio specializing in children's television content. The company operates as a single unified creative studio rather than a platform, offering integrated services including creative development, pitch creation, character design, and animation production. Their portfolio spans multiple product types: original animated series concepts (Pets Home Alone, Sandwich Shape-off) created for educational broadcasters; character redesign services (ABC Mouse for Age of Learning); and animation/storyboard services for gaming clients (Supercell). The two founders, Mike Luzzi and Tim Shankweiler, each bring over 20 years of experience in children's television animation, having worked with major networks including Nickelodeon, Disney, Sesame Workshop, PBS, and MTV.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pets Home Alone A series of animated shorts featured within The Electric Company, a PBS show produced by Sesame Workshop. The segments teach children sophisticated aspects of reading such as emphasizing phrases with italics, reading all instructions in a list, and punctuation through comedic pet characters.
• Sandwich Shape-off A letter film commissioned by Sesame Street featuring two animated sandwich-dance crews competing to form various shapes. The short teaches children about geometric shapes through an energetic, fun competition format with choreographed routines.
• ABC Mouse Character Redesign Character redesign services for ABC Mouse, an award-winning educational software platform for young children. Terribly Terrific created a modern, updated visual look for the iconic ABC Mouse characters while maintaining the classic animation aesthetic.
• Supercell Animation Services Storyboarding, character design, and animation services for Supercell's lineup of mobile games including Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Clash Royale. Work includes commercial storyboards, character animation, and 2½D world animation.
• Creative Development & Pitch Services Story-focused development services creating unique pitches built around relatable characters for global audiences. The studio invents worlds rich in character, narrative, and curriculum, working with networks and streaming platforms to bring shows to air.

Quantifiable outcome

• A Mother's Day spot for Hay Day (produced for Supercell) won a Telly Award for Outstanding Craft in a Fully Animated Piece.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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.

• FrameyardcoreTechnology or IntegrationTerribly Terrific worked with Frameyard to design characters, animate complex 2½D worlds, create fun logo animation, and storyboard commercials for Supercell's lineup of games. Frameyard served as the primary creative partner in this collaboration for game-related animation work.
• SupercellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerribly Terrific provides character design, animation, and commercial production services for Supercell's portfolio of games including Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Clash Royale. The studio won a Telly Award for a Hay Day Mother's Day spot produced through this relationship.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• 9 Story Media Group: Larger Canadian children's content producer and animation studio with a deep series portfolio across multiple networks. Comparable buyer/supplier dynamic to Terribly Terrific but at meaningfully greater scale.
• Genius Brands International: Children's entertainment company operating a portfolio of kids' brands and animated series. Comparable buyer/supplier dynamic to Terribly Terrific but operating at significantly greater scale and as a brand owner.

Direct peers

• Tonko House: Independent boutique animation studio that produces original children's and family content (e.g., feature films, series). Comparable in scale and creative-led model to Terribly Terrific's boutique approach to character-driven kids' animation.
• Big Bad Boo Studios: Boutique animation studio producing original children's series (e.g., 100% Wolf, Agent Binky). Comparable in size and focus on original children's animated IP for global broadcasters.
• Curiosity Ink Media: Children's entertainment company developing and producing original animated series and franchises. Comparable as a creator-led children's IP studio selling into the same broadcast/streaming buyer pool.
• Pipeline Studios: Animation production studio providing full-service animation for children's series, gaming, and commercial clients. Comparable as a services-focused animation studio serving broadcast and gaming customers.
• Guru Studio: Toronto-based children's animation studio behind series like True and the Rainbow Kingdom. Comparable as a creator-led kids' animation studio delivering original IP and production services to broadcasters and streamers.
• Wildseed Studios: Independent animation and original IP studio producing short-form and series content for digital platforms. Comparable as a creator-led boutique competing in the same kids'/digital content space.
• Silvergate Media: Independent children's entertainment company producing original animated series (e.g., Octonauts, Pete the Cat) for global broadcasters. Comparable as a small-to-mid children's IP and animation production company.

Emerging players

• BaAM Productions: Animation and live-action production studio serving kids', family, and gaming clients. Comparable as a smaller services-focused studio with overlapping broadcast and commercial clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terribly-terrific-productions
• Instagraminstagram.com/terriblyterrific.nyc

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 Terribly Terrific Productions