Animation Business

6 Animation Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 6th, 2024

Animated posts and animated ads have become more prevalent today than ever before. Starting an animation business focusing on helping brands create animated ads and illustrations can be fun and profitable.

The animated videos can be posted on Instagram and other social media platforms. To start an animation studio, you should start by hiring some specialists. You need a pair of illustrators, animators, and a scriptwriter to bring the idea to life.

As an animation artist, you can create animation and visual effects for films, gamers, ads, etc.

In this list, you'll find real-world animation business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a animation business that makes money.

1. Animation Explainers ($1.02M/year)

Aaron Connolly and Dylan Healy, the co-founders of Animation Explainers, came up with the idea for their business after discovering the increasing popularity of explainer videos during a market research project. They decided to turn their passion for animation into a business and have since built a successful company that has worked with over 350 clients and created over 750 videos. Through their flexible approach and focus on storytelling, Animation Explainers has become an industry leader in the animation space, with plans to expand globally.

How much money it makes: $1.02M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 20

We Built A $1M/Year Business Creating Explainer Videos

Animation Explainers is an animation video production company that specializes in explaining complex products, services, and messages for organizations worldwide, with over 350 clients, 750 created videos, and generating $960k annually through their services.

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2. Filmbaker ($600K/year)

Tarun Lachhwani, along with his co-founders Rakesh R, Gaurav Singh, and Soman Surya Yadav, developed their passion for storytelling while making short films in college. Inspired by their success and their desire to help brands tell their stories, they launched Filmbaker in 2017 with just 4-5 lakhs (INR) in initial funding. Since then, they have grown to serve over 250 clients, including Google and Kingfisher, and are projected to reach 5Cr in revenue this year.

How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 35

How We Started A $50K/Month Video Production Company With A Bunch Of Engineers

Indian video production company Filmbaker has a clientele of over 250 brands and has grown from an initial funding of 4-5 lakhs INR to clock over 3Cr in FY 20-21, en route to cross 5Cr this year, by providing storytelling services and delivering consistent, high-quality work.

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3. Mediatopsolution OU ($120K/year)

Marco Gatti, the founder of Whiteboard.ee, came up with the idea for his business when he saw the power of animated videos in promoting books by Robert Cialdini, a renowned Psychology and Marketing professor. He realized the potential of using video animations to communicate more effectively with customers, but existing services were too expensive. So he took matters into his own hands and started creating animated videos for his family's company, which received positive feedback and led him to launch his own video animation company.

How much money it makes: $120K/year
How many people on the team: 0

How I Created A $10K/Month Company That Makes Animated Explainer Videos

Italian entrepreneur Marco Gatti shares how he started Whiteboard.ee, a video marketing company that creates personalized animated videos, with a focus on doodle whiteboard animation, and currently invoices about $10,000 per month, having recently expanded internationally.

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4. Love & Logic ($96K/year)

Angela had been the co-founder of a large successful agency for over a decade. However, her work-life balance wasn't optimal, and she was struggling to juggle roles between an agency owner and a creative person. Finally, she decided to take the leap and start her own solo creative studio with a clear mind and a focus on freedom.

How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
How many people on the team: 0

I Prioritized My Work-Life Balance And Now Run An $8K/Month Creative Studio

Love & Logic is a profitable solo creative studio, specializing in brand identity, animation, and motion graphics, averaging around $8k per month, targeting ethical brands, local authorities, and universities with a clear brand strategy, manifest, and reputation for quality and value-based pricing.

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5. drive80 ($84K/year)

Mike Doyle, the founder of Drive 80 Studios, came up with the idea for his animation company while having coffee with a friend. He was looking to focus on one specific project and she suggested that he specialize in creating explainer animations. Since then, he has been able to attract and retain customers through his unique marketing approach on platforms like LinkedIn, and he continues to look for new opportunities to expand his business.

How much money it makes: $84K/year
How many people on the team: 1

How I Started A $7K/Month Freelance Career Designing Explainer Animation Videos

An animation company owner generates between $75,000 and $100,000 annually from producing custom explainer animations for start-ups and marketing companies for between $5,500 and $7,500; logo animations for companies that market using videos at $200 to $500; and Instagram Stories stickers beginning at $350.

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6. CSS Animation ($6K/year)

Donovan Hutchinson, a website developer, came up with the idea for his business, CSSAnimation.rocks, after realizing the value of sharing his knowledge and learning experiences with others. He started by writing in-depth tutorials on creating web animations using HTML and CSS on his website. The positive reception and social media shares confirmed that he was onto something valuable.

How much money it makes: $6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0

I Make $6K Creating Website Animation Tutorials [Side Project]

A website developer generates a monthly income of $6k with his website CSSAnimation.rocks, an online platform that offers tutorials on how to create web animations using HTML and CSS, and includes a newsletter, an ebook, and a video course.

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