The Connected Set, the production company behind the gaming YouTube animation channel Mashed, is launching a new shortform animation studio, Spud Gun Studios.

The Connected Set has produced over 750 original animations and generated over 2 billion views for clients including Channel 4, BBC, Beano Studios and multiple games publishers. Spud Gun Studios has been launched to “capitalise on the growth and popularity of shortform animation for brands, broadcasters and social platforms.”

Spud Gun Studios has already inked its first few deals, with Channel 4 continuing its investment in Mashed until at least the end of 2024, plus branded and third party publisher deals in production due to launch later this year.

Creative Director of The Connected Set Jason Mitchell said:“The launch of our animation focused label Spud Gun Studios marks a key moment for the business as we recognise the growing importance of how animation can connect with audiences around the world where live-action can’t. Working with new and existing partners, we want to develop incredible characters and stories that build young fandoms across the world.”

The label will be overseen by Executive Producer Tom Jenkins, who launched Mashed on YouTube over a decade ago and plays a key role in its successful development and fellow exec Tom Payne, who joined The Connected Set from Studio71 in May 2021. They will be working closely with SP Ben Michael and other key members of the animation team.

Executive Producer Tom Jenkins said: “Having spent over 10 years nurturing and developing Mashed and producing hundreds of shortform animations and IP at The Connected Set, I’m incredibly hyped to bring our ideas and huge network of animators, writers, performers and musicians to the wider market.”

Fellow Exec Tom Payne added: “We have a truly unique understanding of what young audiences across the world want from shortform content, so taking all that knowledge and expertise to a wider market is such an exciting opportunity. We’ve already got a great track record of working with and delivering amazing results for brands and broadcasters, such as a video we did for Warframe which, with no promotion, generated 12 million organic views on YouTube, 400k watch hours, 377k likes and had 73% retention.”

In addition to broadcast and brand funded content Spud Gun Studios is also moving into the podcast space. Spud Gun has recently launched season 1 of its very first podcast which interviews popular online animators, and plans to ramp up its slate over the next 18 months.

Jon Creamer

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