The Animation Lab was created to carve out space for animated characters born on the internet, for the internet, and to give artists a different path to character development. We use old school storytelling and new school data analysis to create animated content that brings joyful, relatable content to your feed.

Founded in late 2017 by Zee Myers, the Animation Lab quickly began producing hit after viral hit. First considered a short term experiment for BuzzFeed’s Research & Development team, the Lab has evolved and grown exponentially. Our work pushes the envelope on how to create and define an animated show, and consistently breaks ground on new and emerging platforms.

The Animation Lab’s success is built by the amazing artists within it, like Loryn Brantz and Lizz Hickey. Loryn (creator of the aggressively optimistic pastry The Good Advice Cupcake) and Lizz (creator of the low-brow sister comedy Weird Helga) have been with the Animation Lab since the beginning. In 2018, Brent Sievers and Kyra Kupetsky joined the Lab, and shortly after Zee launched a company-wide character initiative, allowing anyone to pitch new ideas. Many characters from that initiative, including a Werner Herzog-inspired fetus named Yarl, were tested and ultimately failed, but one concept had its break-out moment in 2019. Now called The Land of Boggs, a co-creation of Lizz and Brent, this colorful cast of two-limbed creatures is one of our most loved properties. In 2020, Kyra created her viral sensation, the adorable and magical Chikn Nuggit. These creatives and their small but powerful teams of illustrators and animators are what power the Animation Lab.

As of early 2023, we are working on new characters (so stay tuned!), and have partnered with Frederator Studios to develop our shows for longform (exciting!).

Additionally to The Animation Lab, Zee created BuzzFeed Media Labs in 2020 to house innovative projects in interactive video, games, AI, and VR.

The Animation Lab strives to create a stable and artist friendly workplace, keeping diversity and inclusion, work/life balance, and open employee communication as constant and active priorities.