Illumination Cinema
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2013
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Illumination Cinema
Illumination Cinema is an independent multimedia production collective based in Wichita, Kansas, creating original animated films, live-action features, narrative shorts, documentaries, podcasts and graphic literature. Its work spans independent filmmaking and animation, with capabilities extending from writing and visual development through production, editing and sound.
Founded in 2013 by Tyler W. Moore, Christopher Strong and Jamie Zin, the company began as a cloud-based group of independent filmmakers. The founders developed their production banner while collaborating on the animated web series Brimstone Terrace, which ran from 2013 to 2015. The group subsequently launched the Illumination Cinema Movie Podcast in 2014 and completed its first live-action feature, Living After Midnight, in 2016.
After that early period of distributed collaboration, the team expanded and centralized its operations in Wichita. Its feature output grew to include the animated film Left Hook in 2020, the comedy-drama Wish You Were Here in 2021 and the faux-documentary Personal History in 2022. The studio later expanded into feature documentary production with A Complex History of the United States in 2025.
Original production across formats
The studio's animation work encompasses 2D and CGI production, including development, storyboarding and character design. Its live-action capabilities include directing, producing, casting and cinematography, supported by post-production work in editing, sound mixing, foley and score composition. Beyond film, the collective produces film-discussion podcasts and develops independent comics and graphic novels.
In 2026, Illumination Cinema returned to its founding property with a feature-length animated adaptation of Brimstone Terrace, presented at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita. Its ongoing production activity also includes short-form narrative and experimental work. Across these formats, the company maintains a focus on original projects and participates in the Midwestern independent film community through screenings, festival showcases and regular multimedia releases.
More about Illumination Cinema
Current creative team
As of late 2026, co-founder Tyler W. Moore serves as creative director, producer, animator and director. Co-founder Christopher Strong works as a producer, senior writer and director. David Wayne Young, who joined in 2016, also serves as a producer, senior writer and director.
Other core creatives include Jillian Elaine, producer, staff writer and sound supervisor; David J. Cantu, associate producer, staff writer and casting director, who joined in 2017; Caitlyn Cody, associate producer, cinematographer and editor; and Molly Strickler, production staff member, writer and actor.
Collaborative production
The report describes a working model in which core members rotate across creative and technical responsibilities, including directing, writing, voice acting, producing, camera operation and sound design. For the 2026 animated feature adaptation of Brimstone Terrace, Moore completed almost all of the animation over a three-year period.
Notable credits
16 creditsOffices
Where Illumination Cinema is based
- Wichita, Kansas, United States
Wichita office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Overall headquarters and central operating base. Production takes place across local sets and collaborative home studios; no commercial walk-in office is maintained.
Open roles
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