SpindleHorse Toons
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2018
- Employees
- 51-200
- Offices
- 1
About SpindleHorse Toons
SpindleHorse Toons is an independent American animation studio founded in 2018 by writer, director, and animator Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano. Based in Burbank, California, it creates adult animated series, web productions, musical storytelling, and original character-driven entertainment. Its work centers on traditional frame-by-frame 2D animation, combining digital hand-drawn production with dark comedy, musical theater influences, and distinctive fictional worlds.
The studio became widely known through the self-financed 2019 YouTube pilot for Hazbin Hotel. The project subsequently developed into a streaming television series with A24, Bento Box Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios, premiering on Prime Video in January 2024. Its second season premiered in 2025, and the supplied research records renewals through a fifth season. The production illustrates the studio’s progression from independently released online animation to collaborations on television and streaming projects.
Alongside that work, SpindleHorse independently produces and finances Helluva Boss, whose main web series began airing in 2020 after its 2019 pilot. The series combines adult comedy with musical storytelling and has expanded through Helluva Shorts and the animated music video Just Look My Way. Other productions include the holiday short Holidaze and ZooPhobia: Bad Luck Jack, with further ZooPhobia animation described as being in development.
Production and creative work
SpindleHorse’s production capabilities span script development through finished animation and sound. Its pipeline includes storyboarding, animatics, character and environment design, prop design, rough animation, cleanup, and background painting. Animation and voice direction, music scoring, and audio post-production support its emphasis on performance and songs.
Beyond screen production, the studio develops original intellectual property and supports its properties through character merchandise, licensing, merchandise design, and retail fulfillment. Its business combines independent web distribution and direct audience support with partnerships for larger streaming productions, while retaining an emphasis on creator-driven 2D animation.
More about SpindleHorse Toons
Leadership
Vivienne Medrano serves as CEO, CFO, and a director. Allison Medrano is secretary and a director. Production leadership includes Tom Murray (General Manager / Head of Production), Skye Henwood (Supervising Animation Director), Sam Miller (Art Director), Melanie Mrozek (Animation Director), and Adam Neylan (Creative Executive).
Labor representation
In September 2025, a bargaining unit of 106 animation artists and production workers unionized with The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, through voluntary recognition. This figure describes the bargaining unit rather than the studio's total workforce.
Recognition and history
- ZooPhobia: Bad Luck Jack won the Ursa Major Award for Best Dramatic Short Work; the report does not supply an award year.
- The studio's name derives from “Spindle Horse,” a childhood character created by Medrano that served as an imaginary production mascot before becoming the studio's name.
Notable credits
7 creditsOffices
Where SpindleHorse Toons is based
- Burbank, California, United States
Burbank office
HeadquartersOperating headquarters and main physical production base for creative direction, animation production, and the Guild-represented crew.
Open roles
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