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 in it, like Brent Sievers and Kyra Kupetsky who joined the Lab in 2018. Our first success stories came from Loryn Brantz, viral queen and creator of The Good Advice Cupcake, and Lizz Hickey, the creator of Weird Helga. 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, ultimately failed, but one concept, The Land of Boggs, went viral in 2019 and has continued to grow exponentially. A co-creation of Lizz and Brent, this colorful cast of two-limbed creatures is one of our most loved properties. Then in 2020, Kyra branched out and created her own internet sensation with the adorable and magical puppy Chikn Nuggit. These creatives and their small but powerful teams of illustrators and animators are what power the Animation Lab.

In 2023, Zee held another Character Initiative, which spawned two new exciting series - Puerco y Babosa, our first Latine focused show, created by David Munguia, and Magic & Stuff, an actual play Dungeons & Dragons show co-created by Meredith Kesh and Elisabeth Riley, that brings together live action and animation. We are also partnered with Frederator Studios to develop our shows for networks (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.