# SpindleHorse
**SpindleHorse**, doing business as **SpindleHorse Toons**, is an American independent animation studio founded in 2018 by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano and based in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california).[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons) It specializes in traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation and is best known as the production home of the "Hellaverse" shared universe: the adult animated musical series *Hazbin Hotel* and its spin-off *Helluva Boss*.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons) The studio describes itself as independent, women-founded, and women-led.[2](https://spindlehorse.squarespace.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018, by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano; based in Burbank, California[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons) |
| Specialty | Traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation, from concept and script to final picture[3](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2025-10/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20_Gravity_%20-%2010.10.25.docx.pdf) |
| Signature series | *Hazbin Hotel* (co-produced with A24 and Bento Box Entertainment) and *Helluva Boss* (independently produced, later co-produced with Amazon Prime Video)[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons) |
| Unionization | 106 employees voluntarily recognized with The Animation Guild (IATSE) in September 2025[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/) |
| Expansion | Australian division SpindleRoo launched in September 2025; first project an animated pilot of the webcomic *Homestuck*[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons) |
| Funding origins | Patreon campaign begun in 2016 to fund the studio and the *Hazbin Hotel* pilot[6](https://pocketmags.com/fr/sfx-magazine/january-2024/articles/hell-s-bells) |
## Origin and name
Medrano joined YouTube in 2012 under the name VivziePop, sharing her self-made comic *ZooPhobia* and a series of animated shorts centered on Hell-based characters. By 2016 her following was large enough that a Patreon could fund her own animation studio, SpindleHorse Toons, to create a pilot episode for her passion project *Hazbin Hotel*.[6](https://pocketmags.com/fr/sfx-magazine/january-2024/articles/hell-s-bells) The studio was formally established in 2018.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons) Medrano has stated that the company's name comes from a childhood character of hers named Spindle.[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons)
The *Hazbin Hotel* pilot was released on YouTube in October 2019 and quickly gained a large audience; [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records) press materials cite over 117 million views for the pilot.[7](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20Hazbin%20Hotel_%20Season%20Two%20Pre-Order%20-%2011.21.25.docx.pdf) What began as a channel for Medrano's own animated content has since grown into a fully-fledged studio collaborating with partners such as A24 and Amazon.[3](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2025-10/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20_Gravity_%20-%2010.10.25.docx.pdf)
## The Hellaverse productions
**Helluva Boss.** SpindleHorse was the sole animation studio for *Helluva Boss*, the spin-off following the Immediate Murder Professionals, a band of demon assassins who kill people on Earth for a living.[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons) • [8](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-work) The studio remained its sole producer until 2025, when [Amazon Prime](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-prime) offered to co-produce the series.[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons)
**Hazbin Hotel.** The main series is co-animated with Bento Box Entertainment and co-produced with A24, with [Amazon MGM Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-mgm-studios) also credited.[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons) • [9](https://www.thepopverse.com/tv-hellaverse-helluva-boss-hazbin-hotel-studio) Medrano serves as executive producer and directed all episodes.[7](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20Hazbin%20Hotel_%20Season%20Two%20Pre-Order%20-%2011.21.25.docx.pdf) Season two premiered on Prime Video on October 29, 2025, with two episodes rolling out weekly through November 19, available in more than 240 countries and territories.[3](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2025-10/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20_Gravity_%20-%2010.10.25.docx.pdf)
**Other work.** The studio has produced animated shorts including *Holidaze* and the *ZooPhobia* short *Bad Luck Jack*, all available on Medrano's YouTube channel.[4](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons) Its slate also lists *Helluva Boss* shorts and an upcoming animated adaptation of Medrano's webcomic *ZooPhobia*.[8](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-work) In 2025 the studio began production on an animated adaptation of the 2010s webcomic *Homestuck*, produced through its new Australian division.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/)
## Studio structure and people
Medrano remains the studio's founder and the creator and showrunner of both series.[10](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-team) The studio's published team page lists a supervising director for *Hazbin Hotel* (Skye Henwood), an animation director for *Helluva Boss* (Mel Mrozek), an art director (Sam Miller), a general manager (Tom Murray), a creative executive (Adam Neylan), and a merch and graphic designer (KStone).[10](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-team) Amanda Heard, previously an art director and storyboard artist on *Helluva Boss*, is showrunner for the upcoming *Zoophobia* series.[10](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-team)
The studio's growth has not been without friction. Reporting on the studio's scaling period described complaints from freelancers about rates and the absence of a dedicated HR function; production supervisor Adam Neylan acknowledged the gap and said the studio was looking to fix it.[11](https://passionfru.it/hazbin-hotel-spindlehorse-studio-46812/) A widely shared video essay by the film commentator Daniel Goldhorn examined a filed labor charge against the studio, explaining that a [National Labor Relations Board](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-labor-relations-board) charge is not a lawsuit, in response to claims that the studio was being sued.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHDj9lyTgQ)
## Unionization
In September 2025, animators at SpindleHorse requested and received voluntary recognition of their union from the studio, establishing a bargaining unit of 106 employees with The Animation Guild, part of IATSE.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/) The unit is notable for having a majority of employees working remotely outside [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county), a pattern IATSE has sought to organize as workers leave the area over living costs.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/) Medrano herself is an Animation Guild member.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/) The recognition came a month ahead of the season two release of *Hazbin Hotel* and as production had begun on the *Homestuck* adaptation.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/)
## Place in independent animation
SpindleHorse grew out of the YouTube creator economy rather than the traditional studio route, and Medrano has described the present period as a golden age for indie animation.[13](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/hazbin-hotel-creator-vivienne-medrano-encourages-fellow-indie-artists-were-in-the-golden-age-of-indie-animation-237692.html) The full pilot of *Hazbin Hotel*, released in October 2019 under the SpindleHorse banner, is credited with beginning the recent boom in indie animation.[14](https://www.hercampus.com/school/odu/the-rise-of-indie-animation-challenges-trends-and-evolution/) Alongside Australia's Glitch Productions, SpindleHorse is frequently cited as a leading studio of that boom, though its successes and controversies make it an imperfect reference point for the industry as a whole.[14](https://www.hercampus.com/school/odu/the-rise-of-indie-animation-challenges-trends-and-evolution/) The studio's own stated aim is to champion a renaissance in 2D frame-by-frame animation, a technique it calls rare in today's digital landscape.[2](https://spindlehorse.squarespace.com/)
## References
1. [SpindleHorse Toons, Production List (Film & Television Industry Alliance)](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/spindlehorse-toons)
2. [SpindleHorse official site](https://spindlehorse.squarespace.com/)
3. ["Gravity" from Hazbin Hotel: Season Two, Atlantic Records press release (October 10, 2025)](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2025-10/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20_Gravity_%20-%2010.10.25.docx.pdf)
4. [SpindleHorse Toons, Hellaverse Wiki (Fandom)](https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/SpindleHorse_Toons)
5. ['Hazbin Hotel' Studio SpindleHorse Among Latest Additions to IATSE's Animation Union Wave, TheWrap (September 17, 2025)](https://www.thewrap.com/hazbin-hotel-animation-guild-iatse/)
6. [Hell's Bells!, SFX Magazine, January 2024](https://pocketmags.com/fr/sfx-magazine/january-2024/articles/hell-s-bells)
7. [Hazbin Hotel: Season Two Pre-Order, Atlantic Records press release (November 21, 2025)](https://press.atlanticrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014001/files/2026-01/Hazbin%20Hotel%20-%20Hazbin%20Hotel_%20Season%20Two%20Pre-Order%20-%2011.21.25.docx.pdf)
8. [Our Work, SpindleHorse official site](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-work)
9. [Why Helluva Boss has way more freedom than Hazbin Hotel, Popverse](https://www.thepopverse.com/tv-hellaverse-helluva-boss-hazbin-hotel-studio)
10. [Our Team, SpindleHorse official site](https://spindlehorse.com/pages/our-team)
11. ['Hazbin Hotel' Animators Got a Helluva Time, Passionfruit](https://passionfru.it/hazbin-hotel-spindlehorse-studio-46812/)
12. [Daniel Goldhorn, video essay on the SpindleHorse labor charge, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHDj9lyTgQ)
13. ['Hazbin Hotel' Creator Vivienne Medrano On Why Now Is The Golden Age Of Indie Animation, Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/hazbin-hotel-creator-vivienne-medrano-encourages-fellow-indie-artists-were-in-the-golden-age-of-indie-animation-237692.html)
14. [The Rise of Indie Animation: Challenges, Trends, and Evolution, Her Campus](https://www.hercampus.com/school/odu/the-rise-of-indie-animation-challenges-trends-and-evolution/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen production organizations › Animation studios › Individual animation studios › American independent and specialty animation studios*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license