FOX and Toonstar announced a Thursday partnership aimed at bringing creator-led, digital-first animation into FOX’s advertising infrastructure—opening doors for brands to sponsor existing series, co-produce branded originals, and push animated IP into merchand
FOX’s advertising machine is getting a new kind of content partner—one built for YouTube speed.
On Thursday, FOX Advertising and Toonstar announced a strategic partnership designed to bring creator-led animation into the advertising mainstream. The plan joins FOX’s sales and distribution capabilities with Toonstar’s technology-driven animation production model.
The partnership isn’t just about getting animation in front of audiences. It’s built to help brands sponsor existing animated series, fund creator projects, or develop original character-driven franchises intended to expand into merchandise, gaming, publishing, and other businesses.
For Toonstar, the deal is a validation of a model built around digital-first animation created for platforms such as YouTube. “We’re bringing digital-first, creator-led animation to FOX’s advertising infrastructure,” Toonstar CEO and co-founder John Attanasio said. “What it means for brands is they can get into digital-first creator-led animation in a way they hadn’t really been able to before.”.
Toonstar was founded by former Disney and Warner Bros. executives John Attanasio and Luisa Huang. The company develops animated projects with digital creators and internet-native talent, including the upcoming series “Fried” from comedian and creator Nigel Ng, also known as Uncle Roger.
The FOX partnership creates two main pathways for advertisers.
First, brands can sponsor existing Toonstar series and creator-led projects. Attanasio said FOX’s advertising sales infrastructure should help increase monetization opportunities for those shows while also creating a larger advertising marketplace around Toonstar’s growing slate. “The more of these digital-first animated shows we do. you start to build out what is essentially a YouTube animation network. ” he said.
The second avenue is more involved: brands can participate directly in creating content. Attanasio called these efforts “branded originals”—character-driven worlds developed in collaboration with advertisers that launch as entertainment properties before expanding into broader intellectual property franchises. “More brands are seeing themselves as studios in a way,” he said. “They want to actually co-produce a character world. It’s really using content as a flywheel.”.
That “flywheel” idea fits a broader shift in media and marketing, where companies increasingly look beyond traditional advertising toward owned intellectual property and audience communities.
Speed is another major piece of the pitch. Animation has long struggled to respond to cultural moments in real time, and Toonstar says its production technology changes that. Attanasio said that timing is something creators can do with influencers and live-action. but “You really haven’t been able to do that with animation.”.
Toonstar says its proprietary production system. Ink & Pixel. allows it to produce animation quickly enough to keep pace with the rhythm of social media and YouTube publishing schedules. The company says it can release episodes on a weekly cadence while incorporating audience feedback into future installments.
That feedback loop is powered by a second Toonstar technology platform called SPOT, which analyzes audience behavior and engagement data. Huang said the system helps creators understand not just who is watching. but why certain characters. storylines. pacing choices. and creative decisions resonate. Those insights. Huang said. can be incorporated into future episodes and shared with advertisers looking for a deeper understanding of audience affinity. “The audience signals translate back into the development of the show,” Huang said. “Because of the speed in which we develop, we’re able to react to those audience signals.”.
The announcement lands as major media companies continue embracing creator-led content and direct-to-consumer distribution strategies. It also arrives amid broader changes in the streaming landscape. including FOX’s recently announced acquisition of Roku. a deal that significantly expands the company’s reach in ad-supported streaming.
Attanasio framed the alignment between Toonstar and FOX as a recognition that creator-led digital content is no longer just a niche category. “We feel like it’s important because this is where audiences are,” he said. “Especially millennials and Gen Z. This is where they are.”
FOX and Toonstar plan to showcase the partnership at Cannes Lions next week.
FOX Advertising Toonstar creator-led animation digital-first animation John Attanasio Luisa Huang Ink & Pixel SPOT Uncle Roger Fried Cannes Lions advertising partnership branded originals Roku acquisition