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HouseSpecial

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

HouseSpecial
Private
ISIN🆔
IndustryAnimation
PredecessorLAIKA/house
Founded 📆2014
Founders 👔Kirk Kelley, Alvaro Cubillas, Julie Ragland
Area served 🗺️
Key people
Kirk Kelley (Chief Creative Officer) 
                   Alvaro Cubillas (Chief Operating Officer)
Julie Ragland (Executive Producer; Head of Marketing)
Products 📟 Animated commercials, short films, branded content
Members
Number of employees
🌐 Websitehttps://www.housespecial.com/
📇 Address
📞 telephone

HouseSpecial is an American animation studio based in Portland, Oregon. The studio specializes in stop-motion, CG, and mixed-media commercial work and short-form storytelling. It is known for producing advertising and branded content for companies such as M&M’S, Apple, Target, ESPN, Supercell, Planters, and General Mills, as well as collaborations with major advertising agencies including Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Leo Burnett and BBDO.[1][2]

The studio was originally the commercial division of Laika known as LAIKA/house until it became an independent company in 2014.[3]

History

HouseSpecial’s origins trace back to Will Vinton Studios, a Portland stop-motion studio known for productions such as The PJs, the California Raisins, and Domino’s “Noid”. In the early 2000s Will Vinton Studios was acquired by Nike founder Phil Knight and rebranded as Laika in 2005. Laika created two divisions: Laika Entertainment for feature films and Laika/house for commercial work.[4][5][6]

In July 2014, Laika spun off its commercial division so the feature film arm could focus exclusively on long-form production. LAIKA/house then became an independent studio under the new name HouseSpecial. The new company was led by Kirk Kelley, Alvaro Cubillas and Lourri Hammack. Since the transition, HouseSpecial has continued producing short-form animation across a variety of media, including broadcast commercials, digital series, and branded miniature work.[7][8][9]

Work

Short films

HouseSpecial’s original short-form projects include:

  • Armor del Amor (2019) – A stylized nature-documentary–inspired short directed by Kirk Kelley. It screened at festivals including Mecal Pro (Barcelona), Festival international du court métrage d'animation de Roanne, the Boulder International Film Festival, and the Oregon Short Film Festival.[10][11][12][13]
  • A Tale of Momentum & Inertia – A short widely shared for its 70-second stop-motion narrative; screened at multiple festivals.[14][15][16]
  • Lamentation – A music-driven stop-motion short directed by Kirk Kelley, inspired by Pink Martini’s rendition of the Romanian ballad Până când nu te iubeam. The project combines stop-motion, in-camera effects and CG elements, and has won awards at several international festivals.[17][18]
  • Brim Broome Boulevard[19][20]

Notable commercial and media work

Leadership

  • Kirk Kelley – Chief Creative Officer[47][48]
  • Alvaro Cubillas – Chief Operating Officer[49][50]
  • Julie Ragland – Executive Producer and Head of Marketing[51][52]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About + News". HouseSpecial. 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  2. ↑ Newswire, MultiVu-PR. "Cole Haan Introduces ZERØGRAND with Stitchlite™ Wool and Partners with HouseSpecial To Bring the Idea To Life". Multivu. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  3. ↑ Amidi, Amid (2014-07-28). "House Special Launches in Portland". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  4. ↑ "Laika ramps up Oregon animation industry - Oregon Business". www.oregonbusiness.com. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  5. ↑ Rogoway, Mike (2009-09-18). "Laika lays off 63, scrubs plans for computer-animated features". oregonlive. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  6. ↑ animation_magazine (2015-12-30). "LAIKA Reflects on 10 Innovative Years". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Amidi, Amid (2014-07-28). "House Special Launches in Portland". Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  8. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (2015-07-28). "Kelly Salmon Named HouseSpecial Northeast Rep". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  9. ↑ "'Mind numbing patience': Kirk Kelley, HouseSpecial CCO on what makes a great creative". The Drum. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  10. ↑ "Armor del Amor". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  11. ↑ SHOOT (2018-06-14). "Top Spot of the Week: HouseSpecial's Kirk Kelley Directs "Armor del Amor" Indie Short". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  12. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (2018-06-06). "HouseSpecial's Armadillo Love Story Makes a Date with Portland Airport". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  13. ↑ Munson, Alise (2018-05-24). "HouseSpecial Releases An Animated Investigation Into The World Of Armadillo Mating | The Confluence". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  14. ↑ Kit, Borys (2017-04-20). "'Cars 3' Writers Tackling Animated Movie 'A Tale of Momentum and Inertia' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  15. ↑ "A Tale of Momentum & Inertia". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  16. ↑ "This Award-Winning Animated Short Is Also An Ad For A Job Site". Fast Company. 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  17. ↑ Munson, Alise (2017-02-23). "HouseSpecial's 'Lamentation' Screening at the New Hollywood Theatre @PDX | The Confluence". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  18. ↑ Munson, Alise (2017-02-23). "HouseSpecial's 'Lamentation' Screening at the New Hollywood Theatre @PDX | The Confluence". Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  19. ↑ "Exclusive: Bad Witch Pics Drops 'Brim Broome Boulevard' Trailer". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  20. ↑ Malone, Ian (2024-10-21). "Inside the Spooky Screening for "Brim Broome Boulevard"". Vogue. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  21. ↑ "Jailbreak". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  22. ↑ Munson, Alise (2017-08-31). "HouseSpecial's 'Jailbreak' Takes Best Picture at the We Like 'Em Short Film Festival | The Confluence". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  23. ↑ HouseSpecial (2016-12-08), Yule Log: December Ember, retrieved 2025-11-16
  24. ↑ Log 2.0, Yule (2015-12-04), December Embers, retrieved 2025-11-18
  25. ↑ HouseSpecial (2014-07-17), A Dream For Hokusai, retrieved 2025-11-16
  26. ↑ Debruge, Peter (2011-09-08). "Laika to adapt The Decemberists singer's 'Wildwood'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  27. ↑ Zahed, Ramin (2011-09-08). "Laika to Animate Decemberists Frontman's Fantasy Book". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  28. ↑ "LAIKA Entertaiment | ParaNorman End Credit Sequence". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  29. ↑ HouseSpecial (2014-12-16), Making Of - Drawing The Boxtrolls End Credits, retrieved 2025-11-18
  30. ↑ "M&M'S: Celebrating 20 years of work". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  31. ↑ "M&M's Partner with Hollywood Film The 'Red One'". creative.salon. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  32. ↑ "M&M's brings 'Minis' to Europe during the summer of sport". creative.salon. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  33. ↑ Only, Subscription (2018-01-29). "Inside M&M's Absurd Gambit to Turn Danny DeVito Into a Super Bowl-Sized Spokescandy". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  34. ↑ HouseSpecial (2014-07-31), Honey Nut Cheerios - GoPro, retrieved 2025-11-16
  35. ↑ Only, Subscription (2014-07-01). "Ad of the Day: Grumpy Cat Gets Stung by the Honey Nut Cheerios Mascot". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  36. ↑ "Planters Mr. Peanut". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  37. ↑ "Mr. Peanut Speaks at Last". Progressive Grocer. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  38. ↑ "Celebrated CG Director Joins Commercial Animation Team At LAIKA/house". SHOOTonline. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  39. ↑ "Our Work - Browse our animation expertise". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  40. ↑ "Behance". www.behance.net. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  41. ↑ "Meet Mark Gustafson". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  42. ↑ "LAIKA/house Promotes Kirk Kelley & Jan Johnson". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  43. ↑ "Boom Beach Campaign". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  44. ↑ Haan, Cole. "Cole Haan Introduces ZERØGRAND with Stitchlite™ Wool and Partners with HouseSpecial To Bring the Idea To Life". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  45. ↑ Only, Subscription (2018-10-01). "Cole Haan Goes From Supermodels to Sheep and Alpacas in New Film". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  46. ↑ Frogozo, B. J. (2018-11-28). "Digital Trends and HouseSpecial team up on the Tiniest Holiday Gift Guide". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  47. ↑ "Kirk Kelley". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  48. ↑ "'Mind numbing patience': Kirk Kelley, HouseSpecial CCO on what makes a great creative". The Drum. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  49. ↑ "New Hires". HouseSpecial. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  50. ↑ SHOOT (2019-05-25). "Top Spot of the Week: Director Dougal Wilson, Animation Studio House Special, BBDO Hop Aboard Movie "Train" For AT&T". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  51. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  52. ↑ "Exclusive: Bad Witch Pics Drops 'Brim Broome Boulevard' Trailer". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2025-11-18.

External links

This article "HouseSpecial" is from Simple English Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:HouseSpecial.


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