Invisible Universe, which calls itself an “internet-first” animation studio, has hired Jonathan Schneider as president of studios.
Schneider, who has held senior positions at entertainment companies including Disney and Skydance, brings two decades of experience to Invisible Universe. Based in L.A., he will lead Invisible Universe in its adoption of new technologies, including those associated with AI, motion capture and real-time rendering, and is tasked with building new business verticals for the media company.
Backers of Invisible Universe, founded in 2018, include Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams, Jennifer Aniston and Will Smith’s Dreamers VC. That company’s strategy is to create and incubate animation character franchises on social media, before taking that IP to film and TV, games, merchandise, publishing and other areas.
“Jonathan is a bit of a Hollywood unicorn in that he has straddled both creative and operations at executive levels for some of the biggest companies in media,” Tricia Biggio, co-founder and CEO of Invisible Universe and former Snap and MGM executive, said in a statement. “He shares the vision for Invisible Universe to continue redefining what it means to launch new franchises for this next generation.”
Schneider worked within the ranks of Hollywood agencies before moving to TV and becoming a creative executive at Nickelodeon. From there, he spent a decade at Disney’s television animation studio. Most recently, he was senior VP, operations and business strategy at Skydance, where he set the strategic for the studio’s operations.
“Invisible Universe is pioneering what it means to be an animation studio in a digital-first world, blending technology and new approaches to storytelling to develop franchises,” Schneider said.
The studio has launched seven brands to date, including in partnership with Serena Williams, Jennifer Aniston and the D’Amelio family, which collectively have amassed more than 12 million followers and billions of video views across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Earlier this month, Invisible Universe announced that Qai Qai, a character inspired the favorite doll of Williams’ daughter Olympia, would be featured in series “Dance With Qai Qai” on YouTube. The company says it also has signed book and toy deals for the character. Other Invisible Universe properties include Squeaky and Roy, animated versions of the long-lost beloved toys of influencers Dixie and Charli D’Amelio, and Clydeo, described as “an adorable, clumsy, loveable rescue pup with an affinity for food who lives with Jennifer Aniston.”