How Spud Gun Studios Took Mashed Independent and Built a Digital-First Powerhouse

This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Tom Jenkins, Creative Director of Spud Gun Studios, the digital-first indie behind the hugely popular animation channel Mashed. Fresh from taking full ownership of the brand from Channel 4, Tom reveals how the studio is building on Mashed’s global fanbase of nearly seven million followers, striking new brand partnerships with the likes of Xbox and Baldur’s Gate, and winning four awards at the inaugural TellyCast Digital Video Awards. He shares insights on developing fan-focused animation in the new production economy, diversifying revenue through branded content, Patreon and FAST channels, and why staying human-made is central to their creative ethos in an era of AI-generated “slop.”Knights of Guinevere trailerSign up for The Drop newsletterEnrol on the TellyCast Digital BootcampBuy tickets for the Digital Content ForumSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok