There are a number of software platforms that allow users to build advanced animations like vectoring, CGI, stop-motion animation, and motion graphics that yield cinematic assets with fluid transitions and realistic effects like Warners Bros. brand assets at the beginning of a film or the Netflix logo sting when the app is launched. Among the most widely recognized platforms are Adobe’s After Effects and Apple’s Final Cut Pro, where designers create motion graphics on a single-frame basis that are combined to yield the animation. However, these platforms require specialized knowledge making them inaccessible to the growing types of individuals and teams that are powering the creator economy. Fable has built the next-generation web-based motion design and platform that’s versatile enough to be used by skilled designers as well as those new to animation. Think of it like the Canva for motion design. Since the platform handles the rendering in the cloud, there are no onerous requirements for computational or graphics power. Unlike other platforms, Fable is built to be collaborative to handle the workflows of teams. It is free to join with paid Pro and Team plans available; all come with access to a growing library of tips and tutorials.
AlleyWatch caught up with Fable Cofounder and CEO Chris Boardman to learn more about how the technology for Fable emerged after being built as an internal business to support a different venture, the state of the motion graphics software market, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, which brings the total funding to $22.4M, and much, much more.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
$15M Series A led by Redpoint Ventures, with participation from Collaborative Fund, SIP Global Partners, Harrison Metal, Third Kind Venture Capital, and LightShed Ventures. Annie Kadavy of Redpoint will join the Board.
Tell us about the product or service that Fable offers.
Fable is the web-based motion design platform that empowers all creators with access and opportunities to tell stories with motion. At the heart of Fable is powerful motion software that feels familiar to new designers yet still highly performant for pros. Combining a user-friendly interface with the power and collaboration of the web, Fable is the only solution that brings teams together to manage, create, and review projects with one platform, across the entire creative process.
What inspired the start of Fable?
Fable started as an R&D project at an education lab called Gakko. In fact, the original idea was to create meaningful, interactive kids mobile apps. We built an online animation tool that let artists and illustrators create these interactive kids stories without code. But while we were working with designers they were asking us if they could use our animation tool for their own clients. As we dug deeper, we realized the market opportunity was significantly larger than we had originally expected.
We honed in on the problems our community feels daily:
Motion is intimidating: Motion as a storytelling medium is everywhere we look — from Instagram to Netflix, and it’s never been easier for anyone with an internet connection to build a brand and engage an audience. Yet creating pro-grade moving content is intimidating and incredibly difficult.
Motion is stuck offline: We’re at a unique moment in time where cloud-based software is proving the future of creative work is not only happening in a browser, but is thriving. We hear time and time again how the world’s top creative teams are unbundling their workflows to the browser to collaborate in a more remote world, but motion is the big missing piece.
How is Fable different?
Fable is modernizing motion design in three key ways:
It’s pro-grade software: At the heart of Fable is a powerful motion toolkit that comes loaded with a vector engine, rich effects, and a suite of motion tools to fuel endless creative possibilities. Exporting with Fable also happens in the cloud, supporting GIFs, MP4, ProRes, and even Lottie.
It’s exclusively for everyone: The core of our mission is to empower creators and unlock storytelling opportunities, so we designed Fable from day 1 to be accessible as much as it is powerful. And to compliment the platform, the Fable Academy is packed with tips and tutorials to help newcomers finally get started with motion.
It’s collaborative for teams: With Fable, teams have a centralized workspace to manage files, assets, and permissions. Projects can be shared with stakeholders with just a link, and reviewing happens inline, without rendering projects or ever leaving the app.
What market does Fable target and how big is it?
Our mission is to empower all creators with access and opportunities to tell stories. So when we think about all creators, we talking about not only the current motion designers that have been using Adobe for 20+ years, we’re also talking about the world’s creators who have been too intimidated to learn the skills of motion – so that’s product designers, graphic designers, illustrators. As well as non-designers: podcasters, writers, entrepreneurs… Further, because it’s never been easier to build a brand and audience through the creator economy, the market is constantly growing.
What’s your business model?
Anyone can join Fable and start creating motion for free and creators can upgrade to a Pro or Team plan to access more advanced features that empower the entire team across the production workflow.
What are your post-COVID office plans??
We are a fully-distributed team with a virtual office in NYC. We have always been a remote company and we don’t plan to chance this in the near future.
What was the funding process like?
Fable was over-allocated at both the Seed and Series A.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
We’re fortunate to have an incredible team behind us, and during out beta phase it was clear that the world is ready for Fable and so we’re incredibly excited and grateful to partner with Redpoint Ventures in this round.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
A few factors. One is our team, we’re privileged to work with such a passionate group of people with incredible technical skills, as well as talented creatives who know the design world better than anyone.
Another is the growing demand for motion as a format for storytelling. Motion design is becoming table stakes and is increasingly being used by brands of all sizes to tell stories and engage audiences—from animated GIFs on Instagram, to the opening credits of a docu-series on Netflix, launch videos for new products, and more.
The third is the broader accelerated move to the cloud. Cloud-based software is the future of creative work, and motion is the big missing piece. We’re building software for the next generation of creators with a tool that’s intuitive for beginners, powerful for professionals, and collaborative for teams. Creative teams are moving their workflows to the cloud to collaborate in a more remote world, and it’s never been easier for anyone with an internet connection to build a brand and engage an audience. In this world, Fable is empowering all creators with access and opportunities to tell stories with motion.
The third is the broader accelerated move to the cloud. Cloud-based software is the future of creative work, and motion is the big missing piece. We’re building software for the next generation of creators with a tool that’s intuitive for beginners, powerful for professionals, and collaborative for teams. Creative teams are moving their workflows to the cloud to collaborate in a more remote world, and it’s never been easier for anyone with an internet connection to build a brand and engage an audience. In this world, Fable is empowering all creators with access and opportunities to tell stories with motion.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We’re hiring to accelerate the production and distribution of the platform. We’re hiring across the board, from operations and marketing and to product and engineering.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Keep going and keep building, be resourceful and focus on validating the core hypothesis.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We’re getting right back to work. Our vision will help more creators level up their skills with motion, and will empower teams to move the missing piece of their creative workflows to the cloud. We’re not even 1% along our journey and we’re already working on the next big release. And to support our vision we’re hiring, to accelerate the production and distribution of the platform. We’re hiring across the board, from operations and marketing and to product and engineering.
