We used to be a studio.

Gunner started as an animation studio in Detroit and quickly became a valued partner to many top Fortune 500 companies including Google, Dropbox, Spotify, Lyft, and more. For 8 years, our animation chops became highly regarded by community artists and animation studios.

We’re self-taught.

Ian and Nick, the founders of the Gunner studio, are self-taught artists who built thriving careers in animation. Throughout the years, they’ve hired many other artists who taught themselves how to design and animate.

Working to remove barriers.

The education system in the United States creates barriers to entry for many students. From the inequity in facilities and funding at the K-12 level to the skyrocketing cost of a college degree, many people start their adult life at a disadvantage.

Our program connects students to studios in an unprecedented way, and we are ready to change the world of art education.

Below, Nick describes their experience welcoming artists to work from the studio space and how it turned into the model we use today.

We have a history of opening our doors to developing talent.

During our time as a studio, we would invite developing artists in our industry to visit. They would come in and work on whatever project they wanted at a “hot desk” surrounded by the artists they aspired to be like. We quickly realized that there were a lot of advantages to this model, for both the student and the studio.

Nurturing the next generation.

The people who spent their time in the studio tended to be highly engaged in their work. They had a hunger for learning that we didn’t often see in your average post-college applicant, producing interesting things inspired by what they saw around them, not just because it was assigned by a teacher to pad a degree.  

It gave them access to artists working on in-demand projects and created an opportunity for spontaneous feedback from them. 

Getting to know prospective talent.

Our approach also allowed us to get to know people before bringing them onto our team. We were able to observe how different people worked and what their strengths were. We also had an opportunity to help shape their development a bit without the seriousness of a formal internship.

Life after the studio.

When the studio was acquired by Duolingo in 2021, we were allowed to “keep the Gunner name" as part of the deal.

We immediately saw the opportunity to transform Gunner’s non-traditional hiring method into a ‘free for all students’ education model that maximizes benefits for students, studios, and the industry as a whole.