Together with French animation art director Remy Chanfreau, Finnish YouTube animator Robert Hanses founded the Smallstep animation studio, which specializes in producing original IPs and content for well-known brands' social media channels. Chanfreau, who is based in France, is CEO; Hanses is CCO. Additionally, Lucas Swertloff of New York City has been appointed Vice President of Business Development.

The studio focuses on telling stories by using the traditional animation sector as a model. It produces online content that aims to interest consumers in a matter of seconds while conveying a full tale in a matter of minutes. The company is creating original intellectual property while collaborating with numerous clients to create and build brand content. A number of animators, storyboarders, and production managers have recently joined Smallstep's creative team to work on new properties that are now under development.

“It’s been so exciting to discover how to make content that mirrors audiences’ own humanity, resulting in instant and genuine connection,” said Hanses and Chanfreau. “Our scripts are designed to be a spark of inspiration, a warm blanket, a bubbling laugh. Our voice acting comes from real, everyday people. Our animation style adds to, not distracts from, the story. Our characters express emotions rarely seen when scrolling, providing a full spectrum of the human experience. In the end, our work isn’t work. It’s a reflection of you.”

Hanses is a Finnish YouTube animator most known for his virally successful online alter ego, Rabbert, who claims to have over nine million followers on social media. He started uploading his animated videos to YouTube in 2011 after becoming popular for his clay stop-motion flicks.

As an art director and animator, Chanfreau has worked on both character design and location design. He works with companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Supercell as clients.

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