Animation creator Benji Woerly spent nearly two decades touring as a drummer for artists like John Legend and the Jonas Brothers. Now, he’s betting his savings on an animated series that lived in his head for almost 30 years.
Meet The Soovins: By 2019, Woerly was burned out from touring and wanted to build something he owned. He turned to a story his dad told him as a kid about creatures with magical powers and built a world of characters around it.
Each episode of The Soovins runs 6-8 minutes and is shaped by input from child psychologists, teachers, and principals—teaching concepts like self-belief, kindness, and teamwork.
Woerly can’t draw or animate himself, so he partnered with creatives who can. His team of about ten now includes writers from shows like Blippi and Jimmy Neutron.
The new path to television: Getting a show on TV used to mean pitching networks and hoping for a yes. Now, that path can run through YouTube.
Children’s shows like CoComelon and Gracie’s Corner started on YouTube before landing deals with Netflix and Disney+. Woerly believes The Soovins could be next.
Audience first, revenue later: Over the past two years, the channel has grown by 140K subscribers and 5M+ views. Revenue is still limited, but Woerly told us the growing audience has caught the attention of potential partners.
Woerly recently signed a deal with a media and talent agency to help secure distribution deals, followed by licensing and brand partnerships later.
Big picture: YouTube has become a testing ground for kids’ content. Instead of relying solely on pitch decks, streamers can see which shows resonate with young audiences before licensing them.
That puts the early financial risk on creators like Woerly, but could also allow them to retain more of the long-term upside.
