Building community one animation at a time.

Very True Story didn’t start with a business plan—it started with a name. In 2011, animator and director Adam Glickfield made up the studio’s moniker on the spot to land a freelance job. A friend from a Bay Area creative meetup needed animation help on a doc-style project, and the bid required a studio. So Adam built a simple website, called it Very True Story, and they got the job.

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Somehow, the name stuck—and so did the idea.

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Over a decade later, Very True Story has grown into a full-service animation and design studio. Adam and his wife, executive producer Kristin Almy, now run the studio from their home in San Francisco, collaborating with a core team of animators, producers, and a global network of freelance artists. What began as a solo freelance hustle evolved into a full-fledged studio—built on relationships, word-of-mouth, and plenty of lessons learned along the way. For the first few years, Adam kept things scrappy: freelancing, building a reel, and working with friends. When Kristin came on board, she brought a new level of structure and clarity. Her leadership background gave the studio the stability it needed—without sacrificing any of the creative weirdness that made it special in the first place.

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Today, Very True Story consists of 6 full-timers and a flexible team of 10–20 freelancers, depending on the week. The studio specializes in colorful, character-driven animation and thoughtful visual storytelling. Clients range from major tech companies to nonprofits—and no matter the project, the team always looks for the story at the heart of the work.

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Recently, Dropbox stopped by Adam and Kristin’s home studio to capture a behind-the-scenes look at Very True Story—how it started, how it’s grown, and how community has played a central role along the way. Being on the other side of the camera was a new experience, but also a meaningful chance to reflect on how far the studio has come. You can watch the feature here.

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Looking ahead, the team at Very True Story is focused on thoughtful, intentional growth: building on what’s working, improving what isn’t, and staying creatively energized. Even with bigger projects and a growing team, animation still feels like play—a little like being kids in a blanket fort, making something wild just because they can.

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And the goal? To keep it feeling that way, always.