Lyrical Media Acquires Line Mileage, Launches Animation Division Led By Jacob Robinson
EXCLUSIVE: Lyrical Media has acquired Line Mileage and launched Lyrical Animation to tap into global demand for adult animation, with an emphasis on animated features.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Line Mileage’s three partners will join with Jacob Robinson as head of Lyrical Animation, Daniel Dominguez as Creative Director, and Brad Graeber as adviser and production consultant.
Collectively, the team has produced fifteen seasons of adult animated series. Announced current projects include Hell Followed With Us, an animated feature adaptation of the bestselling young adult novel in development with Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy). The company is also producing an anime feature adaptation of Death Stranding, the action-adventure game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The feature, written by Aaron Guzikowski, is preparing to go to market, with casting discussions underway.
Lyrical’s animation expansion follows the launch of Lyrical Games, a privately funded indie publisher that’s forged a partnership with Blackbird Interactive, the team behind Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and has three projects underway.
Lyrical Media is currently in post-production on Adam Wingard’s Onslaught and Michael Sarnoski’s The Death of Robin Hood starring Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgård, both of which will be distributed by A24. Projects in development include Funny Story, an adaptation of Emily Henry’s bestselling romantic comedy, Butcher & Blackbird, based on Brynne Weaver’s popular novel, She Started It, the film adaptation of Sian Gilbert’s debut thriller, and Powerless, a television adaption of Lauren Roberts’ best-selling debut YA novel.
Through a collaboration with Neon, Lyrical is also co-financing Osgood Perkins’ The Young People starring Lola Tung and Nico Parker.
“Every move we make at Lyrical is toward a larger vision: empowering creators to bring bold stories and worlds to life, across every format,” said Lyrical Media founder and CEO Alexander Black. “The Line Mileage team are among the most accomplished and forward-thinking voices in animation – their creative vision, deep production expertise, and ability to build global fandoms make them the perfect partners as we continue expanding what Lyrical Media can be. By uniting film, games, and animation under one roof, we’re creating the foundation for stories that transcend mediums and resonate with audiences everywhere.”
“We built Line Mileage because we are passionate about genre-forward animation and saw a substantial, underserved audience that craved these stories,” said Robinson. “The global appetite for sophisticated, adult animation has never been stronger. With Lyrical’s backing, we’re positioned to continue to seize that moment – combining our production expertise and fandom-focused storytelling with a company that deeply values creator ownership and long-term world-building.”
Robinson brings nearly two decades of experience in storytelling and franchise development. Before co-founding and serving as CEO of Line Mileage, he had a producing deal at Legendary Television, where he co-show ran Skull Island and executive produced Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (both for Netflix). He previously served as an executive in original programming at TBS, overseeing Search Party, The Last OG, Miracle Workers and more He also co-founded Particular Pictures with John Hamburg under a deal at 20th Television. Earlier, he worked as an executive at De Line Pictures, overseeing development of such films including Ready Player One and Pain & Gain and TV series Wayward Pines.
Dominguez was head writer on HBO Max’s Gen:Lock, developed and wrote Netflix’s Seis Manos and Centaurworld, and has written for iconic kids shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Captain Underpants. He has sold over twenty original series and features to Amazon, Netflix, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Disney, and Sony and is currently developing a DreamWorks theatrical feature and a one-hour genre series with Captain America writer Malcolm Spellman.
“I have wanted to make animation ever since, as a teenager, a friend showed me the original Ghost In the Shell feature film and my mind exploded with possibility,” Dominguez said. “While Japan has long understood that there are no boundaries in animation, our industry is only beginning to grasp the range of stories it can tell. Alex, Jon and everyone at Lyrical are in the boundary-breaking business, and I’m both excited and deeply grateful to collaborate with people who play in the same sandboxes we love to play in and imagine bigger.”
Graeber is the founder and longtime CEO of Powerhouse Animation Studios, the team behind Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, and Masters of the Universe. Over his 25-year career, he’s directed, produced and showrun projects across film, television, and video games, helping define the modern era of adult animation.
L.A. and NY-based Lyrical Media was founded in 2021. It develops, produces, and finances stories across multi-media formats, including film, television, video games, podcasts and graphic novels. While focused on generating its own IP, the company also develops and revitalizes established IP to open new verticals for creator-driven stories.
