When was Rooster Teeth founded and by whom?
Rooster Teeth was founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldana, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman. The company was headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Questions about Rooster Teeth
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Rooster Teeth shut down?
Rooster Teeth shut down in 2024 after general manager Jordan Levin cited fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage. Subscribers to the company's FIRST membership service had fallen to around one-quarter of their peak, and the company had reportedly been unprofitable for a decade.
What was Rooster Teeth's first production?
Rooster Teeth's first production was Red vs. Blue, which premiered in April 2003. The machinima web series became the third longest-running episodic web series of all time, originally expected by its creators to run only six to eight episodes.
Who created RWBY and what happened to the franchise after Rooster Teeth closed?
RWBY was created and directed by animator Monty Oum, and written by Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. Oum died on the 1st of February 2015 from a severe allergic reaction during a medical procedure. In July 2024, following Rooster Teeth's closure, the RWBY franchise was sold to Viz Media, which stated its intention to continue the series with showrunner Kerry Shawcross.
How did Rooster Teeth fund its first feature film Lazer Team?
Rooster Teeth funded Lazer Team through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched in June 2014. The campaign hit its $650,000 target within 11 hours and ultimately raised just under $2.5 million, making it the second-most-funded film project in Indiegogo history at the time.
What happened to the Rooster Teeth brand after the company closed?
In February 2025, co-founder Burnie Burns acquired the Rooster Teeth brand and some of its remaining intellectual property through his company Box Canyon Productions. Planned projects include some returning Rooster Teeth productions and a reimagining of Burns' 1997 student film, The Schedule.