We’re all familiar with the saying “that’s the way the cookie crumbles’, but for eLearning company CG Cookie nothing could be further from the truth. Founded in 2008 by Wes Burke on his laptop during a morning train ride commute, CG Cookie has grown from a sole proprietorship to a team of over 20 instructors in 5 different cities and 12 states. Subscriber profiles cross all lines, from recreational users, to students, artists, and working digital animators.
“From the onset, I envisioned building a company we all want to work for.” comments Burke.
“Even though we’re 100% remote, everyone here feels connected – with one another, with the students, and with the eLearning community at large.”
The Right Ingredients Helping Foster Growth
CG Cookie’s business model follows a simple recipe. For a nominal fee, users have access to hundreds of instructional videos for the Blender platform, one of the more popular 3D imaging in use today. You’ll find Blender being used on AAA games like Smash Bros (Nintendo), TV shows like Westworld (HBO), and feature films like NextGen (Netflix). Even NASA engineers use it for their GCI needs.
In addition to live streaming instruction, subscribers have access to SME Q&A, project trouble shooting and other educational resources.
To help keep the company moving forward. Wes, and his business partner, Jonathan Williamson, use a “divide and conquer” strategy that grew organically from the start of their working relationship.
“Jonathan and I met, virtually, when he began regularly submitting content for the site in 2010.”
His expertise, talent and free-thinking manner is a great complement to my more structured approach,” Burke notes.
This Yin and Yang dynamic allows for some exciting growth opportunities. Most notably, CG Cookie has expanded to now include two related sites: Blendermarket.com, an independent exchange for Blender creators, think Etsy if you will, and mavenseed.com. a content management resource that empowers individuals to create online businesses of their own.
Both men are passionate about helping others succeed and being a force of good for the community. According to Burke, “We don’t grow by mass funding, we grow by helping our students grow.”
A Shared Appetite for Success
CG Cookie and KRD’s relationship came to be through the acquisition of their previous accounting firm, ROI, headed up by Mark Mirsky. The outcome has proven to be a winning collaboration with KRD providing access to resources and a collective experience that CG Cookie can leveraged to their advantage.
“Mark and his KRD team are always on it act as a great sound board for idea generation,” notes Burke. “To put it simply, our partnership allows me to sleep better at night.”
