In this episode of FrameOne, I sit down with Jay Allen, founder of Secret Powers, a creative production studio in Texas specializing in video game marketing. Before Secret Powers, Jay made "Fabulous Secret Powers" — a hand-rotoscoped He-Man music video parody that went semi-viral in the early 2000s and unexpectedly landed him his first paid animation client.

Jay walks through the entire journey from there: writing his first RFP with zero business experience, teaching himself new animation software out of necessity, and slowly building a team out of friends before understanding what it actually meant to run a studio. He's candid about how long it took him to set real boundaries and put agreements in writing — admitting it felt "dirty" for years — and about hitting a genuine burnout point where he considered leaving the industry entirely, before a mentor's advice reframed the decision for him.

We also talk about the value (and risk) of specializing — how narrowing Secret Powers' focus to video game marketing gave the studio clarity and efficiency, even as it introduced new challenges like seasonal, cyclical demand. Jay shares practical thinking on when to scale, why hiring full-time employees feels scarier than it needs to, and how finding a community of fellow business owners changed the way he ran his company.

This is an honest, detailed look at building a creative business from an unlikely viral moment — useful for any freelancer or studio owner navigating growth, burnout, or the decision to specialize.

Hosted by Drysen, a freelance 2D/3D animator and motion designer with experience across live-action broadcast TV and commercials. FrameOne features conversations with studio owners and industry veterans navigating the career questions every working creative eventually faces.