About Pio Studios
In early 2024, acclaimed animator and visual storyteller Chris Georgenes resurrected an idea for an animated short—a concept that first took shape in 2009 when he recorded his then six-year-old daughter recounting the whimsical tale of a chicken, a librarian, and a frog. The audio files remained untouched for 13 years, stored away on a hard drive in a desk drawer, until Chris rediscovered them and decided to bring the story to life as a passion project.
To bring the vision to fruition, Chris enlisted his friend and colleague, award-winning film and television composer Munk Duane Ciano, along with background artist Marisa Torres. Together, they crafted the charming adventure of Pio’s journey to the Public Library—a short film that would later be titled “Book!”
By 2025, Book! had been recognized in over 45 international film festivals, earning 10 awards and screening world wide.
Realizing their creative synergy had evolved into something greater, Chris and Munk are launching Pio Studios in mid-2025. Named after the sound a chicken makes in Spanish—and inspired by the beloved main character of Book!—Pio Studios was founded as a boutique production house dedicated to helping storytellers bring their ideas to life. The studio is now developing future projects, building upon the journey of the little chicken that started it all.
About Chris
Chris Georgenes
Artist, Animator, Educator, and Musician
Chris Georgenes has worked as an animator and designer for Adult Swim, Nick Jr., FX, and Tom Snyder Productions, among others. A sought-after industry expert, he has been a featured presenter at Adobe MAX, a go-to subject matter expert for the Adobe Creative Channel, and a live tutorial and demo host for Adobe Animate. He has also served as an Adobe Community Expert for over a decade.
Beyond animation, Chris is an accomplished author, known for his acclaimed "How to Cheat in Flash" series. He is currently writing a book about Moho, the Lost Marble animation software. Chris is a proud alumnus of the University of Hartford Art School.
About Munk
Award-Winning Composer, Producer, and Grammy®-Considered Recording Artist Munk Duane’s work spans the worlds of film, television, and commercial music composition. He has composed for Extreme Music (the production music arm of Sony/ATV Music), Bleeding Fingers (co-founded by Hans Zimmer & Russell Emanuel), and Pitch Hammer Music (trailer music for Disney, Marvel, and more). His compositions have been featured in campaigns for Bose Corporation and across major networks and streaming platforms, including ABC, CBS, NBC, A&E, Amazon Prime, Max, and National Geographic.
A passionate educator and speaker, Munk has served as a guest lecturer at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music, and as a keynote speaker at the Massachusetts DECA District 1 Conference.
In addition to his work in music, Munk has an extensive background in UX design and leadership, with over 15 years of director-level experience. Before transitioning full-time to composing, he played a pivotal role in shaping innovative products, building teams, and developing design practices for major companies such as Accenture and Cisco. Today, he channels that same creative vision and problem-solving expertise into his work as a composer.
