Photo Credit: Jamie Byrne, George Strompolos, Dave Clark by Jeff Lorch
A 100% GenAI film studio receives massive funding from Peter Chernin and Andreessen Horowitz, embracing AI as a legitimate tool for creatives.
Generative artificial intelligence has been a thorn in Hollywood's side since its debut, for its potential to diminish the work of the creatives on which it is trained. But a new film studio venture, which has received significant backing from Peter Chernin and Andreessen Horowitz, is firmly entrenched in embracing AI as a powerful tool for creatives.
Promise aims to produce film and TV shows as well as “pioneer new formats, empowering both genAI artists and established Hollywood talent to bring ambitious, creative visions to life.” A key element of that strategy is the studio's proprietary software that they say will offer “a reimagined production process.”
The company's CEO George Strompolos is the former founder of creator network Fullscreen, while president and COO Jamie Byrne is a YouTube content executive who helped launch the platform's now-quintessential creator revenue-sharing program. The group is rounded out with chief creative officer Dave Clark, a marketer, commercial director, and AI filmmaker behind short films such as “Battalion,” a story that follows the only Black unit to arrive on Omaha Beach in Normandy during WWII.
Together, Promise raised a seed round of funding from Peter Chernin's North Road Co. studio, and Andrew Chen of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, although the amount of the investment has not been disclosed. The company currently boasts around 10 full-time and part-time employees, but the headcount will “ramp up” in line with production needs as Promise begins to initiate active productions.
“There is something undeniably exciting about generative AI, and we are bullish on George and Promise's ability to empower storytellers,” said Chernin. “This team understands that prioritizing artists and creatives is the only approach as we begin to apply generative AI into the creative process, and Promise has the most inventive and user-friendly model we have seen.”
George Strompolos added that Promise is investing in a new class of genAI talent, “who blend traditional filmmaking chops with cutting-edge technical expertise, setting a new standard for high-quality storytelling enabled by AI.” He continued, “We believe this is a transformational moment in entertainment and a studio must be built from the ground up — around the artists, the tech, and a new workflow — in order to unlock its full potential.”
Jamie Byrne says Promise is “championing” genAI artists and forming partnerships with a range of rights-holders to bring their stories to life. The company's goal is to “cultivate a space where storytellers from all backgrounds can explore bold ideas, take risks, and push the boundaries of storytelling,” adds Dave Clark.
Promise's software, MUSE, billed as a new production workflow system, is said to integrate “the latest genAI technology” throughout the creative process in “a streamlined, collaborative and secure production environment, enabling artists to bring the highest-quality work to the screen .” The company is advertising open job roles, including genAI directors, genAI image and motion artists, 3D artists, and a program lead for genAI artists' development.