Promise is a new entertainment studio launched around the potential of generative AI. The Los Angeles-based startup is developing a multiyear slate of films, TV shows and media in “new formats.” With funding led by Peter Chernin’s North Road Company and Andreessen Horowitz, Promise vows to set “a new standard for high-quality storytelling enabled by AI.” The firm is also working on new tools to optimize the generative workflow. The first product, MUSE, “integrates the latest GenAI technology throughout the creative process in a streamlined, collaborative, and secure production environment.”

In a launch announcement, Promise CEO George Strompolos (below center) says the company is “investing in a new class of talent” that blends traditional filmmaking with fluency in generative AI.

“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,” he added.

The company, whose official name is Promise Advanced Imagination Inc., currently has “about 10 full- and part-time employees,” according to Variety, which notes recruitment is currently underway for positions including generative AI directors, generative AI image and motion artists, 3D artists, and a program lead for generative AI artist development.

Strompolos previously launched the creator network Fullscreen, which was also funded by Chernin before being sold to Time Warner. He co-founded Promise with former YouTube content executive Jamie Byrne and commercial director and AI filmmaker Dave Clark.

“We’re championing GenAI artists and forming partnerships with a broad range of rights-holders to bring their stories to life,” said Byrne (above left), who is Promise’s president and chief operating officer.

Earlier this month, Clark (above right), who is chief creative officer, told the audience at IndieWire’s Future of Filmmaking Summit that AI would make it easier for filmmakers “to pitch and visualize their story ideas to Hollywood decision makers. When it came to AI being used for pre-vis, he said, ‘I think we’re there today,’” IndieWire reports.

The Promise launch caps “an eventful year of AI ventures across Hollywood,” writes Deadline, noting that “after regarding the technology with suspicion in 2023 … several players have started to ramp up in a bid to be proactive. Disney recently formed an entire corporate department dedicated to AI initiatives and Lionsgate announced an agreement with AI firm Runway.”