Hybrid AI studio, nmatic.ai, has announced a new partnership with VFX house Alibi Studios.
The partnership, led by nmatic.ai CEO Nick Price and Alibi Studios CEO Nicolas Cotta, will be run under the umbrella of a new jointly owned company – The Next Valley.
The Next Valley will be one of the “world’s first” dedicated hybrid AI VFX studios, “purpose-built to provide clients with the highest levels of creative excellence, value and guarantees of delivery.”
At the centre of the partnership is Mark Benson, Chair of Alibi Studios and former CEO of MPC and President of The Mill.
The creative vision for the partnership will be spearheaded by Nathalie Girard, Executive VFX Supervisor (Alibi Studios), Carl Lyttle, Chief Digital Officer (nmatic.ai), and Chris Catchpole, Chief Creative Officer (nmatic.ai).
Nick Price, Founder and CEO of nmatic.ai, commented: “Hybrid AI integrated with VFX will represent one of the largest shifts in content production in a generation. By building it into the workflow from the ground up, The Next Valley can deliver work of the highest visual quality, faster and more cost-effectively, at a time when budgets are squeezed and craft has felt threatened. We believe the model not only solves a real issue in the entertainment and advertising industries today, but also helps forge a new path for how AI can work as an effective part of a craft-led culture in the future.”
Nicolas Cotta, Founder and CEO of Alibi Studios, commented: “Whilst Alibi will continue to use a traditional approach to VFX, our commitment to The Next Valley will take our collaborations to another level, where we will have a dedicated team that not only uses what AI offers us today, but leverages AI alongside Unreal Engine and other tech platforms to proactively develop new workflows for our clients and partners in the future.”
Mark Benson, Chair of Alibi Studios, commented: “I am inspired by the ambition of Nicolas and Nick for The Next Valley, and see enormous potential for this partnership. The critical commitment to creative excellence and craft is at the heart of their collective strategies, and I am excited about the growth plans that the business has identified.”
Jon Creamer
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