The ‘South Park’ creators’ new company, Deep Voodoo, will focus on accelerating AI deepfake technology with the capital secured from Connect Ventures, a partnership between CAA and New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
Groundbreaking deep fake technology will soon be coming from…the South Park guys? Series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have landed a $20 million investment for their AI entertainment studio Deep Voodoo from Connect Ventures, a partnership between CAA and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). This capital is the company’s first investment from a third party, with previous funding coming from Parker and Stone’s independent entertainment company Park County.
Funding will be used to “accelerate Deep Voodoo’s development of its leading deepfake technology, cost-effective visual effects services and original synthetic media projects,” per the studio announcement.
The process of ‘deepfaking’ uses AI to superimpose faces on characters and actors to believably impersonate another person. Deep Voodoo’s technology can be seen is the comedy duo’s web series Sassy Justice, as well as the Kendrick Lamar music video The Heart Part 5. The video shows an impressively seamless transition from Lamar’s face to OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle.
“We stumbled upon this amazing technology and ended up recruiting the best deepfake artists in the world,” Stone said in a statement. “We are psyched to share their brilliance with the Hollywood creative community.”
Michael Blank of Connect Ventures adds, “Deep Voodoo has established itself as a leading synthetic media technology platform that has already impacted traditional entertainment. Deep Voodoo uses artificial intelligence to support productions in innovative ways that are faster and more cost-effective than traditional VFX technology.”
With funding firmly in place, Deep Voodoo announces it will now offer “unrivaled face-swapping visual effects” to all interested parties in the industry. We can’t wait to see it!
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
