Promise: One Year In

One year ago, we started Promise Advanced Imagination because we believed generative technology could open a new chapter for storytellers everywhere. We felt that if these tools were put in the hands of artists and used with care and intention, they could expand what is possible in filmmaking rather than diminish the craft.

A year later, that shift is unmistakable. We’ve seen rapid advancements in generative tools, the rise of talented new storytellers, and growing enthusiasm for GenAI across the entertainment ecosystem. Filmmakers and industry executives now reach out every day to explore how GenAI could solve production challenges, make world building more achievable, and, most encouraging of all, give more stories a path to the screen.

This past year, our focus was clear. Build the foundation for a GenAI era studio that puts artists first and is powered by a creative pipeline capable of supporting high-quality, long-form storytelling.

Just a few of the talented people on our broader team.

We brought together talent from Netflix, Warner Media, HBO, Sony ImageWorks, YouTube, Imagine Entertainment, and Technicolor, and combined that experience with pioneering GenAI artists who come from filmmaking and were early adopters of these tools. Together they form the creative core of Promise.

Today, Promise Advanced Imagination is built around three divisions: Promise, our studio division where we develop original IP and collaborate on co-productions across films, series, and new formats; Curious Refuge, the world’s largest GenAI film school; and The Generation Company, our AI VFX and pre-production support team.  

Our studio team has built a slate of ten film and series projects, spanning horror, anime, family animation, action, and drama. Our first feature, TUNING IN, now in pre-production, will bring together seasoned collaborators and emerging voices to create a film that reflects what we believe in: original, emotional storytelling led by filmmakers, actors, and a talented crew in a hybrid production blending traditional craft with GenAI tools. We’re also exploring co-productions with leading filmmakers and studios across the industry.

To make this work possible, we’re building MUSE, our proprietary studio operating system that unifies the creative process end to end. It integrates the latest GenAI tools, protects copyright and ownership, and enables efficient hybrid workflows for Promise and our co-production partners.

We always believed this technology should reach far beyond a small group of experts. Our AI film school, Curious Refuge, has trained more than 10,000 filmmakers in 170+ countries and now supports studio and production teams directly. The global interest has been extraordinary.

We launched The Generation Company to help studios explore how GenAI can support pre-production ideation and post-production VFX in ways that expand what is possible on screen without replacing actors or crews. We’re already partnering with industry teams around the world on a wide range of projects.

A year in, the progress is significant, but what stays with us most is the mindset behind it. Promise was never about technology alone. It has always been about artists, their imagination, and their ability to push storytelling forward.

We are thankful to our team, who work so hard every day, appreciative of our investors at North Road, Andreessen Horowitz, Google, Crossbeam, Offline Ventures, Kivu Ventures, SAGA Ventures, and others for believing in this vision, and honored to collaborate with the filmmakers and partners helping to define what comes next.

We are just getting started.