EXCLUSIVE: L.A.’s Utopai Studios and global tech firm Stock Farm Road are looking for the next KPop Demon Hunters.
The pair are planning a joint venture, Utopai Studios East, which will bring more K-content into the U.S and build connections between Korea and Hollywood, using AI expert Utopai’s tech and Stock Farm Road’s infrastructure and cash reserves.
Financial terms haven’t been revealed but sources close to the company say the investment will be in the “multi-billion dollar” range. We hear the financing is coming from Stock Farm Road’s investment vehicle, global sovereign and institutional investors, and “industry partners” in film and entertainment.
Utopai founder and CEO Cecilia Shen will lead the venture, which brings together her Sunnyvale-based company with Stock Farm Road’s founders, Brian Koo and Amin Badr-El-Din. The pact designates Utopai as the exclusive AI tech partner for entertainment for Stock Farm Road, which is reportedly looking to turn Korea into a $35B artificial intelligence data center.
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Koo is known as a member of family that controls Korean electronics brand LG, while Badr-El-Din was founder and former Chairman and CEO of the UAE Offsets Group, which gave rise to state-owned wealth fund Mubadala and other major sovereign investment initiatives in the UAE.
Bolstering Utopai East are a pair of senior hires, former Sony Network Entertainment exec Kevin Chong and ex-CJ America director Richard Lee.
Chong is currently Head of Corporate and Business Development at LG Electronics’ North American Innovation Center (LG NOVA) within the Chief Strategy Office, and has been working with startups and venture groups across Silicon Valley on the project. Lee led on international growth initiatives for Parasite company CJ in his former role as director and Head of Open Innovation at CJ America.
Sources close to the JV say will see investment “multiple billions of dollars,” coming in around the “ten-figure” mark in total. That’s a huge number, but given the wealth and assets of the investors, and the ambition of the venture, it’s the plan.
The plan is to mesh Utopai’s expertize in AI filmmaking workflow with Stock Farm Road’s international infrastructure so that new pathways open between Korea and the U.S., and see more Korean film and TV hit the American market. This will include co-producing film and TV projects, and backing Korean IP on the international stage.
The partners say Utopai East’s proprietary AI-native workflow system and tech has been built to “collaborate with filmmakers, rather than automate them,” and is “built on the belief that technology should extend human imagination, not replace it.”
AI tools are built into steps of the creative process such as scripting, directorial vision and acting performances, with the focus on aiding the human workflow.
“Most AI video models are built to impress with visuals,” said Shen. “Ours is built to understand storytelling. This partnership with Stock Farm Road allows us to take that principle beyond our own studio, building creative infrastructure where human artistry and production intelligence advance together responsibly and at scale.”
“This initiative will catalyze new opportunities for storytelling and cultural exchange, positioning SFR as a leader in the digital entertainment revolution,” added Badr-El-Din.
Shen will serve as the lead founding member of the Stock Farm Road Brain Trust, an advisory board focused on insights into the future of an AI-driven world. Also in the group are Alphabet chair John Hennessy and Neelie Kroes, former European Union Commissioner for Digital and Architect of Europe’s Digital Strategy.
Koo, who co-chairs Stock Farm Road with Badr-El-Din, said: “Cecilia’s expertise and innovative mindset are perfectly aligned with our vision to revolutionize entertainment through AI. Her leadership in this joint venture signifies our commitment to creating next-generation content that resonates globally and pushes the boundaries of technology and creativity.”
Stock Farm Road earlier this year announced plans for a $35B AI-powered data center in Korea. The company wants to extend those plans into entertainment, citing data that shows Korean content is watched by more than a third of global viewers, according to Ampere Analysis and that K-Pop Demon Hunters is the second-most globally-demanded original film this year.