animation
13-Year-Old Illustrator The Doodle Boy Launches First-Ever Digital Collectible Series with Orange Comet
Orange Comet announced its partnership with 13-year-old artistic genius Joe Whale, better known as The Doodle Boy
After completing elite projects with global brands Nike and Disney, Joe Whale, Known as The Doodle Boy, evolves his body of work and enters the Web3 space with exclusive content in collaboration with leading Web3 game & entertainment company, inspiring adults to find their inner child with the introduction of “The Remarkables.”
LOS ANGELES /PRNewswire/ — Orange Comet, the industry’s leading Web3 game and entertainment company, announced its partnership with 13-year-old artistic genius Joe Whale, better known as The Doodle Boy. The first phase of the digital collectibles project is set to mint exclusively on OpenSea on April 25, 2023.
Nicknamed The Doodle Boy, British artist Joe Whale is celebrated worldwide for his black & white doodles and wall murals, and inspired by his everyday surroundings, has been painting ever since he could pick up a pencil at the age of three. Having drawn on papers, canvases, sneakers, and even designing restaurant walls with his doodles, what is the next big thing? The answer lies within the virtual world.
The digital collectible avatars and critters, officially called The Remarkables Collection by Joe Whale, will live in a spectacular virtual universe, an environment that invites fans to interact with the young artist’s work and other The Doodle Boy enthusiasts’ passion for his creations, elevating fan engagement and camaraderie. The Remarkables community serves to inspire adult art and digital collectors to find their inner child as Joe becomes the first of many artists Orange Comet plans to foster a creator/community collaboration with.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with such a young and passionate artistic individual who inspires other rising talent to take their dreams to the next level,” said Dave Broome, CEO of Orange Comet. “As one of this generation’s most sensational artists, Joe’s entrance into Web3 reinforces the convergence of physical and digital worlds as the future of art. The world we are creating with Joe is rich with vivid characters and fantastic storylines. Starting this as a Web3 project and then expanding into all forms of entertainment is something we are incredibly excited to share with fans and enthusiasts all over the world.”
Already boasting over 160,000 followers on Instagram and endorsed by fans including Prince William and Kate Middleton, The Doodle Boy joined the Nike family earlier this year, building on his portfolio of brand partners such as Disney, Scholastic, Warner Music and others. The Doodle Boy furthers his artistic brilliance by stepping foot into the Web3 space and launching his first-ever one-of-a-kind digital collection, which will include all new original character artwork personally drawn by The Doodle Boy and transformed into Orange Comet’s signature 3D animations.
“I’m excited to dive into this new world of virtual art,” says Joe Whale, The Doodle Boy. “I’ve only ever drawn with a black marker and a blank sheet of canvas, but I’ve always imagined my art coming to life in other formats in my head. It’s amazing that my fans and I will have the unique opportunity to experience my drawings in motion through the power of animation.”
The collaboration is the result of a mutual party between Orange Comet and The Doodle Boy’s licensing agency, Striker Entertainment, who forged the partnership forward on behalf of the young artist.
“In selecting a Web3 entry for Joe, we had three core objectives: first – introduce Joe’s art and passion for it to the widest audience possible, second – produce something dynamic and alive, not static and familiar, and third – partner with a team that not only had proven technical and marketing experience, but one who is taking what’s possible creatively to the next level. There was no better choice in our view than Orange Comet,” says Russell Binder, President Striker Entertainment, licensing agent for The Doodle Boy.
To kick off the upcoming collection, Doodle Boy has created an original, intricate piece of art celebrating its launch and the proceeds will benefit a charity of his choice. Last fall, the Doodle Boy held his first ever solo exhibition at The Soden Collection, a gallery in his hometown of Shrewsbury, England. His work has also been highlighted on the set of Ellen DeGeneres’ NBC series, Little Big Shots – hosted by Melissa McCarthy.
Orange Comet, led by entertainment industry veteran Dave Broome, is a passion-driven company creating industry-defining digital content that tells a story with Hollywood-style production quality. The company prides itself on partnerships with iconic entertainment franchises, such as AMC’s The Walking Dead and Sir Anthony Hopkins, to build elite digital collectibles that serve superfans across the spectrum.
To join the allow list and stay apprised on the latest information, learn more about this partnership and more, visit theremarkablesnft.com and follow on social media @OrangeCometNft.
ABOUT ORANGE COMET
Orange Comet is an industry leading Web3 game & entertainment company, creating premium content along with technology that visually blurs the lines between the real and virtual world. We are building communities and developing ecosystems in Web3 gaming, NFT digital collectibles and Web3 experiences for global audiences and fan bases attached to some of the biggest IP ever created in the world of entertainment, music, arts and culture. Our mission is to lead the charge in Web3 entertainment by engaging fans in ways they’ve never imagined, driven by superb content creation. Co-founded by Hollywood veteran TV and Film producer, Dave Broome, NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, and Grammy award-winning music icons Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Orange Comet is powered by a passionate group of people that believe the future of entertainment and media is on the verge of major disruptive change through a variety of blockchain experiences. For more information, visit us at OrangeComet.com, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
ABOUT THE DOODLE BOY
Joe Whale, also known as The Doodle Boy, is a 13 year-old boy from Shrewbury, UK. His passion for art started at the age of three but his keen interest in doodling began at the age of 6. He gets his inspiration from his surroundings, being able to create endless original characters. For more information, visit us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
SOURCE Orange Comet
animation
Shutterstock Teams With NVIDIA to Build AI Foundation Models for Generative 3D Artist Tools
Shutterstock announced its partnering with NVIDIA to train custom 3D models
Customized Shutterstock content trained with NVIDIA Picasso generative AI cloud service to use text prompts to rapidly generate 3D content for industrial digital twins, entertainment and gaming
NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), a leading global creative platform for transformative brands and media companies, announced it is partnering with NVIDIA to train custom 3D models to create generative 3D assets from simple text prompts. Through a first of its kind collaboration, 3D models will be trained with Shutterstock assets using NVIDIA Picasso generative AI cloud services to convert text into high-fidelity 3D content, reducing creation time from hours to minutes.
When the models are introduced in the coming months on Shutterstock.com, the new NVIDIA-powered generative AI capabilities will be the latest addition to Creative Flow, an extensive toolkit designed to power the most seamless creative experience possible. The text-to-3D features will also be offered on Turbosquid.com and is planned to be introduced on the NVIDIA Omniverse™ platform for building and operating 3D industrial metaverse applications.
“Our generative 3D partnership with NVIDIA will power the next generation of 3D contributor tools, greatly reducing the time it takes to create beautifully textured and structured 3D models,” said Shutterstock CEO Paul Hennessy. “This first of its kind partnership furthers our strategy of leveraging Shutterstock’s massive pool of metadata to bring new products, tools, and content to market. By combining our 3D content with NVIDIA’s foundation models, and utilizing our respective marketing and distribution platforms, we can capitalize on an extraordinarily large market opportunity.”
With today’s professional software tools, building a high quality, detailed 3D model from scratch is often a challenging and time-consuming task for creators. In the case of a content being created for use as a digital twin, where absolute precision is required, the complexity of the job can take days or even longer depending on the specifics of the model. By creating custom models with the NVIDIA Picasso generative AI cloud service, Shutterstock will help 3D artists create object shapes, assist with object unwrapping, generate textures and materials and, for non-3D users, will even produce complete 3D models ready for use in a wide variety of applications and platforms.
“The transformative capabilities of generative AI make it possible for software makers and enterprises to build tools that use simple text prompts to create 3D assets for digital twins, simulation and design, saving artists enormous amounts of time and effort,” said NVIDIA Vice President of Developer Programs Greg Estes. “Training a custom Shutterstock model with the NVIDIA Picasso generative AI cloud services will give developers a tool that can automate much of the tedious work for artists, freeing them to spend more time exploring new concepts and refining their ideas.”
As part of its responsible AI focus and in correlation with sales of the customized 3D models on Shutterstock’s platform, Shutterstock will compensate artists through its Contributor Fund for the role their IP plays in training the generative technology.
ABOUT NVIDIA
Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, ignited the era of modern AI and is fueling the creation of the metaverse. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping industry. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/.
ABOUT SHUTTERSTOCK
Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), is a leading global creative platform for transformative brands and media companies. Directly and through its group subsidiaries, Shutterstock’s comprehensive collection includes high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations, 3D models, videos and music. Working with its growing community of more than 2 million contributors, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images each week, and currently has more than 600 million images and more than 45 million video clips available.
Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock has offices around the world and customers in more than 150 countries. The Company also owns Splash News, an entertainment news agency for newsrooms and media companies worldwide; Pond5, one of the world’s largest video-first content marketplaces; TurboSquid, one of the world’s largest 3D content marketplaces; PicMonkey, an online graphic design and image editing platform; Offset, a high-end image collection; Shutterstock Studios, an end-to-end custom creative shop; PremiumBeat, a curated royalty-free music library; Shutterstock Editorial, a premier source of editorial images and videos for the world’s media; and Bigstock, a value-oriented stock media offering.
For more information, please visit www.shutterstock.com and follow Shutterstock on Twitter and on Facebook.
NVIDIA FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, performance, availability and features of NVIDIA’s partnership with Shutterstock to use images and text prompts to rapidly generate 3D content for industrial digital twins, entertainment, and gaming; and the benefits, impact, performance, features and availability of NVIDIA’s products, and technologies, including NVIDIA Picasso generative AI cloud services, NVIDIA Omniverse, and NVIDIA foundation models are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing product and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
SHUTTERSTOCK FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, particularly in the discussion under the caption “2023 Guidance.” All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding guidance, industry prospects, future business, future results of operations or financial condition, new or planned features, products or services, management strategies and our competitive position. You can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “potential,” “opportunities” and other similar expressions and the negatives of such expressions. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, those discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in other documents that the Company may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of such risks, uncertainties and factors, Shutterstock’s actual results may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements discussed in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of this date and Shutterstock assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
© 2023 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, and NVIDIA Omniverse are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
SOURCE Shutterstock, Inc.
actors & performers
Amazon Studios to Develop the World’s First Animated Comedy Series, Starring Synthetic Celebrities
Beloved by millions of fans worldwide, Superplastic’s top synthetic celebrities eye streaming after their social media success with the help of Amazon Studios and Amazon‘s Alexa Fund
CULVER CITY, Calif. and BURLINGTON, Vt. /PRNewswire/ — Today, Amazon and Superplastic announced a multifaceted collaboration that spans investment and a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, which is currently in development on a series featuring Superplastic’s synthetic celebrities.
The Alexa Fund, Amazon’s venture capital arm that focuses on new media, smart consumer electronics, ambient intelligence, and other areas of digital technology, leads Superplastic’s $20 million Series A extension investment round. Other investors include Craft Ventures, Google Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Kering, Sony Japan, Scribble Ventures, Kakao, Animoca Brands, Day One Ventures, and Betaworks. This latest round brings Superplastic’s total funding to $58 million to date, and supports the expansion of the Superplastic character universe.
Additionally, The Janky & Guggimon Show, starring the Superplastic synthetic celebrities Janky and Guggimon, is in development at Amazon Studios. The two companies have also signed a first-look deal to facilitate the creation of additional series and films starring other characters in the Superplastic universe. The Janky & Guggimon Show follows the adventures of two lazy and spectacularly incompetent best friends who are hell-bent on getting rich and famous but leave a trail of chaos and destruction in their wake. The endearing duo includes Janky, the loveable idiot who spends his spare time scamming celebrities, and Guggimon, a fashion icon and master manipulator who’s too narcissistic to care.
While successful merchandise, gaming, and metaverse activations traditionally follow the success of a popular animated series, this is one of the first times that the sequence has been reversed: Superplastic’s synthetic celebrities Janky and Guggimon built a massive fan base on social media before landing a first-look deal on a major streaming service. Each episode features a cast of animated and human celebrity friends. If ordered to series, it will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
“Superplastic’s universe of synthetic celebrities have earned a cult following in every medium they’ve touched,” said Superplastic founder and CEO Paul Budnitz. “The new collaboration partnership with Amazon Studios reaches a massive audience and provides a new playground for us to wreak havoc worldwide. We’re grateful for the investment the Amazon Alexa Fund gave us to help us continue to grow the Superplastic Universe!”
“As we expand the Alexa Fund to address a wider range of consumer technologies that include ambient computing, smart devices, and the future of entertainment, we’re very excited to add Superplastic to our portfolio,” said Paul Bernard, director of the Alexa Fund. “Superplastic’s virtual celebrities delight audiences and meet their customers where they are, and we see them as demonstrative of a new class of IP that is going to be increasingly relevant with younger generations. We are excited to be an investor and to continue to help Superplastic and Amazon’s Media and Entertainment teams identify more ways to delight customers.”
About Superplastic:
Superplastic is a Vermont-based character design studio that creates synthetic celebrities with millions of followers worldwide, and who appear in social media, music, gaming, high-end collectibles, fashion, animated entertainment, web3 and live experiences. The company sells tens of millions of dollars in real and virtual products annually, and has collaborated with Gucci, Fortnite, Mercedes-Benz, Tommy Hilfiger, Christie’s Auction House, J. Balvin, Kidsuper, Pusha-T, Paris Hilton, Post Malone, The Weeknd, Vince Staples, Rico Nasty, and more.
Press Contact:
Factory PR | superplastic@factorypr.com
About Amazon Studios:
Amazon Studios is the home for talent, creating and producing Original films and television series for a global audience. Original series premiere exclusively on Prime Video, which is available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Amazon Studios also produces and acquires Original movies for theatrical release and exclusively for Prime Video, in addition to producing Original content for Freevee, Amazon’s premium free streaming service.
Amazon Studios Press Contacts:
Nate Kirtman | nkirtman@amazon.com
Mallory Morehead Pritzl | mallmore@amazon.com
About the Alexa Fund:
The Alexa Fund is Amazon’s venture capital fund that invests in smart electronics, ambient computing, artificial intelligence, and media & entertainment.
SOURCE Superplastic
New M&M’S campaign inspires moments of everyday happiness after a transformative year for the brand, using the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.
NEWARK, N.J. /PRNewswire/ — After a monumental year, M&M’S®, proudly part of Mars, has announced that the brand is kicking off 2023 with a return to Super Bowl.
Mars has been a part of Super Bowl’s showstopping advertising lineup for more than a decade collectively across the portfolio of iconic brands.
Mars has a history of celebrated ad campaigns debuting around Super Bowl, one of the biggest consumer stages in the world. Most recently, the 2021, M&M’S “Come Together” spot was ranked #4 on USA Today’s Ad Meter, and in 2020, the SNICKERS® “You’re Not You” 2010 spot, was ranked as the #1 best Super Bowl commercial over the last twenty-five years by USA Today.
“Mars has delivered some of the most buzz-worthy Super Bowl moments over the years, and we’re inspired by the M&M’S brand being back in the mix in a new way for 2023,” said Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley North America. “M&M’S brings people together through the power of fun to foster belonging, with universal humor that entertains fans in a way only a globally loved and legendary brand like M&M’S can. The latest campaign extends our purposeful work over the last year but is rooted in a new creative territory, and we can’t wait for our fans to see what’s about to unfold.”
The Super Bowl LVII spot continues the momentum of a transformative year for M&M’S, with a refreshed brand purpose and visual identity rooted in purpose, forming the first ever M&M’S Advisory Board, partnering with trailblazing artists and entertainers on custom collaborations, and of course, evolving the characters and introducing the first new character in over ten years, Purple – all of which ultimately helped cement the M&M’S brand on the list of Gen Z’s favorite brands for 2022.(1)
The new 30-second spot, produced by BBDO New York, will air during the third commercial break in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVII, which will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. It will be just one part of an extensive, immersive campaign throughout the month surrounding Super Bowl.
Mars is also further contributing to Super Bowl Sunday’s festivities through the PEDIGREE® brand, the number one brand of dog food and treats in the world, and the TEMPTATIONS™ brand, both of which are proudly part of the Mars family. The PEDIGREE brand will continue its long-standing tradition of sponsoring the adorable Puppy Bowl, where the TEMPTATIONS Kitty Sky Box will be featured throughout the game so fans can feel as if they’re in the center of all the action. Puppy Bowl XVII will air before the game on the Discovery Channel at 2pm ET/11 am PT.
For more information and updates on this upcoming Super Bowl ad, fans can visit M&M’S at mms.com. To be among the first to know about future brand news, sign up for the M&M’S newsletter here.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including Ben’s Original™, CESAR®, Cocoavia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™ – using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
(1) Morning Consult’s list of Gen Z’s Favorite Brands; https://morningconsult.com/gen-z-favorite-brands-2022/
SOURCE Mars, Incorporated
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