A fledgling artificial intelligence studio and streaming distribution service focused exclusively on AI-generated content is ramping up, and it can do so thanks to a $4 million seed round from a syndicate of investors led by Viant Technology Inc.
For Laguna Beach, Calif.-headquartered Fairground Entertainment, its first wave of original feature-length programming is on target for a third quarter release. The content is developed in collaboration with what Fairground calls “a hand-picked cohort of elite creators using advanced AI technology.”
Founded and led by streaming television industry veteran Colin Petrie-Norris, Fairground’s mission is “to empower the rising generation of creators by combining original storytelling and human creativity with leading-edge AI technology.”
If the name Petrie-Norris is familiar, it is because he previously built, scaled, and sold Xumo TV to Comcast, later expanding it through a joint venture with Charter Communications. “This joint venture continues to offer a comprehensive streaming ecosystem of retail televisions and operator devices, a FAST service (Xumo Play) and enterprise solutions powering smart TVs, streaming devices, services, and cable video operators in the U.S. and around the world,” Fairground says.
“The entertainment industry is at a pivotal moment, driven by the rapid advancement of AI technologies that promise to redefine content creation,” Petrie-Norris notes. “Fairground’s charter is to empower emerging creators to master these new tools, enabling richer storytelling that the industry is hungry for. We aim to set new industry standards by fueling a burgeoning content community, delivering high caliber entertainment at unprecedented speeds to market, and across a vast distribution network.”
Fairground is launching its journey into AI-generated entertainment with a curated slate of premium programming developed alongside hand-picked creators. These initial projects explore innovative “reimaginings” of “iconic public domain stories” — in addition to officially licensed, widely recognized IP “to breathe new life into beloved franchises for modern audiences.”
There’s more: Fairground’s vision “is to expand and redefine the entire entertainment ecosystem, combining human creativity with the power of advanced AI to unlock new forms of storytelling that are globally scalable, endlessly inventive, and deeply engaging.”
While some may find the prospect of AI-generated content of any kind disconcerting, Tim Vanderhook, Co-Founder and CEO of Viant Technology, is a firm believer. “Fairground Entertainment shares our vision for innovation in streaming entertainment, centered on the transformative power of AI. Viant Technology founded Xumo together with Colin, so we know first-hand that he is a skilled entrepreneur. His expertise in scaling and monetizing streaming platforms makes him the ideal leader to move the content creation space forward with an AI-first approach.”
