Hollywood is cautious about AI-generated media. Two notable YouTube vets are going full speed ahead.

Promise is a new entertainment studio that wants to use generative AI to reimagine Hollywood productions, and its founding team includes two executives with long careers in the digital media space. George Strompolos and Jamie Byrne — both of whom worked in creator-facing roles at YouTube — are joining forces with genAI artist Dave Clark to launch an intriguing gamble that has the backing of major venture capital firms.

The three Promise co-founders announced their new venture in an open letter published on LinkedIn. They explained that their plan is to “produce original films, series, and new formats” by working with artists who employ generative AI as a powerful creativity tool. Clark, an experienced director of commercials and short films, is one of those artists.

“Technology has always been fuel for creativity. We saw that happen firsthand in the earliest days of YouTube, as the democratization of distribution enabled a new class of creators to flourish. It was a time when technology and creativity collided in ways that reshaped the entertainment landscape forever,” reads the post. “And now, as powerful Gen AI tools democratize the act of creation itself, we are thrilled to champion another generation of talent, as they push the limits of their imagination in pursuit of the stories they must tell.”

The execs in charge of Promise certainly know a thing or two about the early days of YouTube. Strompolos was one of the original architects of the YouTube Partner Program, while Byrne — who forged creator partnerships from 2006 until his departure in 2022 — was one of YouTube’s longest-tenured higher-ups. After leaving YouTube, Strompolos led the seminal multi-channel network Fullscreen, where he invested millions in creator content before moving on in 2018.

Promise will reunite Strompolos with a longtime ally. Investor Peter Chernin, who acquired a majority stake in Fullscreen in 2014 and assumed full control of the MCN via AT&T joint venture Otter Media in 2018, is backing Strompolos’ new venture through his production company North Road. So is Andreessen Horowitz. a16z’s led investor for Promise is Andrew Chen, whose portfolio includes a stake in Clubhouse.

With strong VC backing behind it, Promise is developing a piece of workflow software called Muse, which will integrate generative AI innovations throughout the production process. It won’t be the first piece of tech bringing AI-generated video to the pop culture sphere. From Big Tech bets like OpenAI’s Sora and ByteDance’s text-to-video models to startups like Eleven Labs and Showrunner, numerous companies are betting on AI to usher in a new era of content.

Hollywood, however, has been resistant to that change. OpenAI has talked to studio execs about Sora’s potential use in large-scale productions, and both Alphabet and Meta have held similar conversations. But many working artists see AI as a threat to their livelihoods rather than a creative aid. Promise has a lot of work to do if it hopes to convince the art community that they should embrace AI-powered tools rather than shun them.

But if any company can pull off that difficult task, it’s this one. Few execs understand digital content better than Strompolos and Byrne, and they’ll now get the chance to show us that AI can create wondrous media the likes of which we’ve never seen. Can they keep their Promise?