Edge Of AI Podcast

From Code to Canvas: Toonstar's AI Animation and Web3 Innovation with John Attanasio

Sep 14, 2023

41:19

Toonstar, under CEO John Attanasio's guidance, pioneers Web3 animation with a focus on interactive storytelling and community engagement their groundbreaking NFT project, "The Gimmicks," showcases community-driven animation. Backed by founders like John and Luisa Huang, veterans of major studios such as Warner Bros., Disney, and DreamWorks, Toonstar champions diversity in animation and the creator economy. Employing AI and machine learning, they revolutionize animation production, automating labor-intensive tasks, enabling rapid, high-quality content creation. "Space Junk," their latest venture, introduces the first AI voice character, Wellbecca, amplifying audience engagement and creativity. Toonstar bridges technology and creativity, unlocking new possibilities for creators and audiences.

Key Takeaways:

Toonstar's AI-driven animation tech stack reduces production time, enabling them to create high-quality content in days, not months, while enhancing audience engagement.
Their innovative approach to animation and Web3 empowers diverse creators, bridging the gap between technology and storytelling in the entertainment industry.
Toonstar has created an AI character named Wellbecca, who evolves from a more robotic persona to a more human-like one over time, demonstrating the power of AI in character development.
The company has extended the use of AI to engage their community, allowing users to collaborate in character and story generation, providing an innovative form of co-creation.
Blockchain technology is utilized to provide ownership and rewards to community members, allowing them to have a stake in the content they contribute to.
The narrative explores the potential of AI and blockchain in transforming the entertainment industry, enabling new storytelling possibilities and offering opportunities for creators and audiences alike.

Quotes:

"The best way to describe Toonstar is we call ourselves a Web3 story studio."
"This whole idea of direct-to-community or direct-to-consumer is fundamentally changing in a lot of ways. Thanks to technology."
"We had to back it up and say, 'Let's go more robotic, then over time she's going to start to sound more human.' All that's done through AI."
"Why can't we take AI, put the AI in the hands of the community, and let them use it like ChatGPT or DALL-E and help them create their own characters and backstories but all within the Space Junk canon?"
"We can do a 5 to 8-minute episode in a few days. That gives you a sense of how quickly you can do it."

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