The kids stay in the picture: Film talent launch startup that makes children stars in their own series

Film producers David Boies and Zack Schiller have launched CenterStage Technologies, an AI startup that creates personalized storytelling platforms allowing children to star in their own shows featuring popular characters. The company has secured intellectual property deals with PBS and Pete the Cat, with plans to launch its first product this fall targeting early childhood reading and entertainment.

What you should know: CenterStage aims to address Hollywood’s AI concerns by working directly with IP owners and employing industry professionals in its development process.

• The platform uses “highly controlled” training environments and safety protocols to protect licensed characters and ensure kid-safe content.
• The company employs Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers to create prompts and Hollywood artists to develop public-domain character versions.
• “We think we are creating more opportunities, not taking them away,” says co-founder Zack Schiller. “We are a human-first AI company.”

The big picture: CenterStage emerges as generative AI remains a contentious issue in Hollywood, with creators concerned about job displacement and studios pursuing copyright litigation against AI companies.

• The Motion Picture Association this week called on OpenAI to fix its copyright opt-out system amid proliferation of Sora 2 videos featuring recognizable characters.
• Boies, a high-profile attorney, positions CenterStage as empowering IP owners to “safely and ethically develop personalized narratives using AI.”

How it works: The platform allows children to create personalized stories starring themselves alongside licensed characters in educational and entertainment content.

• CenterStage uses multiple AI companies’ large language models, trained and fine-tuned with proprietary visual models.
• “Everything we train on is protected — it can’t get out into the wild,” Schiller explains.
• The initial focus targets early reading adoption, with plans to eventually enable creation of “shows, movies, books and more from whole cloth.”

The origin story: The idea originated when Schiller’s 8-year-old son asked why his father had never made a movie for him.

• Schiller collaborated with co-founder George Cawood to create a short AI film starring his son as a “vet-ninja” (veterinarian by day, ninja by night).
• This personal project revealed the market potential for AI-based personalized entertainment at scale.

Who’s involved: CenterStage’s founding team brings together entertainment industry veterans and AI specialists.

• Co-founders include George Cawood, managing partner of VFX specialist Framework Studio, leading platform development.
• Data scientist Zank Bennett, CEO of Bennett Data Science, heads the AI team.
• The 30-employee company operates from Culver City offices of Boies Schiller Entertainment.

Industry credibility: Boies and Schiller bring over a decade of film production experience through Boies Schiller Entertainment since 2012.

• Their portfolio includes “The Babysitter” directed by McG, “Escape Plan” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and “The Upside” with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.
• This track record positions them to navigate Hollywood partnerships more effectively than pure tech startups.

What’s next: CenterStage is currently raising funding from outside investors, though Schiller declined to name specific backers.

• The company reports discussions with “a major Hollywood studio and other family-oriented brands” for additional IP licensing deals.
• “It’s a new product that doesn’t exist. We are creating the rules of the road as we go,” Schiller notes.

What they’re saying: Company leaders emphasize their unique positioning in the AI entertainment space.

• “Our purpose at CenterStage is to allow personalization at scale, and let the consumer star in and direct their own productions,” says Schiller.
• Boies describes their competitive landscape as “everybody and nobody. Nobody is doing what we are doing. On the other hand, we are competing with everybody who is trying to get the attention and participation of consumers.”