London’s Wonder Studios Raises $12M to Scale AI-Generated Content for Entertainment Industry
London-based creative AI studio Wonder Studios has secured $12 million in seed funding to scale production as part of its push to integrate AI-generated content into the entertainment industry.
The round was led by Atomico, with participation from existing investors LocalGlobe and Blackbird. It builds on Wonder’s previous pre-seed investments, which included backing from executives at ElevenLabs, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI.
Wonder will use the capital to double its engineering team and accelerate the process of acquiring intellectual property rights and producing original content. The team recently released an AI-powered music video for Lewis Capaldi’s song “Something in the Heavens,” created in collaboration with DeepMind, YouTube, and Universal Music Group. Wonder has also launched its first original project, the anthology “Beyond the Loop.”
The studio is working on several commercial and original projects slated for release next year, including an upcoming documentary from Campfire Studios, the production company behind Netflix documentaries like “The Menendez Brothers” and “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.” Campfire CEO Ross Dinerstein is an investor in the startup.
This push for IP control comes amid a wave of lawsuits from Hollywood producers against AI companies—both for training models on their content and for creating output using copyrighted characters. For instance, Disney and Universal Studios have sued Chinese company MiniMax, as well as the AI image generator Midjourney.
Wonder’s funding round also coincides with Netflix betting on generative AI as a way to boost efficiency in creative storytelling.
AI remains a contentious issue in the entertainment industry. Artists are concerned that tools built on large language models (LLMs), often trained on their work without consent, could threaten their livelihoods. OpenAI’s Sora 2 has faced particular criticism for replicating actors’ likenesses without notification or permission.
Wonder positions itself as “Hollywood without borders,” aiming to make AI-based storytelling tools accessible to all creators. According to the company, its app acts as a hub, connecting a community of creators with career opportunities, partners, and resources.
“The next decade will define what creativity looks like in the AI era,” said Justin Hackney, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Wonder Studios. “Our mission is to ensure that this future belongs to storytellers. By working with leading studios, industry pioneers, and emerging filmmakers, we are already building a bridge where technology and artistry converge.”