EXCLUSIVE: Storied Media Group, which is run by former ICM lit agent Todd Hoffman, has formed a strategic alliance with AI firm Vitrina. By teaming up, the companies aim to offer clients a more sophisticated view of the global entertainment supply chain.
SMG rolled out an intellectual property platform called StoryScout in 2018, expanding it globally three years later. Initial buy-side clients of StoryScout included Sony Television, New Line and Range Media. IP offered by StoryScout, much of it exclusive, spans true stories, life rights, journalism, comics, graphic novels, books, podcasts, and video games. In building the service, Hoffman drew on his background repping writers and media outlets like The New York Times, 60 Minutes and New York magazine, and working at SMG with the Marshall Project, The Guardian, The Washington Post and NPR.
Vitrina uses AI tools to track every upcoming film and TV project, associated companies for each project, and key decision-makers involved. Its reports monitor trends in film and TV development, production financing, commissioning, and licensing.
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Hoffman told Deadline he is well aware of the industry concerns about the use of AI in some areas, especially after the 2023 strikes, but he believes the teaming with Vitrina is an example of the technology’s upside.
“This is AI the way it should be used,” he said. “It’s only used to help connect people and give them information about the business globally. My thinking was that Vitrina is the perfect complement to our service. With StoryScout, people can find amazing stories they want to produce. Then with the help of Vitrina, they can find the companies, and even the executives, who are most likely to want to buy that project. Given these concerning and uncertain times, producers have to be smarter. Vitrina + StoryScout seems like a natural partnership.”
Hoffman sees the collaboration being of interest to production companies, studios, networks, and other early-stage participants in the film and television life cycle.
“At Vitrina, we are committed to providing the most comprehensive intel and insights to our users. Partnering with Storied Media Group allows us to offer an even greater value by integrating curated IP into our solution offering. This collaboration is a natural extension of our mission to connect and empower the global entertainment industry,” Vitrina CEO Atul Phadnis said in a statement to Deadline.
Since its inception in 2013, SMG has sold more than 350 projects to the film and television community. Current and past projects based on client IP include Modern Love (Amazon), Alex Gibney’s The Crime of the Century (HBO), Clint Eastwood’s The Mule (Warner Bros.), Insatiable (Netflix), and upcoming titles like The Afghanistan Papers (Paramount +).
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