South Park creators’ deepfake company gets huge $20M investment

South Park

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are really doubling down on “deepfake” tech with their own company, which got a hefty investment.

The pair of South Park animators have been running Deep Voodoo, a production company that licenses out its deepfake tech to artists, creators, and more.

They’ve just received (via Hollywood Reporter) $20 million in a new funding round via Connect Ventures, the joint partnership between CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates.

For those living under a rock in recent years, deepfake tech uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to replicate faces on actors, or characters. Sometimes the effect is so believable it has led to celebrities having to address deepfake hoaxes.

The South Park duo have used the tech in their Sassy Justice web series, which has parodied Mark Zuckerberg and former US President Donald Trump. Their tech has also been used by popular artists like Kendrick Lamar, who used it in a music video to put OJ Simpson and Kanye West’s faces on his own.

“We stumbled upon this amazing technology and ended up recruiting the best deepfake artists in the world,” Stone said in a statement. “We are psyched to share their brilliance with the Hollywood creative community.”

Michael Blank of Connect Ventures added, “Deep Voodoo has established itself as a leading synthetic media technology platform that has already impacted traditional entertainment. Deep Voodoo uses artificial intelligence to support productions in innovative ways that are faster and more cost-effective than traditional VFX technology.”

Deep Voodoo started as part of Park County, the holding firm Stone and Parker have as an umbrella for South Park, the Book of Mormon musical, even their Casa Bonita restaurant. With the new funding, they’re spinning it out as its own entity.

This is Niche Gamer Tech. In this column, we regularly cover tech and things related to the tech industry.

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