Alibi Studios and nmatic.ai have joined forces to launch The Next Valley, a hybrid AI VFX studio that combines human-led creative disciplines with genAI
A collective of VFX artists and creative leaders known as Alibi Studios have teamed up with nmatic.ai to launch The Next Valley, a hybrid AI VFX studios.
The Next Valley is led by nmatic.ai CEO Nick Price and Alibi Studios CEO Nicolas Cotta, and its team includes Mark Benson, chair of Alibi Studios and former CEO of MPC and president of The Mill.
The company harness nmatic.ai’s hybrid AI capabilities – the fusion of human-led creative disciplines (including live action, CGI, photography) and generative AI – alongside Alibi Studios’ heritage in high-end VFX.
nmatic.ai says its hybrid AI approach is grounded in enhancing human craft rather than replacing it. It enables filmmakers and brands to produce premium content up to 30% faster and up to 30% more cost-effectively than traditional production techniques.
The creative vision for The Next Valley will be spearheaded by Nathalie Girard, executive VFX supervisor of Alibi Studios; Carl Lyttle, chief digital officer of nmatic.ai; and Chris Catchpole, chief creative officer at nmatic.ai.
Price said: “Hybrid AI integrated with VFX will represent one of the largest shifts in content production in a generation. By building it into the workflow from the ground up, The Next Valley can deliver work of the highest visual quality, faster and more cost-effectively, at a time when budgets are squeezed and craft has felt threatened. We believe the model not only solves a real issue in the entertainment and advertising industries today, but also helps forge a new path for how AI can work as an effective part of a craft-led culture in the future.”
Cotta added: “Whilst Alibi will continue to use a traditional approach to VFX, our commitment to The Next Valley will take our collaborations to another level, where we will have a dedicated team that not only uses what AI offers us today, but leverages AI alongside Unreal Engine and other tech platforms to proactively develop new workflows for our clients and partners in the future.”
Mark Benson, chair of Alibi Studios and The Next Valley, said: “I am inspired by the ambition of Nicolas and Nick for The Next Valley, and see enormous potential for this partnership. The critical commitment to creative excellence and craft is at the heart of their collective strategies, and I am excited about the growth plans that the business has identified.”
PICTURED (from left): Chris Catchpole, Carl Lyttle, Nick Price, Mark Benson, Nico Cotta, Nathalie Girard
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