Latest news with #SkyHistory
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
While Midjourney Gets Sued, These Two AI Studios Get Signed
As copyright lawsuits escalate against some of the most widely used generative AI companies, two smaller studios are gaining industry traction by designing their workflows to avoid legal risk. Killer Kings on Sky History. The true crime-style docuseries features AI-generated visual ... More reenactments. This week, Gennie, a generative video studio focused on nonfiction content, premiered Killer Kings on Sky History. The true crime-style docuseries features AI-generated visual reenactments. Separately, animation studio Toonstar signed with WME and announced a new original show with comedian and digital creator Nigel Ng. Both companies rely on AI to accelerate production, yet neither is facing scrutiny from copyright holders or regulators. Gennie and Toonstar represent a different path for AI in media, one that favors preemptive compliance and transparency. Their work is broadcast-ready and structured to minimize legal exposure, offering a potential model for others. On June 12, Disney and Universal filed a joint copyright infringement lawsuit against Midjourney in federal court, alleging that the company enabled large-scale unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted material. Getty's separate case against Stability AI began the same week in London. The results of these cases will likely shape how AI content is made, distributed, and monetized. In response, companies that want to operate inside the traditional entertainment ecosystem are moving to establish clearer boundaries. Gennie was founded in 2024 by Max Einhorn, Chelsea Durgin, and Tejas Shah. Their debut series Killer Kings, produced by UK-based FirstLookTV, dramatizes the lives and crimes of six historical monarchs created using generative video. Visuals were created with tools like Google Veo and Luma's Dream Machine, and incorporated into a more conventional documentary format featuring expert commentary and voiceover narration. According to Einhorn, each reenactment is the product of extensive historical research and prompt engineering that draws on academic consensus. Character designs are reviewed by subject-matter experts and finalized prior to image generation. The team developed a formal framework called the 'Pillars of Protection' to guide their work. This includes prompt documentation, indemnified toolchains, and AI-specific insurance coverage underwritten by Lloyd's of London. 'Our goal is to put accurate history on screen and reduce the risk that typically comes with using generative tools,' said Einhorn. 'We're building a system where legal and creative standards can co-exist.' Each episode of Killer Kings includes eight to ten minutes of AI-generated content, intercut with interviews and narration. Gennie operated in parallel with the UK production team, acting as a visual effects unit—designing scenes, characters, and locations with visual continuity in mind. Toonstar co-founders John Attanasio (CEO) and Luisa Huang (COO). Toonstar was founded in 2015 by John Attanasio and Luisa Huang. The company has focused on short-form and mid-form animation designed for YouTube and social platforms. Their series StEvEn & Parker, created with TikTok personality Parker James, now draws over 30 million weekly views and has been dubbed into multiple languages using AI voice cloning technology. This week, Toonstar became the first AI-native animation company to be represented by WME. Their first joint project is a new animated series with Nigel Ng, best known for his Uncle Roger character. Toonstar's production tools include Ink & Pixel, an AI animation engine customized for each show, and SPOT, a proprietary system for testing content and gathering performance data. These technologies allow the studio to move quickly, test new IP, and adjust based on audience response without sacrificing quality. Huang said their goal is to enable creators who otherwise couldn't access traditional animation. 'We're not replacing artists. We're working with them to open up the format to more people,' she said. Gennie and Toonstar have made different bets on format and audience, but both have prioritized internal guardrails over open-ended experimentation. They rely on indemnified models, avoid referencing public figures or copyrighted works, and maintain close relationships with traditional partners—from distributors to talent agencies to insurers. This mindful, compliant approach is now paying dividends to these early movers. Killer Kings is airing on Sky History and being distributed internationally. Toonstar is scaling its model through a major agency partnership. Both companies are producing commercial content with AI while meeting the legal and editorial standards of traditional media.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bradley Walsh thought he was ‘going to prove the pyramids were built by aliens'
Bradley Walsh says he thought he was 'going to prove' that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens before investigating the conspiracy theory as part of a new show. The presenter, 64, known for The Chase and Gladiators, has always been interested in the tomb structures at Giza since he was child as his teacher was the great-niece of Howard Carter, who found Tutankhamun's tomb. As part of the Sky History programme Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code, he travelled to the country after hearing 'this rumour that the pyramids weren't built by Ancient Egyptians at all', and 'they were built by a race that had either died out prior to 4,500 years ago, or they were built by someone or something else'. Walsh added: 'Prior to arriving in Egypt, I'm thinking: this is going be great, I'm going to prove this is the aliens. ' People say I'm a conspiracy theorist. I'm not. All I did was say: 'It could be this,' and I needed to find out what is the truth.' Walsh said that, being there, 'you then realise it's very difficult to take on board that anyone else other than 'the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids''. 'The great thing about the Great Pyramid is they started building the pyramids about 150 years prior to that one,' he said. 'My expert guides, Meredith and Arto, showed me where the beginnings of the pyramids were about 150 years prior to the Grand Pyramid. 'If you went there, you see the evolution of the pyramids – one's wonky, one's drooping on one side, it's all trial and error.' Walsh also appeared to suggest that being inside the Great Pyramid made him stop believing that it could generate electricity. He said: 'Being so deep inside the pyramid, I was expecting a lot of noise. I've maintained that I think the Great Pyramid is some kind of power plant in its own right.' Walsh also said that it was 'mind-blowing being there', and finding out that the final ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, lover of Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, died closer to the modern era than the beginning of the Ancient Egypt. He said: 'You can go online and get a load of speculative information from people that have never even been there, they've got it from a book or somewhere else online, and you know how dangerous the web can be in terms of misinformation. 'Well, if you are interested in the pyramids, hopefully people will watch this and go and see it for themselves. I hope they do because it certainly broadens the mind – it also narrows it, to a certain extent, in that you can see all the real information laid out in front of you.' The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,600 years ago to house Khufu, a king from Egypt's 4th dynasty. The Egyptian Government has previously invited people who do not believe their ancestors built the pyramids to the north-east African country to learn the story of the impressive structures. In 2020, the then-minister of international co-operation Rania al-Mashat told South African businessman Elon Musk that she is 'waiting for' him to visit the pyramids after he wrote on X: 'Aliens built the pyramids (obviously).' Ms al-Mashat also said: 'I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you and Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. 'Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.' Tech billionaire Mr Musk, who bought Twitter/X in 2022, later pointed to a 'sensible summary for how' the structures were built, which explained that archaeological evidence shows that there were villages made to house workers constructing the pyramids, and went into detail about the human evidence. Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code airs on March 18 at 9pm on Sky History.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bradley Walsh thought he was ‘going to prove the pyramids were built by aliens'
Bradley Walsh says he thought he was 'going to prove' that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens before investigating the conspiracy theory as part of a new show. The presenter, 64, known for The Chase and Gladiators, has always been interested in the tomb structures at Giza since he was child as his teacher was the great-niece of Howard Carter, who found Tutankhamun's tomb. As part of the Sky History programme Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code, he travelled to the country after hearing 'this rumour that the pyramids weren't built by Ancient Egyptians at all', and 'they were built by a race that had either died out prior to 4,500 years ago, or they were built by someone or something else'. Walsh added: 'Prior to arriving in Egypt, I'm thinking: this is going be great, I'm going to prove this is the aliens. 'People say I'm a conspiracy theorist. I'm not. All I did was say: 'It could be this,' and I needed to find out what is the truth.' Walsh said that, being there, 'you then realise it's very difficult to take on board that anyone else other than 'the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids''. 'The great thing about the Great Pyramid is they started building the pyramids about 150 years prior to that one,' he said. 'My expert guides, Meredith and Arto, showed me where the beginnings of the pyramids were about 150 years prior to the Grand Pyramid. 'If you went there, you see the evolution of the pyramids – one's wonky, one's drooping on one side, it's all trial and error.' Walsh also appeared to suggest that being inside the Great Pyramid made him stop believing that it could generate electricity. He said: 'Being so deep inside the pyramid, I was expecting a lot of noise. I've maintained that I think the Great Pyramid is some kind of power plant in its own right.' Walsh also said that it was 'mind-blowing being there', and finding out that the final ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, lover of Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, died closer to the modern era than the beginning of the Ancient Egypt. He said: 'You can go online and get a load of speculative information from people that have never even been there, they've got it from a book or somewhere else online, and you know how dangerous the web can be in terms of misinformation. 'Well, if you are interested in the pyramids, hopefully people will watch this and go and see it for themselves. I hope they do because it certainly broadens the mind – it also narrows it, to a certain extent, in that you can see all the real information laid out in front of you.' The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,600 years ago to house Khufu, a king from Egypt's 4th dynasty. The Egyptian Government has previously invited people who do not believe their ancestors built the pyramids to the north-east African country to learn the story of the impressive structures. In 2020, the then-minister of international co-operation Rania al-Mashat told South African businessman Elon Musk that she is 'waiting for' him to visit the pyramids after he wrote on X: 'Aliens built the pyramids (obviously).' Ms al-Mashat also said: 'I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you and Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. 'Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.' Tech billionaire Mr Musk, who bought Twitter/X in 2022, later pointed to a 'sensible summary for how' the structures were built, which explained that archaeological evidence shows that there were villages made to house workers constructing the pyramids, and went into detail about the human evidence. Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code airs on March 18 at 9pm on Sky History.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bradley Walsh: ‘I thought I'd prove the pyramids were built by aliens in new TV show'
Bradley Walsh has said he thought he was 'going to prove' the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens in his new television show. The presenter, 64, known for The Chase and Gladiators, is the face of Sky History programme Bradley Walsh: Egypt 's Cosmic Code. For the series, he travelled to the country to investigate 'this rumour that the pyramids weren't built by Ancient Egyptians at all.' He told PA that he wanted to investigate whether: 'They were built by a race that had either died out prior to 4,500 years ago, or they were built by someone or something else'. Walsh added: 'Prior to arriving in Egypt, I'm thinking: this is going be great, I'm going to prove this is the aliens. 'People say I'm a conspiracy theorist. I'm not. All I did was say: 'It could be this,' and I needed to find out what is the truth.' Walsh said that being there, 'you then realise it's very difficult to take on board that anyone else other than 'the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids''. 'The great thing about the Great Pyramid is they started building the pyramids about 150 years prior to that one,' he said. 'My expert guides, Meredith and Arto, showed me where the beginnings of the pyramids were about 150 years prior to the Grand Pyramid. 'If you went there, you see the evolution of the pyramids – one's wonky, one's drooping on one side, it's all trial and error.' Walsh also appeared to suggest that being inside the Great Pyramid made him stop believing that it could generate electricity. He said: 'Being so deep inside the pyramid, I was expecting a lot of noise. I've maintained that I think the Great Pyramid is some kind of power plant in its own right.' Walsh also said that it was 'mind-blowing being there', and finding out that the final ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, lover of Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, died closer to the modern era than the beginning of Ancient Egypt. He said: 'You can go online and get a load of speculative information from people that have never even been there, they've got it from a book or somewhere else online, and you know how dangerous the web can be in terms of misinformation. 'Well, if you are interested in the pyramids, hopefully, people will watch this and go and see it for themselves. I hope they do because it certainly broadens the mind – it also narrows it, to a certain extent, in that you can see all the real information laid out in front of you.' Walsh signed up for the show thanks to a life-long interest in the tomb structures at Giza. He was inspired by his teacher - who was the great-niece of Howard Carter, who found Tutankhamun's tomb. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,600 years ago to house Khufu, a king from Egypt's 4th dynasty. The Egyptian Government has previously invited people who do not believe their ancestors built the pyramids to the north-east African country to learn the story of the impressive structures. In 2020, the then-minister of international cooperation, Rania al-Mashat told South African businessman Elon Musk that she is 'waiting for' him to visit the pyramids after he wrote on X: 'Aliens built the pyramids (obviously).' Ms al-Mashat also said: 'I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you and Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. 'Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.' Tech billionaire Mr Musk, who bought Twitter/X in 2022, later pointed to a 'sensible summary for how' the structures were built, which explained that archaeological evidence shows that there were villages made to house workers constructing the pyramids, and went into detail about the human evidence.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rylan Clark 'working on new witchcraft history show'
Rylan Clark is reportedly working on a new documentary series about The Witchcraft Act. The 36-year-old presenter is working with TV historian Professor Alice Roberts on new series 'The Witches of Essex' exploring Henry VIII's law against witches in 1542, which led to thousands of women being persecuted and many burned at the stake. A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "Rylan has been busy learning about art and history over on the BBC, but now — he's diving in closer to home. "The three-parter will see Rylan investigate the epicentre of the persecution of witches, and the thousands of women who met their deaths thanks to laws against magic. 'He'll learn about the three most notorious witch trials, all of which were held in Essex, and the consequences it had on the people of his home county.' He and Alice have already teased the Sky History programme on social media as they shared a photo on stage at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London's South Bank. They quipped that they were "cooking up some magic", and it's now been reported they have been filming for the programme, which is being produced by Louis Theroux' Mindhouse company. Last year, Rylan teamed up with judge Rob Rinder for 'Rob and Ryan's Grand Tour' in Italy, and in October a second series of the BBC travelogue show was confirmed with the pair jetting off to India. Rylan said on Instagram: "So excited we're back for series two and this time we're off to INDIA. Bumped into each other yesterday and this is how excited we are. Thank you everyone that watched our show and we can't wait until we get going for S2. I'll try not to kill him." The show focuses on the television personalities follow in the footsteps of 19th century romantic poet Lord Byron and other Grand Tourists as they immerse themselves in the art, culture, bad behaviour and life-changing exploits of historic Brits abroad. After Greece, Spain and France were considered as destinations, show bosses ultimately decided to send the two stars east for a trip titled 'A Passage To India' in honour of E. M. Forster's 1924 novel.
