Love it or hate it, AI is building a foundation in the kids biz, and South Korea’s Park Star Media wants to get in on the ground floor.

The studio is launching a new A+ IP Accelerator Program to teach early-stage creatives how to use the tech; the goal is to give them a leg up in their careers and also open a new talent pipeline for Park Star.

Participants will work with the studio to learn about using ChatGPT for idea generation, Midjourney for visuals and AI tools for dubbing. Creatives will also be mentored on basics like how to craft a bible, produce content and expand an IP beyond TV. Applications are open until the end of May on Park Star’s website, and the program will start on June 5.

Park Star is already using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney to develop animated series concepts, and quickly produce books and webtoons, says founder Young Park. The company has produced preschool series Super Binks with WildBrain Spark and is currently developing new series such as Ancho-V.

It’s launching the accelerator to discover new projects from fresh voices that it can potentially invest in and bring to market. And at the same time, it wants to help creatives stand out by helping them learn how to use the AI tools that are becoming a part of how companies do business.

To support its own exploration of AI, the studio has hired former Disney concept artist and director Nak Choi as director of development. He’ll oversee the AI accelerator program, and also push Park Star into using the tech more frequently in its own productions. He started in March and is based in LA.

In his last role as a concept artist at Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB, Choi designed content for VR, AR and animation. And he has previously worked as a director at Disney Junior (Lights, Camera, Lexi!) and a storyboard artist on Rovio’s Angry Birds 2 movie.

Choi is currently helping the studio test out AI tools for creating a kids book series that revolves around historical Asian figures and famous folktales. The tech is helping to create the text and images, but real artists and writers are doing the bulk of the creation. The plan is to launch a crowdfunding effort to support this project at the end of May.

“AI has been transformative in my workflow as a storyteller and director,” says Choi. “I’m excited to share the tools that are revolutionizing filmmaking and [the] storytelling process to the next generation of creators.”

Image courtesy of Park Star Media