Hollywood legend makes big bet on the future of AI

The booming artificial intelligence market is upending many industries, but it is also creating valuable opportunities for forward-thinking investors.

Despite a fairly volatile start to 2025, many AI stocks such as Nvidia and Palantir have made substantial progress, establishing themselves as leaders in the space. But other investors are focused on finding newer tech companies, not yet publicly traded, with the potential to help usher in the next phase of AI.

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These companies sometimes operate under the general public’s radar, quietly creating technology that has the power to disrupt entire industries and change how work is done. They may not often make headlines, but when they do, it is because someone important has decided to stake a bet on one.

One example is Creatify, a platform that leverages AI technology to create video ads. An investing leader has revealed that he sees it as a likely force in the industry.

Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is turning his attention to a startup that is bringing AI to video advertising.

Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Hollywood producer is shifting focus to a different type of production

If you’re a fan of Hollywood animations, you probably know the work of Jeffrey Katzenberg. One of the industry’s most respected producers, he helped create some of Disney’s most popular animated features before helping found DreamWorks, the studio responsible for films such as “Shrek” and “The Prince of Egypt.”

Katzenberg is credited with helping turn Disney (DIS) into a multi-billion-dollar media empire and ultimately ushering in a new era of animation. But he’s also a managing partner at WndrCo, an investment firm that has backed tech startups such as Airtable, Databricks, and 1Password.

Now, Katzenberg has revealed that his firm is co-leading a Series A investment in Creatify, to the tune of $15.5 million. This represents a significant bet not just on the startup but on the future of AI, as Creatify is poised to disrupt the advertising industry.

Why is Katzenberg investing in this startup over others? He recently revealed that he is excited about AI-generated video platforms because he believes they give storytellers a key edge.

“I’ve seen firsthand how technology opens new doors, from hand-drawn to CGI animation, and now AI,” he states. “What excites me about Creatify is that it’s breaking down barriers around video creation. When production takes minutes instead of weeks, more people get to tell their stories. That’s a real shift.”

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As an expert in both animation and storytelling, Kateznberg is well qualified to discuss these areas and to identify the technologies that can enhance them. He adds that although traditional production isn’t able to keep up with today’s demands for custom ads, modern AI systems can, making them a game-changer for the industry.

What does AI mean for the future of advertising?

The fact that someone like Katzenberg is betting big on a company like Creatify suggests that the advertising industry may be about to change. For some, that might raise the question of how severely jobs in the field will be impacted.

Based on what Katzenberg and Creatify Cofounder and CEO Yinan Na have said, it doesn’t seem like these technologies will replace too many human workers. “It’s about harnessing AI to democratize creativity and empower entrepreneurs everywhere to scale their storytelling and grow their businesses,” states Na.

The CEO adds that his vision is to create the “Shopify of video ads” with Creatify, engineering a platform that empowers entrepreneurs to venture into a new industry with user-friendly tools.

While this may lead to more video content and advertising campaigns, it doesn’t seem as if it will do the creative part of advertising. Telling stories is a crucial part of the industry, as many experts have reiterated.

Joe Lazer, Pepper CEMO and author of “The Storytelling Edge,” addressed this earlier in the year, stating, “No matter how good generative AI gets, great storytellers will be the hardest thing for it to replace. AI can write, but it can never be a storyteller.”