Our investment in Wonder Studios: Building the Studio Model for the AI Era
Generative AI is transforming how we create, produce, and experience stories. From text-to-video models capable of rendering cinematic worlds to agentic workflows that redefine collaboration, the boundary between filmmaking and computation is rapidly dissolving.
Today we’re excited to announce our investment in Wonder Studios, a team we believe can translate recent AI breakthroughs into a new creative and commercial paradigm for entertainment. Wonder Studios is an AI-native studio building the blueprint for filmmaking in the AI era.
We’re excited to lead their $12 million Seed round, alongside existing investors LocalGlobe and Blackbird. Wonder has also secured backing from tech giants Adobe Ventures; entertainment visionaries such as Erik Huggers (Chairman of Freepik, EveryoneTV and former CEO, Vevo) and the Sidemen's Upside Ventures; media and marketing leaders including Nigel Morris (former CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network for Americas and EMEA) and Mercuri; and AI pioneers including Joaquín Cuenca Abela (CEO, Freepik) and Mati Staniszewski (CEO, ElevenLabs).
Why now: a new model for a new audience
Video has become the dominant language of the internet. Short-form content makes up more than 80% of global traffic, yet audiences still crave the emotional depth and visual craft of cinematic storytelling. The traditional studio model, built for multi-year, high-cost productions, cannot meet today’s pace or economics.
AI is the catalyst for change. As generative video models mature, production timelines are collapsing from months to days. Creative iteration now happens in real time. Wonder Studios stands at the intersection of this technological shift, combining Hollywood-grade craft with AI-native workflows to produce premium stories faster and more affordably than ever before.
“Wonder is the entertainment studio for the new era,” said Xavier Collins, CEO and co-founder of Wonder Studios. “At the heart of our vision is combining Hollywood filmmaking excellence with AI-powered creative freedom, empowering both established directors and emerging creators to tell their most ambitious stories.”
What Wonder is building
Wonder operates across three interlocking pillars, high-profile commercial work for brands and artists, IP partnerships with content creators, and original content production, all powered by their core technology and community.
The approach is already delivering results. Since its launch in April 2025, Wonder has generated significant revenue through high-profile collaborations and original productions.
Highlights include an AI-powered music video for Lewis Capaldi’s “Something in the Heavens”, created with Google DeepMind, YouTube, and Universal Music Group, a production whose sweeping, surreal visuals would have been impossible to capture traditionally. The studio also launched “Beyond the Loop,” its first original anthology series, co-produced with ElevenLabs, Freepik, Fal, and Kling AI. The series has already surpassed 1.5 million views, with a second season and a global competition to discover new AI filmmaking talent now underway.
Why Wonder: technology meets taste
AI is democratising access to creative tools, but the winners will combine technical fluency with cultural taste-making. Wonder’s strength lies in bridging both worlds.
Its founders, Xavier Collins and Justin Hackney, bring complementary expertise. Xavier, formerly of Deliveroo and Turo, is a seasoned operator skilled in building and scaling global platforms. Justin, a creative visionary, award-winning filmmaker and former Creative Director at ElevenLabs, leads Wonder’s thriving community of more than 200 AI-native filmmakers and is widely recognised as one of the leading voices at the intersection of AI and film.
“Wonder captures the magic that happens when Hollywood artistry meets the power of AI, right when the industry is searching for a new model” said Ben Blume, Partner at Atomico. "Xavier and Justin have the rare combination of marketplace and community building experience, creative brilliance, and technical execution capability needed to create the entertainment studio for the next generation. Their incredible traction validates that the market is ready for their unique approach."
Looking ahead
The new funding will allow Wonder to double its engineering team and accelerate its expansion into IP ownership and original content. Upcoming projects include a documentary with Emmy Award-winning Campfire Studios, producers of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, The Menendez Brothers, and America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
At Atomico, we believe Wonder offers a glimpse of how AI will reshape creative industries: by empowering talent, transforming production economics, and redefining how stories are told. The next generation of studios will not be defined by geography or legacy infrastructure, but by how they harness technology to unlock creativity.
Welcome, Wonder. We’re proud to partner with you in building the studio model for the AI era.
