New Canvas is among 13 businesses selected by Warner Bros. Discovery and Acme Innovation to take part in Collider On The Lot, a new accelerator program designed to provide opportunities to collaborate with the two companies as they explore emerging technologies.
Startup ventures, ranging from media platforms to software developers and digital marketplaces, were chosen from hundreds of applicants for the program, which began last September with a three-day intensive at the Warner Bros. Discovery lot in Burbank, California.
Going forward, the cohort will be guided by Acme Innovation and be given the chance to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery in digital experiences, new storytelling formats and content production opportunities, and engaging fans of iconic IP and brands across multiple platforms.
Acme Innovation CEO Mark Ross said his company was in the process of exploring innovative approaches that would “lead to long-term, lasting changes in what this business looks like”.
“There is a tidal wave of technological disruption happening, and we have a golden opportunity to determine how to implement these new technologies in a responsible and thoughtful manner,” he said.
Established in 2020 out of the entertainment division of VR and AR company Start Beyond, New Canvas is known for producing Ryan Griffen’s Lustration, a four-part fantasy noir that follows a group of characters whose stories are mysteriously intertwined in both the real world and the afterlife.
After premiering at SXSW in 2022, the series was made available on Meta Quest’s Oculus TV and was showcased in the Venice Immersive section of the 2022 Venice Film Festival, while also being nominated for a Webby Award.
The company is led by Byron-based CEO Nathan Anderson and chief strategy officer and EP Wadooah Wali, who resides in Los Angeles.
Speaking to IF, Wali said the company was “super excited” for what was to come.
“What an exciting journey it’s been,” she said.
“We’re proud that, out of hundreds of applicants, New Canvas was selected for Warner Bros. Discovery and Acme Innovation’s inaugural Collider On The Lot program. The experience was beyond inspiring and it’s an honor to be one of the 13 standout companies selected.”