Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony has become an investor in Utopai Studios, with his production company, Creative 7, cofounded with Asani Swann, set to develop original sports and entertainment IP using PAI, Utopai Studios’ proprietary cinematic storytelling AI.
Anthony and Swann will help deepen Utopai Studios’ outreach to professional athletes and drive other sports-related opportunities across film, television, streaming, and digital platforms.
“What stood out to me wasn’t just how advanced the technology is, but the vision and intention behind it,” said Anthony. “Sports has always been grounded in real human stories that can translate to powerful entertainment IP, but bringing those stories to life hasn’t always been easy. PAI changes that. It gives us a more accessible way to create and build something with long-term value.”
“With this partnership, we see a clear opportunity to develop sports-driven ideas rooted in authentic storytelling into original entertainment properties at scale,” said Swann. “With Utopai Studios, we’re combining technology, production expertise, and creative infrastructure to move those ideas seamlessly into film, television, streaming, and digital platforms—faster and with greater creative control.”
“Carmelo and Asani immediately understood that this is bigger than using AI to make content faster,” said Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios. “We are building a new studio system for the AI era, one that gives creators, athletes, and talent a more direct path to develop original IP while preserving authorship, ownership, and creative control. With Creative 7 and PAI, we can help turn powerful athlete-driven stories into entertainment properties built for film, television, streaming, animation and digital audiences.”
Utopai Studios is working with another sports celebrity, James Harden, on an AI-animated short created with PAI. The first project beinbg developed with Creative 7 is an anime-inspired entertainment property developed around Anthony’s world, beginning with a short-form series and behind-the-scenes content tied to his creative involvement.
