Kevin Reilly, a former Fox and WarnerMedia executive, will serve as chief executive officer of Kartel, a creative engineering company developing AI systems for Fortune 500 brands, agencies and studios.
In his new role, Reilly will apply decades of experience in storytelling and technology to accelerate the company’s mission to scale “creative intelligence.” He will be based at the company’s Beverly Hills office.
“Kartel is where imagination meets engineering – a platform built to help brands move at the speed of culture,” Reilly said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career at the intersection of culture and commerce, nurturing unique voices and scaling valuable brands and IP. Kartel is built to be a trusted partner for brands seeking to empower their unique DNA with AI systems and solutions at scale.”
Reilly has been a creative force behind landmark series such as “The Sopranos,” “The Office,” “Glee,” “30 Rock” and “ER.”
He led entertainment divisions at NBC, Fox, Turner and FX. He also served as HBO Max’s chief content officer, where he built and scaled the platform’s content strategy and led the integration of multiple divisions around the new product launch under WarnerMedia.
“Kevin has always been at the forefront of cultural and technological shifts, from greenlighting genre-defining shows to launching billion-dollar platforms,” Kartel co-founder Ben Kusin said. “With AI reshaping how creative work gets done, there’s no one better to lead Kartel’s mission to scale high-quality content without compromising voice or craft.”
In addition to his role at Kartel, Reilly is a board advisor at the Israel-based firm Deepdub, which is described as “an AI innovator providing high quality seamless localization for entertainment content at the click of the button.”
Kartel launched earlier this year, raising $2 million in funding at the time. It also released a sizzle reel of AI-generated images, which included Michael Jackson and Snoop Dogg.
In addition to Reilly’s appointment as CEO, the company has raised additional funding led by Maven Growth Partners, with participation from TopRidge Investments and Elevate Partners. A Kartel spokesperson declined to confirm how much in fresh funding has been raised, adding that the latest round is still open.
The new investment will be used to accelerate the company’s development of enterprise-scale creative infrastructure and expand its partnerships with global brands and studios.
