Deep Voodoo

About Deep Voodoo

Deep Voodoo is an artificial intelligence entertainment startup co-founded by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the long-running animated series "South Park". The company's genesis traces back to early 2020, when Parker and Stone assembled a team of leading deepfake artists for a feature film project. When the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the film's production, they pivoted, leveraging the assembled talent to establish Deep Voodoo and focus on developing proprietary deepfake tools and visual effects services.

The company operates at the intersection of entertainment and technology, providing AI-powered visual effects that are positioned as faster and more cost-effective alternatives to traditional VFX methods. Its core service involves creating synthetic media, specializing in face-swapping and de-aging effects for film, television, and music videos. The business model appears to be project-based, offering its VFX services to artists, producers, and creators. One of its most high-profile projects was the music video for Kendrick Lamar's "The Heart Part 5," where the rapper's face realistically morphed into other public figures. This project served as a significant showcase of the company's capabilities and its partnership with Lamar's PGLang company.

Initially funded entirely by Parker and Stone's independent entertainment company, Park County, Deep Voodoo secured its first external capital in December 2022 with a $20 million investment. The funding round was led by Connect Ventures, an investment partnership between the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA). This capital is intended to accelerate the development of its deepfake technology, expand its cost-effective VFX services, and fund original synthetic media projects. Deep Voodoo is positioning itself as a key player in the evolving landscape of synthetic media, aiming to provide powerful creative tools to the broader Hollywood community.