Obsidian officially launches today (11/4), founded by director Wes Walker and entrepreneurial executive Louis Gheysens of the Oscar®-winning global creative studio Gang Group.
While it has been active for a stretch already as a creative studio quietly established within Gang Group, developing and producing some select early projects, the formal public introduction of Obsidian now comes as the new venture makes a major splash by entering into a creative partnership with Imagine Entertainment, the Academy Award®-winning film and television company co-founded by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Together, the studios are exploring how Obsidian’s compact, director-driven units of storyboard artists, CG generalists, editors, and AI specialists can serve both Hollywood and global brands. Each unit begins with hand-drawn storyboards and human-centric design, then moves through AI-enabled iteration and high-end visual effects. The approach compresses production cycles from months into weeks while protecting taste and craft.
Built by creatives for creatives, Obsidian places directors and artists at the heart of the process, blending live-action craft with digital production to bring audiences more vivid, emotionally resonant stories. “The artist sits at the center of everything we do,” said Walker, an alum of SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase in 2022 who has since gone on to be an award-winning filmmaker. “Technology alone doesn’t move people, emotion does. It’s the artist using the tools, not the tools themselves, that makes the image feel real, the spirit tangible, and the connection with the audience unmistakable.”
From storyboards to custom datasets, developed with veteran industry artists including Marc Vena (Logan, Passengers, War for The Planet of the Apes) and Tani Kunitake (Black Panther, The Matrix, Fight Club, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), that train its AI workflows, Obsidian builds each project with artistry and emotion at its core. The company’s patent-pending technologies such as DigitalForge™, a live team-based production system, bring AI and CGI directly on set, where artists collaborate with directors and brand partners in real time. EchoChrome™, also patent pending, extends this approach, anchoring premium image quality at the center of everything Obsidian delivers.
“Hollywood and global brands face the same challenge: more stories, tighter budgets,” commented executive producer Gheysens, co-founder and CEO of Gang Group and Obsidian. “Our DigitalForge model was designed for exactly that, scaling production efficiently while keeping creative integrity intact.”
Throughout 2025, Obsidian collaborated with Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, Crayola, Aramco, Amazon, NBA, ESPN, and several other visionary brands to deliver films and campaigns that fuse cinematic craft with agility and efficiency. In entertainment, the Imagine partnership extends across development, pre-visualization, and postproduction, including the production company’s upcoming feature film and documentary projects.
“At Imagine, we are committed to emotionally resonant, human storytelling and we have already seen the ways AI can be a beneficial tool in that mission. Obsidian’s artist-led approach is exactly the kind of collaboration we stand behind to amplify human creativity and we’re excited to be working with them,” said Justin Wilkes, president of Imagine Entertainment.
Obsidian is now expanding its R&D and partnerships with a focus on generating original IP and unique audience experiences.
“Great work is longevity. That is our bar,” added Walker. “AI gives us a chance to imagine beyond the limits of production. It’s a way to build new worlds and bring audiences closer to stories that feel vivid and human.”
