Kartel provides a complete platform for creative production. Brands, studios, SMBs and agencies can reach out via a dedicated phone number, 1-838-NEW-IDEA, to discuss a project or collaborate directly with Kartel’s team of producers. An AI-enhanced intake system creates a creative brief instantly and then pairs the job with one of Kartel’s approved artists. The project then moves through a managed workflow supported by both software and a carefully selected group of ai-savvy directors. This process results in a finished video or campaign delivered within days.

The company is built on the principles of workflow orchestration, creative matchmaking, and the idea that speed and quality can coexist. The founders refer to it as an operating system for modern storytelling but emphasize that automation does not replace creativity. They stress that their mission is to support human creators, not to remove them from the equation.

During my visit to Kartel’s Beverly Hills office, I was struck by the casual and energetic atmosphere. The office features an open-plan layout with no pretense. The CEO sits beside his assistant, who sits next to a programmer, who sits next to a strategist. Everyone is close enough to hear what others are working on. At one point, co-founder Luke Peterson pulled up a slide from their pitch deck and asked me to call the number displayed on the screen.

I had just finished a call with a client in the XR glasses industry and gave Kartel’s AI a quick summary about them. It asked me a few follow-up questions. I sent over product images. The next day, I received a fully produced spot that looked like it came from a top agency. Clean concept, strong art direction, and a well-thought-out tone. Later, I found out it had been created by one of Kartel’s artists, Mike Burns, using generative tools based on the brief captured by the AI from our conversation. The client approved it immediately.

Their system streamlines the layers that usually slow down production timelines. It cuts out unnecessary back-and-forth during creative development while keeping the creative process intact. Artists still direct, design, and edit.

For each of Kartel’s customer segments, they eliminate a key pain point. Agencies benefit from faster production times and diverse creative options. Artists gain access to work they wouldn’t otherwise get. Clients receive cost-effective, direct access to high-quality talent without the overhead or delays typical of traditional firms. Peterson confirmed this and clarified that Kartel isn’t just a directory—it’s a full production stack with AI integrated into every stage of the workflow, along with careful curation of the artist roster who represent Kartel as much as the company represents them.

The founding team includes Peterson, a startup veteran and former managing director at Wells Fargo, and Ben Kusin, Kartel’s Chief Strategy Officer, who previously led the AI-first consultancy Visionairy and held executive roles in gaming and media. Their VP of Marketing, Estefania Guarderas, worked in reality television production at Bravo before discovering generative AI. She taught herself how to use the tools, created spec work, and was hired after Kartel saw her results.

Kartel also runs a studio in Santa Monica under Ryan Tomlinson, a former brand strategist for Earth One and advisor to the U.S. Space Force. There, they prototype original IP and test new tools such as volumetric capture and real-time motion systems. According to the founders, this studio work is not an add-on. It serves as a testing ground for both technology and storytelling. They use it to develop speculative pilots, music videos, and conceptual content for studios and buyers. In one example, the team created a short concept film for a fashion brand using only photos of clothing samples in five days. Kusin said the client was nearly moved to tears. “This is exactly what I imagined,” the client reportedly told them. “And now it exists.”

To understand how effective this approach is in practice, I sought feedback from both a client and an artist.

“I never thought this kind of fast turnaround was possible without sacrificing creativity,” said Kevin Miller, CEO of NoLogo.com, who recently collaborated with Kartel on a product launch video. “I gave them minimal direction, explained our market position, and two days later I had a full TV ad. We launched a media campaign with it the following week.”

On the other side of the process, Matt Zien, a film and television producer and founder of KNGMKR Labs—a pioneer in generative AI content—called Kartel a rare platform that values both artistic integrity and execution. “Kartel understands that these tools mean nothing without the people behind them. And the whole system reflects that belief.”

According to Peterson, Kartel currently has more than 100 opportunities in the pipeline and is actively closing multiple agency deals. He says the next phase of growth will require additional funding, and they are already preparing for a larger fundraising round later this year.

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