Leading entertainment company CJ ENM, headquartered in Seoul Korea, announced today that the company has acquired a stake in the U.S.-based Metaverse entertainment and media company, Hyperreal® Digital Inc, Hollywood’s industry leader of hyper-realistic digital humans and performance spaces for A-list talent and brands. The minority stake was made through a private transaction with the founders.
This investment was made as a part of CJ ENM’s strategy to expand its digital related business sectors related to Metaverse, NFT, etc. by investing in promising technologies and companies with the right tools. Through this investment, CJ ENM will be able to apply Hyperreal’s high end Academy Award® winning VFC technology, particularly in the deployment of high fidelity Digital Humans, that is used to create outstanding Metaverse entertainment experiences. This will create synergy when applied to CJ ENM’s vast content library and ultimately serve as a key to expand CJ ENM’s business.
Through this investment, CJ ENM will also have access to Hyperreal’s HyperModel technology, an ultra- realistic 3D digital human that can be any age, speak any language, and perform in any current or future digital media environment – including Film, TV, Video Games, Immersive Interactive Experiences, E-Commerce, Artificial Intelligence platforms and Installations. HyperModels are interoperable across digital platforms including mobile, interactive applications, augmented reality, virtual reality, social media, and immersive screen displays. HyperModels are also capable of becoming animated NFTs which are adaptable and customizable to create uniquely collectible assets.
CJ ENM’s strategic investment in Hyperreal is the latest in a series of major investments and partnerships expanding the company’s presence in the global entertainment industry. Most recently, CJ ENM closed a deal to acquire an 80% stake in Endeavor Content, from parent company Endeavor Group Holdings, expanding CJ ENM’s original IP collection and strengthening its distribution network. In addition to Endeavor Content, CJ ENM’s studios include production powerhouse Studio Dragon and recently announced launch of CJ ENM STUDIOS, a new production company focused on producing content for streaming platforms. CJ ENM also holds strategic partnerships with David Ellison’s Skydance Media and ViacomCBS.
“This is an important development for Hyperreal and our ambitions globally,” said Remington Scott, CEO, Hyperreal. “We are thrilled to have secured a strategic investment from a massive industry leader like CJ ENM which not only provides validation of our work, it allows for a number of creative collaborations across music, film, TV and digital.”
“We are especially excited to announce this deal that expands CJ ENM’s technologies and tools, including hyperreal digital humans, VFX etc., essential to create the Metaverse,” said Kang Ho-Sung, CEO, CJ ENM. We will continue to invest and form strategic partnerships to secure technology that will increase our global competitiveness and serve as new growth engines.”
Hyperreal has immediately taken a leadership position exemplified by two separate projects that went viral and were featured trending topics on Twitter. In January Hyperreal created a HyperModel of Madison Beer for a Metaverse virtual concert by Sony Music Entertainment and Verizon. The virtual concert proved Hyperreal’s capabilities in creating a virtual Madison Beer and set the bar for future collaborations. In July, Hyperreal co-produced the landmark Paul McCartney/ Beck video “Find My Way” directed by Andrew Donoho (Janelle Monae, The Strokes, Khalid) and choreographed by Phil Tayag (Bruno Mars, Jabbawockeez) where the former Beatle appeared as his younger self.
Hyperreal revealed the closing of an oversubscribed $7 million seed funding round in October with investors that included South Korean MMORG gaming giant Pearl Abyss and Zash Global Media, an evolving network of synergistic companies working together to disrupt the media and entertainment industry led by Ted Farnsworth, Jaeson Ma and Vincent Butta.
