During these incredibly challenging times in the animation industry, there are also many opportunities for projects that take advantage of the wide network of talent available all over the world. Seattle-based LeyLine Technologies is empowering creative teams everywhere to dream bigger. Instead of replacing creators with AI, LeyLine features a curated marketplace for easy talent discovery, secure payments and efficient project management tools.
For producers, LeyLine offers convenience and cost savings. Vendors and artists’ portfolios and rates are just a click away, while AI-powered management tools optimize resource allocation to ensure projects stay on track and on budget. For directors, the review tools and storyboard pre-visualization capabilities allow them to visualize their creative vision fast and early, reducing cost of revisions and streamlines communication. Artists gain a global platform to display and showcase their work and connect with a broader audience and more job opportunities. LeyLine’s secure payment system also addresses a long-standing industry pain point by ensuring timely delivery for studios and guarantee’s compensation for artists.
Yinhan Liu, LeyLine’s CEO, is using AI to make high-end animation production faster and easier. The new software works with existing computer graphics tools used by studios and integrates smoothly into the existing workflows. “Our AI models automate time-consuming tasks like turning 2D images into 3D assets and smoothing out motion capture curves,” says Liu. “What used to take hours or days now happens in minutes.”
LeyLine uses a combination of its own proprietary AI systems and third-party models. Their AI solution suite also helps with script breakdowns, conceptualization and storyboarding. Liu previously co-founded BirchAI, a Seattle startup that streamlined customer support for healthcare companies. Before founding BirchAI, Liu worked at Facebook, where she was first author of a study on a now widely-used deep learning model, called RoBERTa.
The company’s co-founders include Suzan Su, a longtime film industry exec and veteran producer with 24 years of expertise in computer graphics; and Qiushi Powers, a former banker, corporate executive and film executive. Powers was inspired by Yinhan’s speech at an industry conference that emphasized the importance of keeping the “human in the loop” in AI workflows, allowing technology to empower people instead of replacing them.
LeyLine came about as Su, a 24-year CG producer, entered the picture a few months later, and contributed the two other aspects of the product that completes the loop: a cloud pipeline for studios to manage outsource and freelancers as if they are in-house, and seamlessly integrates with other pipelines, along with a marketplace of top CG artists and studios worldwide.
LeyLine launched its beta product this year and is working with early adopters and paying customers.
As Jan Bonath, CEO of White Spot Films, notes, “LeyLine Technologies offers production support infrastructure through various AI technologies. This AI support enhances production efficiency at multiple stages of development and production, resulting in substantial cost savings. LeyLine seamlessly integrates with our workflow architecture, and we are thrilled to incorporate it into our upcoming projects. We are experiencing remarkable production cost reductions of 15% to 20% thanks to LeyLine’s AI solutions, enabling our creative teams to concentrate on the story and deliver their best work.”
According to Powers, LeyLine currently supports thousands of artists, vendors and studios. There are three feature films in the works for 2025 (for Japanese, Chinese and EU producers), as well as a YouTube mini-series, and a trailer for a children’s animated network show.
“We are a one-stop shop for studios looking to build their business without having to incur that extra cost and risk. We hope to continue providing robust tech infrastructure for all animators and studios around the world. Our motto is ‘We do the tech, so the artists can focus on craft!’” says Powers. She also points out the company hopes to support animation productions worldwide. “We also provide completion assurance, and production transparency for early adopters to address the concerns of delivery from ‘strangers on the other side of the planet.’”
For more info, visit www.leylinepro.com.
