London startup Cascade launches open beta for AI platform

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

London startup Cascade has launched the open beta of its AI-native production platform for storytelling, aimed at creators, studios, agencies and brands.

Founded by film and virtual production executives whose credits include Avengers: Endgame, No Time To Die, Wicked, Masters of the Air and Pinocchio, the platform is designed to support projects from early development through final delivery in a single production environment.

The software uses what Cascade describes as an agentic AI framework built around filmmaking workflows. It is intended to help users develop ideas, build assets, manage projects and run production processes through natural language interaction, while keeping creative control with human users.

Cascade is entering a crowded market for AI image, video and content generation tools. Its founders, however, are positioning the company around production management and continuity rather than stand-alone generation. A central part of that pitch is an asset-based system designed to help users keep characters, visual style and intellectual property consistent across projects.

The platform can combine AI-generated material, existing creative assets and live-action production in one place. Cascade is targeting a broad range of output, including teasers, trailers, advertising campaigns, episodic series, animation, films and music videos.

Chief executive officer and co-founder Simon Windsor said the business was formed in response to gaps the founders had experienced in film production.

“Too many great stories never make it to screen – and we built Cascade to change that,” Windsor said.

He added: “We didn’t set out to build another AI generation tool. That’s not what the industry needs. What we’ve created is the all-in-one production environment we wished we’d had throughout our careers.

“The creativity has always been there, but what the industry has been missing is a platform that connects everything – one that supercharges high-grade production while respecting the creative process and helping storytellers bring ambitious ideas to life.

“That’s what Cascade is: the production platform modern storytelling has been waiting for. We’re redefining who can make films, how fast they can make them, and at what quality.”

Founding Team

Cascade was co-founded by Windsor, a former co-chief executive officer of Dimension Studio; Junaid Baig, a former lead of DNEG rendering and pipeline; and Darren Hopkins, a technology entrepreneur, former chief financial officer of Dimension Studio and chief executive officer of AI investment firm Mollyroe. The company has also named Dominic Wheatley, co-founder and former chief executive officer of Eidos, as chairman.

The line-up reflects an effort to combine film production, visual effects, gaming and finance experience at a time when media companies are testing how AI fits into established production pipelines. The sector has drawn both investment and scrutiny as creators weigh gains in speed and cost against concerns over authorship, ownership and creative control.

By focusing on workflow, asset management and project continuity, Cascade is seeking to appeal not only to independent creators but also to production teams handling repeatable franchises, branded content and longer-form series work. Its emphasis on maintaining ownership of intellectual property across projects points to one of the central commercial questions in AI-assisted media production.

Open beta access is now available as the startup begins testing the platform with users across film, advertising and content production.