International
MGM ups Ottinger to head Intl. TV distribution
MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) has promoted Chris Ottinger as President of International Television Distribution and Acquisitions. In his new role, Ottinger will oversee all of the studio’s international TV distribution and acquisitions activities, working closely with teams in Los Angeles, London and around the world.
Ottinger previously served as executive vice president, Worldwide Television for the studio. In his current role at MGM, Ottinger oversaw the studio’s international pay television business and was responsible for closing pay television output deals in Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Central Europe.
Additionally, he supervised MGM’s television production and development activities and was responsible for shows including Teen Wolf on MTV and Mildred Pierce on HBO in addition to managing a development slate of over 15 projects.
Ottinger re-joined MGM in 2007 from Fox where he served as executive vice president for Fox World and Fox Television Studios International overseeing over 30 format productions per year and overseas production studios in India, France, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to that, Ottinger served as senior vice president, business development and co-production for Paramount International Television.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
