Gen AI outfit Gennie partners Woodcut Media on true crime copro Deep Blue CSI

Deep Blue CSI reconstruct the final moments of mysterious shipwrecks

MIPCOM: LA-based Gennie, the recently launched generative artificial intelligence (AI) outfit led by Max Einhorn, is partnering with UK indie Woodcut Media on a true crime series.

The companies have entered into a coproduction agreement for Deep Blue CSI, announced on the first day of Mipcom in Cannes, which uses advanced AI technology to recreate cold cases involving some of history’s most mysterious ship and submarine wrecks.

The producers are introducing the series, planned as a six-parter, to buyers at Mipcom, and looking for commissioning partners. Woodcut International is handling global distribution.

“Using eyewitness accounts, archival documents and the expertise of naval veterans, Gennie and Woodcut will collaborate across Gennie’s AI-powered workflows to raise these sunken giants from the deep, reconstructing their final moments and enabling viewers to relive the day disaster struck through the eyes of those who were onboard,” said the companies behind Deep Blue CSI.

They added that each “AI-assisted sequence” is designed and directed by real filmmakers and “anchored in authentic archives, blueprints and survivor testimony.”

Gennie, co-founded by Einhorn, Chelsea Durgin and Tejas Shah, abides by a proprietary set of rules called its Pillars of Protection. These guidelines, it says, avoid the use of unlicensed or copyright-infringing materials (including “vigorously reviewing production outputs for any resemblance to copyrighted material”) and sees Gennie documenting “every step of the process” to give full transparency to buyers and distributors.

Given that only around 1% of shipwrecks have been discovered, Gennie and Woodcut said the project has the potential to span numerous seasons.

“Having worked with Woodcut as a content buyer, this collaboration feels like a natural evolution, pairing their reputation for powerful storytelling with Gennie’s innovation in visual reconstruction and new formats,” said Gennie CEO Max Einhorn.

Aidan Dunford, senior development producer at Woodcut Media, added: “Deep Blue CSI is a returnable franchise that marks Woodcut’s first foray into AI production, and the opportunity to harness Gennie’s pioneering technology to bring maritime mysteries to life is hugely exciting. Together, we’re not just investigating the past but reimagining how audiences experience it.”