Saga in the
Media
Explore the latest news, press releases, and interviews that showcase Saga’s cutting-edge technology in AI-driven filmmaking. Stay updated with our achievements and milestones as we continue to transform the creative process for filmmakers worldwide.
The
Saga Story
From our initial idea to the thriving platform we have today, our journey is rooted in our dedication to revolutionizing the creative process for storytellers around the world.
01
Founders
The startup CYBERFILM.AI CORPORATION (known as CyberFilm®) was founded in 2021 by brothers Russell and Andrew Palmer of Toronto, Canada.
Russell Palmer (President & CEO) was inspired a few years ago when he saw his first GPT-3 demo and got access to the playground, to see what stories AI could write and what it would tell us about it and humanity. He has worked for the last 15+ years as a Product Manager from Seattle to Silicon Valley, at Microsoft, Samsung, JPMorgan Chase's AI Lab at Stanford Research Park (Palo Alto), and the pioneering AI start-up Viv Labs with the founders of Siri in San Jose, CA.
Andrew Palmer (Chief Story Officer) is an Author, Screenwriter, and award-winning Director/Producer. He founded Synapz Productions Entertainment Company to create, develop and produce Canadian entertainment content. Andrew has worked as an Assistant Director (AD) for the last 15 years on movie and television sets in Toronto and Vancouver (including hit shows "Suits" and "The Boys"), and is a member of the CMPA, DGC, and WGC.
02
Company
CyberFilm® makes software products for content creators and filmmakers, like the app Saga (WriteOnSaga.com). Their expertise is in both Filmmaking and in Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI products.
03
Product
Saga empowers filmmakers to bring stories to life with a structured, end-to-end AI-powered workflow. Start by ideating your concept—logline, themes, characters or archetypes—then develop the structure using customizable templates (40‑beat film, 25‑beat TV, or your own). Once the outline is solid, Saga helps you draft a screenplay with industry-standard formatting, smart suggestions, and contextual scene generation. From there, you can automatically convert your script into visual storyboards and AI-driven previz animations powered by models like OpenAI's GPT‑4o, Google's Imagen 4 and Veo 3, Black Forest Labs FLUX 1.1, Luma Ray-3, and soon KlingAI 2.1—helping creators visualize up to hundreds of shots per month. Upcoming additions include longer animatics and synthetic video generation, and new languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, and Mandarin).
04
Our Mission
Our mission is to democratize big-budget Hollywood filmmaking by empowering passionate creators to deliver blockbuster-quality stories on affordable budgets. Hollywood spending has surged, sidelining original voices in favor of franchise-driven content and placing traditional roles out of reach. We believe generative AI can bridge this gap—expanding access to tools, fostering creative diversity, creating new roles in the industry, and increasing both the quality and quantity of films made.
05
Investors & Advisors
CyberFilm® was bootstrapped from 2021-22 and later secured a Friends & Family round, which included participation from Shed Capital Inc. (of Canada). The company also received an angel investment from Jason Calacanis, the founder of LAUNCH and host This Week in Startups and the famous All‑In Podcast, and lead investor behind LAUNCH Fund 4.
Other notable CyberFilm® investors and advisors include Canadian filmmaker Alex Jordan (DGC) and Dr. Mike Zyda, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at USC’s Viterbi School.
06
Founding Story
Saga was born from a lifelong passion for filmmaking and a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. Co-founders Russell and Andrew Palmer grew up making claymation shorts and stop-motion animations on VHS, later evolving their hobby into dozens of short films produced through acting and tech camps. Their early experiments with video, storytelling, and editing laid the groundwork for what would become Saga.
As children, the Palmer brothers were so captivated by movies like Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that they wore out VHS tapes from constant rewatching—eventually memorizing entire scenes and performing them live recorded on tapes for future viewing with the family. They soon began creating their own home movies with a family camcorder, eventually leading to auditions and appearances in commercials and a CBC production. Through high school, they honed filmmaking skills such as blocking, editing, and scriptwriting.
Both pursued degrees in Computer Science & Engineering, but their careers diverged: Russell became a Silicon Valley product manager building AI products, while Andrew attended film school and built a career in TV and film production, working on hit shows like Suits and The Boys.
In the summer of 2021, while enrolled in a Stanford course on AI Product Management, Russell authored a paper on how AI could reshape Hollywood. With Andrew’s industry insights, they explored ethical implications, creative opportunities, and practical use cases for AI in film. The paper earned top marks and praise from Dr. Ronjon Nag, a Stanford professor and serial entrepreneur, who encouraged them to start a company based on their concept.
After completing Y Combinator’s Startup School and building an early prototype, the brothers co-founded CyberFilm AI Corporation in California. They launched Saga in 2021—a platform that brings together screenwriting, storyboarding, and video generation to help creators tell stories with the power of AI.
Company
Highlights
Discover some of Saga’s most notable features in top publications and the world of AI-driven storytelling.
Meet the
Co-Founders
Get to know the brilliant minds behind Saga - Andrew Palmer and Russell Palmer. Both co-founders have pioneered the integration of AI into the filmmaking process, leading the way for creators to utilize technology in new and powerful ways.
Russell
Palmer
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Russell graduated from the Computer Science & Electrical Engineering Program at the University of Western Ontario, landed his first job after graduation as a Program Manager on the Microsoft Office team in Redmond, Washington at Microsoft headquarters. Afterward receiving his greencard, Russell moved to Silicon Valley in 2017 to work as a Product Manager at Viv Labs, an AI start-up pioneered by the founders of Siri, where he saw firsthand an AI company being built from the ground up and an acquisition by Samsung. Afterwards in 2020, Russell was recruited by JPMorgan's West Coast AI Lab at Stanford Research Park, with a team of AI experts from Google, Facebook, and other top companies, to dive deeper into Machine Learning and Big Data. The sum of all this experience was invaluable to Russell. After working for the largest software company in the world, then the largest hardware company, and finally the oldest and largest Wall Street bank, Russell felt the time was right to start his own venture and he co-founded CyberFilm AI with his brother Andrew, a filmmaker.
Andrew
Palmer
After graduating from Computer Engineering at McMaster University, and pursuing an education in Film & Television Production at leading Canadian institution Sheridan College, Andrew joined the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), where he harnessed his unique blend of technical expertise and storytelling prowess. Andrew has worked on a variety of productions from independent features to network television and streaming series, to multimillion dollar blockbuster films. In 2014, he founded Synapz Productions, an enterprise that has since crafted a diverse and captivating portfolio. This includes the publication of five literary works, the release of nine memorable songs, and the production of three award-winning films. Notably, Synapz Productions has given life to the animated series 'Yuki vs. Panda,' adapted from the Source Point Press comic series, 'Turf Wars,' a gripping one-hour drama set in the Toronto tow-truck industry, and 'Awake,' a thrilling 90-minute sci-fi feature produced in Unreal Engine with motion capture. Andrew is very excited about working with his brother, Russell, to build SaaS tools for the next generation of filmmakers.
Watch
Saga in Action
Saga has been featured in a variety of video interviews and broadcasts, showcasing our platform's ability to revolutionize the filmmaking process. Watch our co-founders discuss AI’s role in the future of storytelling.
What Our
Users Are Saying
Saga's impact has been life-changing for many filmmakers and storytellers. Read what our users have to say about how Saga has transformed their creative processes.
Story of the
Company Mission
IEEE
Computer Magazine
Our article published in IEEE Computer on AI Filmmaking.
Awards &
Recognition
Saga has been recognized by numerous prestigious organizations for its contributions to the world of AI and filmmaking. Here’s a look at the accolades we’ve earned so far.
The NEXT Decade of
Filmmaking with AI
Russell Palmer for GRIT Magazine (NEXT Canada)
Digital
Press Package
2024 Press Release
Download
Press Kit
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Media Inquiries
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