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.
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.
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-2, 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).
The CyberFilm® headquarters is in San Francisco, with a satellite office in Toronto, and remote employees in Montreal.
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.
"Generative AI-powered tools for the next generation of filmmakers - to creative more of their best work, faster."
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.
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.
Check out this great video of our co-founder Russell at SXSW London 2025! Speaking on a panel about Navigating AI for Artists & Creators.
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 t
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.
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 variet
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.
Thanks to Google Cloud and their Startups Innovate program, we can provide affordable tooling to the world's next generation of filmmakers. Only on Saga Premium. See pricing for details. 500 images per month, and 50 videos (a nearly $350 value). Pro accounts will have credits for purchase ($10 for 100 Saga credits). Terms apply. Limited time promotional offer only, while supplies last.
"It Read My Mind" - FilmCourage with Russell Palmer - The Story Behind AI Screenwriting App SAGA
Watch our founder Russell pitch VCs Jason Calacanis and Khosla Ventures, on the famous "This Week in Startups" podcast.
Part 2 of co-founder Russell's interview with FilmCourage, discussing Hollywood's reaction to AI and their SAGA app.
How AI is Taking Over Hollywood and Changing Filmmaking Forever with our founder Russell and award-winning NYT correspondent Craig Smith.
Russell was a guest on The Machine Cinema Times "GenJam" with co-founders, and featuring a Runway Gen:48 Grand Prix creator who uses AI.
Watch our co-founder Russell's speech (6:03:41), followed by a panel talk (6:40:00) with Civitai, Pika Labs, and more.
One Day AI Will Create Story Structures That Don't Exist Today - Part 4 of Russell's interview with FilmCourage
Hear from our founder Russell and other leaders in AI and the Entertainment & Media industry like NBCUniversal and Runway
CyberFilm Co-Founder Russell pitching famed investor and media figure Jason Calacanis live on TWiST Podcast.
Part 5 from our interview with FilmCourage on AI in filmmaking.
AI may never be able to make a movie with just Sora and today's tools. From our interview with Film Courage in LA.
"The app helped me put together a better story than I could have done alone. It helped me play the What If game in ways I couldn't have imagined."
- Rhys Ryan (Founder of Scenechronize)
"It asks the questions you need the answers for."
- Stew Lyons (Producer of Breaking Bad; Better Call Saul; Everybody Loves Raymond)
"I tested out your amazing SAGA program and was really impressed with how it works – pretty amazing tool for story development for filmmakers."
- Tim Peternel (Producer of Buffalo '66; American Psycho)
"This is really intriguing, because you are correct that almost all storytelling (movies, books, tv commercials, plays, speeches) uses a similar structure that has evolved over thousands of years. I would love to play with it. Curious to see if you build in a 'twist' engine, since some of the most iconic movies (books, etc) take these familiar models and 'break' one aspect. (Think of Pulp Fiction scrambling the time line, or Memento going in reverse, etc).
I can't help it. This is just such a cool use case for AI."
- Marc Randolph (Founder of Netflix; Entrepreneur and Investor)
"The app is useful overall and the Logline component and Script tab was quite helpful. The UI was nice to have everything in a centralized place. Interesting suggestions in the Acts that sparked ideas.
Have been integrating SAGA into my current screenwriting workflow and what Russell and the team have built thus far is super promising. The help of the SAGA platform structure and AI assistance has been great and allowed me to maintain creative control of my process."
- Kenny Geiler (Indie Screenwriter/Producer)
"The storyboarding feature is amazing. I loved playing around with it. With a little time spent on prompt engineering/tweaking it captured my vision with ease. It almost distracted me from the writing."
- Jared Levine (USC School of Cinematic Arts; Business of Cinematic Arts; Screenwriter)
"First, thanks a lot for saga, it’s an amazing tool. I love it, really. The language, the dialogues, the actions are more reliable than chatgpt."
- Vincent T. (Hollywood Screenwriter)
"I really liked this [vision] on how one would use AI in the cinema industry. A really original commentary [and great write up]."
- Stanford Prof. Ronjon Nag (SCI 52 - Artificial Intelligence: Deep Learning, Human-Centered AI, and Beyond) 2021
Our article published in IEEE Computer on AI Filmmaking
Intention Is All You Need to Create Your Own Hollywood Blockbuster Movies -
Revolutionizing Filmmaking With Generative AI and Saga (April 2025)
A 3-part essay on the founding 2021 mission of our company, and how we think AI can help - not hurt - the Hollywood film industry.
Our speech from 2022 IQ Conference (International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers) in Edmonton Alberta, as an unofficial free TEDx-style talk.
Feature on Saga and Q&A interview with co-founder Russell, in the October issue of Unicorner News.
Interview with Western Engineering magazine and alumni Russell Palmer - Co-Founder of CyberFilm AI and creator of SAGA.
The Filmmaking Assistant Hollywood Didn't Know It Needed - How Russell Palmer is leading Hollywood into the AI era
Our 2021/22 speech as a short talk about AI and Hollywood - on the Twelve Labs Multimodal Weekly podcast.
AI Venture Pulse presents the AI On Tap podcast. Interview with Russell Palmer on Revolutionizing the Film Industry with AI.
CyberFilm AI is rewriting the Hollywood script. Plus: CEO Russell on AI x creativity and the future of Hollywood...
DirectMediaLab conducted an interview with Russell Palmer, CEO of CyberFilm, in early January 2024.
Generative AI for Filmmakers and Creatives with CyberFilm AI's Co-Founder Russell Palmer.
Andrew Palmer: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker. An Interview With Susan Johnston.
Downloads
Check out our patent-pending features for helping write your best TV scripts. We help plan and track character arcs over multiple episodes and seasons. Ask our AI Chatbot for any help along the way.
A 3-minute demo with Co-Founder Russell Palmer showing the main features of Saga for story ideation, screenwriting, and storyboarding.
A 15-minute recording of a user writing fan fiction on Saga.
The first 5 episodes in a course teaching screenwriting and filmmaking using AI & Saga, from our studio Synapz Productions. Sign up on Udemy for the full 25-episode paid course (link in description).
An older 4-minute demo overview of our app Saga.
Part 1 of 3 in a guide to writing a Feature Film with Saga, with Saga Co-Creator Andrew Palmer (WGC).
Saga is powered by the world's leading versions of image, video, text, and sound models. We were the first to use Veo 3 (outside Google/Gemini/Flow) and will continue to bring you the latest features from Google.
We are available to comment in news publications and speak at conferences on the topics of Generative AI in Filmmaking, technology, ethics, and more.
Experience the world’s first AI storyboarding tool powered by Google DeepMind’s Veo 3 — the most advanced video generation model ever made.
Sign up for your 3-Day Free Trial and get 50 free AI videos each month. Limited time offer. Exclusively on Saga.