Disney Studios Partners With Accenture to Assist With StudioLAB

LOS ANGELES—The Walt Disney Studios has appointed Accenture as a founding member and Innovation Partner of its StudioLAB initiative that aims to reimagine, design and prototype entertainment experiences and the production capabilities of the future, the consulting, strategy and technology company said Wednesday.

Accenture Interactive and its design unit Fjord will help to establish StudioLAB, as well as develop new entertainment technology. Guided by Accenture Labs’ R&D, they seek to employ emerging technologies in innovative ways, the company said.

“As we thought about key partners to deliver our vision for StudioLAB, the decision to collaborate with Accenture Interactive was clear,” said Jamie Voris, CTO of The Walt Disney Studios in a press release.

Initially, the focus will be on immersive entertainment, artificial intelligence, IoT, the future of movie production and next-generation cinematic platforms, the company said. Accenture will support operations at StudioLAB as part of its three-year agreement with Disney. It will work with Disney to develop StudioLAB’s charter and governance, physical lab design and business operations.

Accenture employees will work with StudioLAB personnel on incubating and prototyping new concepts to advance how stories are told, it said.

“Technology is an essential component of how we make characters, stories and worlds come alive at Disney, and we’re looking forward to the possibilities of what we can imagine and build together,” said Voris.

Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.