Visual Effects Veteran Ed Ulbrich Joins AI Firm Moonvalley to Expand Hollywood Partnerships

Ed Ulbrich, a seasoned visual effects expert known for his work on blockbuster films like Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Top Gun: Maverick, has joined AI research company Moonvalley as head of strategic growth and partnerships.

Ulbrich’s role involves strengthening Moonvalley’s ties within Hollywood and collaborating with its studio division, Asteria Film, to promote the adoption of Moonvalley’s generative AI technology, Marey. He draws parallels between the current AI surge and the earlier CGI revolution, which despite initial fears, ultimately created hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the industry.

Moonvalley emphasizes the ethical use of AI by training its models only on licensed content, addressing recent controversies around unauthorized use of film and TV libraries that have led to lawsuits against other AI firms like Midjourney. Ulbrich expressed that the company’s respect for creators and clean data use was a key factor in his decision to join.

With over 30 years in visual effects and credits in more than 50 films and 500 commercials, Ulbrich has also pioneered digital human performances, such as the holographic Tupac Shakur at Coachella in 2012. Before Moonvalley, he was chief content officer and production president at Metaphysic, an AI company specializing in digital actor aging effects, acquired by DNEG Group in February. He has also held leadership positions at Deluxe and Digital Domain, serving as CEO at the latter.