Amazon’s venture capital arm, the Alexa Fund, has invested in San Francisco–based Fable Studio, the startup behind Showrunner, often dubbed the “Netflix of AI”. This investment supports the public launch of Showrunner, an AI‑powered animation platform that enables users to generate and customize animated TV episodes simply by typing prompts.
At its core, Showrunner empowers subscribers to write scripts, insert themselves or friends into scenes, and even build upon others’ creations. When others expand upon a user’s story, the original creator earns roughly 40% of the revenue generated—an innovative, creator-first model that aims to reshape how entertainment is produced and shared. The platform initially launched with a closed alpha of 10,000 users, and features two original story worlds: Exit Valley—a satirical take on Silicon Valley culture—and Everything Is Fine, a whimsical animated tale with a fantasy twist.
Showrunner is powered by Fable’s proprietary AI model, SHOW‑2, the successor to SHOW‑1, which was used to generate nine viral “South Park”‑style episodes that amassed over 80 million views. Free access is available for now, but users will later be able to pay $10–40 per month for credits to create new scenes and episodes using the platform’s tools and licensed or user-generated content.
CEO Edward Saatchi, a former Oculus Story Studios leader, envisions Showrunner as more than a cost-cutting tool—it’s a new medium of interactive storytelling, where viewers are creators and shows become playable experiences. Fable is already in talks with major Hollywood studios, including Disney and Lucasfilm, to license iconic IP for fan‑driven content creation.
Amazon’s backing signals strong confidence in this creator-centric model. As streaming evolves, Showrunner may open a bold new path—transforming passive audience behavior into active co-creation, and calling into question long-held norms in Hollywood.
