TV Veteran Kevin Reilly Joins AI Firm Kartel as CEO

Veteran programming executive Kevin Reilly, an alumnus of NBC, FX, Fox and Turner, has been named CEO of technology firm Kartel, which focuses on AI systems designed to serve studios, marketers, brands and other creative industries.

The Los Angeles-based company’s founders include Ben Kusin, an entrepreneur and consultant. He highlighted Reilly’s range of experience in broadcast and cable TV as making him well equipped to lead the charge at a company that aims to build AI tools that can streamline and bring time-saving innovation to key aspects of the content-creation process.

“Kevin has always been at the forefront of cultural and technological shifts, from greenlighting genre-defining shows to launching billion-dollar platforms,” Kusin said. “With AI reshaping how creative work gets done, there’s no one better to lead Kartel’s mission to scale high-quality content without compromising voice or craft.”

Reilly’s 30-plus years in senior executive roles, including his 2014-2020 run as head of Turner’s TBS and TNT and later HBO Max, also means he has the industry connections that Kartel needs to market its wares. In 2021, Reilly joined the board of AI dubbing startup Deepdub.

Reilly will be based in Kartel’s Beverly Hills office.

“Kartel is where imagination meets engineering — a platform built to help brands move at the speed of culture,” Reilly said. “I’ve spent my career at the intersection of culture and commerce, nurturing unique voices and scaling valuable brands and IP. Kartel is built to be a trusted partner for brands seeking to empower their unique DNA with AI systems and solutions at scale.”

Reilly’s appointment coincides with Kartel landing additional funding from a group of investors led by Maven Growth Partners with participation from TopRidge Investments and Elevate Partners. Kartel said the influx of capital will be used to “accelerate the company’s development of enterprise-scale creative infrastructure and expand its partnerships with global brands and studios.” Kartel (kartel.ai) this summer banked $2 million in seed-round funding from Fourward Ventures and Connetic Ventures.

Reilly is an early example of what is likely to be a trend in the coming years of well-connected TV and film veterans who will migrate to opportunities in the realm of AI, especially as the technology relates to content creation. With sky-high valuations for the largest AI players such as OpenAI and Anthropic, AI has heat with investors at a time when the ranks of white-collar executive jobs in traditional media are are disappearing fast.

(Pictured top: Kevin Reilly in 2019)