South Park creators raise $20 million for Deepfake Company 'Deep Voodoo'

The creators of the animated satirical show South Park have raised $20 million for their deepfake and AI studio, Deep Voodoo, per Variety.

Chris Hopkins/Stringer I Getty Images Matt Stone and Trey Parker at

It represents the group's first outside funding, the outlet noted - the company previously funneled capital from entertainment company Park County, owned by the creators of the animated show, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

South Park, the adult animated comedy series, has been on the air since 1997 and has just completed its 25th season. The show has been renewed for projects that run through 2027. The creators said in 1998 that their goal was to have people say, "What the f[-- -]?"

In 2020, Stone and Parker began working on what they hoped would be a deepfake-related feature film. But once the pandemic hit, the project morphed into a much shorter – but highly viral – satirical video titled “Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy,” which joked about the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and the President of the United States. era, Donald Trump.

But it's an expensive business. The 15-minute video cost the pair "millions" (including the initial investment that fell through due to the pandemic) and was "probably the most expensive YouTube video ever made," Parker told the point of sale.

However, the duo decided to continue their work on the deepfake after the YouTube video. Today, the company raised a $20 million funding round, led by Connect Ventures, a collaboration between talent and media agency CAA and venture capital firm, New Enterprise Associates (NEA).

"Connect Ventures is delighted to lead the investment in Deep Voodoo, providing unique access to CAA and NEA's resources and relationships," said Michael Blank, CAA's head of consumer investments, in a statement on Tuesday.< /p>

Deepfakes are videos that imitate another's appearance or face, and the technology has alarmed misinformation experts. The term seems to have been coined on Reddit.

Related: Elon Musk's deepfake was a joke. But more fake celebrity faces may be coming

"Deepfakes may yet be on the verge of corrupting the fundamental ways we deal with reality, or what's left of it," The Atlantic wrote on Tuesday.

Stone, meanwhile, said he hopes technology will support artists.

“We stumbled upon this amazing technology and ended up recruiting the best deepfake artists in the world,” Stone said. "We are thrilled to share their talent with the creative community in Hollywood."