Television Veteran Kevin Reilly Takes Helm as CEO of AI Startup Kartel

Entertainment Executive Joins AI Revolution

Kevin Reilly, the veteran television executive behind hits like "Glee," "The Office," and "30 Rock," has been named CEO of AI startup Kartel, marking a significant transition from traditional entertainment to artificial intelligence-powered creative services 1

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. The move underscores the growing maturation of generative AI as creative industries increasingly seek to harness its capabilities.

Reilly's appointment represents a notable shift for the Beverly Hills-based company, which describes itself as "the creative engineering company developing AI systems for Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and studios" 2

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. The hiring brings substantial entertainment industry credibility to a firm that previously lacked significant Hollywood pedigree.

From Broadcast to AI: Reilly's Career Evolution

Reilly's entertainment career spans over three decades, including pivotal roles at major networks and streaming platforms. He served as president of TNT, TBS and TruTV since 2014, and held the position of chief content officer at HBO Max from 2018 to 2020 1

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. His earlier career included president of entertainment roles at NBC and FX, and chairman of entertainment at Fox, where he oversaw the development of culturally significant programming.

The executive's transition to AI wasn't entirely unexpected. Following his departure from HBO Max in August 2020, Reilly has served as an adviser to several emerging technology companies, including deepdub.ai and Colossal Biosciences 1

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. His connection to Kartel began in August when he met the company's founders and initially became an investor before discussions evolved into the CEO role.

Kartel's AI-Powered Creative Vision

Launched in 2025, Kartel focuses on helping brands incorporate AI into their workflows to automate processes like creating marketing assets, improving scaling, measurability, and consistency 1

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. The company serves enterprise clients across diverse sectors, including automakers, apparel companies, entertainment studios, and advertising agencies.

"Generative AI creates this capability of service as software, where you take what was traditionally a manual type process and flip it on its head," Reilly explained 1

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. He emphasized the transformative potential of showing clients capabilities they weren't previously aware of, describing these "aha moments" as particularly rewarding aspects of the role.

The company's co-founders, Ben Kusin and Luke Peterson, lack extensive Hollywood experience but have positioned Kartel as combining "human artistry with advanced technology" while building "adaptive frameworks that connect data, design, and production into scalable creative infrastructure" 2

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Funding and Future Prospects

Kartel is currently raising a new funding round led by Maven Growth Partners, with participation from Sunday Ventures, Elevate, and TopRidge Investments 1

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. This follows the startup's previous $2 million raise from Connectic, Fourward, and Arcadian as it emerged from stealth mode earlier this year.

Reilly's appointment comes at a time when the entertainment industry faces both opportunities and challenges related to AI adoption. Major studios, including his former employers NBC Universal and Warner Bros., are currently suing AI companies like Midjourney for copyright infringement 2

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. The industry remains cautious about AI tools that generate content using unlicensed intellectual property.

Industry Impact and Adaptation

Reilly's move reflects a broader trend of entertainment veterans transitioning to technology companies, joining figures like Matthew McConaughey, who recently invested in audio AI firm ElevenLabs 2

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. His presence at Kartel could help bridge the gap between traditional entertainment and AI innovation, potentially easing industry skepticism about artificial intelligence applications.

The executive sees Kartel's role as helping companies navigate the "adaptation phase" of AI technology amid widespread "fear and confusion" in the industry 1

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. Reflecting on his career, Reilly noted that AI could have solved challenges he faced earlier, particularly in convincing executives about unconventional programming like "Glee," where AI-generated demonstrations could have provided compelling "show and tell" capabilities.