Hearst Networks Commissions AI-Led Series from Particle6

The AI-powered production company Particle6 has been commissioned to produce the new series Straten van Toen (Streets of the Past) for Hearst Networks.

Straten van Toen is a ten-episode, short-form history series, commissioned for The History Channel in the Netherlands, that sees Dutch historical investigator, author and reality star Corjan Mol transported back in time, with the help of AI. Each historical scene will be created by AI using archival materials such as pictures, paintings and engravings to enhance the immersive feeling.

“While we have been using AI behind the scenes in our productions for some time now in areas like research and post, this is our first series where AI is majorly deployed on screen, all carefully guided by humans, of course,” said Eline van der Velden, founder and CEO of Particle6. “And, as we always knew it would when the technology allowed, it has proved the perfect creative partner, enabling us to seamlessly blend live-action footage of the Netherlands today with AI scenes from the same locations in the past, to deliver incredible, cinematic images that could provide a blueprint for the history formats of the future.”

“We are delighted that Straten van Toen allows us to continue our relationship with Hearst Networks,” van der Velden continued. “Not only is the team collaborative, but they are also very forward-thinking and were fully supportive of us experimenting with AI in a history series, ahead of it being adopted in other genres. Also, being Dutch, it proved especially significant that our first exploration of using AI to bring the past to life in this way was with a subject so close to my heart.”

“Eline and the team at Particle6 have once again created a smart and entertaining factual series for us, but this time with the addition of incredible backdrops and characters brought to life using AI,” said Sam Pearson, head of short-form commissioning at Hearst Networks. “The end result promises to immerse our audience in historical scenes and stories at the heart of history, and we cannot wait to see their reactions. We are excited to be embracing AI and the opportunities it presents our business and our viewers. We will continue to explore its potential with ethical partners such as Particle6, using it thoughtfully, with clear guardrails and principles, while all the time being transparent with our audiences and sharing when they are watching AI-generated content.”