Nolia Studios launches to back AI-led film projects

Nolia Studios has launched as an AI-focused film and television production company founded by filmmaker Bob Gaudette and producer Kirk Hipkiss. The venture follows festival recognition for Gaudette's short film A Face Only a Mother Could Love.

The studio is centred on original intellectual property across film, television and newer screen formats. It formalises a partnership between Gaudette and Hipkiss that has taken shape over the past year through AI-led film and broadcast projects.

Gaudette has drawn attention in AI filmmaking circles through A Face Only a Mother Could Love, an eight-minute short that won the USD $50,000 Grand Prix at the 2026 Runway AI Festival. The film also took Best Picture at the OMNI International Film Festival, Best AI Film at the New York International Film Awards and the David Harold Blackwell Award for AI & Emerging Technology Film at The Eudaimonia Project Film Festival.

It was also a finalist at the 2026 Reply AI Film Festival in Venice. The Hollywood Reporter described Gaudette as "the brave, bold, knock-you-on-your-backside future of filmmaking."

Hipkiss joins the venture from Radical Point Media, a Toronto-based animation, visual effects, motion graphics and generative AI studio. His background is in television production and creative direction. Radical Point Media has worked on projects involving Netflix, Amazon Prime and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Studio plans

Nolia is developing a slate of projects ranging from short-form work to feature films and serialised productions. Among them is The Little Cloud Thief, an animated property in development for both feature and episodic adaptation.

It also has several scripts prepared for production and has begun development on an AI-driven animated feature with a production partner based in the UK and Toronto.

The launch gives Gaudette a dedicated studio structure for his work at a time when AI tools are drawing growing interest from independent producers, broadcasters and streaming platforms. It also expands access to production resources through Hipkiss' existing business.

According to the company, Radical Point Media is currently delivering computer-generated and AI-led production work for broadcasters and platforms including Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and A&E Global. It continues to support original intellectual property development alongside client assignments.

The link between the two businesses places Nolia in a part of the market where filmmakers are testing whether generative AI can lower production barriers while still attracting audiences and distributors. The debate has widened as creators weigh lower costs and faster workflows against questions of quality, authorship and the role of traditional crews.

Hipkiss said the new company is meant to build on Gaudette's strengths as a storyteller rather than position itself primarily as a technology play. His remarks also point to a business model focused on moving from one-off projects to a repeatable development pipeline.

"What stood out immediately was not the technology, but the storytelling. Bob has a rare instinct for character and emotional clarity, and Nolia is designed to turn that creative strength into a sustainable studio model," said Kirk Hipkiss, Founder of Radical Point Media and Co-Founder of Nolia Studios.

Gaudette framed the studio around broader access to production as AI tools become more widely available. He said the goal is to open filmmaking to more people while keeping the focus on original stories.

"AI offers new pathways into filmmaking, enabling more people to take part in the creative process. Nolia is built around the idea that powerful stories can come from anywhere, and that the tools now exist to realize them at a high level at reduced budgets," said Bob Gaudette, Co-Founder of Nolia Studios.