{{short description|British software entrepreneur}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Use British English|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox person | name = Edward Saatchi | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1985|02|19}} | birth_place = | education = Westminster School<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news|last=Moulds|first=Josephine|title=Edward Saatchi's private social network aims to make businesses more democratic|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/8799510/Edward-Saatchis-private-social-network-aims-to-make-businesses-more-democratic.html|access-date=10 January 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=1 October 2011}}</ref> | alma_mater = Wadham College, Oxford<ref name=ES>{{cite news|last=Urwin|first=Rosamund|title=Son of Saatchi: Edward, the British Mark Zuckerberg|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/son-of-saatchi-edward-the-british-mark-zuckerberg-6455236.html|access-date=10 January 2012|newspaper=The Evening Standard|date=19 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126124316/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23999955-son-of-saatchi-edward-the-british-mark-zuckerberg.do|archive-date=26 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><br/>Sorbonne<ref name=ES /> | known_for = Co-founder of NationalField and Fable Studio | occupation = Businessman | parents = Maurice Saatchi<br> Josephine Hart | website = [https://fable-studio.com/ fable-studio.com] }}
'''Edward Saatchi''' (born 19 February 1985) is a British businessman. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of artificial intelligence-powered virtual being company Fable.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fable moves away from VR and towards AI-powered 'virtual beings' |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/24/fable-vr-virtual-beings/ |access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref> He was formerly a producer at Oculus Story Studio and the CEO and co-founder of political technology company, NationalField.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/oculus-to-make-virtual-reality-movies-1422288220|title=Oculus to Make Virtual-Reality Movies|first=Evelyn M.|last=Rusli|date=26 January 2015|website=wsj.com|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Edward Saatchi is the son of Maurice Saatchi and Josephine Hart.<ref name=ES /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1829966/how-edward-saatchis-nationalfield-can-make-your-workplace-happy-productive-hive |title=How Edward Saatchi's NationalField Can Make Your Workplace A Happy, Productive Hive|website=fastcompany.com |date=9 April 2012 |publisher=Fast Company |access-date=25 June 2013 |last1=Dishman |first1=Lydia }}</ref> His father is an Iraqi Jew born in Baghdad while his mother was Irish. He was educated at London's Westminster School<ref name=Telegraph /> and Wadham College in Oxford, where he took a double first in English Studies.<ref name=ES /> He attended the Sorbonne for graduate studies in philosophy and economics, before leaving for the United States to volunteer for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.<ref name=ES />
==Career== Saatchi was initially rejected in his efforts to join the Obama campaign because of his alien status,<ref name=GB>{{cite news|title=NationalField: Ed Saatchi|url=http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/nationalfield-ed-saatchi.html|access-date=10 January 2012|newspaper=Growing Business|date=6 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625014038/http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/nationalfield-ed-saatchi.html|archive-date=25 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> but was eventually permitted to participate after personally presenting himself at a campaign office in Iowa.<ref name=GB /> During his tenure with the campaign, he met Aharon Wasserman and Justin Lewis. The three developed an "internal social network" to more easily keep track of campaign data and coordinate communications between managers, staff, and volunteers.<ref name=Telegraph /> The network was rapidly adopted across multiple branches of the campaign and eventually commercialised in its present form as NationalField.<ref name=Telegraph /> He is the company's CEO. In 2011, Saatchi, along with his co-founders, was named in a ''Forbes''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 30 Under 30 list.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite news|last=Hill|first=Kashmir|title=30 Under 30: NationalField Thinks Your Business Needs Its Own Social Network|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/12/19/30-under-30-nationalfield-thinks-your-business-needs-its-own-social-network/|access-date=10 January 2012|newspaper=Forbes|date=19 December 2011}}</ref>
In 2014, he was part of the founding team of Oculus Story Studio, the virtual-reality filmmaking division of Oculus VR.<ref name="WSJOculus">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/oculus-to-make-virtual-reality-movies-1422288220|title=Oculus to Make Virtual-Reality Movies|last=Rusli|first=Evelyn|date=26 January 2015|publisher=Wall Street Journal|access-date=14 November 2016}}</ref>
===Fable Studio=== {{main|Fable Studio}} In January 2018, Saatchi co-founded Fable studio with Pete Billington. Its premier title was a virtual reality film titled ''Wolves in the Walls'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/01/29/fables-wolves-in-the-walls-launched-lucy-as-a-virtual-being-and-the-implications-are-massive/|title=Fable's 'Wolves in the Walls' Launched Lucy As A Virtual Being -- And The Implications Are Massive|last=Damiani|first=Jesse|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=18 November 2019}}</ref> based on the Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean children's book of the same name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nerdist.com/wolves-in-the-walls-vr-neil-gaiman-dave-mckean/|title=Wolves in the Walls is the Future of VR Filmmaking|website=Nerdist|access-date=18 November 2019}}</ref>
Im May 2023, Fable Studio announced an AI project titled "The Simulation", which plans to create a simulated reality of AI-powered characters with the eventual goal of creating an artificial general intelligence.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Erron |title=The Simulation by Fable makes everyone Robert Ford |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/the-simulation-by-fable-makes-everyone-robert-ford/ |access-date=15 May 2024 |work=VentureBeat |date=30 May 2023}}</ref> In July 2023 as part of The Simulation project, Fable Studio released a paper describing their tool named AI Showrunner that can create full animated TV episodes.<ref name="venturebeat2">{{cite journal |last1=Takahashi |first1=Dean |title=Fable unveils Showrunner AI to create South Park-like TV shows with you as the star |journal=VentureBeat |date=18 July 2023 |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/the-simulation-unveils-showrunner-ai-to-create-south-park-like-tv-shows-with-you-as-the-star/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=AI put me in a 'South Park' episode |last1=Hardawar |first1=Devindra |url=https://www.engadget.com/the-simulation-ai-put-me-in-a-south-park-episode-170002565.html |access-date=15 May 2024 |work=Engadget |date=18 July 2023}}</ref> In June 2024, Fable Studio announced a streaming service, based on their AI tool and also titled Showrunner, that will allow users to create their own episodes.<ref name="hollywoodreporter">{{cite news |last1=Cho |first1=Winston |title=Hollywood Nightmare? New Streaming Service Lets Viewers Create Their Own Shows Using AI |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fables-streamer-ai-generated-content-showcases-hollywood-fear-around-tech-1235911861/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=30 May 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life== Saatchi told ''Forbes'' in 2014 that he practises Transcendental Meditation, rises before dawn, exercises daily and enjoys films and painting.<ref>{{cite web|title=14 Founders On What Keeps Them Sane|url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/gehe45eee/refocus/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907005537/http://www.forbes.com/pictures/gehe45eee/refocus/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 September 2014|work=Forbes|access-date=6 September 2014}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saatchi, Edward}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Category:Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign Category:British chief executives Category:British computer scientists Category:British expatriates in the United States Category:British software engineers Category:English people of Iraqi-Jewish descent Category:English people of Irish descent Edward Category:Sons of life peers