With Epic MegaGrant, MediaMonks Takes Automated Production to the Next Level

MediaMonks has been awarded an Epic MegaGrant to explore the next frontier in automated tabletop and production using Epic’s Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool built by the developer behind Fortnite and other high-profile videogames.

Product packaging and tabletop production are table stakes in the advertising industry, as bespoke assets are needed for a single brand in every market around the world. Producing assets, packaging and labels at speed and scale has never been without challenges—and in 2020 it was upended by COVID-19. That’s why MediaMonks is setting out to automate an age-old process, leveraging Unreal Engine to maximize quality, speed and efficiency in advertising production through innovation. 

“A tremendous amount of time and money is spent on product photography and videos for food, drinks and other consumer products,” said MediaMonks SVP, Growth Tim Dillon. “These shoots are costly, slow and must be repeated with each new product, or product version, for each region on a seasonal basis. It’s an aspect of the advertising industry that has been slow to innovate and could benefit from the speed, flexibility, repeatability and quality controls that Unreal Engine delivers.”

These benefits go well beyond the short-term solution of safely and efficiently producing creative in a time of social distancing. Virtual production in game engines like Unreal Engine are particularly attractive for global brands that seek to deliver a cohesive experience for consumers across markets. These 3D assets could also be ported to other touchpoints, including immersive experiences and more tangible product listings for ecommerce, making virtual production an approachable starting point for CPG brand virtualization.

A team of Monks in India has been especially hard at work, creating and iterating in Unreal Engine to translate these ideas into tangible outputs. With a keen eye for creativity and storytelling, they’re harnessing the power of this new technology to advance and disrupt. India CCO John Paite says, “From an artistic standpoint, I see so many opportunities to up-level our creative outputs in Unreal Engine, blending creativity and technology to shape better content and stronger stories that propel the industry forward. Having witnessed what the team has accomplished so far, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

“In a constant pursuit to further disrupt the industries we innovate in, I’m thrilled MediaMonks has received this support from Epic,” said MediaMonks Director of Creative Solutions Lewis Smithingham. “With our MegaGrant we have a great opportunity to develop an Unreal Engine-based solution that empowers advertising agencies and commercial production companies to efficiently, and cost-effectively increase flexibility and customization, while also improving quality.”

MediaMonks is proud to join the Epic MegaGrants community, backed by Epic’s commitment pledging $100 million to support game developers, enterprise professionals, media and entertainment creators, students, educators, and tool developers doing amazing things with Unreal Engine.

“At Epic Games, we are working constantly to give creators, agencies and brands the freedom and control to deliver cutting edge content, interactive experiences and immersive virtual worlds,” said John Buzzell, Enterprise Licensing Lead for Unreal Engine in the Americas. “Our customers work at a pace that demands innovation, collaboration and iteration—all at high quality. MediaMonks shares this vision, and I’m honored to invite them to the Epic MegaGrant community as they work to reinvent production processes with Unreal Engine.”

Around the world, MediaMonks’ future-forward teams are identifying opportunities to leverage game engines to drive efficiency across a variety of industries and sectors. MediaMonks aims to foundationally disrupt the production process for speed and scale, pushing the industry forward through branded 3D content that connects consumers seamlessly across digital ecosystems and builds brand love.