From Art to Algorithm: How WB+TDP’s Illustrated AI Workflow Is Redefining Ethical, Consistent, and Scalable Production
By Andrew Kessler, CEO, WB+TDP (Warshaw Blumenthal & Turbo Dog Productions)
When Andrew Kessler, CEO of WB+TDP (Warshaw Blumenthal + Turbo Dog Productions), talks about the company’s proprietary AI workflow, he’s not describing a technical advantage — he’s defining the future of creative ethics and production integrity in the AI era.
For more than 44 years, WB+TDP has been known for its artistry — illustration, animation, and storytelling at the highest commercial level. Today, under Kessler’s leadership, that legacy has evolved into a hybrid AI production powerhouse that’s reshaping how agencies, brands, and media holding companies produce content at scale.
And the key to that transformation lies in a single creative principle: every AI production begins with original illustration.
“Our system doesn’t start from random text prompts — it starts from art,” says Kessler. “We use our own illustrations as the foundation, giving us total control over style, consistency, and authorship. That means our clients get stability in visuals — and traceability that protects both their brand and our artists.”
Why Illustration Matters in AI
While most AI pipelines rely on generic text prompts that pull from massive, untraceable datasets, WB+TDP’s proprietary “illustration-first” method ensures every frame is anchored in human-made creative work.
This approach achieves three critical things:
Consistency: Using illustration as the base keeps characters, styles, and compositions visually aligned across an entire campaign — something pure prompt-based AI can’t guarantee.
Stability: Structured illustrated inputs maintain control and prevent the unpredictable “drift” common in generative models.
Legal and Ethical Integrity: Because each project originates from WB+TDP’s own artist-created assets, the entire process is documentable — giving clients confidence that no copyrighted or scraped material is being used.
To further protect client IP, WB+TDP can temporarily remove logos and trademarks from AI stages of production — preventing them from being “offered up” to generative systems — and later reintroduce them via motion tracking. It’s a safeguard that not only preserves brand ownership but also improves final quality, since logos often require post-production cleanup regardless.
“Legal clarity is the next battleground in AI production,” Kessler explains. “We built a system that removes the gray areas. Every pixel we deliver can be traced back to a human-made illustration. It’s not stealing — it’s evolution.”
From Art to AI — A Blueprint for the Industry
This philosophy extends WB+TDP’s broader mission: creating a scalable, ethical, and commercially viable AI pipeline that empowers human creativity rather than replacing it.
Over the past two years, Kessler and Chief Creative Officer Ryan Scully have rebuilt WB+TDP from the inside out — merging generative AI tools like ComfyUI with decades of hands-on production expertise. The result is a hybrid workflow powered by over 300 illustrators, animators, retouchers, and 3D artists — delivering broadcast-quality content in a fraction of traditional timelines.
“AI wasn’t the threat — staying still was,” says Kessler. “We’ve survived every disruption — the rise of digital, stock imagery, economic downturns. This time, we didn’t wait to adapt; we built a new way to work.”
Today, WB+TDP is helping major holding companies — including WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom — reimagine internal production systems around AI. The model integrates automation with human oversight to collapse timelines, reduce costs, and eliminate redundancy — without sacrificing creative depth or quality.
A New Standard of Accountability
In an era defined by lawsuits and copyright uncertainty, WB+TDP’s illustration-driven process offers transparency and accountability where most AI workflows can’t.
“Brands don’t want to be associated with stolen content,” Kessler notes. “They want innovation that’s responsible, repeatable, and legally clean. That’s exactly what our system delivers.”
By merging artistry, legality, and technology into a single seamless process, WB+TDP is setting a new benchmark for proof-of-origin creativity — protecting clients, artists, and brands alike.
The Future of Creative Production
For Kessler, this innovation is both technical and philosophical.
“Every revolution in this industry has started with art,” he says. “AI is no different. By keeping illustration at the center of our workflow, we’re ensuring creativity — not code — leads the process. That’s how you lead, not follow.”
As AI reshapes the creative landscape, WB+TDP isn’t waiting for the future — it’s already building it, one illustrated frame at a time.
To learn more about WB+TDP’s proprietary AI pipeline and illustration-based workflow, visit www.wbtdp.com.
Further Reading:
From Art to AI: How a 44-Year-Old Production Studio Became a Tech Company
Tackling the Billion-Dollar Production Problem – Kessler’s Strategy for Holding Companies