SAN FRANCISCO, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Higgsfield, a fast-scaling AI-native video platform for creators, today announced a series of firsts for AI-generated entertainment. The company is debuting its inaugural pilot episode, Arena Zero, to launch Higgsfield Original Series, a dedicated destination for AI-generated episodic content.
The sci-fi epic was directed by SXSW and Rotterdam-selected filmmaker Aitore Zholdaskali (Auru, distributed by France's Loco Films). Using Higgsfield's "Soul Cinema" tool, his four-person team executed over 5,000 generations to build hyper-realistic characters and environments where visuals serve the story. Reflecting on the production process, Zholdaskali emphasized the creative freedom the platform provides. "AI is redefining what's possible for independent directors," he explained. "It opens up space to experiment, move faster, and explore ambitious concepts on a scale that once required entire teams and significant resources."
He added "But ultimately, technology won't replace talent. It rewards those who truly understand storytelling, rhythm, and emotion, and reveals those who don't".
The inaugural pilot debuting on Higgsfield Original Series include a sci-fi epic Arena Zero, alongside teasers Spit & Glow, Bucket List, Mother Trucker, Misfortune, Vermin Control Unit, Tails of Steel, Dinoforce, Viking Courier, and Buddy. To determine which of these concepts move forward, Higgsfield is introducing a crowdsourced greenlighting model that invites audiences to watch, vote on, and decide which pilots get developed into full series.
The platform will soon allow anyone to create, submit, and pitch their own pilot concepts with the potential to be greenlit by the community and developed into a full series through support from Higgsfield. Winning concepts will get support and promotion by Higgsfield for full-scale production, distributed across Higgsfield Originals and social media. The model compresses the path from concept to screen and de-risks greenlighting by building an engaged audience before a single full episode is produced.
AI content created on Higgsfield has already generated more than 4 billion views across the Higgsfield channels. This shift in demand is fueling a rapidly expanding creator economy that opens new pathways for how content is inspired, discovered, developed, and promoted. Notably, Higgsfield recently received 8,752 submissions from 139 countries for its AI film competition, featuring the industry's largest prize pool from an independent platform. On the basis of strong demand, Higgsfield is making the move to build a dedicated pilot program for new and original generative AI episodic content with the aim of supporting independent AI filmmakers.
As AI entertainment moves from short-form clips to full episodic series, Higgsfield sees the next wave of on-screen talent coming from the creator economy. While traditional film and TV production continues to rely on trained actors and physical sets. AI-generated content creates a parallel lane, where casting decisions can be instant and reflect real-time audience preferences, visual recognizability, reach and cultural relevance. The creator economy, now valued at over $250 billion globally, has already started to produce that talent pool.
To bring this shift to market responsibly, Higgsfield is introducing an ethical AI Likeness Licensing framework. Recognizable influencers who choose to license their likeness retain full control over which projects they appear in, with transparent compensation and clear attribution built into the platform. This allows them to monetize their personal brand, generate new forms of income, and star in multiple projects simultaneously. For independent creators, this unlocks affordable access to recognizable faces, boosting their content marketability and reach. Higgsfield is already receiving inbound offers from prominent influencers eager to feature their likenesses, and the company plans to actively collaborate with both physical and digital creators for upcoming projects.
Today's announcement coincides with Higgsfield's one-year anniversary. Since launch, the platform has reached users in over 240 countries and independent territories, shipped more than 200 product releases, and crossed a $300 million annual run rate within its first eleven months.
"The entertainment and film economies are being reshaped before our eyes, creating unprecedented opportunities for creators and influencers to become the next breakout stars," said Alex Mashrabov, CEO of Higgsfield. "We're building an end-to-end solution that takes a creator from concept to screen without the traditional gatekeepers. We believe this will unlock a new content economy — one where audiences decide what gets made."
For more information and to vote on pilots, visit https://higgsfield.ai/original-series
About Higgsfield
Higgsfield is an AI-native generative video platform built for professional creators, brands, agencies, and marketing teams producing high-fidelity videos at scale. The company develops its own generative video and image models and integrates leading third-party models such as OpenAI's Sora, Google's Veo and Nano Banana, Alibaba's WAN, Kuaishou's Kling, Bytedance's Seedream and Seedance, MiniMax, and others into a single, production-ready workflow. This allows teams to seamlessly incorporate the best of image, video and audio models for any creative task.
CONTACT: press@higgsfield.ai
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Higgsfield Launches Industry-First Crowdsourced AI TV Pilot Where Influencers Become AI Film Stars
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YIWU, China, April 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the complexity and volatility of the global trade environment, consumers worldwide remain steadfast in their pursuit of festive experiences and an enhanced quality of life. In Yiwu, the peak season for Christmas exports kicked off as expected in March, driving the entire industry chain into full swing.
Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. According to data from Yiwugo, search and order volumes for Christmas-related products, such as Christmas trees and Santa Claus decorations, have been steadily increasing since March. This seasonal surge is supported by long-established manufacturers with deep industry roots, many of whom have been operating for more than a decade, and some for over 20 years.
"Christmas Gift": Leveraging Guangdong's Craftsmanship to Fulfill Yiwu's Global Orders
Lu Fei, the head of Christmas Gift, brings over 20 years of experience in the Christmas gift industry. To guarantee exceptional product quality, the company has established its production base in Guangdong, capitalizing on the region's superior craftsmanship and robust supply chain resources. Committed to rigorous manufacturing standards, it steadfastly rejects low-quality mass production.
"Yiwugo has provided our company with substantial growth opportunities," Lu Fei remarked. His store ranks among the platform's Top 20 across all industries, with average daily traffic recently exceeding 5,000 visitors. Impressively, over 70% of online trial-order customers have been converted into long-term major offline clients.
Christmas Gift specializes in Christmas figurines, miniature Christmas trees, and nutcrackers, offering nearly 10,000 product varieties, many of which are protected by proprietary patents. The company maintains stringent quality control throughout the production processes: telescopic products undergo multiple tests to ensure seamless operation and durability, while illuminated items are crafted to meet the highest industry standards. At its Guangdong production base, Christmas trees alone undergo up to nine surface-finishing techniques, far exceeding basic coating requirements.
The company is dedicated to launching new product series every six months. This year, its newly introduced miniature Christmas tree display box, known for its elegant design, secured a single order of over 80,000 units from a US client. Since April, repeat orders from South American customers have remained strong, while several long-term partners have each recorded annual purchases surpassing RMB 1 million.
Shengfa: Craftsmanship as the Foundation of Quality Excellence
With over two decades of industry experience, Shengfa Industry and Trade Co., Ltd. has consistently placed product quality and R&D innovation at the core of its competitiveness. Its Christmas trees, LED fiber-optic trees, wreaths, rattan products, and related items are exported to markets across the Middle East, Europe, Japan, the ROK, South America and beyond.
Under the leadership of Chen Yongnian, the company remains firmly committed to maintaining the highest quality standards. All materials are 100% virgin, and the flocking on the artificial plants is dense and flawless, leaving no room for compromise or substandard workmanship. Before each batch departs the factory, every product undergoes a minimum of five comprehensive inspections. These stringent quality controls have allowed Shengfa to maintain its partnerships with several established European traders for over a decade. In Brazil, a major client operating more than 2,000 supermarkets records annual purchases exceeding RMB 3 million.
More than 80% of Shengfa's core production team members are highly skilled technicians with over eight years of experience. The company regularly hosts training sessions to maintain its commitment to quality excellence through craftsmanship. Chen Yongnian noted that in 2025, the company forged partnerships with several prestigious clients through Yiwugo, reinforcing its confidence in expanding its presence on this platform.
With the Christmas procurement season now in full swing, clients from Brazil and other South American markets have begun placing early orders. As a result, the company's production schedule is fully booked through August.
From Online Traffic to Offline Deals: Yiwugo Connects Merchants to the Global Market
In Yiwu, many Christmas goods manufacturers have followed a similar development path to that of Christmas Gift and Shengfa. As the official platform for Yiwu's commodities market, Yiwugo is dedicated to integrating online and offline channels, wholesale and retail operations, and domestic and cross-border trade, thereby bridging global buyers and local producers. Through this model, the platform delivers end-to-end services from online inquiries and sample dispatch to offline transactions.
As the peak season gains momentum, a wide range of new Christmas products will be shipped by Yiwu merchants through Yiwugo to destinations around the world. Behind this global journey are factory workers, Yiwugo's business operators, and quality controllers, whose dedication and professionalism help ensure the timely delivery of Christmas products to markets worldwide, reflecting the craftsmanship and warmth of Chinese-made goods.
YIWU, China, April 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the complexity and volatility of the global trade environment, consumers worldwide remain steadfast in their pursuit of festive experiences and an enhanced quality of life. In Yiwu, the peak season for Christmas exports kicked off as expected in March, driving the entire industry chain into full swing.
Yiwugo.com, the official website of the Yiwu Commodity Market, is the largest commodity wholesale market in the world. According to data from Yiwugo, search and order volumes for Christmas-related products, such as Christmas trees and Santa Claus decorations, have been steadily increasing since March. This seasonal surge is supported by long-established manufacturers with deep industry roots, many of whom have been operating for more than a decade, and some for over 20 years.
"Christmas Gift": Leveraging Guangdong's Craftsmanship to Fulfill Yiwu's Global Orders
Lu Fei, the head of Christmas Gift, brings over 20 years of experience in the Christmas gift industry. To guarantee exceptional product quality, the company has established its production base in Guangdong, capitalizing on the region's superior craftsmanship and robust supply chain resources. Committed to rigorous manufacturing standards, it steadfastly rejects low-quality mass production.
"Yiwugo has provided our company with substantial growth opportunities," Lu Fei remarked. His store ranks among the platform's Top 20 across all industries, with average daily traffic recently exceeding 5,000 visitors. Impressively, over 70% of online trial-order customers have been converted into long-term major offline clients.
Christmas Gift specializes in Christmas figurines, miniature Christmas trees, and nutcrackers, offering nearly 10,000 product varieties, many of which are protected by proprietary patents. The company maintains stringent quality control throughout the production processes: telescopic products undergo multiple tests to ensure seamless operation and durability, while illuminated items are crafted to meet the highest industry standards. At its Guangdong production base, Christmas trees alone undergo up to nine surface-finishing techniques, far exceeding basic coating requirements.
The company is dedicated to launching new product series every six months. This year, its newly introduced miniature Christmas tree display box, known for its elegant design, secured a single order of over 80,000 units from a US client. Since April, repeat orders from South American customers have remained strong, while several long-term partners have each recorded annual purchases surpassing RMB 1 million.
Shengfa: Craftsmanship as the Foundation of Quality Excellence
With over two decades of industry experience, Shengfa Industry and Trade Co., Ltd. has consistently placed product quality and R&D innovation at the core of its competitiveness. Its Christmas trees, LED fiber-optic trees, wreaths, rattan products, and related items are exported to markets across the Middle East, Europe, Japan, the ROK, South America and beyond.
Under the leadership of Chen Yongnian, the company remains firmly committed to maintaining the highest quality standards. All materials are 100% virgin, and the flocking on the artificial plants is dense and flawless, leaving no room for compromise or substandard workmanship. Before each batch departs the factory, every product undergoes a minimum of five comprehensive inspections. These stringent quality controls have allowed Shengfa to maintain its partnerships with several established European traders for over a decade. In Brazil, a major client operating more than 2,000 supermarkets records annual purchases exceeding RMB 3 million.
More than 80% of Shengfa's core production team members are highly skilled technicians with over eight years of experience. The company regularly hosts training sessions to maintain its commitment to quality excellence through craftsmanship. Chen Yongnian noted that in 2025, the company forged partnerships with several prestigious clients through Yiwugo, reinforcing its confidence in expanding its presence on this platform.
With the Christmas procurement season now in full swing, clients from Brazil and other South American markets have begun placing early orders. As a result, the company's production schedule is fully booked through August.
From Online Traffic to Offline Deals: Yiwugo Connects Merchants to the Global Market
In Yiwu, many Christmas goods manufacturers have followed a similar development path to that of Christmas Gift and Shengfa. As the official platform for Yiwu's commodities market, Yiwugo is dedicated to integrating online and offline channels, wholesale and retail operations, and domestic and cross-border trade, thereby bridging global buyers and local producers. Through this model, the platform delivers end-to-end services from online inquiries and sample dispatch to offline transactions.
As the peak season gains momentum, a wide range of new Christmas products will be shipped by Yiwu merchants through Yiwugo to destinations around the world. Behind this global journey are factory workers, Yiwugo's business operators, and quality controllers, whose dedication and professionalism help ensure the timely delivery of Christmas products to markets worldwide, reflecting the craftsmanship and warmth of Chinese-made goods.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
From March to August: Yiwu's Christmas Export Peak Season in Full Swing
