Robert Hamwee Co-Founded Authors First Secures $10M in Seed Funding

Authors First, a NYC provider of a book-to-screen studio and distribution platform, has secured over $10 million in a Seed funding round

The round was led by Brand Foundry and founder Robert Hamwee, with participation from Bolt Ventures, Andy Mills, Mike Duggal, and John Kline.

The company plans to use the funding to expand its operations and continue developing its platform.

What is Authors First?

Authors First is a book-to-screen studio and distribution platform that works directly with authors to adapt their stories for film and television.

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The company works with authors throughout the production process, including character design, scripting, storyboarding and virtual cinematography.

Authors First combines human creative work with AI-enabled production technology. This allows the company to develop adaptations of historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy stories that can be difficult for traditional studios to produce within conventional budgets.

The company aims to give authors greater creative control over how their books are adapted while helping audiences experience their favorite stories on screen.

How Much Funding Has Authors First Raised?

Authors First has secured more than $10 million in its latest Seed funding round.

The source does not provide details about any previous funding rounds or the company's total funding raised before the Seed round.

Who Invested in Authors First’s Seed Round?

Brand Foundry and co-founder Robert Hamwee led the Seed funding round.

Bolt Ventures, Andy Mills, Mike Duggal and John Kline also participated.

Why the Funding Matters

Authors First plans to use the funding to expand its operations and continue developing its book-to-screen platform.

The company is focused on using AI-enabled production tools to make film and television adaptations more achievable while keeping authors involved in the creative process.

Who founded Authors First?

Authors First was founded in 2025 by Robert Hamwee.

The company is headquartered in New York City.

“As a lifelong fan of historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy epics, I’ve always believed the definitive version of any story is in the author’s imagination,” said Hamwee, Founder & CEO of Authors First. “We built Authors First to give them full creative control and modern tools so production budgets no longer dictate what’s possible on screen.

“Without Authors First, bringing 'Genghis: Birth of an Empire' to the screen was impossible – believe me, I tried," said Iggulden. "It would have taken significant capital and years of filming on location across thousands of miles of remote Mongolian landscape.

Market and Business Growth

Authors First is developing several book-to-screen projects based on established literary works.

One of its projects is Genghis: Birth of an Empire, based on the novels of British historical fiction author Conn Iggulden.

For the project, Iggulden worked with more than 30 production artists to guide narrative elements, camera angles, character dialogue, music and visual details.

Authors First used AI and other production technology to bring the author's vision to the screen. The company says the technology helped its team create complex cinematic scenes without relying on costly on-site shoots, CGI and green screens.

What Happens Next?

Authors First plans to expand its operations and continue developing its production and distribution platform.

Genghis: Birth of an Empire is expected to become available for purchase on the Authors First platform and other major digital platforms through the company's Filmhub distribution relationship.

The company will also continue working with authors on new film and television adaptations.

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