SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leader in applied AI and real-time decision intelligence for gaming and hospitality, today announced a strategic partnership with Itibari, Waynne & Partners (IWP), an entertainment financing company with its own Studio Network, to bring world-class live entertainment access to tribal casinos and large-scale entertainment venues.
Empowering Creators Across Gaming Venues
“This partnership brings together two ecosystems that believe in ownership, transparency, and building sustainable revenue models that work for creators and the venues that support them,” said Bruce Waynne, Founder and CEO of IWP. “Creators are small businesses, and they deserve to be treated that way. This collaboration provides QCI access to our Studio Network — particularly VYRE, our AVOD streaming platform partner with live streaming technology — ensuring creators retain control of their work while reaching wider audiences and unlocking new revenue streams.”
The partnership introduces Live-House, a new vertical delivering live events across the gaming floor. Guests can engage with concerts, performances, and entertainment moments through secure, in-property digital channels — including mobile and player-facing platforms — while performers retain ownership and monetize their content.
Driving Economic Impact
Both QCI and IWP Leadership are alumni of Nor-Cal Financial Development Corporation (Nor-Cal FDC), reflecting a shared foundation in small business growth, access to capital, and long-term economic development across California’s tribal and entertainment economies.
Sanford Livingston, CEO of Nor-Cal FDC, which supports job creation and economic development across California, added:
“I was very pleased to collaborate on this project. Bringing together two business success stories to launch a platform that changes the game for entertainers and artists will create jobs, provide opportunities, and support the economy of Indian gaming resorts.”
Technology Meets Operational Value
“At its core, this partnership is about access,” said Andrew Cardno, Co-Founder and CTO of QCI. “Tribal gaming resorts have invested billions into building extraordinary entertainment destinations. By combining QCI’s real-time intelligence platform with VYRE’s live streaming technology, we’re making it possible for those experiences to reach the entire property — creating deeper engagement and meaningful new revenue opportunities.”
The collaboration leverages IWP’s Studio Network to provide financing, distribution, and monetization tools, while QCI’s platform supplies operational systems, data intelligence, and commercial insights to scale experiences across complex, high-volume environments.
Looking Ahead
The partnership marks the first phase of QCI’s “Business of Fun” initiative, unifying entertainment, technology, and data into a single connected ecosystem. Additional announcements related to live deployments and upcoming event integrations will be shared in the coming weeks.
ABOUT ITIBARI-WAYNNE AND PARTNERS
Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP) is an entertainment financing company and studio that enables creators to scale while retaining ownership of their work and delivers secured, structured returns to investors. IWP’s Studio Network connects projects to a curated ecosystem of production, distribution, and risk partners, supporting collaboration and execution across a wide range of deal structures. Up to 80% of IWP’s financing is supported by layered risk protection, including insurance-backed credit enhancements and state and federal incentives—driving job creation and economic development beyond the entertainment sector.
ABOUT VYRE NETWORK
VYRE Network is the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and live streaming platform within Itibari-Waynne & Partners’ (IWP) Studio Network, dedicated to serving the next generation of filmmakers, television creators, and athletes. Founded in 2019, VYRE provides global distribution, financing, and production support to help emerging talent reach broader audiences and scale their work. The platform is focused on empowering creators through access, exposure, and opportunities that bridge independent and mainstream entertainment. VYRE Network is a publicly traded company listed on the OTC Markets under the ticker symbol VYRE.
ABOUT BRUCE WAYNNE
Bruce Waynne is an award-winning music producer, entertainment executive, and finance strategist working at the intersection of creativity, capital, and creator-owned platforms. A Grammy Award–winning producer, he has delivered commercially successful and culturally influential records for artists including 50 Cent, Frank Ocean, Justin Bieber, and Fantasia. Beyond production, Waynne co-founded The Made Series Music Library, a hybrid record label and publishing platform developed in collaboration with Extreme Music and Sony Music Publishing, focused on sync-ready assets and long-term rights ownership. His executive experience spans music finance and rights management, including leadership roles at Sound Royalties and Transparence Entertainment Group, as well as advisory work with ACME Innovation. Waynne has also contributed to industry-wide initiatives through committee and advisory roles with the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, NorCal FDC, and the Mechanical Licensing Collective, supporting royalty transparency, creator compensation, and incentive-backed financing programs. He is currently Founder and CEO of Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP), an entertainment financing company focused on de-risking creator-led projects and serves as President of VYRE Network.
Learn more at: http://www.iwp.fund.
ABOUT QCI
Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the QCI AGI Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Its advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 300 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and The Bahamas. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $42 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution — whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based — enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming and hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, and Phoenix.
Main phone number: (858) 299.5715.
Learn more at https://quickcustomintelligence.com/.
ABOUT ANDREW CARDNO
Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in many of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries — be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City of Hope and UCSD — Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring 14 influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.
