Future of Film Podcast with Alex Stolz

"We're on the verge of a paradigm shift, in terms of the stories that need to be told ... and how they need to be implemented." Davide Bianca

Emmy award-winning executive creative director, strategist and technologist, Davide Bianca joins Future of Film Podcast to discuss Generative AI, the future of the industry and his latest project, Shifting Tides; the next-generation creator-led studio and publisher pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling and development using advanced technologies.

Drawing from his experience working on some of entertainment's biggest properties, Davide reveals his new model for creator-led publishing and why the industry is on the brink of a major reset. Davide also shares his love of the latest AI tools and explains why they present an unprecedented opportunity for storytellers.

This episode was recorded as part of Future of Film Africa 2024 in partnership with Sèmè City, Republic of Benin.

More about Davide Bianca

Emmy award winning executive creative director, strategist, and technologist, currently serving as Chief Creative Officer at BCN Visuals, and founder of Shifting Tides.

For nearly two decades Davide Bianca has been at the forefront of innovation, telling stories across multiple mediums while helping Hollywood studios, tv networks, streaming platforms and gaming companies bring their properties to international audiences and shape pop culture.

Responsible for directing complex and extensive Hollywood theatrical and TV launches across film, experiential, digital and XR, Davide's body of work includes screen writing for television, ideating and executing original and ambitious large scale stunts, experiential activations and anamorphic 3D OOH campaigns for cult TV properties and franchises such as “Stranger Things”, "Game of Thrones", and theatrical smash hit franchises such as "Avatar - The Way of Water", "Jurassic World", and “John Wick”, delivering to clients such as Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Sony Pictures consistent performance across the board.

Davide has directed shows, experiences, virtual events, commercials, animated shorts, and digital OOH campaigns with online view counts in the hundreds of millions, and generating billions of online earned media impressions. Davide has been actively involved in the gaming industry, helping studios like Riot, 2K, Activision, XBOX and Playstation create original content and consolidate existing IPs, bringing to the table expertise ranging from scripting to original character design, world building, all the way to directing cinematic launch trailers, working on successful properties such as "Marvel's Midnight Suns", "Marvel's Spider-Man2", “Call of Duty”, “Gears Of War”, and “Final Fantasy”.

With over 35 theatrical and TV launches under his belt, two original screen plays, and a plethora of awards that include twentytwo Cannes Lions, twenty nine Clios, five Webbys, one Emmy and two Emmy nominations, and with a background in Computer Science Engineering & AI, Davide believes in the emergence of a new form of immersive entertainment that delivers meaningful shared experiences, one that transcends cultural constraints or geographical boundaries, effectively blurring the line between storytelling and interaction, physical and digital. Davide is the founder of Shifting Tides, a next-generation creative studio and publisher pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling. With a focus on experimentation and exploration, Shifting Tides partners with top-tier writers and artists to reimagine how their unique voices and stories can break free from traditional storytelling. Constantly exploring new ways to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of publishing, Shifting Tides embraces emerging technologies and tools to transform ideas into stories that are accessible in physical and digital, comics and books.

This episode is a conversation about peace, reconciliation and innovative storytelling featuring pioneering producer Jeff Gomez and Billy Price who is Creative Director of Unrival, the non profit organisation dedicated to empowering peacebuilders and the process of peacebuilding across the world.

During Future of Film Africa 2024, Jeff and Billy discuss their unique collaboration and how they are applying a new modality of storytelling that champions reconciliation and understanding. In particular, we learn about process of peacebuilding and the concept of 'Just Peace' - and how Jeff's work in developing 'Collective Journey' narratives intersects with and supports this activity..

In a discussion that also encompasses the craft of transmedia and worldbuilding, we hear how producers and creators can apply and benefit from these strategies in their own work and also learn how Jeff is using them in projects such as ULTRAMAN RISING to great critical and commercial success.

This episode was recorded as part of Future of Film Africa 2024 in partnership with Sèmè City of the Republic of Benin.

More About Jeff Gomez and Billy Price

Jeff Gomez is President and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a leading producer of highly successful fictional "Worlds," which maximize the value of intellectual properties by preparing them for licensing, merchandising and extension across multiple media platforms.

Starlight Runner then utilizes a variety of technologies as well as a proprietary cross-media rollout technique designed to produce these "Worlds," directly extending them onto the Internet and mobile phone platforms, as well as into animated and live-action feature films, branded and sponsored digital content, video games, books and graphic novels, toys and merchandise. These in concert are also uniquely designed by Starlight Runner to validate and celebrate audience participation. The company's clients include The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, Mattel, Hasbro, and Scholastic.

Jeff is also known for developing the rich interactive worlds of Hot Wheels for Mattel, Magic: The Gathering for Hasbro, The Black Belt Club for Scholastic, Turok Dinosaur Hunter for Acclaim Entertainment, and Team GoRizer for The Walt Disney Company. Jeff co-wrote and produced Hot Wheels World Race, a computer-animated feature and series for Cartoon Network. He is currently developing a slate of original "World" properties with Starlight Runner and various partners to be produced in the coming year.

Billy Price is a multidisciplinary creative whose longing for a more just and peaceful world led him beyond the typical bounds of a professional creative when he began advocacy and relief work for refugees and asylum seekers. His efforts were instrumental in the formation of an innovative aid program in Juarez, MX— providing food, sustainable energy, and education to vulnerable migrant families. Other professional endeavors have involved collaborations with Grammy-winning bands, non-profits, startups, and healthcare companies, as well as his personal projects as a screenwriter, actor, and director (credited in film as William Price, III).

Friendship has provided a fertile ground for creative endeavors throughout Billy’s career. Many of his proudest professional accomplishments, from building an iPhone app to producing and directing film work, have been collaborative efforts with cherished friends he would just as readily spend a celebratory Sunday afternoon with.

Billy’s commitment to creativity in the context of bondedness bears itself out in his approach to the Film Lab, a collaboration with Justice Film Festival where participants celebrate the power of transformative, nonviolent storytelling together. His vision for the film lab is to cultivate a community of filmmakers dedicated to justice and peace and innervate an uprising of films from diverse and mutually empowering voices.

In this episode we are joined by the acclaimed visual artist and costume designer, Ane Crabtree. Ane’s substantial body of work includes her iconic, unmistakable designs for THE HANDMAID'S TALE (seasons one and two) as well as WESTWORLD (season one), and Apple TV’s THE CHANGELING.

As such, Ane has built a formidable reputation as a designer of the future and was described as one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018, deemed so "for designing the apocalypse".

Ane is a long standing collaborator with (previous guest of this show) Liam Young, including their most recent project PLANETARY REDESIGN which premiered at Venice Biennale in 2023. Ane also recently collaborated with Darren Aronofsky for POSTCARDS FROM EARTH which was made for The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Her work reflects the rural roots of Kentucky and the rich influence of her Okinawan heritage as the backbone of her visual storytelling.

In this inspiring and wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the theme of worldbuilding tand storytelling through costume design, includiing her work for THE HANDMAID'S TALE. We also explore Ane's creative and collaborative process, her journey from rural Kentucky to the peak of screen storytelling, the influence of her Okinawan heritage in her work and how she came to collaborate with Darren Aronofsky - and much more!

About Ane Crabtree

Ane Crabtree is a visual artist, painter, costume designer, and documentarian whose images conjure the hidden emotions behind the stories of memory, skewed reality, sense of place, and human nature. Her work in movies and television explores the use of deconstruction and dystopia, most notably in her original iconic designs for The Handmaid's Tale, seasons one and two. She is also responsible for The Sopranos pilot, Westworld season one, and Masters of Sex, seasons one and two.

Inspired by the landscapes of reality, alchemy, nature, and direct documentation, Crabtree's approach to her designs explores the transcendence of the real, utilizing emotions as a conduit or emotional decoder for the audience.

In 2018, Crabtree spoke at the United Nations, in support of the METoo movement, at the commemoration of The International Day to End Violence Against Women/Orange the World.

She has been nominated for three Emmy Awards (2017, 2018, 2019)for her work on The Handmaid's Tale and Westworld (2016). She has been nominated for four Costume Guild Awards for PanAm (2012), Masters of Sex (2015), Westworld (2016), and winning for The Handmaid's Tale (2018).

Her first solo exhibition was "Designs for Dystopia" at SCAD Museum of Fashion and Film, featuring her sketches, designs, and wall of inspiration from The Handmaid's Tale (2018). Her work for The Handmaid's Tale has been shown at pop up exhibitions for Vogue Magazine/The Public Hotel (2017), The Paley Center for Media (2017), and is a part of the permanent collection at The National Museum of American History at The Smithsonian Museum (2018). This work was also a part of the group exhibition, Designs for Different Futures at The Philadelphia Museum of Art (2019-2020), The Walker Museum of Art (2020-2021), and The Art Institute of Chicago (2021).

Crabtree's work will soon be featured in a group exhibition, "Mother!" at The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2021).

Her most recent collaboration, with filmmaker Liam Young, for the National Gallery of Victoria Museum's Triennial (2020-2021), at MAAT in Lisbon (March 2021), and at the Shanghai Biennale (April 2021) features costumes in the short film "Planet City", directed and produced by Liam Young. Planet City is the first "design for utopia" for Crabtree. She served as costume designer, producer, and costume director for seven international artists, including herself. Her costumes for The Handmaid's Tale are now in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian Museum of American History.

This special episode features a conversation with three leaders in this space exploring the future of the greenlight process in film:

Anjali Midha is the Former Head of Entertainment at Twitter and the Founder and CEO of the entertainment analytics platform Diesel Labs.

Irina Albita, co-founder and co-CEO of FilmChain, the blockchain based platform revolutionising the collection of revenues in film and TV.

Ted Hope is the producer of over 70 feature films, the former Head of Production at Amazon Studios and author of the book Hope for Film and blog of the same name.

In an increasingly competitive and congested distribution marketplace, better and more informed decision making upstream is increasingly essential. Is there a better way? How can we support intuitive creativity with robust data analytics, audience insights and distribution intelligence? What are the tools, resources and information that can underpin more effective commissioning or investment decisions? Where are the information blindspots and how can filmmakers formulate a more robust investment opportunity? How can we create more inclusiveness in the greenlight process?

More about our speakers

Ted Hope has been a producer on over 70 films, studio executive on over 60, CEO of a start-up streamer, co-head of 3 production companies, executive director of a film society & festival, a Professor Of Practice at 2 universities, and founder of a post-production facility, 2 websites, 2 think tanks, & an app. Ted launched Amazon’s foray into feature film production, leading them to 19 Oscar nominations and 5 wins. As a producer, his films have received 25 Oscar nominations, with 6 wins. Ted’s memoir and newsletter Hope For Film, are both must reads. Ted helped launch the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry and many others. His most recent films include the first narrative from Oscar-winning documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro, as well as the documentary Invisible Nation on Taiwan, directed and produced by Vanessa Hope.

Anjali Midha, an entrepreneur with a passion for driving innovation in media and marketing analytics. She is the co-founder & CEO of Diesel Labs, a content analytics company that addresses the toughest questions facing media companies today. Before starting Diesel Labs, she was the Global Director of Media Research at Twitter where she developed the ‘playbook’ for television - illuminating the synergies and opportunities across traditional and new media. She joined Twitter via their acquisition of Bluefin Labs (the pioneer of Social TV Analytics), prior to which she was the VP of Strategy & Analytics at Digitas. Anjali holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University and an MBA from MIT Sloan

Irina Albita is a technologist with over 12 years experience in the London/NYC tech scene, with a mathematics-economics background. Her passion is exploring how emerging tech radically transforms creative industries, and she is a prominent figure at film & tech events worldwide. She co-founded FilmChain alongside Maria Tanjala. The platform is transforming how producers, financiers, and sales agents get paid. With a digital collection account management (CAM) for indie films and a royalties management solution for content distributors, FilmChain brings transparency to payments and modernises royalties. Former EFM Startups 2018, they have won awards such as ‘Startup of the Year’ London Business Awards 2020, Startup Challenge at San Sebastian Film Festival 2020, Makers and Shakers 2020, and Unchain Fintech Festival 2022, to name a few.

This episode is presented in partnership with Screenovators, the online community dedicated to innovation in the screen industries. For more information and to join: www.screenoavtors.com

Mark Forstater and Nathan Neuman are co-Founders of Dreambird the new Web3 powered filmmaking and streaming platform. In this episode, they discuss the pitfalls and structural problems associated with the current film financing model and outline their vision for Dreambird as a marketplace designed to foster creators' collaboration, decision-making, and project participation. In a wide ranging conversation - that draws on Mark's rich experience as a producer (including Monty Python and the Holy Grail no less!) - we also explore generative AI, NFTs, interactive storytelling and the history - and future - of the industry.

About Mark Forstater

Mark Forstater is a highly experienced producer with over 40 years in the film and television industry and a pioneer of independent British films. He has extensive credits including cult classics like "Monty Python & The Holy Grail" and "XTRO,". His recent films, "Swipe Fever" and "The Lullaby Killer," highlight his continued commitment to pushing boundaries and film production.

About Nathan Neuman

Entrepreneur and filmmaker with a background in music and post-production, Nathan has managed production companies and talent agencies in the UK and US, while also working as a producer for global corporations in music, advertising, fashion, and technology. Nathan directed the feature film "Swipe Fever" and designed the game "Viral Survival."

In this episode we are delighted to welcome back to the podcast, the Super Story Architect himself, Houston Howard.

An expert in franchise development and transmedia incubation, Houston demystifies the practice of world building with his customary passion and pragmatism. In this conversation, recorded as part of Future of Film incubator 2023, we explore the key elements of creating expansive narrative universes, providing practical advice, checklists, and relatable examples for all genres.

Houston shares the wisdom of literary legends like Tolkien, Lewis, Lucas, and Rowling, and explains why focusing solely on a single character or story could be limiting your creative potential. He also also shares the 'five Ps' of world building: premise, place, people, practices, and past, discussing how these elements can help bring your vision to life.

The discussion extends to the business aspect of world building, examining how to present creative ideas and their revenue potential. Houston sheds light on how AI tools can super charge the world-building process. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to broaden their understanding of world building and its potential in the entertainment industry.

Houston Howard is the Executive Vice President, Content Incubation and Transmedia Development at Gramarye Media and Chief Storyteller and Co-Founder of One 3 Creative. Houston has been a recognized thought leader in the entertainment and branding communities because of his unique and proprietary transmedia approach to story. Advising entities such as Mattel, Disney Imagineering, Reliance Media Works, West Coast Customs, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Harper Collins Publishing, as well as designing a number of transmedia-focused projects for Fox, the CW, TNT, Slinky and the writers of Toy Story, Houston has an impressive amount of experience designing projects that are primed for the 21st Century.

When he’s not outlining a new slate of transmedia design books, setting up international co-productions for current transmedia projects or leading a wildly diverse creative team, Houston is educating professionals on how to adapt to an ever-changing entertainment landscape. This has included leading workshops for the Producers Guild of America, the National Association of Broadcasters, Act One, Storyworld USA, The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Houston led a series of international transmedia masterclasses across both Brazil and Africa throughout 2016.

His latest book, Make Your Story Really Stinkin’ Big: How to Go From Concept to Franchise and Make Your Story Last For Generations, has been a go-to manual for creative professionals on how to leverage a variety of media platforms, maximizes revenue potential and engages audiences in new and innovative ways.

Learn more about how Houston builds projects that exist at the intersection of branding and entertainment at http://superstory.works/.

Emma Needell is a filmmaker and worldbuilder who champions original storytelling. Her script THE WATER MAN, directed by David Oyelowo and produced by Oprah Winfrey, premiered at TIFF and is now on Netflix. In 2021, she won an Epic Megagrant to use Unreal Engine on a short film that explores the power of technology to bring people together. The film premiered at Tribeca and is now on the festival circuit. She is also the worldbuilder and Head of Story for the web3 content company Tally Labs.

Emma joined Future of Film Incubator 2023 to share insights from her journey as a storyteller, her creative process and how she incorporates technology into her practice. Highlights include:

- The story behind Emma's first script being made with David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey

- Emma's adoption of Unreal Engine in her creative process

- Emma's use of AI and her position on its adoption in filmmaking

- How Emma is leaning into the Web3 world with the worldbuilding of the Azurbala project

"I ended up using Unreal Engine to rewrite the script because I could play around with 3D motion, with camera movement, I could put a score to it, I could mess around with lighting and with basic blocking." - Emma Needell

In this episode, we welcome back to Future of Film storytelling pioneer, Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull.

During the episode, HaZ provides an exclusive inside look into the innovative processes behind his groundbreaking projects like RIFT and MOONTOPIA, which utilise Unreal Engine to redefine game design and monetisation. The discussion explores game development optimization, private testing, and intellectual property ownership within the context of Unreal Engine for Fortnite. HaZ also shares fascinating insights into the potential impact of AI on the gaming industry, offering a glimpse into the future possibilities for creators.

Operating at the intersection of film and gaming with a remarkable career spanning from Visual Effects to directing and producing, HaZ has gained recognition for his breakout feature film, THE BEYOND, and his second hit, 2036 Origin Unknown. Currently working on the groundbreaking sci-fi action anime, RIFT, HaZ leverages virtual production and realtime CGI, rendering the entire film in Unreal Engine.

In addition to his technical expertise, HaZ reveals his visionary ideas for nurturing the next generation of content creators and the transformative - but challenging potential of AI-driven creativity.

Joanna Popper is the Chief Metaverse Officer at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, where she leads metaverse initiatives for the agency and its clients.

In this special episode of the podcast, Joanna speaks with award-winning television presenter, Elle Osili-Wood about what the metaverse means for creators and the entertainment business.

About Joanna Poppper

Joanna Popper is the Chief Metaverse Officer at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, Popper leads metaverse initiatives for the agency and its clients.

Popper joined CAA in 2022 from HP, where she led its XR initiatives for Go-To-Market, overseeing the launch of award-winning technology, such as the HP Reverb G2 VR headset (winner of Red Dot Design Award, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award) and HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition (winner of VR Hardware of the Year, Entertainment Technology Lumiere Award, Red Dot Best of the Best, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award).

Previously, she was Executive Vice President of Media & Marketing at Singularity University, a NASA-based, Google-backed organization founded by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis to train leaders on the future of technology including blockchain, VR/AR, artificial intelligence, robotics and digital biology. She was also the Vice President of Marketing at NBCUniversal, where she worked across properties, including television, film, digital, and parks, and launched hits in primetime, music award shows, sports, news, daytime, and more for Telemundo. She started her career as an investment banker in New York and Brazil and then a consultant at McKinsey & Company.

She was selected as “50 Women Can Change the World in Media and Entertainment,” ”25 Pioneers in the Metaverse,” “Top 50 Original Thinkers in VR,” “Top Women in Media: Game Changers,” “Top Women in Media: Industry Leaders,” “Digital It List,” and “101 Women Leading the VR Industry.”

She served as Executive Producer on BREONNA’S GARDEN, FINDING PANDORA X, and FIGHT BACK, the award-winning virtual reality content, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and SXSW.

Popper graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree, and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA.

Dan Erickson is the creator and showrunner of Apple TV's Emmy© Award-winning series, SEVERANCE.

After attending NYU's Tisch School, where he received a Masters in Dramatic Writing. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he delivered food and worked in a string of office jobs, all while conceiving and writing the original pilot for Severance. The script became the first TV pilot ever selected for the annual Bloodlist, which ultimately led to a creative partnership with Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Productions, Endeavor Content, and Apple. Atypically, this also led to Dan becoming Showrunner, retaining huge levels of creative control and driving the production - and the show became an instant cult and critical hit largely due to its powerful and original storyworld.

In this episode, Dan talks to fellow storyteller and CEO and co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment, Diana Williams about his career and building the show's mind-bending world.

Dan and Diana discuss the intricate process of story world design, exploring how Dan's original play - and real life office experience - inspired the show. Dan relates the journey of the show from concept to screen (and as unknown writer to showrunner) including early pitches and his experiences working with Ben Stiller and Chris Black.

We also learn what it means to be a showrunner on your first series and the demanding balancing act of creative and organisational priorities it entails. This includes in particular the focus on tone and how establishing the right tone - and maintaining this - is one of the most important and challenging aspects of the role.