In this episode I speak with Mark Wachholz, a Berlin-based screenwriter and AI filmmaker. Mark shares his journey from being rejected by traditional film schools to spending over two decades writing novels, games, and scripts waiting for the moment when the kinds of films he wanted to make would finally be possible. For him, AI was the doorway that arrived 20 years later.

We talk about his award-winning short film The Cinema That Never Was, why he sees AI not as a tool but as a creative collaborator, and what remains uniquely human when “anything becomes possible.” 

Key Themes We Explore

• Taste and curation in a world where “anything is possible”
• Letting go of perfection as AI tools rapidly evolve
• Why creative restraint matters more than capability
• Scaling from solo AI filmmaker to larger collaborative projects
• The emotional tension between control and surrender in creative work

Key Takeaways

• Possibility is expanding faster than our decision-making frameworks
• Creativity is less about ownership and more about resonance
• Taste becomes the differentiator when tools become accessible
• AI reveals how much discipline storytelling requires

You can connect with Mark at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwachholz/