Future of Film Podcast

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...

This episode explores the intersection of human creativity and AI technology. Filmmakers Jonathan Keasey and Justin MacGregor who are partnering with Phil Egger of J4 on a slate of films assisted by cutting edge AI technology. Entitled Hum. AI.ne Entertainment, their new initiative is focused on the ethical use of AI in the creative process and reflects Jonathan's journey from 'intentional Luddite...

"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 pu...

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...

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 narra...

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...

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. Ab...

"You're only as good as the creative you surround yourself with." Niels Juul Niels Juul is a producer with expertise in financing and packaging major features, with a track record of working with top directors including Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. More recently, Niels has become a strong advocate of Web3 and NFTs in the film space, founding NFT Studios as a way to stimulate more original, au...

In this episode we welcome Steve Silver to the podcast to discuss the now and future of the metaverse - in particular how creators can approach this space. From Tesla's complete virtual rendering of San Francisco and Apple's upcoming VR headset to the latest in Web3, Steve takes us on a ride to the nexus of technological innovation and entertainment - eloquently explaining how these innovations ca...

Brian Newman is Founder of Sub-Genre and one of the world’s leading experts on brand-funded films. He consults on content strategy, distribution and marketing for some of the top brands in the world. Current and former clients include: The Climate Pledge (Amazon), GoDaddy, Oatly, Patagonia, REI, Stripe, Sundance, Tazo, and Yeti Coolers. As well as being film's leading 'brand whisperer', Brian is a...

"We talk about going Direct to Community" Diana Williams Diana Williams is the CEO & Co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment, a multi-disciplinary company that partners with creators at the intersection of story and technology to develop and produce story-based IP. In this podcast, we discuss Kinetic Energy Entertainment's strategy, projects and the opportunity Diana is addressing in the market...

This episode explores the evolution in interactive filmmaking with filmmaker Paul Raschid and Ru Howe, the Founder of Stornaway.io the development tool for interactive video. Paul is the director of a number of branching narrative feature film/FMV games including 2022's THE GALLERY - comprising of over four and a half hours of video content. In this conversation, Paul and Ru share insights of how...

"Big vision and small execution. That's the sweet spot to attack the market" Houston Howard How can creators stand out in today's ocean of content? Super Story Architect, Houston Howard has answers… Houston Howard is the Chief Storyteller at One 3 Creative, a transmedia design firm, and a co-founder of Fulcrum Worldbuilders, an organisation that designs large-scale storyworlds that are meant to sh...

This episode is about involving the audience in the creative process and how a Danish startup is realising this using a unique combination of AI and anthropology. Niels Alberg is CEO and co-founder of PUBLIKUM.io (the Danish word that translates literally as Audience). For the past 20 years, Niels has worked in applied research, strategy and creative business development. Niels, who holds a Master...

Nguyen-Anh Nguyen is a filmmaker based out of Montreal Having began his career as a dentist, he then focused on filmmaking, specifically science fiction, with the viral hit THE AKIRA PROJECT (2014) followed by acclaimed short films TEMPLE (2016) & HYPERLIGHT (2018), all of which garnered over 12M views online and received widespread international acclaim. Anh has now applying his craft in the real...

This episode is a deep-dive into the pivotal role of audience research in film with Kevin Goetz. Nicknamed “the doctor of audience-ology,” Kevin has been at the centre of what Hollywood calls the movie research industry for more than thirty years. His firm, Screen Engine/ASI, conducts research for a majority of all movies that are widely released in America and around the world. With decades of ex...

Kevin Baillie's career at the forefront of visual effects and screen storytelling began in 1999 and is now part of industry folklore. As an 18-year old high school senior, he and his friend created a short film involving a futuristic speeder race through his school, primarily to attract the attention of Star Wars producer Rick McCallum. The short was hugely successful and the tactic worked with Ke...

This episode is a deep dive into the revolutionary world of NFTs, Web 3 and the blockchain, with new media and technology entertainment industry executive, Rouslan Ovtcharoff. As the former head of marketing at Millennium Media (famous for blockbusters like The Expendables and Olympus Has Fallen), Rouslan is highly experienced in film and traditional media. More recently, however, he has dived dee...

Kaya Jabar is a multidisciplinary visualisation supervisor with unique experience leading previs, postvis, techvis and virtual production for tentpole film and TV projects including Game of Thrones, Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker and Dumbo. Kaya is on a mission to develop real-time adoption and virtual production workflows with the aim of making visualisation more efficient and interactive. In ot...

Robin McNichols is co-founder and Director of the award-winning creative studio Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) where he has directed a myriad of immersive experiences, large-scale installations and live performances. Exploring new sensory perspectives that challenge our relationship to the world around us plays a key role in Robin and the team at MLF’s work. His interest in full immersion lead to a...

Mahin Ibrahim and Phillip Domfeh are the executives behind Disney Launchpad, the new programme for untapped filmmaking talent. Available now on Disney+, Launchpad is a series of bold and new stories from emerging creators. In this talk, Mahin and Phillip share how the programme worked and the process of nurturing new talent. We also talk about inclusion behind and in front of the camera and the re...

Jack Attridge is Creative Director and co-founder of Flavourworks, the London-based digital entertainment studio. Originally trained in filmmaking, Jack pivoted into the gaming industry, working at leading studios like EA, Rebellion, Mind Candy, and 22cans. In 2015 he co-founded Flavourworks to realise a new form of interactive storytelling. This resulted in the acclaimed game-film hybrid (or as J...

This episode is about how filmmaker HaZ is reinventing his craft through realtime game engine-powered animation. Having originally started his career in VFX, Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull transitioned to directing and producing, with the Netflix-acquired sci-fi. THE BEYOND. He then followed up with another sci fi feature, 2036 ORIGIN UNKNOWN before directing a major show for Disney, FAST LAYNE. Throughout a...

Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, is a three-time Academy Award®-nominated, two-time Primetime Emmy Award-winning and a two-time Peabody Award-winning producer. Blumhouse is known for pioneering a new model of studio filmmaking: producing high-quality micro-budget films and television series, and his multimedia company is regarded as the driving force in the horror renaissance. Through...

Jeff Gomez is CEO of Starlight Runner and one of the world’s leading experts in story and narrative design. He works with executives, visionaries, and global leaders to develop vast fictional story universes on properties like Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers and Spider-Man This conversation is really an exploration of narrative design. In particular, Jeff describes how conceiving an...