The Digital Hollywood Summer Summit
Monday, July 21st - Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
The Defining Event: The Future of Entertainment, Media & Technology
A Virtual Event • Registration is Free - An Expected Audience of 12,000
• Speakers Note: Some Sessions will be Taped Prior to the Event - Please check with your moderator
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- For Speaker Submission or Partnerships
The Evening Keynote Roundtables
Monday, July 21st, 2025
8:00 PM – 8:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Session I:
21st Century Hollywood: The Creative Mind Without Boundaries
If ever there was an industry, emblematic of an ethos of creativity, it is Hollywood. From the indie brilliance and idiosyncrasy of “Being John Malkovich” to the blockbuster genius and visualization of “Oppenheimer,” brilliant minds and expression unleashed is the core ideal of the industry. And today, a new technology has arrived that may unleash another layer of creative invention, Artificial Intelligence. While some may fear its arrival and implications, others are experimenting and discovering that the most creative among us are able to harness AI as a “Mental Collaborator,” perhaps a McLuhan or Leary-like accelerator to reach beyond a heretofore unavailable creative boundary. Similarly, AI is able to augment the complexities of VFX and CGI and serve as a tool of discovery in the creation of blockbusters and indie projects alike.
Speakers:
Michael Zyda, Technology Visionary, Founding Director of USC's Computer Science Games Program. Moderator
Bran Ferren, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Applied Minds, LLC, Academy Award Winner & former, President, R&D, Walt Disney Co.
Diana Colella, EVP/Head, Media & Entertainment, Autodesk
Flip Philips, Animation Pioneer, Pixar, Professor, School of Film and Animation, Rochester Institute of Technology
Marlin Prager. CEO, Miris
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
The Spatial Strategy: From Enhanced Eyewear, AI & AR to Full Immersion
We live in a world of platforms and technologies, a mobile, AI, XR and accelerated lifestyle of visual, audio and immersive experiences. Apple Vision Pro has been countered with the Meta eyewear short-term and long-term technologies. And every major player, Google, Amazon, Samsung, even chip players, NVIDIA and Qualcomm not to mention the AIs, OpenAI, Microsoft and the Adobes and Autodesk. In this session, we have assembled some of the greatest creative minds to help us make sense of the rate of innovation, change and the meaning of it all. This is about our technology and the way we live and will live our lives.
Speakers:
Adam Simon, Managing Director, IPG Media Lab, Moderator
Ted Schilowitz, Visionary & Futurist, formerly Paramount Global & 20th Century Fox
Stephanie Lone, Global Director, Solutions Architecture, Media, Entertainment, Games and Sports Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jeremy Smallwood,
VP of Innovation & Strategy, TriggerXR
Corey Breton, Head of Venues, Cosm
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
9:00 PM – 9:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Session I:
AI & Cinematic Creativity: On the Verge of Its Citizen Kane Moment
Perhaps one way to gauge the proliferation of AI Cinema is by making note of the AI Film Festivals and Meet-ups around the world. Let’s start with Seattle and LA, Mumbai and Berlin, Austin and Shanghai, West Palm Beach and Vienna, New York and Cannes, UK and Prague, Chicago and Atlanta. Not to mention Dubai. AI is the fastest emerging technology of all time and the quality and excitement around the tools and unleashed creative energy speaks for itself. In this roundtable we will be screening from among the best. We will we speak to film makers and voices of AI creativity. Are we on the verge of our “Citizen Kane Moment?” No question Cinematic AI will be largest and most explosive entertainment category ever.
Speakers:
Edward Saatchi, CEO, Fable Studios
Jason Zada, founder, Secret Level
Nikola Todorovic, Co-Founder, Wonder Dynamics, Autodesk
Amit Jain, CEO & founder, Luma
Christina Lee Storm, Co-Founder PLAYBOOK PLBK & Governor, Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group, Moderator
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
The Future of Hollywood and Entertainment in the Age of AI
Digital Hollywood is proud to welcome the renowned Industry Luminaries and Co-Hosts of the “AI/XR Podcast,” Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz and Rony Abovitz, to a “Special Roundtable” on “The Future of Hollywood and Entertainment in the Age of AI.” Since November of 2022 and the release of DALL-E from OpenAI, no technology “Innovation” has turned the industry upside down in quite the same way and with the release of each new “Generative Video Model” the industry conversation only intensifies. So it is our district pleasure to welcome these long-time industry visionaries to this event and there is no question their “Framing of the Industry’s Future” will no doubt be unique and engaging. And to add to this evening’s conversation, they will welcome three incredible guests, filmmakers Rob Minkoff (Lion King, Stuart Little, Haunted Mansion), Zak Penn (Ready Player One, Atari Game Over) and Ellenor Argyropoulos (AI Advisor to the ASC).
Speakers:
Ellenor Argyropoulos, Award-Winning Director & Photographer (AI Advisor to the ASC)
Rob Minkoff, filmmaker, Lion King, Stuart Little, Haunted Mansion
Zak Penn,
filmmaker, Ready Player One, Atari Game Over
Charlie Fink,
Producer, Podcast Host, Author, Adjunct, Columnist, Covering AI, XR, Metaverse for Forbes
Rony Abovitz, Founder SynthBee and Magic Leap
Ted Schilowitz, Visionary & Futurist, formerly Paramount Global & 20th Century Fox
The Evening Keynote Roundtables
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
8:00 PM - 8:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Session I:
The Studio • The Brand • The Agency = A Global Media & Technology Revolution
While the power of Hollywood never fades, the traditional silos of the studio, networks and celebrity are being reshuffled into a “Power-Shake-Up” of Global Brands, Mega Technologies and Global Agencies. The Result? On the one hand, consumer personalization which has always been at the forefront in decision making, now with the addition of powerful and direct AI engagement with consumers, which is only in its formative stages, will likely emerge as something of a breakthrough “Brand/Consumer Co-Pilot Relationship.” And in a world of immersive content experiences, AI as a “Creative Partner” is taking the ideation and production process to an entirely next level experience. The world will be experiencing a host of “Sphere Level” creative experiences. In this roundtable, we bring together the executives deeply involved in exploring and delivering on this promise.
Speakers:
Valerie Madden, Creative Director of Marketing Innovation, Prompteteer™, Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video & NBC Universal Alum, Moderator
Elav Horwitz. EVP, Global Head of Strategic Partnerships and Solutions, WPP
Shannon Pruitt, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stagwell Brand Performance Network
Adam Simon, Managing Director, IPG Media Lab
Kate Cook,
Founder, Era Seven Partners, former A+E Global Media
Steve Kazanjian, Founder & Senior Strategist, The Next Next Group
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
Training the “Stanley Kubrick - Charlie Kaufman” Level AI: Fact or Fantasy & the Question of Ethics
What would happen if an AI were trained with the entire oeuvre, the life work of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder and John Ford? That would be like sharing the “Keys to the Hollywood Kingdom,” the finest in cinematography, screenwriting, humor, drama and editing as well. And even with that “Assemblage of Greatness,” attached to an AI of tomorrow, meaning an AI with a near-Einstein level mind, would that “Advanced Machine” be able to create, even with professional “Human Assistance” a truly great achievement in Cinema? This question is not an idle bit of humor or fantasy. In a world racing toward “Advanced General Intelligence,” it is a question that we might have to one day address.
Speakers:
Dr. Megan Ma, Executive Director, Stanford Legal Innovation, Frontier Technology Lab (liftlab), Associate Director, CodeX, Stanford Law School, Moderator
Brett Leonard, Legendary Director, "Lawnmower Man" “Virtuosity,” Co-Founder/CCO, UBIQUITY VX
Mark Goffman Writer/Producer, Netflix Series, The Umbrella Academy, Bull, Limitless, The West Wing
Ed Zobrist, Adjunct Professor, USC Cinematic Arts. Former, Head of Publishing, Epic Games
Additional Speaker to be Announced
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
9:00 PM - 9:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Hollywood Storytelling Reimagined: Immersive Visionaries + Immersive Worlds
Speakers:
Margaret Stohl, #1 New York Times bestselling Author, Beautiful Creatures Series & CEO/co‑founder, Stone Kite, Moderator
David Stohl, Head of Studios, Activision Blizzard
Stephen Wacker, Former Marvel Comics Editor (Spider-Man; Daredevil; Captain Marvel) and Animation, TV & Digital Content Producer (Wastelanders; Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy).
Jay Roach, Emmy Award Winning Director and Film Producer: Austin Powers Series, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers
Lev Grossman,
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author, The Bright Sword, The Silver Arrow
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
The Deepfake Dilemma: Protecting & Preserving Image, Voice & Likeness – The Taylor Swift Law & Scarlett Johansson Lawsuits
“Deep Fakes” are not only a theft of property rights and a concern of Musicians and Hollywood personalities, bad-actors are scheming new, inventive and technologically bizarre ways to invade our privacy, our computer data and ultimately our electronic wallets. This is not a false alarm. While a “Taylor Swift Law” is needed to protect the personage of a pop star or the “Voice & Audio Likeness of Scarlett Johansson, it may be even more important to secure the personal electronic rights of everyday citizens. Recently in Hong Kong, a “Deep Fake” scheme successfully defrauded an investment company of $25 Million in a fraudulent Zoom call with visual impersonators representing colleagues. That Zoom call might have been you and a “Deep Faked” family member.
Speakers:
Jenni Katzman, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Microsoft
Lisa Oratz, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie
Remington Scott, Founder, CEO and Chief Architect, Hyperreal® Inc., VFX, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA
Audrey Schomer, Media Analyst & Research Editor, VARIETY INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM, Moderator
The Evening Keynote Roundtables
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
8:00 PM - 8:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Session I:
Investing in AI, Compute, Energy & Software: The Economy of the Future
Let’s first familiarize ourselves with the notion of “Compute” as a descriptor of the baseline of our future economy. “Compute” represents the fundamental infrastructure that underpins the AI-driven world, encompassing the complex interplay of hardware, software, and energy. So that a city, region, country or group of countries strategically develop their economies around the notion of “Compute,” that strategy will indicate the readiness of that “Entity” to provide services to it populations and in effect, compete within this vision of the modern world. We are entering a “Re-Defined World” of Davos, the EU and East vs. West. As we navigate this new landscape, investors, policymakers, and business leaders must prioritize strategic investments in “Compute” infrastructure, AI research, and workforce development to remain competitive and unlock the vast potential of the “Compute-driven” global economy."
Speakers:
Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), Moderator
Michael Pachter, Managing Director, Equity Research, WEDBUSH SECURITIES
Evan Osheroff, Managing Director, Jefferies
Jiwei Sun, Executive Director, Perella Weinberg
Catherine Warren, founder & President, FanTrust
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
“Is AI Music the Piracy Machine? As Brian May has Stated, “It’s Gonna Get Very Weird Very Quick”
“AI Music & Creativity” is breaking the sound barrier—no question about it. With AI tools, a universe of synthesizers, and unprecedented speed, musicians and composers can “create”—if that’s the word—musical complexity, from film scores to pop riffs, love songs to country ballads, in mere moments. The results? Lightning-fast production, often with stunning outcomes. But beneath this sonic revolution lies a dilemma: where does inspiration end and imitation begin? In this roundtable we will dive into the clash between AI’s expansive potential and the rights of human artists. Can machines truly create, or are they remixing the soul of music itself? Join us to explore the ethical tightrope of innovation versus ownership, as industry experts, musicians, and technologists debate the future of artistry in an AI-driven world. Creativity’s new frontier awaits—but at what cost?
Speakers:
David Hughes,
Strategic Music Industry Consultant, former CTO, RIAA, VP Strategy, Sony Music, Moderator
BT, Producer, Composer, Technologist, Soundlab.AI
Chris Horton, SVP Strategic Technology, Universal Music Group’s (UMG)
Dani Deahl, Head of Communications & Creator Insights, BandLab Technologies
Dr. Martin Clancy, Musician, Academic & founding Chair, IEEE Global AI ethics Arts Committee, David Hughes, Strategic Music Industry Consultant, former CTO, RIAA, VP Strategy, Sony Music,
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
9:00 PM - 9:50 PM: Eastern Time Zone
Session I:
AI & Human Intelligence – Conversational AI - The Human-Machine Relationship
What role will an AI play in our lives. It will help in our daily lives, as an advisor, a researcher, a mind to help stimulate our create process and even as a companion to share feelings and emotion. It might manifest as text, or as a visual on a screen, as “Her” on a smartphone or as a “Humanoid Robot,” but will it make the leap to full “Human Like” emotion, intuition, judgement and the full spectrum of human experience. It is not too early to ask these questions. What about the question of human need, affection and even love? A child expresses those feels from their earliest cognitive moments. Dogs and cats do as well. Accordingly, a “Highly Trained AI” will do all that and have an advanced mental capability too boot. No question, today’s ChatGPT can read and write and in this session, we’ll explore what else is on the horizon.
Speakers:
Cathy Hackl, CEO, Spatial Dynamics
Roch Nakajima, President, RKG Creative
Matthias Wittmann, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain (CGI, Benjamin Button)
Natalie Comins, Independent Creative Leader, Brand Experience & Design Innovation
John Canning, Director Developer Relations - Creators, AMD, Moderator
Complete Session & Speaker Information - Click Here
Session II:
Blockchain, Crypto & the Next Hollywood Economy: A “MetaVision” of Platforms , Studios & Networks
While Hollywood will always be the innovation engine, creating feature films, games, immersive content and now, leading the way in AI produced technology and content, next level “Hollywood Economy Strategies” will lead the way in the development and deployment of blockchain and Web3 applications. With a faster and fully integrated “Cloud-Based Economy,” “Multiplatform Apps” will not only secure the monetization of content globally, the Hollywood and advertising communities will lead the way in creating new direct to consumer trust relationships and innovative content and product categories. A few years ago, the “Metaverse” came into common usage, now we might be entering its successor, to be called, “The MetaVision.”
Speakers:
Seth Shapiro,Managing Partner, Digital Asset Advisors
Mark Jeffrey, Partner [stealth] Bittensor $TAO Hedge Fund
Jordan Bayne, founder, The Squad
Marc Scarpa, Co-Founder, DeFiance Media
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