Leveraging Generative AI
to Assist Your Career as A Creative
Alan Lasky, Ben Hansford, and Ellenor Argyropoulos have each had to pivot multiple times in their careers, and are now navigating the current industry turmoil with the help of generative AI. They are using it to develop their own ideas and content in the interest of selling projects to financial backers from both traditional entertainment and newer sources of funding. These three view AI as a set of tools that can be leveraged to bring jobs back to LA that have disappeared mostly due to subsidies and rebates. This panel discussion will explore the opportunities that are arising and how to take advantage of them to pivot or bolster a career in Entertainment.
Alan Lasky is an accomplished business executive, Filmed Entertainment Professional and technology leader experienced in delivering, managing, and selling new technologies within the media/entertainment and virtual reality sectors. Some of the technologies Alan has been instrumental in bringing to markets include LIDAR, high resolution digital acquisition, and 3D camera tracking among others. Alan has deep domain expertise in Film Production, Visual Effects, Cinematography, Postproduction Workflows and Entertainment Technology. Additionally, he possesses a solid background in Venture Capital and Investment for the Media Technology space.
Ben Hansford is an award-winning director born in New Orleans LA, and raised on a steady diet of film, video games, crawfish, and Dungeons & Dragons. Ben's style combines the best of technical wizardry and creative expression with an innovative approach and a couple of laughs. As one of the leading creatives in the A.I. & Machine Learning space (which he now teaches at USC), Ben has a unique ability to bring ambitious scripts to life in cost-effective yet visually stunning ways. His fearlessness with cutting edge technology and camera techniques have led to multi-national campaigns for some of the world’s largest brands including Nike, Old Spice, Bethesda, Call of Duty, Bungie, Activision, EA, X-Box, Microsoft, Mountain Dew, Marvel, & more.
Ellenor Argyropoulos is an award winning Australian director, photographer, AI visual artist, and writer now based in Los Angeles. She attended the Victorian College of Arts in Melbourne, and then was selected as one of only 30 undergraduate filmmakers worldwide to study under the legendary Vilmos Zsigmond (ASC) at the Budapest Cinematography Masterclass. She cofounded Mermaid Toast with producer Aphra Williams. Her agency specializes in film and commercial content, driven by a dynamic female team that embraces innovative story telling through cutting edge technology. She has served as a consultant for ASC’s Motion Imaging Technology Council’s AI Committee and recently participated in a panel discussion alongside industry giants like James Cameron and Rob Legato from ILM. Her commitment to pioneering in film extends to her latest venture: an online course at Mermaid Toast designed to teach filmmakers how to integrate AI tools for creating impactful pitch decks and trailers. She’s currently juggling multiple features and TV series in various stages of production, including the documentary “On The Grid,” produced with Alex Pettyfer’s Dark Dreams Entertainment, which dives into women’s pursuit of seats in Formula 1.