The evening featured a conversation between Meta’s VP of product management Khushboo Taneja and veteran tech journalist Adam Lashinsky.

Industry heavyweights at the dinner included investor Jeff Sagansky, CAA head of strategic development Alexandra Shannon, Fox Corporation CTO Melody Hildebrandt, filmmaker and author Justine Bateman, Status founder and editor-in-chief Oliver Darcy, Propagate Content co-founder and co-CEO Howard Owens, Capital Entertainment CEO Aaron Kaplan, former LA Times executive editor Kevin Merida, Deep Voodoo COO Brian Robillard and film financier and former Relativity head Ryan Kavanaugh.

Meta leadership at the dinner included Public Figure Innovation Partnerships of NorAm lead Max Brabant, strategic partnerships lead Charlton Gholson and Meta’s AI communications lead Amanda Felix.

See photos from the event below.

Veteran tech journalist Adam Lashinsky and Khushboo Taneja, VP, Product Management, Meta

Amanda Felix, Communications, AI, Meta and Khushboo Taneja, VP, Product Management, Meta

Guests mingle at Meta Dinner

Guests at Meta Dinner

Jeff Sagansky, Co-Founder Eagle Equity Partners and Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap

Brian Robillard, COO, Deep Voodoo and Sean King, GM, Media & Entertainment, Veritone

Kevin Merida, Former Executive Editor, Los Angeles Times & Board Member, LA Local News Initiative, Meta Dinner

Aaron Kaplan, Executive Producer/CEO of Kapital Entertainment Melody Hildebrandt, CTO, Fox Corporation and Howard Owens, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Propagate Content

Yves Bergquist, Director, AI & Neuroscience in Media, USC’s Entertainment Technology Center, Meta Dinner

Justine Bateman, Filmmaker, Author & Founder, CREDO23, Howard Owens, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Propagate Content and Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap

Charlton Gholson, Strategic Partnerships, Meta and Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap

Howard Owens, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Propagate Content, introducing himself at the dinner

Justine Bateman, Filmmaker, Author & Founder, CREDO23 speaking at the Meta Dinner

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap and Ryan Kavanaugh, Film Financier, Producer, Co-Owner, Triller

Lynne Segall, Chief Revenue Officer, and Ryan Kavanaugh

Laura Holson, Award-Winning former New York Times journalist, Founder, The Box Sessions speaking at the Meta Dinner

Brian Robillard, COO, Deep Voodoo speaking at the Meta Dinner

Status newsletter founder Oliver Darcy speaks to Sean King and Melody Hildebrandt

Guests including Jeremy Barber, Partner in the Motion Picture Literary and Talent Departments at United Talent Agency, at the Meta Dinner

The post Inside TheWrap’s Inaugural Tech Dinner Sponsored by Meta | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

Speaking at TheWrap’s annual Grill conference on Tuesday at the DGA Theater Complex, the entertainment executive posited that looking to “that convergence of the digital world with the TV world” and nurturing young talent is “one way to make sure that there’s still enough creative risk” in an industry that’s averse to taking any.

“It’s going to be interesting over the next five years to see some of the talents who came up via YouTube, came up via social channels, have their visions for what TV and film can mean to them,” Eilenberg said on TheWrap’s “Shaping the Future of Television” panel, presented by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and moderated by TV editor Jose Alejandro Bastidas. “I think we’re starting to see it already a little bit in real time.”

There’s evidence to support his hypothesis, too: Brian Jordan Alvarez’s “English Teacher” at FX, Benito Skinner’s “Overcompensating” at Amazon’s Prime Video, Rachel Sennott’s untitled HBO comedy series all hinged on the success of its creator-stars’ social media fame before they were invited to make more traditional screen work.

Still, it’s no secret that the TV industry is becoming more risk-averse in post-labor strike belt-tightening. It remained the topic at hand for co-panelists Javier Pons Tubio, EVP of Telemundo Studios and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, and Jeff Grossman, EVP of programming at Paramount+.

Success in part relies on balancing risky ventures with surefire bets, Grossman said.

“You have to look at the overall mix of content, and you want to make sure you have diverse offering, especially if you’re addressing a whole household like we are,” he said, before pointing to his streamer’s Australian comedy “Colin From Accounts,” which is currently in its second season, as well as the documentary from the “South Park” creators “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” as riskier bets the he’s taken.

“Content like that we’re consistently trying to elevate in the service and bring to our subscribers, in addition to the more familiar tentpole content. So it is a mix,” Grossman said.

Tubio agreed with Grossman’s assessment. However, he’s also seen a shift in his own international business to more “mainstream” hits.

“Five years, eight years ago, when streaming began, all of those shows were far away from the linear TV, from the mainstream. And right now, two years ago, they are beginning to ask us to make for them longform shows, more solid, like the historic mainstream shows that we have been doing for 27 years,” Tubio said. “So we have to mix and combine.”

But risk isn’t just present in international half-hours like “Colin From Accounts.” Eilenberg also emphasized that there is risk with established IP, pointing to one of Paramount Global’s biggest TV assets, “Survivor.”

“There’s going to be a question of, ‘How many places should this live? How are you using it to get new audience? When do you start cannibalizing an audience?'” Eilenberg shared. “Those are real risk-reward scenarios that any company has to sort through nowadays.”

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

The post TV Production Should Use Social Media Influencers to Take Big Swings, Says Roku Content Chief appeared first on TheWrap.

“AI is not intelligence. It’s mimicking intelligence,” Candis Welch, the Chief Equity Officer for California’s Department of Rehabilitation, said. “It’s mimicking what our society is putting in. So if our society … has ableism and different levels of discrimination, it’s not going to produce something different when you type it into ChatGPT, or whatever you may use.”

“A perfect example of that is if you were to ask AI to provide you a visual of leadership and make it diverse, it’s going to be all Caucasian males, and the diversity is going to be one Caucasian female,” she continued. “That is not the true telling of our society, so it’s lacking in that area.”

Experts on the panel at TheWrap’s annual Grill conference covering AI’s role in disability access and visibility in film and TV, presented by Easterseals Southern California, agreed there are some pretty significant limitations.

Alongside moderator Kristen Lopez, Welch, actress, entrepreneur and disability advocate Lolo Spencer, comedian Adam Conover and filmmaker Ashley Eakin expounded on why AI struggles to reflect a diverse society, and the practical ways it can help.

Eakin, a writer and director, suggested that anyone who works with people who have disabilities should use AI to recommend accommodations.

“I encourage people out there who work with other people with disabilities, you can go to AI and say, ‘Hey, how can I make my set more accessible for this community?'” she said. “It spits you out a whole long list of amazing accommodations, and I think that’s ways that we can be learning.”

“But then also hire the production accessibility coordinator, because people’s needs are different,” she continued.

The panelists largely agreed that AI isn’t capable of recognizing those individual needs, even when prompted.

Spencer, who stars on Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” noted that she’s played around with text-to-image software herself to experiment with what a program might spit out when asked to create a character in a wheelchair, and the results were laughable.

“AI wouldn’t even be able to formulate what that looks like. I mean, I’ve used Midjourney before, because I was testing that out just playing around,” she recalled. “And, you know, you type in ‘wheelchair,’ my God – it was everything but a wheelchair.”

Conover agreed that AI is not actually intelligence, and offered an alternative.

“The amount of attention that is going towards AI versus — if you take one little fraction of the money spent on AI and spend it addressing disability directly, it would be incredibly effective,” he said.

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

The post AI Can Make Sets More Accessible, but the Tech Still Reflects Ableist Bias, Experts Warn appeared first on TheWrap.

“It’s a web of protections,” Bennett said of the union’s ongoing efforts to pass laws on the state, federal and local level to protect performers from unauthorized use of their likenesses. “None of these are the silver bullet that’s going to solve problems that we’re going to have to deal with when it comes to digital replication or synthetic content.”

The new Newsom-backed laws in California require contracts to specify the use of AI-generated digital replicas of a performer’s voice or likeness and prohibit the use of AI replicas of deceased performers without the consent of their estates.

The conversations with legislators and stakeholders in Hollywood and the tech industry surrounding what is covered by the First Amendment have been “exhaustive,” Bennett said in conversation with senior film reporter Jeremy Fuster at TheWrap’s annual conference.

“You’ve got decades and decades of case law dealing with the First Amendment and balancing it with IP rights. And that language was a huge compromise among broadcasters, studios, record labels, First Amendment scholars, artist advocacy groups, and obviously the unions,” said Bennett.

He added, “It is an imperfect compromise to accomplish a goal that I feel is urgent.”

Bennett explained he can accept compromises on other front if SAG-AFTRA’s main goals are met: “I am willing to live with those if I get an intellectual property right and voice likeness that — most importantly — allows you to take stuff down off of platforms,” he said, referring to the NO FAKES Act.

Bennett also discussed the post-strike developments in the fight to ensure that actors are guaranteed consent, compensation and control over use of their voice, likeness and performances in any AI programs used in productions.

Currently, SAG-AFTRA is on a new strike against video game and post-production companies that are signed to the Interactive Media Agreement, including Warner Bros. Games, Disney Character Voices, Activision Blizzard and Formosa Group. While the union came to terms with the companies on nearly all contract issues, the strike was ordered after SAG-AFTRA found the companies’ terms on AI protections to be too limiting in their scope.

SAG-AFTRA says the companies’ proposal would particularly leave motion capture performers vulnerable, as they are only offering performers rights to have consent and compensation over AI replications of their mocap work if it is for characters that share a likeness to the performer. Those characters make only a small fraction of the characters motion performers play for video games.

“What we’re saying to the video game companies is, ‘Step up, do the same thing that all these other industries and companies have done, and respect human creative performance, whether that’s voice or physical performance,” Bennett told TheWrap.

“If you are bringing people in to perform, to animate the characters in your video game, you need those human performances. Don’t then turn around and replicate those and use them across characters and across other video games without consent for each and every time you want to use that person’s performance. That’s as simple as I can put it,” he stated.

He cited the June Toys R Us ad created by OpenAI’s SORA as one of the most puzzling examples of what AI is currently being used for. “I’ve heard a lot of these AI companies talk, and they like to promise that AI will deliver scientific breakthroughs, medical breakthroughs, solve climate change,” said Bennett. “So why are you spending $100 billion to build a machine to make a Toys R Us ad? I don’t understand. I’m hopeful that consumers may agree with me that they don’t want to see all their content be synthetic.”

In 2025, Congress is expected to push forward on further AI regulations that SAG-AFTRA and other entertainment labor unions are lobbying for, including the NO FAKES Act, which has been introduced to both the House and Senate and enjoys bipartisan support.

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

Watch the full panel below:

The post New AI Protections Laws Aren’t a ‘Silver Bullet’ Against Rapidly Changing Tech, Says Top SAG-AFTRA Lawyer appeared first on TheWrap.

For more than a decade, TheWrap’s Grill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

See who turned out to share knowledge, make connections and build their careers at TheWrap’s 2024 Grill conference, held at the DGA Theater Complex in Hollywood, in the gallery below.

TheWrap’s founder and CEO Sharon Waxman opens TheGrill with remarks on how AI is changing the entertainment landscape.

Veteran executive Jeff Sagansky kicks off the State of the Industry panel by rebuking Hollywood studios for decisions that led to a “cataclysm.”

Owner of the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Dodgers Peter Guber looks on as Jeff Sagansky kicks off the State of the Industry panel.

Former Sony Pictures CEO Peter Guber gets candid on the first panel of TheGrill on the state of the industry, saying he is optimistic.

Sharon Waxman, Peter Guber and Jeff Sagansky chat about the past, present and future of Hollywood. Sagansky revealed that Eagle Equity Partners will be purchasing the Dolby Theatre.

Jeff Sagansky greets producer Brian Grazer.

TheWrap tech and business reporter Sean Burch talks with Gladstone AI CTO Edouard Harris about the booming technology’s ethical implications.

Edouard Harris and filmmaker, author and CREDO23 founder Justine Bateman talk about the ethics of AI.

Actress and AI regulation activist Justine Bateman on the “Balancing Innovation & Ethics: AI in Entertainment” panel.

Startup founder Edouard Harris on the “Balancing Innovation & Ethics: AI in Entertainment” panel.

The excitement inside the DGA theater as TheGrill get underway.

TheWrap business editor Alexei Barrionuevo, former executive editor of Fortune magazine Adam Lashinsky and founder of the Box sessions Laura Holson at TheGrill 2024.

Attendees gather in the DGA lobby in between panels at TheGrill 2024.

Chief Technology Officer for Fox Corporation Melody Hildebrandt and AI researcher Yves Bergquist speak on AI’s effects on the studio system at TheGrill 2024.

CTO for Fox Corporation Melody Hildebrandt emphasizes the importance of Hollywood studios taking an active role in the AI revolution at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap founder Sharon Waxman, Fox CTO Melody Hildebrandt and CEO of AI Startup Corto Yves Bergquist at TheGrill 2024.

Sharon Waxman, Melody Hildebrandt and Yves Bergquist pose for a picture after their panel on AI and the studio system at TheGrill 2024.

A Touch More production company co-founders Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird at TheGrill 2024.

Soccer legend and activist Megan Rapinoe makes her fellow panelists Charles Frazier, decorated Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin and WNBA champion Sue Bird laugh at TheWrap’s “Second Half Champions: Women Redefining Success in Sports and Business” panel, presented by City National Bank.

Olympian and entrepreneur Nastia Liukin and New York Times’ best-selling author Megan Rapinoe smile as Sue Bird gets candid about the realities of being a female athlete, even after increased viewership, at TheGrill 2024.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist for gymnastics Nastia Liukin speaks about how winning gold was not when she felt most supported at TheGrill 2024.

WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird speaks candidly about redefining the way women’s sports are viewed at TheGrill 2024.

SVP for City National Bank Charles Frazier, soccer legend Megan Rapinoe, five-time Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin and WNBA champion Sue Bird pose for a picture after their panel on women redefining success in sports at TheGrill 2024.

The DGA Theater Complex lobby decorated for TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap’s executive director of entertainment sales Carolyn Bernstein at TheGrill 2024.

Writer-director and panelist Ashley Eakin speaks with attendees of TheGrill 2024.

Attendees gather at the networking lunch at TheGrill 2024.

Attendees mingle and network in the DGA lobby at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman, former executive editor of Fortune magazine Adam Lashinsky, founder of the Status newsletter Oliver Darcy, founder of the Box Sessions Laura Holson get “Uncensored” at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman engages former executive editor of Fortune magazine Adam Lashinsky, founder of the Status newsletter Oliver Darcy, founder of the Box Sessions Laura Holson on the “Uncensored” panel at TheGrill 2024.

Former executive editor of Fortune magazine Adam Lashinsky at TheGrill 2024.

Former executive editor of Fortune magazine Adam Lashinsky and founder of Status Oliver Darcy talk about departing their legacy media jobs at TheGrill 2024.

Laura Holson speaks about how legacy media is adapting as the journalism landscape changes at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap CEO and founder Sharon Waxman speaks about the current state of the journalism industry at TheGrill 2024.

Attendees gather for a coffee break at the DGA at TheGrill 2024.

Attendees pose in front of the step and repeat at TheGrill 2024.

Jeremy Fuster, TheWrap’s Hollywood, labor and box office reporter interviews SAG-AFTRA general counsel Jeffrey Bennett on the dangers that AI faces for actors at TheGrill 2024.

SAG-AFTRA general counsel Jeffrey Bennett speaks about the fears, specifically of voice actors, that the AI inspires at TheGrill 2024.

Jeremy Fuster, Hollywood, labor and box office reporter for TheWrap, at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman takes a picture of panelists and powerhouse producers Lucy Fisher, Sue Naegle and Mary Parent with moderator Laura Holson at TheGrill 2024.

Dani Cristea, SVP of sales at Wrapbook Payroll, introduces the “Powerhouse Producers” panel at TheGrill 2024.

Founder of the Box Sessions Laura Holson moderates the panel featuring powerhouse producers Lucy Fisher, Mary Parent and Sue Naegle at TheGrill 2024.

Founder of the Box Sessions Laura Holson at TheGrill 2024.

Chairman of Worldwide Productions and producer of “Dune” Mary Parent speaks about the cutthroat producing field at TheGrill 2024.

Producer of “Gladiator II” Lucy Fisher bemoans that the industry has gotten worse for new female producers at TheGrill 2024.

Producer of “Nightbitch” Sue Naegle talks about independent filmmaking as a pathway for young producers at TheGrill 2024.

Attendees in the audience of the DGA at TheGrill 2024.

Author and journalist Kristen Lopez moderates a panel on the issues of accessibility and AI with actress Lolo Spencer, writer-director Ashley Eakin, comedian Adam Conover and DEI practitioner Candis Welch at TheGrill 2024.

Author and film journalist Kristen Lopez moderates a panel on accessibility and AI at TheGrill 2024.

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” actress Lolo Spencer and writer-director Ashley Eakin speak about the lack of AI representation for people with disabilities at TheGrill 2024.

Comedian Adam Conover says that at some point in their lives, everyone will be disabled, so now is the time to support at TheGrill 2024.

Writer-director Ashley Eakin speaks about representation and being seen as a disabled person at TheGrill 2024.

DEI practitioner Candis Welch encourages the audience to support accessibility now at TheGrill 2024.

comedian Adam Conover, writer-director Ashley Eakin, actress Lolo Spencer, author and journalist Kristen Lopez and DEI practitioner Candis Welch pose for a picture after their panel on the issues of accessibility and AI at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap business editor Alexei Barrionuevo, GM of Media and Entertainment at Veritone Sean King, partner at Greenberg Glusker Matt Galsor, COO of Deep Voodoo Brian Robillard and Strategic Development lead at CAA Alexandra Shannon speak about protecting creative rights in the age of AI at TheGrill 2024.

Business editor for TheWrap Alexei Barrionuevo moderates a panel about protecting creative rights in the age of AI at TheGrill 2024.

Strategic Development lead at Creative Artists Agency Alexandra Shannon speaks about CAA’s new technology to protect their clients from AI at TheGrill 2024.

COO of Deep Voodoo Brian Robillard speaks about protecting creative rights in the age of AI TheGrill 2024.

Partner at Greenberg Glusker Matt Galsor speaks about the legal implications of AI at TheGrill 2024.

GM of Media and Entertainment at Veritone Sean King speaks about embracing AI in the creative space at TheGrill 2024.

Executive awards editor at TheWrap Steve Pond interviews Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rachel Morrison at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap editor Steve Pond asks Rachel Morrison about her first foray into directing with “The Fire Inside” at TheGrill 2024.

Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison talks about making the switch to directing at TheGrill 2024.

Executive Editor of awards at TheWrap Steve Pond asks Rachel Morrison about breaking through in a male-dominated field TheGrill 2024.

Rachel Morrison speaks about transitioning into different facets of the film industry at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap’s TV editor Jose Alejandro Bastidas, head of content at Roku David Eilenberg, EVP of Telemundo Studios Javier Pons Tubio and EVP of programming for Paramount+ Jeff Grossman speak about the future of TV at TheGrill2024.

EVP of programming for Paramount+ Jeff Grossman speaks about the convergence of linear and streaming TV programming at TheGrill 2024.

Head of content for Roku David Eilenberg talks about making TV the center of the home again at TheGrill 2024.

EVP of Telemundo Studios and NBCU Telemundo Enterprises Javier Pons Tubio talks about the opportunity to reach millions through his Olympics partnership on the Spanish-language program at TheGrill2024.

Founder of Status Oliver Darcy and former Los Angeles Times executive editor Kevin Merida talk about the state of journalism in Los Angeles and nationwide at TheGrill 2024.

Oliver Darcy asks former Los Angeles Times executive editor Kevin Merida why he left the company at TheGrill 2024.

Author Oliver Darcy asks Kevin Merida if he thinks billionaires should be leaders in media at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap’s Loree Seitz, Jacob Bryant and Norma Torrey at the cocktail hour at TheGrill 2024.

TheWrap’s Carolyn Bernstein and Michael Kosasky pose for a picture at the conclusion of TheGrill 2024.

Attendees laugh at TheGrill 2024.

TheGrill 2024 ends with a networking cocktail hour.

The post TheGrill 2024 Talks AI, Hollywood Trends With World Class Panelists Taking Centerstage | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

Speaking at TheWrap’s Grill conference on Tuesday, CAA head of Strategic Development Alexandra Shannon broke down how she spearheaded the creation of the CAAvault, which was set up in September 2023 and uses technology from AI company Veritone to capture and store digital likenesses and voices.

“[The Vault] focused on enabling our artists, our talent, to capture their digital likeness and their voice and be able to own that so our clients, who have gone through the vault, own their authorized, authenticated version of themselves,” Shannon explained. “They’re in control of it. We’ve created permissions around who can use it and how.”

Shannon was joined onstage by Matt Galsor, a partner at law firm Greenberg Glusker; Brian Robillard, the COO of AI company Deep Voodoo; and Sean King, the general manger of Media & Entertainment at Veritone, a publicly traded AI company based in Irvine.

Veritone sponsored the panel, titled “Protecting Creative Rights + Opportunities in the Age of AI,” which was moderated by TheWrap’s Business Editor Alexei Barrionuevo. Together, they discussed how to best leverage AI to help creators, rather than put them out of a job.

“There’s a hesitation and resilient kind of allergy to the technology itself, because it has that potential [to reshape the industry],” Galsor, who represents A-list directors James Cameron and David Fincher, told TheGrill crowd in Los Angeles.

Robillard, whose AI startup was co-founded by “South Park“ creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, said the tech isn’t something the entertainment industry should fear. Instead, it’s “a tool for humans” to make content better, faster and cheaper.

“We have one customer who’s making a couple movies right now,” Robillard said. “And normally, that actor would have to sit in a prosthetics chair for six hours a day, on a three-month production shoot and the whole crew would have to be sitting there. Now, with our technology, they just walk onto set as they are with just the wardrobe, and in real-time it puts the hair and prosthetics over them. They see it in the live feed. It goes into the dailies and then, ultimately, into the production.”

Echoing those comments, King insisted the creative opinions of Hollywood’s actors, directors and producers are paramount.

“Fundamentally, we are an AI company, which is a controversial topic, especially in the industries that my team represents,” he said. “But let me be clear: from our perspective, AI is a tool, but it’s never going to be the tool.”

King added, “What we really do is focus on trying to find and make the most out of the audio and video that you create.”

Meanwhile, Shannon said that CAA has been busy contemplating the industry-shifting potential of AI — forcing the agency to weigh the pros and cons for its clients.

“We had to figure out, what does it mean for our clients? How do we, on the one hand, protect them from any sort of misuse when the laws [to safeguard artists] aren’t there anytime soon,” she said. “But on the other hand, there’s undeniable opportunity with these tools and technologies.”

Shannon stressed the need to pursue “ethical AI” to protect creatives.

“Having a set of partners that are aligned in the ethics behind it, behind the principles of consent, credit and compensation, is critical,” she said.

However, not everyone is as bullish that AI is helping the entertainment industry.

Earlier in the day, during another AI panel, focused on its growing influence in Hollywood, actor and filmmaker Justine Bateman warned that AI “will burn down the business.”

How do we protect [our clients] from any sort of misuse when the laws aren’t there anytime soon?
— Alexandra Shannon, CAA Head of Strategic Development

“If you start taking out chunks of duties, maybe the whole marketing department, maybe a camera, maybe all the actors or half the actors, or the crew doesn’t get their days to qualify for insurance because you’re only using them for three weeks instead of 12,” Bateman said, “whatever it is, the structure will collapse.”

In support of her skeptical AI stance, Bateman founded Credo23, the 2025 film festival that won’t allow movies that use AI to be submitted.

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

The post How Companies Like CAA, Deep Voodoo Are Protecting Artists From AI Abuse — With a Vault appeared first on TheWrap.

For more than a decade, TheWrap’s Grill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

Peruse our gallery below of portraits for speakers from the event, hosted this year at the DGA Theater Complex in Hollywood, including sports legend Megan Rapinoe, journalism and media leaders Oliver Darcy and Kevin Merida, and veteran entertainment investor Jeff Sagansky.

Eagle Equity Partners co-founder Jeff Sagansky, TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman and Peter Guber, Mandalay Entertainment CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers owner and Golden State Warriors owner

Sharon Waxman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheWrap

Jeff Sagansky, co-founder of Eagle Equity Partners

Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and owner and co-owner of Los Angeles Dodgers and Golden State Warriors, respectively

Megan Rapinoe, FIFA star and London Olympics gold medalist, New York Times’ best-selling author and co-founder of A Touch More

Sue Bird, WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist and co-founder of A Touch More and Togethxr

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, star athletes and co-founders of A Touch More

Nastia Liukin, five-time Olympic medalist and entrepreneur

Mary Parent, chairman of Worldwide Production, Legendary Entertainment and producer of “Dune: Part 2”

Sue Naegle, producer of “Nightbitch”

Lucy Fisher, producer of “Gladiator II”

Oliver Darcy, founder of Status

Justine Bateman, filmmaker, author and founder CREDO23

Edouard Harris, CTO of Gladstone AI

Kevin Merida, former executive editor of Los Angeles Times and board member of LA Local News Initiative

Adam Conover, comedian

Yves Bergquist, director of AI & Neuroscience in Media at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center

Melody Hildebrandt, CTO of Fox Corporation

Charles Frazier, SVP/team leader of City National Bank

Laura Holson, award-winning journalist and founder of The Box

Adam Lashinsky, author, journalist and former executive editor of Fortune

Jeffrey Bennett, general counsel for SAG-AFTRA

Kristen Lopez, author and film journalist

Lolo Spencer, actress, entrepreneur and disability advocate

Candis Welch, Chief Equity Officer of California’s Department of Rehabilitation

Ashley Eakin, writer and director

Sean King, GM of Media & Entertainment for Veritone

Matt Galsor, partner at Greenberg Glusker

Brian Robillard, COO of Deep Voodoo

Alexandra Shannon, head of strategic development at CAA

Rachel Morrison, Oscar-nominated filmmaker

Jeff Grossman, head of programming at Paramount+

David Eilenberg, head of content at Roku Media

Javier Pons Tubio, EVP of Telemundo Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises

The post TheGrill 2024 Portrait Gallery: Megan Rapinoe, Jeff Sagansky, Mary Parent and More Industry Leaders appeared first on TheWrap.

“It’s harder to get in. The paths that used to exist don’t. I think that’s really impacted everything,” Parent said at TheWrap’s annual Grill conference on Tuesday, observing that the field has been dominated historically by men, especially on “big films.”

“Those were the films I wanted to make,” Parent said.

The lack of progress for female producers in the business was raised by former New York Times journalist Laura Holson who moderated the panel which included Lucy Fisher, the producer of “Gladiator II” opens next month, and veteran executive and producer Sue Naegle, who produced this awards season contender “Nightbitch.” Holson cited data reflecting that between 1998 and 2023, the number of female producers had only increased by 2%.

“I can’t answer it. I don’t understand why those numbers don’t go up,” said Fisher, expressing frustration. “There’s an unrecognized bias and every woman in every field has to say, ‘I have to do it better than everybody else to get my spot.'”

Fisher recalled that she was the president of the Producers Guild for four years, and that at the time it was “almost 50/50.”

Parent, who is also the chairwoman of worldwide production for Legendary said that there was only one time in her career where the producer, the line producer and the unit production manager were all women. It was in 2012 on Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” for Legendary.

On “Nightbitch,” producer Naegle noted that women produced the movie including Amy Adams, the movie’s star – and they also had a female writer/director in Marielle Heller (who also made “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”). Naegle said that mentorship is the key. “Mentorship is everything. It is the #1 thing that we can do to move those numbers is mentor young women,” Naegle stressed.

Another hurdle to women producing in the industry is the fact that so many productions are decamping for foreign locations, which is incredibly challenging for female producers who are also mothers, Fisher observed.

Fisher remembered a time when two or three movies would be made on the lot – she’d have her kids come to the studio and they’d walk around and peek in on the productions. “That doesn’t happen anymore,” Fisher said. “One thing about choosing life as a producer as a woman, it’s a big problem. They should have more jobs in California.”

This last comment got a rise out of Parent who shot back: “Good luck with that.”

The panel Powerhouse Producers was sponsored by Wrapbook Payroll.

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

Watch the full panel below:

The post ‘Dune’ Producer Mary Parent Says the Industry Has Gotten Worse for Female Producers: ‘It’s Harder to Get In’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Going toe-to-toe with Gladstone AI CTO Edouard Harris at TheWrap’s annual Grill conference held this year at the DGA Theater Complex, the “Violet” director and CREDO 23 film festival founder said that using AI in film and TV will result in a loss of jobs — sometimes whole departments — and that when it comes to industry professionals’ livelihoods, “the structure will collapse.”

“All these conversations and all these investment decisions are completely neglecting a gargantuan wildcard – human beings and their decisions,” Bateman said. “For the business in particular? Is it going to burn down the business?”

She continued, “If you start taking out chunks of duties, maybe the whole marketing department, maybe a camera, maybe all the actors or half the actors, or the crew doesn’t get their days to qualify for insurance because you’re only using them for three weeks instead of 12. Whatever it is, the structure will collapse.”

For Harris’ part, leaning more and more on AI comes down to risk capital and risk mitigation. Founded in 2022, Gladstone is working to educate and advise the U.S. government on AI opportunities and risks.

“One of our concerns absolutely is what are the risks that come when you have an AI system that can broadly have superhuman capabilities,” he added. “Will we get there? Can’t be sure, but certainly when it comes to risk mitigation we need to consider that possibility seriously.”

TheWrap business reporter Sean Burch asked if Hollywood can expect a two-pronged system going forward — one where studios like Sony and filmmakers like James Cameron are leaning into AI while others are fighting against it. Bateman said that’s happening in other industries and to expect it to happen in Hollywood as well.

“It’s like we’re all on a railroad track and now the railroad track is split in two,” she said.

On one path, the people who are embracing AI and want to “crush the structure” are doing so “not to make films better, but to right profit margins,” she said. Down the other path are those who want to “continue pushing the art of filmmaking.” Despite the divergence, she believes the two paths will reconvene into something new.

“The art of filmmaking is going to continue and I think we’ll see after this inferno a new genre in the arts,” Bateman said. “We haven’t seen a new genre in the arts sine the ’90s of any real significance. There’s been some exceptional work of the last 15 years, but for the most part, the focus has just been on generating volume content which is not filmmaking.”

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

Watch the full panel below.

The post Justine Bateman Warns AI Will ‘Burn Down the Business’: ‘The Structure Will Collapse’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Merida’s comment came during a one-on-one interview with Oliver Darcy of Status News at TheWrap’s annual Grill conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Two major job cuts — one in June 2023 that eliminated 74 newsroom positions, and another 115 layoffs in January 2024 — were a driving factor in Merida’s decision, he said. Merida resigned two weeks before the January 2024 layoffs were announced.

“I came there to try to transform the place. It’s very hard. I thought the last round of layoffs — that was not something I thought was going to be beneficial to what we were trying to do to grow. … And there were some disagreements that the owner and I had,” Merida said.

One of those disagreements, TheWrap reported earlier this year, was Soon-Shiong’s interfering in editorial decisions — something that damaged his relationship with his top editor.

On Tuesday, Darcy asked if Soon-Shiong’s newsroom meddling influenced Merida’s decision to leave. Merida didn’t deny or confirm it, but said that wasn’t the norm at his previous roles. (He previously was an editor at The Washington Post and was editor-in-chief of ESPN’s The Undefeated.)

“Anyone who owns a newspaper, who owns a news organization, can do anything they want,” Merida replied. “It’s theirs, they own it. It’s not my experience, in the places I’ve worked, that you have that happen with owners.”

Merida added there were “a lot of factors” that led to his exit, including the Times’ “structure.”

“I’m not normally the kind of person who will leave a place, I’m trying to stay someplace. I’m trying to help the LA Times because I know how important it is to the people of Los Angeles, California, and really, to the nation. It can’t fail,” Merida said. “I did everything I could to stay there. I just thought ultimately, it was best for me to leave.”

Elsewhere during the panel, titled “The Next Chapter of Journalism in Los Angeles,” Darcy asked Merida about CBS’ recent interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates which the news organization said didn’t meet their standards as morning show anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed the author on his opinions on the Israel-Gaza war.

 “I was surprised to see the interview. It was uncommon. It was not like I’ve seen a book author receive,” he said. “The opening question about how [the book] could have been in the backpack of ‘extremists’ — I’ve never heard that as an opening question of an author. … It was a very surprising approach to an interview, to me.”

About TheGrill: For 15 years, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.

TheGrill is powered by the essential source for entertainment insiders, WrapPRO, TheWrap’s premium content subscription platform. This members-only service and community provides deep analysis and access — that can’t be found anywhere else — on the business of entertainment, streaming and media. Click here for more information on WrapPRO.

The post Ex-LA Times Editor Kevin Merida Says He Didn’t Want to Leave, Points to ‘Disagreements’ With Owner appeared first on TheWrap.