Studio-Level Power, Now in Creators' Hands

September 29, 2026 ·  Los Angeles

Stability AI CEO Prem Akkaraju, who previously ran the Oscar-winning visual effects company Weta Digital, will open TheWrap's inaugural AI Creator Day with a look at how AI is putting studio-level creative power in creators' hands. The event is presented in partnership with What's Trending and takes place September 29 in Los Angeles, kicking off TheGrill conference the following day.

The newest speakers are the people making that shift happen. They include the filmmaker leading AI projects for Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records, the showrunner who won YouTube's first Primetime Emmys, the team behind the first-ever AI commercial and the actor-director behind a fully AI-generated music video for Don Diablo. Jesse Wellens, Bernie Su, Nik Kleverov and David Bianchi are joined by visual artist Dorothy Pang, narrative AI filmmaker Simone Ferretti and Maverick Maltin, the creator known as MavGPT. Native Foreign and CapCut also join the program with new sessions, including a live look at Pang's AI filmmaking workflow in CapCut Video Studio.

Who You'll Hear From

Spotlight Conversation

State of the Union: Where AI Takes the Creator Economy Next

Prem Akkaraju, CEO, Stability AI — moderated by Shira Lazar 

Akkaraju kicks off the day by exploring how independent filmmakers, artists and storytellers can now bring ambitious ideas to life without studio-sized budgets. He'll also look at how Hollywood and independent creators are handling this shift and what comes next for content and creativity. He knows both sides. Before Stability AI, whose Stable Diffusion models have been downloaded more than 354 million times, he was CEO of Weta Digital, the company behind "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Planet of the Apes" and "Game of Thrones." There he founded Weta Cloud, which was later sold to Unity Software for $1.625 billion. James Cameron sits on Stability AI's board.

Panel

Beyond the Brief: Creators Get Real About Working With Brands in AI

Maverick Maltin, Don Allen III and Jenny Stojkovic — moderated by Paige Piskin

Maltin started posting in May 2025. A year later, he has more than 3 million followers, a billion views and a newsletter read by 250,000 people. His audience of professionals, small business owners and parents has made him a go-to for more than 100 brands, including OpenAI, Canva and Perplexity. He'll bring that experience to a conversation with Don Allen III of A.R.T. (Asteria Research and Technology) and Jenny Stojkovic of "The AI Download," both announced earlier, with Paige Piskin moderating. They'll talk about what makes brand partnerships work, where brands get it wrong and how creators can use AI without losing their voice or authenticity.

Panel

From AI Tools to Audience Hits: Building What's Next

David Bianchi, Chris M. Williams and Colin Petrie-Norris — moderated by Sharon Waxman

Creator-led companies and AI-native platforms are building new models for entertainment and moving that content from digital platforms to the biggest screens in the home. Bianchi brings a filmmaker's view to a panel that already features pocket.watch founder and CEO Chris M. Williams and Fairground founder and CEO Colin Petrie-Norris. An actor, producer and director with more than 140 film and TV credits, he has produced nine feature films and the Primetime Emmy-nominated series "RZR." He's now working in AI filmmaking: he formed a creative partnership with Higgsfield.ai to produce an original episodic series and recently directed a fully generative-AI music video for Don Diablo. TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman moderates.

Panel

The OGs: YouTube's First Wave Takes On AI

Bernie Su, DeStorm Power, Jesse Wellens and Taryn Southern — moderated by Shira Lazar

Su and Wellens join a lineup of YouTube pioneers that already includes DeStorm Power and Taryn Southern. Su's "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" and "Emma Approved" won YouTube's first two Primetime Emmys, and his live interactive series "Artificial" became Twitch's most decorated original. Now head of creative at Pickford.ai, he showruns "Whispers," an interactive mystery in which audience prompts shape scenes in real time. Wellens built an audience of millions on YouTube and social media over more than 15 years before moving into filmmaking and directing. He now leads AI-driven creative projects for Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records. With What's Trending founder Shira Lazar moderating, the group will get specific about the AI tools they use, what's working, what's overhyped and how they're rebuilding their businesses around it.

Demo

What It Actually Takes to Make an AI Series, presented by Artlist

Darin Stewart and Simone Ferretti

"The Arc," Artlist's first original AI series, just premiered in London. Director Darin Stewart, first announced for this session, will now be joined by the series' executive producer, Simone Ferretti, to walk through how it got made: the tools, the decisions and the moments when the team had to figure things out in real time. Ferretti, co-founder of AFMCreatorStudio.com, is a leading figure in narrative AI filmmaking. He has 1.7 million followers and has made campaigns for Adobe, Google, Mercedes-Benz and Intel.

Demo

From Concept to Cut: An AI Filmmaker’s Workflow, presented by CapCut

Dorothy Pang and Ana Kley

Go inside Dorothy Pang's creative process as she turns an idea into a finished piece using AI, with a live look at her workflow in CapCut Video Studio. Pang is an award-winning visual artist and filmmaker who combines AI with traditionally filmed production. Her work has been recognized by Forbes, SXSW and Leonardo's Top 50 Women AI Filmmakers, and she recently served as a creative lead with 30 Ninjas on an upcoming feature. She's joined by CapCut’s Ana Kley, who brings more than 16 years in the creator economy to her role leading CapCut's U.S. creator strategy.

Demo

The Art (& Business) of Storytelling With AI, presented by Native Foreign

Nik Kleverov, Co-founder & CCO, Native Foreign

Kleverov has been behind many of AI's industry-defining firsts. These include the first-ever AI commercial, the first AI short to earn a U.S. copyright and "Critterz," the world's first AI-animated family feature film. As co-founder and chief creative officer of Emmy-recognized creative agency Native Foreign, he works where Hollywood storytelling, emerging technology and global brands meet. In this session, he'll explore how brands and Hollywood are using AI to transform storytelling, from the creative process and production workflows to the new business models shaping the future of entertainment.