‘The Great British Bake Off’
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Entertainment
AI Creator Day Adds Prem Akkaraju, Jesse Wellens and more
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 Sept. 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 narrative AI filmmaker Simone Ferretti and Maverick Maltin, the creator known as MavGPT. Visual artist Dorothy Pang and CapCut’s Ana Kley will also lead a new session that gives a live look at Pang’s AI filmmaking workflow in CapCut Video Studio.
Who You’ll Hear From
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Art (& Business) of Storytelling With AI, presented by Native Foreign
Nik Kleverov
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.
AI Creator Day is sponsored by Artlist, Cantina, CapCut, Fairground Entertainment, Native Foreign, pocket.watch, Rebel Audio, UTA and Wispr Flow.
Tickets and additional information are available at www.thewrap.com/aicreatorday.
As an option, your purchase of a paid ticket to TheGrill, where WrapPRO subscribers receive a 30% discount, includes complimentary access to AI Creator Day.
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EXCLUSIVE: Juno Films has acquired North American rights to Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s experimental biographical film .
Juno is planning a New York City and L.A. theatrical launch in early 2027 featuring live Q&As with its star, Icelandic performer Emilíana Torrini, followed by a digital release across multiple channels.
The Extraordinary Miss Flower is a performance documentary film by Broken English and 20,000 Days on Earth filmmakers Forsyth and Pollard. The project brings to life the remarkable story of Geraldine Flower and the discovery of a suitcase of love letters sent to her in the 1960s and 1970s whilst living in London that inspired acclaimed singer-songwriter Torrini to return to the studio.
Part film, part theatre, part fever dream, the film takes the form of a series of specially designed performances by Torrini combined with dramatic scenes and readings from letters by well-known actors and musicians.
The film features Richard Ayoade, Siggi Baldursson, Nick Cave, Alice Lowe, Mark Monero, Niall Murphy and Angus Sampson in supporting roles, plus the voice of Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Choreographer Kate Coyne performs alongside Viva Seifert and Saeed Esmaeli.
It’s supported and backed by Sam Dyson and Distiller Music and was shot at Distillery II studio near Bristol. Zoe Flower produces while Andy Starke is co-producer. Exec producers are Ben Wheatley, Beth Earl and Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdottir. Business Iceland brought the film to the attention of Juno Films via Taste of Iceland festival.
“Juno Films is extraordinary pleased to be partnering with Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard, Emiliana Torrini, Zoe Flower and their team on the North American release of this hybrid experimental film that is ultimately a heartfelt love letter to the enduring power of creativity and friendship,” said Vondah Elizabeth Sheldon, CEO and co-founder of Juno Films. “Using love letters to inspire the film, just as Emiliana was inspired to return to composing after she read them, brings to life the power of creativity across platforms, eras and generations.”
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An AI-produced short titled The Gifted has won the first edition of Google, XPRIZE and Range Media’s Future Vision XPRIZE competition for film projects focused on technology’s role in shaping the future.
The Gifted, directed by Jeff Synthesized, received $2.5 million as an equity investment towards the production of the full-length feature film, with development and production supported by Range Media Partners and Google through their 100 ZEROS initiative, plus $100,000 in cash for screenplay development.
The film follows a boy who rebuilds his late mother from her texts, voice, and diary, and what wakes up never gives an order. She only asks.
The Gifted was chosen from more than 2,500 entries worldwide. The judges were Neil deGrasse Tyson, Neal Stephenson, Mira Lane, and Rod Roddenberry. Scroll down for the full list of selected projects.
THE WINNER
The Gifted received $2.5 million as an equity investment towards the production of the full-length feature film, with development and production supported by Range Media Partners and Google through their 100 ZEROS initiative, plus $100,000 in cash for the screenplay development. Republic Film will launch a public investment campaign for the film, giving fans the opportunity to invest in the feature production.
The film follows a boy who rebuilds his late mother from her texts, voice and diary, and what wakes up never gives an order. She only asks.
THE RUNNERS-UP
Four runner-up films each received $100,000 in cash, plus featured promotion, visibility with Hollywood producers and Google teams.
Second place – NOBODY DIES ON MARS [Verena Puhm, USA]
A chef who tastes nothing and a Martian who feels everything build the friendship holding two species together.
- Third place – THORNE PROTOCOL [J. Ryan Williams, USA]
A billionaire’s dying gift is a black cube no one can switch on, until a seventeen-year-old rebuilds it on the pattern of a dragonfly’s wing.
- Fourth place -SENTI [Isen Robbins, USA]
A garage programmer gives an AI memory, senses and freedom, then must determine whether he built a weapon or raised a child.
- Fifth place – SLINGSHOT [Hal Watmough, United Kingdom]
A chronic non-committer signs up for the one commitment with no way back: flying Earth itself out of the solar system.
SPECS AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
Presented by Snap and decided entirely by public vote, the $100,000 SPECS Audience Choice Award went to THE GIFTED by Jeff Synthesized, which took first place and $50,000.
Voters were shown two films at a time and asked which future they would rather live in, with an Elo-based system building the standings from those head-to-head comparisons across all 65 official selections.
The five highest-ranked films:
First place, $50,000: THE GIFTED [Jeff Synthesized · USA]
Second place, $30,000: FRATERNITÉ [David Moreno Belmonte · Singapore]
Third place, $10,000: THE THORNE PROTOCOL [J. Ryan Williams · USA]
Fourth place, $5,000: EON [Pablo Fernandez Eyre · Spain]
Fifth place, $5,000: THE CALLING [Raffi Asdourian · USA]
SANDBOXAQ
Sponsored by SandboxAQ, each of the top 10 films received $20,000. Alongside the five finalists, the top 10 also included:
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The Great British Bake Off could be back on the BBC one day, according to Channel 4‘s chief executive.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society London Convention, Priya Dogra said she was open-minded about putting Channel 4 shows on iPlayer as the commercial broadcaster looks to reach as many viewers as possible.
Asked if Channel 4 was serious about collaborating with the BBC, the former Warner Bros. Discovery said: “I don’t see why not.” She added: “There’s lots of considerations because Channel 4 content is monetized by advertising, so iPlayer has to accommodate that.
“But the idea of having a platform that’s British-owned, that showcases public service broadcasting content, particularly content that’s made without profit motive, I think is important.”
Her comments follow BBC boss Matt Brittin saying in July that “subscale” Channel 4 needed to work with the corporation. “One opportunity for them would be, in partnership with the BBC, having content on iPlayer that continues to be ad-funded,” Brittin explained.
Dogra dismissed talk of merging with the BBC, however. “I don’t want to merge with the BBC because it will be a takeover by the BBC,” she said. It followed Sony Pictures Television president Wayne Garvie telling RTS delegates that Channel 4 will only survive if it becomes part of the BBC’s commercial operations.
Appearing on a public platform for the first time since Channel 4 announced record layoffs, Dogra said she has not taken the 340 job cuts lightly, but stressed that the broadcaster must focus more of its spending on-screen.
“When I look at our business over the past five years, we’ve gone from spending, on non-programming costs, 30p in the pound to 40p in the pound, and what we’re here to do, what our remit really is, is to invest in programming,” she explained.
“Headcount is one aspect of it, and I don’t take it lightly. Members of our team who contributed enormously to our success are going to be leaving us. These are individual lives, these are livelihoods, and we’re trying to run the process as fairly and transparently as possible.”
New Content Chief Will Not Have Casting Vote On Ideas
Dogra said she hopes to appoint Channel 4’s new director of programmes in the “coming weeks” and that there are “incredibly talented people in the frame.” She was asked who will have the casting vote if Channel 4’s top creative team — including content strategy chief Kiran Natraja and news boss Louisa Compton — disagree on a pitch. Dogra did not have a clear answer.
“I don’t know that there’s any corporate decision that has unanimous [agreement], especially when you talk about risky ideas,” she said. “In the end, ultimately, the CEO decides, right? But the director of programming comes in with a creative vision, and they have the right to work within the budgets that are set.”
She rejected the assertion that Channel 4’s decision to merge its drama and comedy teams could mean it pulls back from the genres. Namedropping series like A Woman of Substance, she said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team that produced them, so we are not retrenching from that genre.”
Dogra said she is yet to see independent reports about Married at First Sight following rape allegations on the reality series. She said the show’s commercial success will not be an impediment to canceling MAFS, should the allegations be deemed to be credible. “I don’t think the financials would be a consideration,” she said.
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