Behind the Short: GenAI Filmmaking and Collaborating With Your Team | Presented by Adobe

Taryn O’Neill is a writer, filmmaker and futurist whose work focuses on using storytelling and emerging technologies to invoke ‘Protopias’ (aka better futures). Her career spans early web series producing, acting, writing, and directing, with experience across traditional film, new media, and STEM-driven storytelling.

Her directing and writing credits include the fantasy feature films Wicked and Torn (based on the bestselling books by Jennifer L. Armentrout), the Sci-Fi short LIVE (released by Gunpowder & Sky), and the climate-fiction short The Assignment, created in collaboration with ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination. She has written for Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, BlackBox TV and has had semi-finalist and finalist scripts with the Sloan / Sundance Institute, Film Independent, Climate Spring and the New York TV Fest. She recently sold a Sci-Fi animated feature rooted in climate themes.

Taryn is the co-founder of Scirens, a collective advancing STEM and climate storytelling in entertainment. Her work with Scirens has led to panels at San Diego Comic-Con, with the Geena Davis Institute, collaborations with the XPRIZE Foundation and ASU, and appearances on Bill Nye Saves the World and StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

She publishes the weekly industry newsletter Future Film Fridays, tracking the intersection of emerging technology and entertainment. She’s also written Protopia: A New Horizon for Screenwriters for Script Magazine and A Futurist’s Handbook for Hollywood, all centered on how positive Protopian narratives can help society navigate change and uncertainty while envisioning more hopeful futures. 

Joanna Popper is a media and technology executive and award-winning executive producer focused on AI, storytelling, and innovation. She served as Chief Metaverse Officer at CAA, leading initiatives in AI, spatial computing, and web3, and previously held roles leading XR Go-to-Market at HP, EVP Media & Marketing at Singularity University and VP Marketing at NBCUniversal. She cofounded Satire AI, which has produced over 30 AI-powered short films and earned 20 awards. Her work includes AI shorts Enter the BBL Drizzyverse: The Yams of Life, Project 2029, D.I.C.E., and immersive experiences Finding Pandora X and Breonna’s Garden. 

She has held Board, advisory board, or consulting roles with Metaphysic AI, Unity Software, AGBO, the Producers Guild of America, and the Television Academy. Joanna is recognized in the XR Hall of Fame, 50 Women to Watch for Boards, and Top Women in Media.   

Social: @JoannaPopper

Drigan Lee is an AI Artist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker. His current projects include serving as a creative technologist on an AI collaboration between Ron Howard and Obsidian Studios, editing episodes of Rick Rubin's TETRAGRAMMATON podcast, and co-writing a vérité documentary about an Alaskan strip club (Prod. Chloe Zhao and Alex Gibney). His lead editing work includes CALLBACK (Sundance '26), THE MONEY GAME (Emmy-nominated, Amazon), BAMARUSH (HBO). His additional editing work includes DAUGHTERS (Sundance '24, Netflix), CUSP (Sundance '20, Showtime). 

As a commercial director and creative director he's worked extensively for Condé Nast Entertainment, Warner Brothers, and Vox Media. In a past life, he directed a stage adaptation of Kafka's THE TRIAL at Cherry Lane Theatre, and acted in films, network television shows, and regional theater productions. He graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Theatre Studies.

Maddie Hong is a creative technologist and filmmaker specializing in using emerging technologies to achieve human creativity. Her career has spanned from technical AI artist work for companies such as Secret Level, to editing movie trailers, to technology teams at major studios such as Netflix. Her innovative AI filmmaking has been published in Forbes and Wired and has earned several accolades, including Finalist in Runway's Gen48 competition, Second Place in the Culver Cup sponsored by FBRC.AI and AWS, and official merit selection in Runway's 3rd Annual AI Film Festival.

Maddie is also an educator and frequent public speaker, and has given presentations on AI filmmaking to Curious Refuge, the American Society of Cinematographers, and LA Tech Week. She believes in using technology to empower previously unheard voices. Maddie is a member of creator partner programs for Runway, Luma Labs, and Pika Labs and actively contributes industry research and programming for SMPTE, the Hollywood Professional Association, and the USC Entertainment Technology Center.

Website: maddiehong.com

Social: @hmdehong

Gina Garcia is a Product Marketing Manager on Firefly GenAI, Adobe’s generative AI platform for creators. She works closely with filmmakers, artists, creative professionals, and creators to support creative workflows, helping them understand and experiment with emerging tools in service of their creative practice. At Adobe, she partners with creators and cultural institutions to explore how generative AI can be integrated thoughtfully and responsibly into storytelling.

Before joining Adobe, Gina held creator-focused roles at Instagram, TikTok, and Meta, where she led creator and artist programs supporting creative professionals and helping extend their work across social and digital platforms. Her work focused on building programs that supported creator engagement, sustainable creative practices, and the translation of artistic work across platforms.

Gina holds a BFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design, grounding her work in a deep understanding of visual storytelling and creative practice.