Behind the Shorts: Creative Explorations in GenAI Filmmaking 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. 

Momo Wang is an award-winning animation director and the creator of Tuzki, the first Chinese cartoon character to go global. Her original short film Penglai was Oscar-qualified and produced by Illumination. She is the first animation director inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame. 

A leading voice in the AI and creativity space, Momo has collaborated with major platforms and spoken at top industry events worldwide, including CES and SIGGRAPH ASIA. She is the first animation director inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame, and has served as juror for BAFTA, the Annie Awards, ADC Annual Awards, and the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Patricia Buffa is a Principal Product Marketing Manager for Firefly, Adobe’s AI-powered creative platform. She leads AI thought leadership strategies and programs that center creatives, spanning education, partnerships, events, and content commissions. Most recently, she spearheaded the creation of Adobe’s first generative AI short film festival at the MAX Creativity Conference, celebrating human imagination amplified by technology through the commissioning of generative AI and hybrid films by six visionary filmmakers.

Before joining Adobe, Patricia spent over 15 years working at the intersection of visual arts and technology, with a focus on expanding audience engagement and supporting artistic experimentation. As Director of Digital Strategy at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young + Legion of Honor), she founded and led the Web and Digital Strategy division and delivered transformational initiatives, including the redesign of famsf.org and the de Young’s first in-gallery augmented reality experience. Designed in partnership with Snap Inc., the project allowed visitors to virtually try on pieces from the museum’s high fashion collection. She also launched an award-winning short documentary series and pioneered early experiments with generative AI to augment and customize the visitor experience.

Previously, Patricia led digital initiatives and teams for major international institutions, including Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Patricia is a frequent speaker on the future of creativity, art, and technology, with appearances at SXSW, The Night of Ideas, HUB Montréal, MuseumNext, and other global conferences. Originally from Italy and Brazil, she holds an MS in Economics and Management for the Arts from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.