Exploring AI with It Writes Itself: The AI Variety Show & Creativity Workshop
About this Live Online Event
What happens when filmmakers, writers, and creators get playful with AI? In this interactive online event, Sundance Collab partners with It Writes Itself - the hit AI variety show and creative workshop that has sold out stages in NYC, LA, Mexico City, and SXSW - for a hands-on session designed to demystify generative AI through creativity, humor, and experimentation.
Whether you're AI-curious or AI-cautious, this event offers a low-pressure, high-energy space to explore what these services do, and to decide for yourself how (or whether) they fit into your daily life or creative practice. Through a series of fun, surprising experiments, you'll experience first-hand how generative AI intersects with the creative process. No prior experience with AI is required.
This isn't a lecture or a tech demo. It's an invitation to play, to ask questions, and to see what sparks. Come ready to participate, laugh, and leave with a clearer sense of where you stand on AI as a creative tool or service.
In this session, you will:
- Engage in guided, interactive AI experiments designed for storytellers and creators
- Explore a range of generative AI tools in a fun, accessible, and judgment-free setting
- See real examples of how creators are using AI across writing, visual art, and multimedia
- Walk away with your own perspective on how AI might, or might not, serve your work
Before the event, please take two minutes to fill out this short survey to help customize the workshop and experiments for those tuning in.
If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; however, requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.
A recording of this event will be posted to Sundance Collab's Event Recording Library on the first business day after the live event. All registered attendees will receive an email with a link to view the recording.
Live Online EventPeople
Mike Johnson
By day, Mike is a Grand Effie award-winning creative strategist, specializing in the intersection of advertising, entertainment, and AI. He's led marketing strategy on everything from South Park to Lego, Dune 2 to Oreo, Vans, Tinder, Pepsi, and more. By night, he's a magician and mentalist, as featured in Forbes, on America's Got Talent, and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. So yes, he's the *real* Magic Mike.
Sami Kriegstein Jacobson
Sami is an Executive Creative Director and Producer. A former speech and debate national champion turned "influencer whisperer," she led top-tier Creator talent and development at Fullscreen, became BBDO NY’s first EP of Creative Development and Partnerships and founded Yarn, a brand entertainment consultancy, creating branded films, formats, podcasts, and live events for major platforms. By night, she moonlights as a VO artist for brands like Netflix, Panera, Kroger, Pepsi and more.
Patty West
Moderator | Director, Sundance Collab
Patty West is a producer and educator based in California. She led the Directing Workshop for Women and the Thesis Program at the American Film Institute prior to joining the Sundance Institute. She came to Sundance Collab in December of 2019 and now serves as its Director.
West is a Chicago native and holds a B.S. from Northwestern University, an M.F.A. from the AFI Conservatory and an Executive M.B.A. from Quantic School of Business & Technology. She is a member of the Producer's Council of the Producers Guild of America.