Sundance Institute's Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation is a space to learn, collaborate, and join the conversation; inviting thoughtful dialogue about the artist-first tools and technologies supporting visual storytelling today.


Experience the SAG-AFTRA-approved, AI-driven interactive thriller Whispers. This social session includes a murder mystery experience, food and refreshments, and insights into the future of generative interactive narrative from Peabody and three-time Primetime Emmy-Award winning creator and showrunner Bernie Su, Pickford AI CEO Stephen Piron, product manager Harrison Sanborn, and actors Stephen A. Chang,  Jennifer Field and Heavenly Reyna.

Featuring: Bernie Su (Creator and Showrunner, Artificial, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries), Stephen Piron (CEO, Pickford AI), Harrison Sanborn (Producer, Product Manager, Pickford AI), Stephen A. Chang (Actor, The Last of Us Part II, Bosch: Legacy), Jennifer Field (Artificial, General Hospital), and Heavenly Reyna (The Greatest Ever, At a Deadly Cost).


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Bernie Su
Bernie is a Peabody and three-time Primetime Emmy award-winning creator, director, and interactive storyteller pushing the boundaries of AI-driven narrative. He created and showrunned WHISPERS, Pickford.ai's groundbreaking interactive mystery series where audiences actively solve crimes alongside AI-powered characters. more...
Stephen Piron
Stephen Piron is a co-founder of Pickford, a technology company that believes AI will make the future of storytelling interactive and immersive, creating a new medium defined by real-time collaboration. Before co-founding Pickford, Stephen co-founded Dessa, an AI company that became widely known for creating a deepfake of Joe Rogan in 2019, one of the first high-profile demonstrations of AI's capabilities, which brought AI into public consciousness. In early 2020 Dessa was later acquired by Jack Dorsey at Block Inc. (formerly Square), the NASDAQ-listed, $50 billion payments & technology company. more...
Harrison Sanborn
Harrison Sanborn is the product lead behind Pickford’s interactive narrative experiences, including the development of FIRST DATE and producer of WHISPERS. As one of Pickford's earliest team members, he has played a central role in shaping the company’s vision, user experience and AI-driven storytelling systems. more...
Stephen A. Chang
Stephen A. Chang is an accomplished actor who brings depth and humanity to groundbreaking entertainment across television and interactive media. He portrayed Jesse, the noble and heroic companion in Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed THE LAST OF US: PART II (2020), one of gaming's most celebrated narrative experiences. more...
Heavenly Reyna
Heavenly Reyna is a multi-lingual singer, songwriter, and actress. Having grown up traveling around the world before settling in LA, she has lived many lives. She has carved out a path streaming music full time on Twitch whilst pursuing acting, finding her two worlds colliding more often than not, recently having had a film release where she plays a singer/songwriter, called The Greatest Ever, and previously playing “Blake” in Film At A Deadly Cost, which features 5 of her original songs. more...
Jennifer Field
A California native born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer is a former Miss Asian America and current soccer mom of a tween. Notable roles she's played include the notorious Assistant D.A. Jennifer Arden on General Hospital (ABC), and the maniacal Dr. Ruby on Primetime Emmy and Peabody Award winning series Artificial (Twitch), also created by the prolific Bernie Su. Other recurring credits include The Old Man (FX), Roswell, New Mexico (CW), and the Emmy-winning stop-motion animated series Robot Chicken (Cartoon Network). She recently wrapped shooting an episode for a popular Netflix series, and won Best Actor in a Short Film at the 2025 Seattle Film Festival. Jennifer is a sci-fi nut, outdoors enthusiast, and loves to spend her free time with friends and family. more...
Tags:AIEmerging Media

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