The marriage of AI and creativity?
It’s complicated.
Right now, conversations about AI and creativity are happening in all caps on social media, in vandalized political ads, and in anxious late-night Google searches. People are spray-painting "ban AI" on million-dollar campaigns. Creative professionals worry about having their work stolen by LLMs. But there's also genuine excitement — designers discovering tools that unlock ideas they couldn't execute before, filmmakers creating shots that were impossible last year, artists finding new ways to express themselves. The problem isn't that we're all having different reactions. It's that we have nowhere to process them together. What's missing? An actual place where creatives can have honest, productive conversations about what this technology means for our work.
Yes, it rhymes with AI — that's quite intentional. This is where creatives learn to play with artificial intelligence instead of being intimidated by it. Play is how humans explore, experiment, and discover what's possible. It's where mistakes become discoveries and curiosity leads to breakthroughs.
Welcome to PLAY I.
We're building the community where creatives navigate AI together through honest conversation and real-world insights. Starting with intimate gatherings that will grow into larger events, PLAY I brings together working professionals — film editors, graphic designers, producers, creative directors—who are figuring out what AI means for their craft.
What Actually Happens at PLAY I:
Honest conversations with working creatives - People can talk about where they see AI affecting their work—what excites them, what concerns them, where they might use it
Real case studies from people using AI now - Creative directors share actual client work—what's working, what's failing, what they're learning
Connect with people in the same boat - Networking with other creatives who are curious, skeptical, excited, or all three at once
Skip the hype, focus on reality - No sales pitches, no fearmongering. Just practical perspectives from people doing the work
This isn't theory or speculation—it's where we figure out how to adapt, what to embrace, and how human creativity evolves alongside these tools. Whether you're just getting started or already experimenting, you belong here.
Okay, but what do we actually do?
Previous Speakers:
Jamie Kirkpatrick is a New York-based film and television editor with over twenty years in independent film. His credits include Lost in Translation, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, My Friend Dahmer, and the critically-acclaimed Western Old Henry. Recent work includes the crime drama Greedy People and the historical series Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints. A member of both the Motion Picture Editors Guild and the American Cinema Editors, Jamie has been a guest lecturer at NYU, Pratt, and SVA. His enthusiasm for cinematic storytelling is matched only by his dedication to the craft of film editing and his well-documented weakness for a good doughnut.
Avishi Jain is a multidisciplinary designer at Paramount Brand Studio. Her work spans brand identity design, event branding, digital and print marketing and motion graphics for a range of clients and brands including MTV, VMAs, Adobe, NWSL, Under Armour, AT&T, Starbucks, Bacardi and more. With a focus on crafting visually engaging and concept-driven work, she blends strategic thinking with creative storytelling to build brands and campaigns that resonate across digital and physical spaces.
George Giosi is Senior Producer of Content and Cinematography for the New York Islanders and Founder/Director of Giosi Productions. With over a decade of experience in visual storytelling and content creation across sports media, George specializes in filming, editing, producing, and lighting that delivers compelling narratives to audiences. His work has earned multiple NY Emmy Awards for excellence in sports broadcasting and content creation. At the Islanders, George oversees high-volume content production—from game-day coverage to social media storytelling—where creativity and speed must work in harmony.
Brian DiLeo is a creative director, brand architect, and AI collaborator who helps founders and artists bring their ideas to life by integrating human intuition with emerging technology. After two decades in brand development, storytelling, and experiential design, Brian now focuses on human-centered AI—using AI not to replace creativity, but to unlock deeper originality and self-expression. His work spans brand incubation, sound-based wellness, and conversational AI tools for small businesses. Brian bridges two worlds: those energized by AI's potential and those who fear its impact. His mission is to keep the soul of creativity at the center of the AI era—reminding us that tools evolve, but the human signal is what makes art meaningful.