Cutting-edge technology mixes with the entertainment industry at third annual Innovation

LMU’s Innovation Symposium has aimed to promote the intersection of established ideas and practices with new and progressive technology for three years, previously focusing on education and business pathways. This year, the Symposium focused on how the introduction of emerging concepts — such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency — can be used to advance the entertainment industry.

Attendees gathered for the event on Friday, March 22 at LMU’s Playa Vista campus. Panelists from entertainment businesses like Netflix, Roku and United Talent Agency attended to discuss pioneering ideas with each other. While the mere existence of technology like AI is a hotly contested topic, panelists and LMU faculty urged attendees to consider its upsides.

“As our panelists talk today about innovation in this sector, we have to go beyond those visceral reactions to potential misuse and think creatively about the power of technology to open up new horizons, enhance human ability for creativity and innovation, and open us all up to a new and critical skillset we will all need as humans in this brand new world,” said Dayle M. Smith, Ph.D., the dean of the College of Business Administration, in a pre-recorded concluding remarks video.

One of the panels, titled “The Convergence of Tech and Storytelling,” was moderated by Justin Trevor Winters, an assistant professor for the School of Film and Television (SFTV). Winters — recently featured as a member of the University’s “LMU Ignite” program — has been at the forefront of implementing artificial intelligence in the classroom. Starting in the fall 2024 semester, Winters will instruct an SFTV course titled “Producing and Screenwriting with AI” — the first of its kind in the department.

While the meat of the class will emphasize creating ideas for content and fleshing them out through loglines, pitches and the eventual script, Winters is bringing in AI to help unleash the students’ creativity.

“The focus is embracing the technology we have at our fingertips to create better content,” said Winters. “We’ll be using programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT4 … I see it personally as a writer’s assistant or a researcher.”

While AI has its fair share of skeptics, Winters believes instruction on applying the technology is paramount for those planning on entering the entertainment industry.

“Studios, they’re all using the technology,” said Winters. “So for a student to understand, or at least be knowledgeable about what OpenAI is, what ChatGPT4 is, what Midjourney is, what Runway is … it’s going to make them more of an asset when they graduate, and they’re going to have an easier time getting a job because of it.”

The new course has received the backing of many faculty members across the film department, including Joanne Moore, J.D., the dean of SFTV. Moore also gave the opening remarks at the Symposium.

“This course marks a significant step forward in our mission to blend cutting-edge technology with creative storytelling,” said Moore in an email to the Loyolan. “At LMU, we believe in preparing students for the future of the industry, where understanding and leveraging AI will be crucial. We’re not just embracing the future; we’re building it.”

The Symposium took place shortly after the announcement of LMU’s new graduate program, the Master in Entertainment Leadership and Management, which infuses business expertise into the entertainment industry. Provost Thomas Poon, Ph.D., also stopped by the Symposium to give a short address to the attendees and talk about the future of the program.

“When we launched this Playa Vista campus seven years ago, we knew we could bring creative minds and entrepreneurial spirits together, and I think our Masters in Entertainment Leadership and Management is a natural next step in that evolution,” said Poon.

Among the Symposium panelists was Matthew Snider, MBA, the president and co-founder of Block 3 Strategy Group and co-author of the 2023 book, “Warren Buffett in a Web3 World.” Near the end of his panel, Snider shared some insight into what he hopes to see in the future of Web3 technology.

“When you had to plug in your computer and get online, and you hear the music and like, ‘Oh, your mom’s on the phone’ — that back in the 90s, that’s basically the equivalent of where we are now,” said Snider. “It’s very hard to onboard people, so getting more people interested in it and learning about it is what’s going to bring down that user experience barrier and potentially raise prices and put more power in your hands.”

Like in years past, this year’s Innovation Symposium ultimately aimed to push the boundaries of how new technology can be applied to established sectors, and further LMU’s status as a university striving for innovation.

“We are planning for the future, and we’re hoping that we become the film school that students prefer and want to come to because we’re offering this type of technology and embracing it in the classroom,” said Winters. “We want to be the standout, we want to be the first to do it, and we want to move up from top five to being the top film school in the conversation.”