Where Filmmakers Talk AI, Story, and the Future

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Disney just invested $1B in OpenAI and signed a groundbreaking deal to bring over 200 iconic characters (Mickey Mouse, Elsa, Iron Man, Darth Vader, Yoda, and more) into Sora and ChatGPT – letting fans create official short videos starting in 2026.

We’re huge Disney fans, pro-AI innovators (we built Saga around OpenAI), and one of us is in the Writers Guild of Canada – so we explore every angle with nuance.

Join hosts Andrew and Russell Palmer on the SAGA Podcast as we dive deep with Kimberly Offord—keynote speaker, AI filmmaker, creator of Playground Pastime, and founder of the Chicago AI Film Festival!

In this inspiring episode, Kimberly shares her journey from real estate marketer to pioneering AI artist, creating official music videos for Grammy-winning artist Lalah Hathaway (including "Tunnels"). We explore how AI is democratizing storytelling, making it the "great equalizer" for underrepresented creators, and opening doors for diverse voices worldwide.

In this episode, Russell and Andrew sit down with Justin Winters—screenwriter, producer, LMU professor, and creator of Curious Refuge’s groundbreaking AI Screenwriting course.

Justin shares his journey from experimenting with LLMs in 2022 to teaching students how to sell pilots to major studios using custom GPTs and AI pitch decks.

In this episode, we sit down with Dustin Thornton (aka Dustin Hollywood) — award-winning AI Filmmaker and Director of Global Community at ESCAPE AI. Dustin is also the co-founder of MASSIVE STUDIOS and the founder of NAKID PICTURES, STAGES & PAPER-App, and The Creative Foundation.  We dive into one of the biggest questions facing creators today: Are Creative Partner Programs (CPPs) offering real opportunity—or just free labor in disguise?

🎙️ Guest Spotlight: Dustin Hollywood — AI visual artist, photographer, jewelry designer, and engineer. His work and collaborations include VICE, D Magazine, Steve Aoki's Dim Mak, Art Basel, EDC, and Bonnaroo.

Academy Award®-winning VFX designer, inventor, director, producer, and ESCAPE AI MEDIA Founder & CEO John Gaeta joins the Brothers' Saga podcast. In this episode, we talk about:

• Filmmaking — The Matrix, Keanu Reeves, and the future of interactive media  
• AI filmmaking — GenAI, greenlighting yourself, and why with GenAI “the real story is about empowerment”
• Early filmmaking on the streets of NYC — NYU Tisch and “just making films” with cameras and now guerrilla filmmaking with iPhones and mocap suits
• Historic decisions, events, and accomplishments of Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull, Pixar, ILM, Inworld AI, Magic Leap, Escape, and more
• Directing (DGA), the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes, and upcoming negotiations
• The opportunities and risks of generative AI, from deepfakes to ASI
• The new ESCAPE streaming TV app — available now on major TV app stores
  

Dr. Michael Zyda — Professor Emeritus of Computer Science Practice at the University of Southern California and Founding Director of USC’s Computer Science Games Program (ranked #1 in the world).  IEEE Fellow. ACM Fellow. Recipient of the ACM Recognition of Service Award. Member of the National Academy of Inventors.  In this episode of the Brothers’ Saga Podcast, Russell and Andrew Palmer sit down with one of the true pioneers of virtual reality, simulation, and video game design.  Dr. Zyda’s career spans decades — from computer graphics in the 1970s to neuroscience and distributed systems in the early days of modern computing, to founding USC’s groundbreaking Games program that helped define games as a serious academic discipline.  

We cover: 

• His early path from drama and bioengineering to computer science and VR 
• Building USC’s #1 Games Program and the intersection of games + storytelling 
• Collaboration between engineering and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts 
• His “Games, Film, and Generative AI” column for IEEE Computer
• Working with NASA, the NRC, the White House, and leading research institutions 
• What it takes to write influential research papers 
• Advising startups (including Saga) and patterns in successful founders 
• Silicon Valley, AI careers, and the future of software engineering 
• U.S.–China research culture and global AI collaboration 
• And yes… attending the Emmy Awards with Meryl Streep  

Dr. Zyda has served on National Research Council (NRC) committees for the Aeronautics & Space Engineering Board, Mathematical Sciences Board, Naval Studies Board, Air Force Studies Board, Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board, and more — helping shape national conversations around technology, simulation, and defense.  This is a masterclass in the evolution of computing — from visual simulation to virtual reality to games to generative AI.