Creative Industry Roadmaps

TL;DR: NAB 2025 wasn’t about shiny toys. It was a look in the mirror. Here’s what stood out for me about my experience this year. 1. This Isn’t a Gear Year—It’s a Strategy Year →With industry instability post-strikes and ongoing AI-driven shifts, the value isn’t in the flashiest tool—it’s in the tech that aligns with your long-term team’s creative capacity scaling →For boutique facilities, every piece of gear needs to buy back creative time. 2. The Industry Is Split-Screened: Legacy vs. Platform-Native Creators →NAB made it clear, the exhibition floor is now shared equally by traditional Hollywood veterans and YouTubers leading the prosumer revolution. →Creators are shaping tool design, setting expectations, and generating more engagement than studio systems—and it’s time to learn from them 3. Hands-On Time Still Reigns Supreme →The showroom floor remains the best place to test gear in real use-cases, speak to engineers, and pressure-test promises against your unique workflow. →Legacy giants like Adobe, Blackmagic, Sony, and remain vital partners but so do nimble disruptors like STRADA and Flanders Scientific. 4. Vendor Relationships = Competitive Advantage →Deep partnerships with product teams allow boutique facilities to co-evolve with the tools they rely on. →These relationships unlock roadmaps, ROI, features, custom workflows, making face time at NAB essential. 5. The Most Important Conversations Happen After 6PM →Mixers, dinners, and late-night industry hangs are more than social, they are strategic, its where community is built around shared survival and innovation. 6. Micro & Macro Trendspotting Is a Must →Post Pros that pay attention to both ends of that signal loop can align strategy, purchasing, and client offerings for the year ahead. 7. Emotional Intelligence Still Wins in a Tech-First World →The human side of this industry is still its heartbeat. The best tech this year was built by creatives for creatives. 8. AI Integration Has Left the Hype Phase →AI in post is no longer theoretical—it’s showing up in grounded, practical tools that enhance iteration, versioning, and creative throughput. →Platforms like STRADA are building systems for filmmakers, by filmmakers—less about replacing jobs, more about enhancing the ones we want to keep. 9. Education and Curriculum Must Evolve Quarterly →In SMPTE-led panels, educators and technologists argued that media education must now evolve as fast as the tech itself, revising every 90 days to keep pace with role automation and tool emergence. 10. Immersive Tech Is No Longer a Niche →With Blackmagic’s new immersive camera, Apple Vision Pro, and Sphere-scale content pipelines, immersive storytelling has gone from experiment to infrastructure.

A simple infographic I put together last night breaking down the creative macroeconomics of the past and upcoming 10 years in the industry... The value we create through design is set to keep growing - no doubt about it. More companies and influencers are investing increasingly in brand. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news? Fewer creatives are driving most of the value. Robots are here, handling a lot of routine tasks. While they’re not yet streamlined for everyone (primarily creatives at the moment), as they become mainstream and more user-friendly, tasks that once took 10 days will be completed in hours, inevitably driving down prices due to simple market trends. Some of this is already happening. As machines take on more and fees decline, the industry will be dominated by commodity creatives. And a tiny group of highly skilled creatives with sharp strategic insights (the work machines can’t replicate) will see disproportionate rewards, creating a significant gap in wealth and opportunity in the creative economy. How to make sure you're in the tiny pink dot in the top right corner? We are all trying to figure it out but here are some tips: - Listen. Listen. Listen. - yep, listen to your clients/users. Ask. Hear what they are not saying. - Build strategic thinking - Connect design, business goals and strategy. Forget the idea that you do only one part of the process. You are master of one, but your part doesn't exist on its own. - Leverage Data - stop guessing. Use real data to inform creative decisions. Do your own research. Understand competitors and market trends before jumping to the drawing board. - Focus on Brand Storytelling: Master storytelling to help brands communicate unique narratives that go beyond visuals. - Enhance Your Soft Skills: Build strong communication, negotiation, and client relationship skills. You need to be able to sell your crazy ideas to make them alive. #creative

AI won’t kill creativity. But ignoring it will kill your relevance. The smartest creatives are adapting now. AI isn’t competition. It’s collaboration. Here’s how to adapt to AI in creative industries: Step 1: Use AI for idea generation, not replacement. AI can spark inspiration—but execution is human. 📌 Hollywood studios use AI to analyze scripts but still rely on human writers. Step 2: Embrace AI-powered design tools. Faster workflows don’t mean lower quality. 📌 Adobe Firefly helps designers automate edits while keeping creative control. Step 3: Protect intellectual property with AI literacy. Know how AI models use and source data. 📌 Getty Images created its own AI tool to avoid legal gray areas. Step 4: Integrate AI into marketing and content creation. AI speeds up tedious tasks so creatives can focus on strategy. 📌 HubSpot’s AI-generated blogs increased content production without losing quality. Step 5: Stay ahead by evolving your skill set. AI is a tool, but human judgment is irreplaceable. 📌 Top agencies now train creatives in AI-enhanced storytelling to stay competitive. AI isn’t replacing creatives. But creatives who use AI will replace those who don’t. P.S. How do you use AI in your creative work? #Leadership #Sales #Marketing

Most designers never reach their potential. Why? Their roadmap: Finish college → Get hired at a top studio They dream big but plan small. Their goal is to work at studios like Riot, yet struggle to finish a small prototype. My journey to Blizzard didn't start with an application.  It started with a UI mod for World of Warcraft that I built out of passion. Without a clear roadmap, you’re not building a career.  You’re just hoping for luck. Here’s how to set goals that actually move you forward: 1/ Short-Term: Build your foundation • Pick a simple game engine and start experimenting. • Reverse-engineer your favorite mechanics. • Participate in game jams. Finishing games is more valuable than theorizing. 2/ Mid-Term: Prove you can do the work • Build a strong portfolio. • Get feedback from real players and iterate. • Network with other designers, developers, and artists. 3/ Long-Term: Land the job & grow • If your portfolio projects are strong you can start in game design. • Apply for roles that give you the chance to get your foot in the door. Track your progress. Adjust as needed.  Keep shipping games. Because talent won’t get you there. Consistency will. What’s your next step?