Every year, I teach a class at Columbia University’s Film School. I bring in leaders from across the media landscape to inspire students and help them imagine their own careers.
Last year, I pivoted.
Instead of traditional studio executives, I started inviting people working at the convergence of legacy media and the creator economy—the collision point where the next version of this business is being built.
I want students to see where the future is heading. The fundamentals they learn in film school—story, character, structure—still matter. But the systems that support storytelling are changing fast, and education has to evolve with them. This class is part of that experiment.
Over the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing highlights from those conversations here on Open Gardens.
First up is my friend Neil Waller, co-founder of Whalar Group—a company quietly rebuilding the studio system for the creator age.
