Ep. 20 – Tech Goes Hollywood

The Upgrade: Beyond the Hype

Jagger Waters is a storyteller, writer and producer with a background in theater and comedy who spent her childhood behind the scenes at various local broadcast news stations, tagging along with parents who worked in newsrooms all around the United States. As a kid, she witnessed the corporate buyout of small-market television stations firsthand and saw how journalism transformed as on-camera talent was pressured to adopt social media and other emerging tech. These influences helped Jagger redefine her identity as an entertainer in the face of rapid technological change, and embrace the ways AI can help her succeed as a storyteller today.

On this week’s episode of The Upgrade, host Peter Bittner talked with Jagger about how AI is changing the entertainment industry.

Show Notes:

(1:27) The growing community of AI filmmakers

(2:47) How to win an esports competition if you’re not a gamer

(5:52) A summary of AI tools that can help filmmakers

(7:59) AI is helping filmmakers more easily pitch new projects

(9:37) The possibilities for how viewers can shape how the shows they watch are made

(12:59) Why AI filmmaking still needs writers

(16:51) Growing up in a family who worked in media helped Jagger understand why she needed to embrace AI

(17:54) The mixed ways the film world is reacting to AI

(21:45) An argument for why AI television anchors might be a good idea

(24:45) Jagger’s VR project writing standup comedy performed by a giant fetus to spread awareness about reproductive rights

(26:54) AI Resources for filmmakers

Where to find Jagger:

• Read Jagger’s Substack
• Connect with Jagger on LinkedIn
• Follow Jagger on Instagram
• For more resources on AI and filmmaking check out Curious Refuge

Learn more about The Upgrade and our online courses

Connect on LinkedIn with Peter Bittner, The Upgrade’s founder and CEO

Special thanks to Mitch Walker for helping to design the podcast’s artwork