"I ended up using Unreal Engine to rewrite the script because I could play around with 3D motion, with camera movement, I could put a score to it, I could mess around with lighting and with basic blocking." - Emma Needell

Emma Needell is a filmmaker and worldbuilder who champions original storytelling. Her script THE WATER MAN, directed by David Oyelowo and produced by Oprah Winfrey, premiered at TIFF and is now on Netflix.

In 2021, she won an Epic Megagrant to use Unreal Engine on a short film that explores the power of technology to bring people together. The film premiered at Tribeca and is now on the festival circuit. She is also the worldbuilder and Head of Story for the web3 content company Tally Labs.

Emma joined Future of Film Incubator 2023 to share insights from her journey as a storyteller, her creative process and how she incorporates technology into her practice.

Highlights include:

• The story behind Emma's first script being made with David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey
• Emma's adoption of Unreal Engine in her creative process
• Emma's use of AI and her position on its adoption in filmmaking
• How Emma is leaning into the Web3 world with the worldbuilding of the Azurbala project

Future of Film Podcast · 72. HaZ: Game-changing Independent Storytelling with Unreal Editor for Fortnite

In this episode, we welcome back to Future of Film storytelling pioneer, Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull.

During the episode, HaZ provides an exclusive inside look into the innovative processes behind his groundbreaking projects like RIFT and MOONTOPIA, which utilise Unreal Engine to redefine game design and monetisation. The discussion explores game development optimization, private testing, and intellectual property ownership within the context of Unreal Engine for Fortnite. HaZ also shares fascinating insights into the potential impact of AI on the gaming industry, offering a glimpse into the future possibilities for creators.

Operating at the intersection of film and gaming with a remarkable career spanning from Visual Effects to directing and producing, HaZ has gained recognition for his breakout feature film, THE BEYOND, and his second hit, 2036 Origin Unknown. Currently working on the groundbreaking sci-fi action anime, RIFT, HaZ leverages virtual production and realtime CGI, rendering the entire film in Unreal Engine.

In addition to his technical expertise, HaZ reveals his visionary ideas for nurturing the next generation of content creators and the transformative - but challenging potential of AI-driven creativity.

“The most important question of the metaverse is how do we ensure that we have representative voices, that we’re creating technology and stories that inspire all of us.” - Joanna Popper

Joanna Popper is the Chief Metaverse Officer at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, where she leads metaverse initiatives for the agency and its clients.

In this special episode of the podcast, Joanna speaks with award-winning television presenter, Elle Osili-Wood about what the metaverse means for creators and the entertainment business.

About Joanna Popper:



Joanna Popper is the Chief Metaverse Officer at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, Popper leads metaverse initiatives for the agency and its clients.

Popper joined CAA in 2022 from HP, where she led its XR initiatives for Go-To-Market, overseeing the launch of award-winning technology, such as the HP Reverb G2 VR headset (winner of Red Dot Design Award, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award) and HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition (winner of VR Hardware of the Year, Entertainment Technology Lumiere Award, Red Dot Best of the Best, CES Innovation Award, IF Design Award).

Previously, she was Executive Vice President of Media & Marketing at Singularity University, a NASA-based, Google-backed organization founded by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis to train leaders on the future of technology including blockchain, VR/AR, artificial intelligence, robotics and digital biology. She was also the Vice President of Marketing at NBCUniversal, where she worked across properties, including television, film, digital, and parks, and launched hits in primetime, music award shows, sports, news, daytime, and more for Telemundo. She started her career as an investment banker in New York and Brazil and then a consultant at McKinsey & Company.

She was selected as “50 Women Can Change the World in Media and Entertainment,” ”25 Pioneers in the Metaverse,” “Top 50 Original Thinkers in VR,” “Top Women in Media: Game Changers,” “Top Women in Media: Industry Leaders,” “Digital It List,” and “101 Women Leading the VR Industry.”

She served as Executive Producer on BREONNA’S GARDEN, FINDING PANDORA X, and FIGHT BACK, the award-winning virtual reality content, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and SXSW.

Popper graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree, and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA.

Future of Film Podcast · 70. Dan Erickson on Showrunning, Worldbuilding and the story of SEVERANCE

Dan Erickson is the creator and showrunner of Apple TV's Emmy© Award-winning series, SEVERANCE.

After attending NYU's Tisch School, where he received a Masters in Dramatic Writing. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he delivered food and worked in a string of office jobs, all while conceiving and writing the original pilot for Severance. The script became the first TV pilot ever selected for the annual Bloodlist, which ultimately led to a creative partnership with Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Productions, Endeavor Content, and Apple. Atypically, this also led to Dan becoming Showrunner, retaining huge levels of creative control and driving the production - and the show became an instant cult and critical hit largely due to its powerful and original storyworld.

In this episode, Dan talks to fellow storyteller and CEO and co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment, Diana Williams about his career and building the show's mind-bending world.

Dan and Diana discuss the intricate process of story world design, exploring how Dan's original play - and real life office experience - inspired the show. Dan relates the journey of the show from concept to screen (and as unknown writer to showrunner) including early pitches and his experiences working with Ben Stiller and Chris Black.

We also learn what it means to be a showrunner on your first series and the demanding balancing act of creative and organisational priorities it entails. This includes in particular the focus on tone and how establishing the right tone - and maintaining this - is one of the most important and challenging aspects of the role.

"You're only as good as the creative you surround yourself with." Niels Juul

Niels Juul is a producer with expertise in financing and packaging major features, with a track record of working with top directors including Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. More recently, Niels has become a strong advocate of Web3 and NFTs in the film space, founding NFT Studios as a way to stimulate more original, audience-focused storytelling 

In this episode, Niels shares how he broke into the industry from fashion and the life changing moment he dropped everything to fly across the country to meet with Martin Scorsese. He also discusses the 'tyranny of the algorithm' and why originality is essential to the future of screen content. And we deep dive into Web3, DAOs and NFTS, as Niels reveals why realising his vision of a decentralised Hollywood has been harder than imagined. 

Some of the topics covered include:  

- Niall's career journey and insights from working with Scorsese

- The process of bringing Martin Scorsese's film "Silence" to life

- NFTs as a financing model and its potential to democratise film financing

- The impact of decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) on the film industry

- Authentic storytelling and the importance of artists, writers, and directors in content creation

- Tips on succeeding in the industry, storytelling and NFTs

- The future of film and its impact on culture

About Niels Juul

Niels Juul is an executive producer with expertise in financing and packaging features and a history of working with the top directors in the industry. Before starting his career in film, Niels co-founded and ran the world-renowned fashion & lifestyle brand Von Dutch and was responsible for bringing it to prominence.

After excelling in the fashion world, in 2008, Niels was tapped as the CEO of Italian-American film company Cecchi Gori Pictures, with a mandate to restructure its operations and business. During the span of 5 years, Juul was instrumental in winning an 18 million USD judgment from previous management, securing a lucrative multi-million dollar global distribution deal for its film library, and bringing the company to profitability for the first time in 20 years while financing its first major film production: Martin Scorsese’s “SILENCE”.

Since then, he has worked on numerous films of prestige including, “THE IRISHMAN”, “KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON”, and “FERRARI” which is currently filming in Italy. 

Juul currently runs No Fat Ego (based in Los Angeles), a multi-functioning production company with the aim to produce meaningful content made by exceptional writers, producers, and directors.

Future of Film Podcast · 68. Steve Silver: Unlocking the Metaverse for Creators

"The Metaverse story to us is a content creation story" Steve Silver

In this episode we welcome Steve Silver to the podcast to discuss the now and future of the metaverse - in particular how creators can approach this space. From Tesla's complete virtual rendering of San Francisco and Apple's upcoming VR headset to the latest in Web3, Steve takes us on a ride to the nexus of technological innovation and entertainment - eloquently explaining how these innovations can benefit storytelling and creators.

About Steve Silver

Steve Silver is the Games Industry Strategy Manager for Autodesk, makers of best-in-class design and make tools like Maya and 3ds Max. His role involves thought leadership and guidance on industry trends and strategy for the Gaming Industry as well as the Metaverse. Prior to Autodesk, Steve’s experience in the Gaming Industry included roles in companies like Electronic Arts, Kixeye, and Zynga.

His professional expertise has focused on Experience Design, Live Operations, and Content Production which has put him in a strong position to understand the process complexities unique to game development. Additionally his lifelong passion for games provides valuable insight to what drives consumers to seek experiences that delight and entertain.

Future of Film Podcast · 67. Brian Newman: the Return of Film's 'Brand Whisperer'

"I work with brands who want to work with real filmmakers, doing something people want to see." Brian Newman

Brian Newman is Founder of Sub-Genre and one of the world’s leading experts on brand-funded films. He consults on content strategy, distribution and marketing for some of the top brands in the world. Current and former clients include: The Climate Pledge (Amazon), GoDaddy, Oatly, Patagonia, REI, Stripe, Sundance, Tazo, and Yeti Coolers.

As well as being film's leading 'brand whisperer', Brian is a bonafide feature film producer in his own right and has an impressive film track record across festivals and production - including as CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute. 

His free weekly newsletter on the industry is simply essential reading and is available at www.sub-genre.com.

In this conversation Brian outlines the opportunities for filmmakers to tap into brand money, sharing the latest case studies and strategies for success in this still emerging area.

Future of Film Podcast · 66. Diana Williams on Developing Story Based IP

"We talk about going Direct to Community" Diana Williams

Diana Williams is the CEO & Co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment, a multi-disciplinary company that partners with creators at the intersection of story and technology to develop and produce story-based IP.

In this podcast, we discuss Kinetic Energy Entertainment's strategy, projects and the opportunity Diana is addressing in the marketplace. We also dive into the story IP creating process - why it is vital in today's market and the techniques Diana uses for this. From the MCU to Exploding Kittens, Diana also shares numerous examples of projects that have successfully developed franchises and reveals some of the steps they took to achieve this.

About Diana Williams

Diana Williams is the CEO & Co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment. She has a wide range of experience in the entertainment industry, developing IP and producing creative content for distribution across storytelling media. Throughout her career she has been at the forefront of working with emerging and established talent to ensure a diversity of voices are included in an ever-evolving industry.

Kinetic Energy Entertainment is a multi-disciplinary company that partners with creators at the intersection of story and technology to develop and produce story-based IP. Kinetic’s project slate includes a series in development at HBO, the cross-platform storyworld of The Gatecrashers, political sim videogame Political Arena, Founder Hustle podcast based on venture fund 1863 Ventures’ focus on entrepreneurs of color, Crimson an epic fantasy/thriller take on Alice in Wonderland, recipe-memoir Adventures in Starry Kitchen, and a documentary feature film with Apple+.

An award-winning producer, she produced the critically acclaimed feature film Our Song, which earned her a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award in the Producer category. Other credits include documentaries Room 237, the Emmy© award-winning Sylvia Drew Ivie, Student Academy Award©-nominated Another First Step, Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible, Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis, and Dear Mom Love Cher.

In addition to producing, Diana has held various positions in the entertainment industry. She was the Creative Development and Franchise Producer at Lucasfilm within the Story Group, the team responsible for developing and maintaining narrative cohesion and connectivity throughout the Star Wars universe. While at Lucasfilm, Diana developed film and tv (including Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One), mobile and console videogames (including 2015’s Battlefront), publishing (Marvel’s Star Wars comics and novel expansions). Diana helped launch ILMxLAB, an immersive entertainment and mixed reality lab, with projects including Vader Immortal, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award© winning VR experience Carne y Arena. She was also a production consultant for BET on Let the Church Say Amen, Gun Hill Road, and Untitled Kenya Barris Project.

Currently the Chair of the Interactive Board of Jurors for digital and immersive storytelling for the Peabody Award, Diana is also on the Strategic Planning Committee of The National Academy of Sciences’ Science and Entertainment Exchange; the advisory committee for the Royal Shakespeare Company/Digital development; the advisory board for UK-based organization Future of Film; and the boards of Diverso (a non-profit organization by students for students, dedicated to empowering the under-represented storytellers of the next generation), The Overlook Film Festival (genre festival), and Here/No Proscenium Summit for interactive and immersive events, theater, and creators. Diana began her career in production as an Assistant Director and is a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Future of Film Podcast · 64. Paul Raschid and Ru Howe: Branching Narrative Filmmaking

"As a filmmaker I have branched over to a whole new audience ... hungry for new forms of content." Paul Raschid

This episode explores the evolution in interactive filmmaking with filmmaker Paul Raschid and Ru Howe, the Founder of Stornaway.io the development tool for interactive video.

Paul is the director of a number of branching narrative feature film/FMV games including 2022's THE GALLERY - comprising of over four and a half hours of video content.

In this conversation, Paul and Ru share insights of how they took a 450 scene 'FMV Game' script into the finished feature film utilising Stornaway’s bespoke platform.

We also talk distribution and audiences and how releasing the film on gaming platforms has provided Paul with greater control over the releasing of his storytelling.

About Paul Raschid

Prior to his work in the interactive format, Paul's second feature as a writer-director was 'White Chamber', which was shot in 12.5 days. In 2018, the sci-fi thriller/horror/drama played 10 film festivals around the world including Edinburgh, Sitges, Frightfest, Mumbai, BIFAN and Brussels. Lead actress Shauna Macdonald received the BAFTA Scotland Best Actress award for her tour-de-force performance. Between August 2019 and February 2021, the film was available to stream on Netflix in the UK, USA, Canada, Israel, Australia and New Zealand.

Paul entered the interactive arena in 2019 when he directed 'The Complex', a sci-fi interactive feature film/ FMV video game, which released in 2020 on all major gaming platforms. Penned by Lynn Renee Maxcy, it stars Michelle Mylett, Kate Dickie and Al Weaver. It was produced by John Giwa-Amu and Jade Alexander.

In 2020, Paul wrote and directed 'Five Dates', a romantic interactive feature film/ FMV video game. It was being made entirely remotely during the UK's national lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. It stars an ensemble cast including Mandip Gill (Doctor Who), Georgia Hirst (Vikings) and Marisa Abela (Industry).

In 2021, Paul wrote and directed 'The Gallery' - an interactive hostage thriller that contains two narratives - before the film begins, the viewer must choose between a female protagonist (whose narrative is set in 1981 London) or a male protagonist (whose narrative is set in 2021 London). The cast is headlined by Anna Popplewell ('Chronicles Of Narnia' & 'Reign') and George Blagden ('Versailles' & 'Vikings'), who interchange roles as both protagonist and antagonist across the two narratives. It is set to release on major gaming platforms in September 2022.

Paul is also in post-production for ’Ten Dates’, a sequel to ‘Five Dates’ following its critical and commercial success.

About Ru Howe

Rupert started trying to code his first “Choose Your Own Ending” video game aged 9 years old. Frustrated with the limits of technology, he began working as a director and producer in TV and film making award-winning 16mm short dramas and documentaries including “The Real Bridget Jones” series for C4. From 2004, he began experimenting with interactive films online and became a pioneer videoblogger and online video artist. He was featured in Trine Bjorkmann Berry’s PhD Thesis “The Film of Tomorrow (pp 19-25) as the world’s first mobile video blogger and created YouTube’s first interactive video story “Indecision” in 2008. From 2010-2018, he worked as a creative workflow consultant, leading digital transformation & workflow projects for the BBC, Disney, News UK, the Financial Times and Melody VR. Stornaway.io is his design. A unique application to enable creative producers to map, script, edit and deliver interactive stories, simply and easily with no coding.

Future of Film Podcast · 64. Houston Howard: Super Story Architecture

"Big vision and small execution. That's the sweet spot to attack the market" Houston Howard

How can creators stand out in today's ocean of content? Super Story Architect, Houston Howard has answers…

Houston Howard is the Chief Storyteller at One 3 Creative, a transmedia design firm, and a co-founder of Fulcrum Worldbuilders, an organisation that designs large-scale storyworlds that are meant to shift culture and catalyze large-scale social impact. 

He has written three books about transmedia design including the brilliant, You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Story, a title on the Future of Film Incubator 2022 Read List.

He is a professor of Transmedia Storytelling and Worldbuilding at the Arts Center College of Design and the host of the Super Story Podcast.

In this conversation we discuss how creators can, in Houston’s words, attack the market in 2022. What is the significance of this market becoming commoditised - and what are the specific creative and commercial strategies that storytellers can adopt to navigate and succeed in the new landscape?

This episode was recorded as part of Future of Film Incubator 2022 and is brought to you in partnership with Epic Games and Unreal Engine, Autodesk, Dell Technologies, Nvidia and Garden Studios.