Eliza Tan’s Post

Thirty years ago, a group of Hollywood studio engineers gathered for a picnic. Today, that tradition has grown into the annual Hollywood Professional Association Tech Retreat, bringing 700+ industry leaders together in the desert to wrestle with where media is headed. This year, I had the privilege of co-chairing the Innovation Zone with HPA Chair James Blevins, handing out the Best of Show Award, and holding a Super Session for a conversation on algorithms, artists, and the future of media thanks to Leon Silverman. We polled the room on a few statements: • 92% agree the creator economy is redefining who gets to be considered a “video professional.” • 79% believe algorithms reward consistency more than originality. • 67% agree the future of media belongs less to artists or studios and more to those who control monetization and distribution. Platforms are shaping storytelling. Attention is currency. And the conversation is far from over. Grateful for the thoughtful perspectives shared by panelists from OpenAI (Chad Nelson), Luma AI (Verena Puhm), CrunchLabs / Mark Rober (Pojo Riegert), and Pickford AI (Bernie Su) and thanks to the HPA and Adobe for the platform. Swipe for more on this year’s theme and data on the audience's hot takes! #HPA2026 #PalmSprings