[PODCAST] Future Proof: What will a winning production company look like in the age of AI?

With Jarred Cinman, Alexa Wilson, Stuart Stobbs, and Shane Jacobs

Budgets are shrinking. Deadlines are gasping for air. And AI? It’s not knocking on production’s door, it’s already moved in, rearranged the furniture, and started editing the showreel. At this year’s IDIDTHAT HOUSE (Loeries Fringe), inside the Nedbank Loft, we hosted Future Proof: a brutally honest panel asking the question everyone in production is quietly panicking about. What will it take for a South African production company to still exist, and thrive, in 2027?

Moderated by Jarred Cinman, CEO of VML South Africa, the conversation cut straight to the jugular. “Getting average will become easier and easier,” said Jarred. “Getting magic will be just as hard as it ever was.” Joining him were three brilliant brains who live where creativity meets code – Alexa Wilson (Director at Darling), Stuart Stobbs (Co-Founder, MonkeyDonkey Creative AiGency), and Shane Jacobs (Accounts Lead, GotBot AI). Together, they unpacked how production needs to evolve, what we need to protect, and why the future might not be scary, just smarter.

So grab your coffee (or your panic button) and get ready, this is Future Proof from IDIDTHAT HOUSE.

Listen to the panel chat

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Photography by Alfonso Stoffels

AI is here, but taste still wins

“AI is going to replace jobs,” Alexa said matter-of-factly, “but it can also open creative doors we couldn’t afford to open before.”
For filmmakers like her, the technology is already being woven into pre- and post-production pipelines, offering new ways to visualise worlds and test ideas before they hit set.

But Alexa warned of a bigger creative risk: the homogenisation of imagery. “If we don’t consciously engage these tools from a South African point of view, everything starts to look the same,” she said. “We’re letting Midjourney dictate our aesthetic. We have to make sure the work still feels local, still feels human.”

Stu agreed, describing AI as both an existential threat and a creative superpower, if you choose to use it that way. “You can’t stop the bus,” he said. “The editor who spent four days on one cut is now going to spend four days on ten. Every role is going to shift, but there’s still a place for people who bring taste and humanity to the work.”

The ethics (and economics) of human storytelling

With budgets shrinking and clients pushing for faster, cheaper content, Jarred asked the room the question everyone’s been thinking: “Do we fight to choose humans even when AI is cheaper and faster?”

Alexa’s answer was simple, ‘yes’. “I don’t want a world where I’m stuck behind a computer,” she said. “I’ve built my career on sets, working with real people, collaborating. Not everyone’s skills will transfer, but we should be fighting to keep those people in the pipeline.”

For brands, that human touch isn’t just moral it’s strategic. The panel agreed that hyper-precise, algorithmic content might make sense for food brands, but when it comes to emotion-driven categories like finance, insurance, or legacy,  human stories still matter.

Jarred added that even clients are beginning to question the cost of going full machine, “If we want to be seen as a company that cares for people, how can we use fake people in our ads?”

AI won’t make the work worse, it’ll make average easier

The consensus? AI will flood the market with content. Some of it good. Most of it grey. “Tomorrow there’ll be ten times the amount of content,” said Stu.

“The brands that stand out will be the ones that still engage with humans in the process. The rest will just be background noise.” Jarred wrapped it up neatly, saying “To get average will become easier and easier. But to get magic will be just as hard as it’s always been.”

Law, ownership and the messy middle

When the floor opened to audience questions, the conversation turned to ownership – who actually owns AI-generated content? Jarred explained that the law is still catching up, “Enterprise platforms will tell you that what you generate is yours. But that varies. You have to read the T&Cs carefully. It’s unsettled law and it’s changing every month.”

Stu added that while it’s currently legal to use most AI tools commercially, it’s crucial to know which versions and licences you’re using. “You can do this safely and ethically,” he said, “but you have to be intentional.”

What does ‘future-proof’ actually look like?

By the end of the hour, one truth was clear: production companies that survive the next wave of change won’t be the biggest, they’ll be the most adaptable.

• Hybrid workflows will be the norm – part shoot, part gen.
• Smaller, elastic teams will expand and contract around projects.
• Taste, storytelling and localisation will become a competitive edge.
• And humans will remain in the loop – not out of nostalgia, but necessity.

As Alexa put it, “Filmmaking has always been about that 10% of magic that happens when things don’t go to plan. I don’t think algorithms can do that yet.”

AI may change the shape of production, but at IDIDTHAT HOUSE one thing became clear: the future of craft will still belong to those who can tell the best human stories, even if they’re collaborating with machines to do it.

Check out the other podcasts at IDIDTHAT HOUSE

VIEW THE IDIDTHAT HOUSE GALLERY FROM BOTH DAYS – LOERIES FRINGE