STUDENT & CREATIVE ARTISTS AI LEARNING EXPERIENCE

GenJam featuring Machine Cinema at the Palm Springs AI and Creativity Expo 2025:
Create, Collaborate, and See Your Work on Screen!

A truly forward-looking and hands-on creative experience for student and creative artist attendees at the Palm Springs AI and Creativity Expo 2025: introducing GenJam@COD, hosted by the pioneering team at Machine Cinema! This unique workshop culminates with a special opportunity:
select student content creations will be featured during a screening for all Expo attendees at the end of the day!

What is a GenJam@COD, and Why is it So Relevant Today?

A “GenJam” (short for Generative Jam) draws its spirit from the collaborative, improvisational energy of a music jam session. However, instead of traditional instruments, participants wield cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence tools to co-create original digital content. It’s an exploration of human-machine collaboration in the act of creation.

This is relevant for students and creative artists today because:

• Accessibility of Powerful Tools: Generative AI tools for creating compelling visuals, music, or narratives are now more accessible than ever, democratizing content creation. The GenJam provides direct experience with this shift.
• The Rise of Prompt Engineering:  Effectivelycommunicating with these AI systems through “prompts” is an emerging artistic skill. GenJam is a playground for developing this new literacy.
• Rapid Prototyping and Ideation: Generative AI transforms creative brainstorming by allowing swift visualization and iteration of ideas.
• New Aesthetic Possibilities: AI can generate novel outputs, leading to unique aesthetic styles born from this human-AI interaction.

What age / grade levels determine student eligibility to participate?

Students age 16 and above are eligible for FREE registration and participation. Students 18 years and older will be grouped with college age students. All students must show valid student ID to qualify for FREE registration. Creative/Artists may register for this hands-on learning session at $50 per person.  Space is limited at the two computer labs hosted by College of the Desert.

Machine Cinema: Navigating the AI-Driven Evolution of Storytelling

Machine Cinema are at the forefront of understanding and harnessing the transformative power of AI within the creative and cinematic arts. They specialize in exploring, utilizing, and teaching how AI driven technologies can reshape storytelling and artistic expression.

GenJam: A Microcosm of AI’s Impact on Filmmaking’s Evolution for The Palm Springs AI and
Creativity Expo 2025

Filmmaking has always evolved with technology. The integration of AI is the next major inflection point, and the GenJam offers Palm Springs AI and Creativity Expo 2025 attendees a unique window into this transformation, especially as it influences:

• All Stages of Filmmaking: From AI assisting in pre-production (script analysis, storyboarding – which participants will explore) to its growing role in production and post-production (automated editing, VFX, sound design).
• AI as a Creative Catalyst: The GenJam emphasizes AI as a collaborative partner, offering new tools for
filmmakers to express their vision and experiment.
• Understanding the New Creative Language: Participants will learn the “language” of interacting with creative AI – guiding it and integrating its capabilities into a human-led vision.
• Engaging with Critical Questions: This hands-on experience naturally leads to discussing the important ethical and creative questions that The Palm Springs AI & Creativity Expo 2025 aims to explore.

What You’ll DO and CREATE at the GenJam (Potentially for the Big Screen!):

Under the guidance of Machine Cinema at the College of the Desert’s Palm Springs campus computer lab, student and creative participants will:

1. Be Introduced to Specific AI Tools: Focusing on accessible platforms for text-to image, image-to video/animation, and potentially AI music or script assistance.
2. Learn Prompt Crafting for Cinematic Effect: Discover how to write prompts to achieve specific moods, visual styles, or narrative beats.
3. Engage in Guided Creative Storytelling Exercises: Developing visual sequences for short scenes, creating concept art, or generating brief animated loops with a narrative arc.
4. Experiment with AI-Driven “Filmmaking” Micro-Tasks: Generating different visual “shots” or creating sound moods.

Potential Outputs – Your First Step into AI-Assisted Media Creation (And a Chance to Be
Featured!):

Participants will leave with small, shareable digital artifacts such as:

✓ A series of **AI-generated storyboard images** for a scene.
✓ A short **animated GIF or video clip** (e.g., 5-15 seconds) telling a micro-story.
✓ An **AI-generated “mood board”** of visuals for a film concept.
✓ The experience of having rapidly prototyped a creative idea using AI.
✓ Leave with the beginnings of your own AI generated film

GenJam Culmination: Student Showcase at The Palm Springs AI & Creativity Expo 2025 Film Screening!

To celebrate the creativity and learning from the GenJam, a selection of the most compelling student-created short films and visual pieces will be presented during the closing networking reception for all attendees of the Palm Springs AI & Creativity Expo 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to see their AI-assisted work presented to the wider Expo community. GenJam with Machine Cinema is more than a workshop; it’s a hands-on exploration of how AI is actively reshaping filmmaking and creative media. It’s an opportunity for students to become early adopters and
informed participants in this exciting evolution, with the added thrill of potentially seeing their work featured at **The Palm Springs AI & Creativity Expo 2025**.

About Fred Grinstein

Fred Grinstein is a media executive/ producer based in Los Angeles, CA. With a seasoned background in premium film/ TV and new ventures in emergent technologies like AI and Web3, his goal is to build bridges between traditional content and the modern creator economy. Previously he served as Head of Non-Fiction Programming at Steve Golin’s Anonymous Content where projects include “Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall”, directed by Erin Lee Carr for HBO, “At the Ready” from filmmaker Maisie Crow, (2021 Sundance), and “Murders Before the Marathon” a 3×60 for Hulu. As an independent, he recently served as Consulting Producer on Oscar-Short Listed “Hidden Letters” directed by Violet du Feng (2023), and Executive Producer on “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power” co-directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard (2022 Tribeca Film Fest). Grinstein was VP of Development during the launch of Viceland, collaborating with the youth-skewing digital publishing team and Creative Director Spike Jonze; projects include ”Weediquette”, ”Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia”, “Twiz and Tuck”, and Ondi Timoner’s “Jungletown“. He was also a Senior Director of Programming at A&E for 5 years where he was responsible for hit series “Storage Wars”, ”Dogs of War”, ”Dog the Bounty Hunter”, “Crazy Hearts: Nashville”, and ”Psychic Kids”. Prior to network life, his early producing credits include Discovery’s “Cash Cab”, PBS’s “History Detectives” and Bravo’s “Make Me a Supermodel”.

About Minh Do

Minh Do is an entrepreneur, writer, and educator deeply entrenched in AI and emerging technologies. As an educator at Be Super, Minh focuses on research, education, and creating using the latest AI tools. He co-founded and is head of innovation at Fantastic Day, a venture studio building at the intersection of web3, AI, and emerging technology. He was previously Chief Innovation Officer and founding team at EST Media Holdings, Inc., building platforms in media, web3, and AI. Minh co-founded Vietcetera, a leading digital media platform in Vietnam, where he also held the title of Chief Editor. Prior to this, Minh served as Executive Director at Vertex Venture Holdings, under Temasek Holdings, helping to oversee a wide-ranging multi-billion dollar portfolio of tech companies, including Grab, Waze, Desktop Metal, and more. Minh began his tech career at Tech In Asia (acquired by Nikkei) as a managing editor and tech journalist. Before Minh began pursuing tech, media, and entertainment, Minh pursued Buddhist studies academically and trained to be a monk, this included deep study in Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan schools, an area of study that still informs Minh’s approach to emerging technologies and society. More about Minh’s current projects can be found here.