99. Jeff Rivera: AI, Animation and 'Greenlighting Yourself'

In this episode, Alex Stolz speaks with Jeff Rivera, three-time Telly Award winner, author, producer and AI storytelling pioneer, about creator-driven, AI-enabled production.

Jeff shares his journey from developing projects within the traditional Hollywood system to experimenting with new AI-assisted workflows that allow creators to move from idea to execution faster than ever before. From worldbuilding and character design to animation pipelines and audience development, he offers a detailed look at how he is building and testing projects outside of the traditional development model.

The conversation dives deep into the practical realities of working with AI today: the tools Jeff is using, how much these workflows actually cost, the progress being made around character consistency, and why storytelling remains the true differentiator in an age where production capabilities are becoming increasingly accessible.

Alex and Jeff also explore the bigger strategic questions emerging around creator ownership, audience-building, monetisation, copyright and chain of title, as well as what happens when anyone can potentially create studio-quality work from a laptop. Jeff also shares practical strategies for building your '1,000 true fans' and ways in which he is monetising his work.

At its heart, this is a conversation about creative agency, emerging workflows, and how creators can navigate a landscape where the barriers to making work are rapidly changing - but where the need for meaningful stories remains.

Story Founders

Story Founders is the new accelerator by Future of Film, designed to help storytellers build projects - and creative practices - that can endure.

Applications are now open:

👉 futureoffilm.live/storyfounders/

If you’re working on a screen project - or know someone who is - we’d encourage you to take a look.

About Jeff Rivera

Jeff Rivera is a three-time Telly Award winner, a published author (Warner Books), and Co-Executive Producer of the American Reality Television Awards. He is the creator of the acclaimed 1-Hour Mentorship and Showrunner Mentorship programs, which launched with world-class mentors including Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Steven Soderbergh,