Adobe Fellows at NAB 2024: opening doors to diverse voices for rich content creation
Entertainment content that highlights diversity has the power to influence perceptions and change minds. It’s not just about having diverse talent in front of the camera, however. Diversity behind the scenes exposes audiences to a wider variety of stories, viewpoints, and artistic choices. Not only does this help break down unconscious bias, but it also helps to create richer television and film that embraces the full range of humanity.
Media and entertainment professionals gather every year at the NAB Show, one of the industry’s largest trade shows produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. It’s a prime chance for attendees to meet with colleagues and learn about the next generation of tech, tools, and gear.
This year at NAB, we invited four up and coming video and film professionals to join us as Adobe Fellows. Each Fellow was nominated by partners of the Adobe Film & TV Fund, a new initiative from Adobe to address inequality in opportunities across the entertainment industry. This diverse group of emerging creators shared their experiences as they talked with industry innovators, got their hands on the latest equipment, and viewed exclusive sneak peaks of upcoming Adobe technologies.
First looks at new AI technologies
The Adobe Fellows come from a wide range of backgrounds and artistic viewpoints, but they all enjoyed seeing the latest breakthroughs from Adobe and other leaders in person.
Nominated by Gold House, Director Drex Lee is known for his cinematic smartphone videography that creatively showcases brands on social media. At NAB, he took advantage of the Adobe Fellowship to meet developers and discuss some of the biggest upcoming video editing features. The new generative AI capabilities in Adobe Premiere Pro captured his attention by showing him how he can upgrade audio, remove objects, and extend backgrounds to add extra polish to his videos in a fraction of the time.
Drex Lee in Adobe’s booth at NAB 2024; image source: Drex Lee.
“Seeing the generative AI features in Adobe Premiere Pro in action definitely won me over. It’s already making me think of new ways to use the video editing tools to create really mind-blowing results for my videos.”
-Drex Lee, Film Director
Creative Director Rich Tu, also nominated by Gold House, made a name for himself as an artist who explores technology and culture. He has contributed his storytelling talents to campaigns for brands such as Nike and Paramount, and his latest solo art exhibition, “Human Response”, combined AI, augmented reality, and physical art to explore concepts of loss and grief.
Rich Tu is officially in at NAB 2024; image source: Rich Tu.
“The AI tools and workflows Adobe presented were pretty incredible. They provide real advantages, such as the ability to quickly remove objects or extend scenes by a few critical frames, which will have a huge impact in terms of keeping special effects budgets in check.”
-Rich Tu, Creative Director
Besides seeing new products in action, Tu enjoyed meeting others working on the leading edge of technology, creativity, and multimedia. “I spoke with Alejandro Matamala Ortiz, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer of applied AI research company, Runway. It’s always a blast getting to chat with industry innovators and disruptors.”
Making valuable industry connections
Other Adobe Fellows also used NAB to network with upstarts and veterans, possibly opening doors for future opportunities.
Nominated by the NAACP, Alana I. Smith attended her first NAB Show this year. A rising senior studying Television and Film at Howard University, Smith is passionate about making films that depict Black life in all worlds and genres. While she enjoyed attending workshops and seeing new product launches from leading brands, it was the unique networking opportunities that made the event stand out for her.
Alana I. Smith checks out the latest filmmaking gear at NAB; image source: Alana I. Smith.
“I’m very thankful that I got to represent authentic storytelling and connect with veterans this early in my career. The industry can always do more to elevate the work of emerging video professionals and filmmakers, and this type of fellowship can lead to more opportunities and experiences.”
-Alana I. Smith, Television and Film Student
Nominated by Easterseals, Scott Klumb, an award-winning autistic filmmaker, often takes on the roles of writer, producer, director, and cinematographer across his projects, but he considers himself an editor first and foremost. At NAB he most enjoyed learning how text-based editing and AI features in Premiere Pro, such as Generative Extend, will dramatically improve productivity for his edits.
Scott Klumb at the Adobe Video Community Summit event at NAB 2024; image source: Scott Klumb
“It was my first time attending NAB. I’ve never seen a convention of this magnitude, but I felt at home right away. Meeting and learning from the best in the business was a priceless opportunity that lifted my enthusiasm and confidence. I look forward to developing those new relationships and sharing my journey as a filmmaker as we grow together.”
-Scott Klumb, Filmmaker
Storytelling for all
Adobe believes in the power of storytelling to build empathy, strengthen inclusion, and expand perspectives. Through initiatives such as the Adobe Film & TV Fund, the company supports underrepresented creators and brings more diverse stories to wider audiences.
“Representation in media is important, but it’s also important for technology companies to hear from a variety of audiences to build more effective products,” says Tu. “I appreciated how our group at NAB contributed more diverse viewpoints and open dialogue that will continue to change filmmaking for the better.”
To learn more about the Adobe Film & TV Fund, click here.