EPISODE · Mar 13, 2026 · 1H 40M
#79: ‘AI Stole My Book’ Ex-Disney Exec on the $1.5B Copyright Fight (What Creatives Must Know About AI) - Adam Leipzig
from Watson-Howland
AI is already training on your work, without asking, without paying, and without waiting for you to catch up. Former Disney and National Geographic executive Adam Leipzig had his own book scraped into an AI model, and he's here to tell you exactly what creatives must do before it's too late.Adam Leipzig has helped produce over 35 films, including Dead Poets Society and March of the Penguins, generating over $2 billion at the box office and earning 10 Oscars and 11 BAFTA win/nominations. He now teaches at UC Berkeley and is the author of Fearless Persistence.📘 Fearless Persistence by Adam Leipzig (April 2026): Purchase/pre-order through his official site: adamleipzig.com🌐 Adam Leipzig's Official Website:adamleipzig.com🎓 Adam at UC Berkeley (Haas School of Business):haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/leipzig-adam🎓 Adam at UC Berkeley Executive Education:executive.berkeley.edu/faculty-directory/adam-leipzig🎬 MediaU — Adam's Online Film School:mediau.com00:00 WATCH THIS BEFORE AI REPLACES YOU00:27 Meet Adam Leipzig01:38 AI Is Retrospective03:22 Jobs Disrupted and Created04:58 AI as Film Tool07:50 Formula vs Breakthrough Art09:36 Spotting AI Outputs12:29 Copyright Lawsuits and Piracy14:29 New Book Fearless Persistence16:53 10 Laws of Omics20:45 Context and Communication25:26 Creative Career Curiosity27:25 Black and White Western Dream31:42 Choosing Projects and People34:29 Red Flags and Truth37:35 Authenticity and Vulnerability40:52 Deadlines Beat Perfectionism43:14 Emotional Resilience for Creators47:53 Meditation and the Power of Next51:33 Learning From Wins Losses52:07 Mission And Purpose52:56 Disney Lessons Katzenberg55:04 Why Leave Disney57:47 What Producers Really Do01:02:53 Workflows That Scale01:04:49 Joyful Work And Risk01:09:07 Creative Community Matters01:13:39 Why Art Shapes Us01:17:15 Parenting And Boundaries01:20:47 Love Later In Life01:23:46 Grief Mortality Presence01:26:41 Photography And Stillness01:30:24 Pie Crust Vodka Hack01:34:49 Communication And Mantras01:37:03 Final Thanks And Plug01:38:04 Podcast Blueprint Pitch01:40:14 Closing GoodbyeJacob’s Work1-1 Coaching + Podcast Blueprint: https://www.skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385All images, film artwork, and photos of Adam Leipzig used with permission, courtesy of Adam Leipzig and adamleipzig.comMusic created using Eleven Music by ElevenLabs
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#79: ‘AI Stole My Book’ Ex-Disney Exec on the $1.5B Copyright Fight (What Creatives Must Know About AI) - Adam Leipzig
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