The Future of Visual Storytelling

Television, our most universal form of visual storytelling, has undergone a digital revolution. Open Television founder AJ Christian joins Dirk and Jon to discuss the medium today and how it may change in the future. AJ Christian, the author of Open TV, Founder and Head of Development at Open Television, and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, joins Dirk and Jon to take a deep dive into television. Moving from past to present to future and analyzing the development and distribution sides from both a corporate and independent perspective, Dr. Christian provides a rich foundation to explore. We delve into computational augmentation, automation, and the social opportunities and challenges that the present and future have to offer.   Memorable Quotes "One of my concerns is, will automated technologies make us think that it doesn't matter that people get to tell their stories?" "Culture is so complicated. It's ever changing, so diverse. It's very difficult for AI to really understand how to develop culture in a way that actually will be sustainable to a business independent of human intervention." "Humans exist through storytelling, and our world is shifting all the time. And we're in the world first before the machines are." "The barriers to entry are lower so people who had been historically excluded can now make their own TV shows and distribute them." "The beauty of television and the Internet is that it's easily accessible to anyone at almost any moment these days, and AR and VR and anything that you might lay on top of that still seems not quite there yet."   Who You'll Hear Dirk Knemeyer, Social Futurist and Producer of Creative Next (@dknemeyer) Jonathan Follett, Writer, Electronic Musician, Emerging Tech Researcher and Producer of Creative Next (@jonfollett) AJ Christian, Author of Open TV and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University (@drajchristian)   Join The Conversation Website & Newsletter: www.creativenext.org Twitter: @GoCreativeNext Facebook: /GoCreativeNext Instagram: @GoCreativeNext   Sponsors GoInvo, A design practice dedicated to innovation in healthcare whose clients are as varied as AstraZeneca, 3M Health Information Services, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.goinvo.com  Design Museum Foundation, A new kind of museum, they believe design can change the world. They're online, nomadic, and focused on making design accessible to everyone. Their mission: bring the transformative power of design everywhere. You can learn about their exhibitions, events, magazine, and more. www.designmuseumfoundation.org BIF, As a purpose-driven firm, BIF is committed to bringing design strategy where it is needed most - health care, education, and public service to create value for our most vulnerable populations. www.bif.is