HPA Newsline had the opportunity to speak with Caleb and Shelby Ward, founders of Curious Refuge. Caleb and Shelby were participants in the 2024 HPA Tech Retreat Supersession, and the upcoming Tech Retreat After Dark. These innovators, enablers and adept creators have some important messages to share, including the need for true creativity, making things you want to make and the need for the human touch.
In the swiftly evolving landscape of filmmaking, Curious Refuge has emerged as a place where storytellers can fully explore how AI will enable their stories in a time of creative renaissance.
What is Curious Refuge?
Curious Refuge is the world's first online home for AI storytellers. We believe that AI is dramatically changing the way we create films, so we created a place for artists to explore new tools and contextualize them in their workflows. We train artists in over 109 countries and at every major studio on the latest AI production processes. Our content is the most up-to-date and relevant training on AI production and our experienced team supports the learning process.
We are now hosting meetups and events around the world where our community can come together to celebrate this new creative renaissance, develop new connections, and explore ideas together.
We also have the opportunity to speak at incredible industry events like the HPA Tech Retreat - where we can share our thoughts on how AI is changing creativity.
How did Curious Refuge come to be?
Our careers have been spent helping and empowering storytellers through technology. We have both grown online schools ranging from Motion Design and Animation to VFX and Compositing. With the adoption of generative AI, we saw that artists needed a place that would push into curiosity and not just fear. It was a natural transition to AI training. The name Curious Refuge' really embodies the community that we are building.
In addition to the tsunami of interest in AI, are there other technologies or tools that you are excited about for your own work and for other filmmakers?
It's hard to imagine a tool that brings me more excitement than AI tools at this point. It seems like just about every tool, plugin, and technology are using AI at this point. Practically speaking we are very excited for the continued development of native AI dubbing tools, especially when integrated on larger platforms like YouTube. Giving your audience the ability to consume your content in their native tongue and in the same voice as the actor will be a game-changer for the way we distribute our work. This technology will dramatically expand our audience reach and the types of filmmakers who get recognized for their work. That's a win-win for both distribution and awareness.
Viewers will see in the upcoming Tech Retreat After Dark, you spoke about your experience with Barbenheimer , and making changes to it that took it viral. Are there specific programming or industry trends that have had the most impact on filmmakers and the creative community?
Understanding the distribution platform is incredibly important when you are marketing a film or idea. We've found that small changes can dramatically impact the way in which a project is received online and indexed in the algorithm. As a result, we now employ AI testing tools to help us get maximum engagement on platforms like YouTube, and we are constantly reviewing the trends and best practices on every platform that we have a presence on.
However, for us we aren't creating projects to go viral. We simply want to create projects that creatively excite us. It's the balance between what the spreadsheets say and what is creatively inspiring, which is so common across most creative industries.
What are the most important lessons that filmmakers can learn about AI and their creative careers? How will it enhance, threaten, change how filmmakers tell their stories?
AI can't create meaningful results without a human behind it. At Curious Refuge we have seen time and time again that people who begin to experiment with these tools ultimately find that they require a set of skills to use them well. These skills typically draw on the underlying creative skill sets like Art Direction, Video Editing, Writing, or any other significant communication superpower. Ultimately, great storytellers are able to tell great stories with AI. So, if you are skilled at any step of the storytelling process, you have many more opportunities ahead of you if you embrace these tools.
What about your recent event at NAB, the first AI eSports event in Las Vegas?
We hosted the world's first create AI eSports tournament in Las Vegas at NAB 2024. The event was an experiment to see if creative eSports could be exciting for an audience and we were stunned with how successful the event was. We had hundreds of people in attendance and it was genuinely suspenseful and exciting. We are excited to explore AI eSports further and see what the future could hold for that new industry.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
HPA Newsline had the opportunity to speak with Caleb and Shelby Ward, founders of Curious Refuge. Caleb and Shelby were participants in the 2024 HPA Tech Retreat Supersession, and the upcoming Tech Retreat After Dark. These innovators, enablers and adept creators have some important messages to share, including the need for true creativity, making things you want to make and the need for the human touch.
