“As the artist program lead for Sora, making this intro film for a company event was not a part of my normal routine. The project took five days of bouncing between scripting, generating and editing like a ping pong on a mission, iterating on workflows that were vastly different than any I’d built before. Yet none of it would have been possible without the decade I’d spent working as an independent director, cinematographer, producer and editor. It was messy, overwhelming, awe-inspiring, surprising, and deeply liberating. And for all the lessons I learned, the most salient was just how unrelentingly curious and patient our artists have had to be to create meaningful work with this tool. Because it takes time to become a person who can make art that impacts another. Just like it takes time to make art that says something only you can. One of the greatest privileges of the last 10 months has been meeting the kinds of people who make that kind of art, and inviting them to explore the unknown with us. Those who have chosen to take the plunge have granted a gift I will spend my life working to be worthy of— the chance to witness someone discovering their creative voice anew. It is an honor to see the universe through all of your eyes. And it is the reason any of this work matters. In spite of all the adversity (internally, externally, jeremy bearemy), this is also what gives me real hope in the future. Because the story of humans and technology is not easy or simple or clean, but it is still our story to write together. Not sometime later, not by somebody else. By us. Right now. I am so grateful to my colleagues and artists for trusting me with their energy, time, patience, and council. This launch is a testament to what’s possible when we decide to try something that’s never been done before. It is a moment worth celebrating. All my love, world. Happy Sora-ing. 🕊️🌌🚀 “ - @itsasouki, Artist Program Lead.