Creativity Squared: On Over 100K Impressions of #ImaginationAge Post!!

Dear Creativity Squared Member —

I have a confession: I was today years old when I learned the term “hockey butt” — the fun discovery happened from a YouTube ad from State & Liberty featuring professional hockey player Dylan Larkin. Here’s a compilation video to give ya a flavor:

In my interview with King Willonius, I also confessed to not knowing the acronym BBL before his song “BBL Drizzy” went viral — it’s “Brazilian butt lift”. 😉😋🍑

What does all of this have to do with A.I. (and not just a clickbait-y subject line 😉)?

Hyperpersonalization, at speed — and at scale. 

These are cultural and business signals of embracing unique body types, going super niche, and customizing for an audience. 

There are signs and signals of this happening across the board, too.

Here in Cincinnati, we have the amazing human David Whelan, who is breaking barriers and records as an amputee and adaptive athlete and works with brands like Fillauer with a mission to lead the evolution, design, and technology of orthotic and prosthetic products and services.

Based in Berlin, the wildly talented photographer J. Konrad Schmidt created a critically acclaimed erotic photo book, ‘HÔTEL NOIR II’, featuring non-stock image bodies (he also took my portrait that’s on the podcast cover!). 

In NYC, in the SexTech space, there are new technologies opening up access to pleasure for all body types, too. 

While there are trends and reasons to go super niche, there will always be a place for mass media and pop culture — I’ll never forget when Ready Player One Novelist, Film Writer and Producer, and Readyverse Manifestor Ernie Cline said on stage at SXSW in 2018 where the film premiered at SXSW: Culture can create community. You know people dis on pop culture, but I don't know what other culture are you gonna reference — unpopular culture?!

As the content becomes more personalized, we’ll no longer be projecting ourselves onto other characters but inserting our own avatars — realistic or fantastical — into personalized stories, games, learning, and other forms of entertainment and consumption touched by and/or enabled by technology. This will spill over to hypercustomization of many more things, including clothes, adaptive technology, or even whatever you can 3D print! (We talked about 3D printing in Episode 64 with Mark Bryan.)

That’s why sports and live viewing events like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Billie Eilish’s tours have an almost spiritual nature (I haven’t been yet, but that’s what I hear!). 

That’s why Scott Galloway is bullish on investing in sporting teams (and why we’re seeing our friends in the Middle East do the same!).

The future is the Imagination Age where the creator economy will surpass the information economy. 

This means that there will be a need for:

• Niche, highly customized tailoring fit to the needs and/or whims of the individual 

• In-person collective experiences in community with others — intimate to stadium-sized

• Mass popular media/content/games/experiences that serve as cultural reference points (or what Ernie Cline calls “pop culture shorthand”) across different people — age, background, etc. 

In other news, I’m happy to share that my LinkedIn post as of right before the publishing of this newsletter is over 119K impressions! Thank you for your help!

And since I promised a preview of the podcast studio, here’s a little sneak peek:

Today, the fab Drew and Ann from PLAY Audio Agency, who helps produce the show, stopped by for 2025 planning. We have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline for this year, so stay tuned!

Last but certainly not least, my heart is with all those impacted by the devasting wildfires in LA.

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility and manifesting more magic in 2025! 🪄✨

With love,
Helen (Human)

p.s. Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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📆 EVENTS, A.I. CONFERENCES & MORE! 

👷‍♀️ JANUARY 14 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Jan meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🤝 JANUARY 14 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Jan meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host) — SOLD OUT
🤝 FEBRUARY 4 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Feb meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)  — 🎟 RSVP today!
🎤 FEBRUARY 6 Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Cincinnati (Speaker)
👷‍♀️ FEBRUARY 12 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Feb meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎤 FEBRUARY 12 EO Learning Luncheon, Cincinnati (Speaker - Private)
🪑 FEBRUARY 15 T­E­Dx­U­Cincinnati­Salon, Cincinnati (Attendee)
🥳 FEBRUARY 18 Helen’s Birthday! ✨🎂
🤝 MARCH 4 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), March meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
🎓 MARCH 9 SXSW Official Mentor Session, Austin (Mentor) [🎟 SXSW March 7-15]
👷‍♀️ MARCH 11 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), March meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎤 MARCH 11 (Tentative date) SXSW (#SXSW), 🤠 Austin (Speaker) [🎟 SXSW March 7-15]
🤝 APRIL 1 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), April meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ APRIL 9 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), April meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
📍 APRIL 9 OhioX GovTech Summit 
🎤 APRIL 26 T­E­Dx­U­Cincinnati, Cincinnati (Interviewing Phase to be Speaker 🤞)
🤝 MAY 6 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), May meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
📍 MAY 8 OhioX 2025 Ohio Tech Summit (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (On radar to attend)
👷‍♀️ MAY 13 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), May meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎤 MAY 16 Power to Pursue, Cincinnati (Speaker) 
🪑 JUNE 10-12 Cincy AI Week (#CincyAIWeek), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
🤝 JUNE 17 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), June meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
🤝 JULY 1 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), July meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ JULY 8 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), July meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎥 JULY 17-20 (Tentative dates) ArtsWave 2025 Black and Brown Artists Grant Program Showcase, Cincinnati (Media Partner)
🎥 JULY 16-18 Data 4 Public Good (D4PG, #D4PG), Minneapolis (Media Partner) 
🤝 AUGUST 5 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Aug meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ AUGUST 13 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Aug meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🤝 SEPTEMBER 2 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Sept meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ SEPTEMBER 9 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Sept meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🪑 SEPTEMBER 10-11 MidwestCon (#MidwestCon), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
📍 SEPTEMBER 26 OhioX Ohio Tech Day (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (On radar to attend)
🤝 OCTOBER 7 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Oct meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host) - 2 Year Anniversary! 🥳
👷‍♀️ OCTOBER 8 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), October meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply)
🪑 OCTOBER 14-16 Marketing AI Conference (MAICON, #MAICON) Cleveland (Attendee)
🤝 NOVEMBER 4 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Nov meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ NOVEMBER 11 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), November meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply) - 2 Year Anniversary! 🥳
🪑 NOVEMBER 19 OhioX Ohio AI Summit (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (Attendee)
🤝 DECEMBER 2 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Dec meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
🎥 DECEMBER 5-7 FilmGate Immersive Festival at Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami (Media Partner) [Art Basel Miami Beach Dec 5-7]
👷‍♀️ DECEMBER 10 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Dec meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - - Apply to join) 🥳

✨❄️🎄 December 25 - January 7 Holiday Break 🥳❄️✨

Interested in having me speak at your event or host a workshop for your organization? Reach out!

🗞 PRESS & PODCAST INTERVIEWS

🖥 SXSW Conference Community Newsletter (December 5, 2024) — SXSW 2025 Speaker Helen Todd talks Digital Twins

🎙 AI Explored with Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner (November 5, 2024) — Using AI to Expand Your Ideas and Creativity 

🎙 Reflections with an Accent with Kike Calvo (October 18, 2024) — Unveiling AI's Creative Power with Helen Todd | Reflections with an Accent 

🏆 Aviatra Accelerators (September 5, 2024) — Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 

📖 Movers & Makers Magazine (October 1, 2024) Notables in AI + Print

OpenAI adds agentic AI tasks to ChatGPT. Here's what it can do for you | Mashable

She Is In Love With ChatGPT | NYT

British novelists criticise government over AI ‘theft’ | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian 

A New Jam-Packed Biden Executive Order Tackles Cybersecurity, AI, and More | WIRED

OpenAI presents its preferred version of AI regulation in a new 'blueprint' | TechCrunch 

Inside Meta’s race to beat OpenAI: ‘We need to learn how to build frontier and win this race’ - The Verge

AI researcher François Chollet founds a new AI lab focused on AGI | TechCrunch

What Happens When You Turn Your Life Over to an AI Assistant? | WIRED

Facebook Shuts Down Machine Learning Systems for Identifying Viral Hoaxes | Futurism

OpenAI is bankrolling Axios' expansion into four new markets | TechCrunch

Google inks deal with The Associated Press to bring more real-time info to Gemini | TechCrunch

Hinge’s new AI feature determines if your prompt response is too basic | TechCrunch

Listen: Ep.75 BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting A.I.: Discover How Will Hatcher Manifested His Way to a Time100 A.I. 2024 Honoree

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“If you're trying to play life safe, then I don't think you can fully experience life, you know. So you gotta go to places that you never been before, be in uncomfortable situations, because that's where the real growth is.” -King Willonius

Discover the magic of manifesting in a Creativity Squared exclusive interview from the ONLY comedian (and one of two artists!) who’s a Time100 AI 2024 honoree in the Innovators category: King Willonius. 👑 

His real name is Willonius Hatcher (his first name is pronounced “Will-OWN-ee-us,” and he also goes by Will). 2024 has been a breakout year for Will after his “BBL Drizzy” comedy song went viral — the first song made in collaboration with A.I. that became a cultural phenomenon, transcending genres and mediums!  

What do Burning Man, Dune 2, and the Frost Planetarium have to do with his story? Listen in to our 75th episode — and the last one for 2024! — to find out.

Creativity Squared interviewed Will live at the FilmGate Miami Interactive Festival XI, one of the top ten immersive festivals in the world! You’ll hear why it’s so special from the festival’s Head Curator, Co-Founder, and Executive Producer, Diliana Alexander. 

On opening night, the FilmGate Miami audience got a preview of the “BBL Drizzy Musical Dome Experience”. Next year, Creativity Squared will be back to see the full production and host another time capsule conversation with Will. 

Once you check out the interview, you’ll know that Will is just scratching the surface of what’s possible — he’s ahead of the entertainment industries, and is definitely one to follow!

Why did he make the Time100 AI 2024 Innovators list? 

For Creativity Squared Founder and Podcast Host, Helen Todd’s take, check out the dedicated blog post accompanying this episode (we recommend starting with this first 😉):

Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Here’s to manifesting more magic in the new year — enjoy! 💝🪄✨

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