Creativity Squared: On Manifesting and A.I. 

Dear Creativity Squared Member —

I have a confession: After an extremely busy kickstart to December with back-to-back high-energy experiences, I crashed pretty hard — I’m only human, too! ☺️

In next week’s email, I’ll elaborate more in our full yearend lookback celebration report, but in the span of two weeks, I did a month’s worth of work — cohosting our CincyAI meetup, jet-setting to Miami Art Basel, and being on stage at the 1819 Innovation Hub to get community feedback on my SXSW 2025 presentation concepts…just to name a few of the exciting things that were on my plate!  

Today, I want to focus on why I flew to Miami — in some ways, I manifested that, too! 

🥁  So…drumroll…for our SEVENTY-FIFTH Creativity Squared episode 🎉 ….

I couldn’t be more excited to share with you an exclusive interview from the ONLY comedian (and one of two artists!) who’s a Time100 AI 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).

After getting SO CLOSE, so many times to having a breakout as a comedian, filmmaker, and screenplay writer, he finally went big this year — so big, he made the Time100 AI list!

Will gets credit for helping diffuse the infamous Drake and Kendrick beef with his comedy song that unexpectedly went viral, “BBL Drizzy” — the first song made in collaboration with A.I. that became a cultural phenomenon, transcending genres and mediums! 

My conversation with Will acts as a time capsule to capture this moment in time in his life. 

Once you check out the full 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!  

I reflected on the question: Why did King Willonius make that list?

Now, I'm excited to share why I'm a massive fan convert of Willonius and invite you to see what I see...and from where I sit, why he's on that list, too.

Will’s a comedian first, but he’s skyrocketing ahead of the trajectory in the current creator/entertainment industries — who weren’t quite ready for him yet, or circumstances prevented it — maybe divine timing, too?!

Will tried to break into Hollywood earlier in his career, but ran into roadblocks when COVID hit!

He turned to innovative new tools to get his stories out to audiences, directly. One example from the pandemic is when he founded the original and largest comedy community on Clubhouse with over 250K members. There he released “The Young & The Thirsty,” the first-ever serialized live audio drama broadcast live on Clubhouse. (For more background on this story, check out the fab conversation between Will and Baratunde Thurston). 

Then the ChatGPT and GenAI moment happened. Will turned to and embraced A.I., and that changed the game for him.

Now the music industry is paying attention, but he’s already ahead of that industry, too.

Will represents where the creator economy is going, and where so many industries are trying to catch up and get to. 

"A.I. just has allowed me to dream way bigger." -King Willonius

His toolbox of expression has expanded, and now he can bring to life more stories from his vivid imagination! And his canvas keeps expanding too — to a Planetarium dome, a dream come true! (Will loves stargazing, too!)

Even with that said, there’s another reason he’s on that list. And it’s part of what makes us most…

human: humor.

For the same reason I’m a big fan of Trevor Noah, King Willonius is wickedly smart and knows how to repackage narratives, cultural moments, and truths in ways that make us laugh — AND offer fresh perspectives for audiences to reflect on.

It’s not a surprise that SXSW paired Trevor Noah with Esther Perel this past March — humor being a beautiful communication tool for human connection. Now for their answer on how humor is like sex, you'll have to listen to that full interview on Esther's #WhereShouldWeBegin podcast. 😉

Comedians understand the role of comedy to reveal more about ourselves in the most disarming way possible: through laughter.

Laughter can cut through tension — and there’s a LOT of tension in the world right now. I know, you know — we all know. Tension wayyy bigger than the Kendrick and Drake beef.

Comedy is an invitation to hear a new perspective…maybe sometimes uncomfortable truths — but packages it in humor, so if it resonates, we can all laugh about it, too.

As an example, if you’ve ever had a travel misadventure that was stressful at the time, but then was later turned into the funniest part of the trip, transforming stress into entertaining stories with little nuggets of truth or insights for consideration seeded in them.

And that’s where the magic lies. 🪄✨

We don’t tell all our friends elaborate stories about sunbathing and relaxing on the beach (although I love this, too!).

We’re much more likely to entertain our friends with stories like how we missed an international flight — I’ve missed more than a few! The last one included hiding my passport from myself in an AirBnB that didn’t have a safe, but an oven I knew I wouldn’t use! Yes, this really happened — guilty as charged! 😋

Although I was super stressed that day, now I can look back, laugh, and share the story so others can laugh with me! And trust me, I have a new strategy for my passport when I travel, too! 💡✈️

King Willonius, a fellow child of the 90s like myself, grew up watching Will Smith as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” And how cool that he got to meet him, just four months ago — a full circle moment!

The opening theme song turned into an anthem with the whole intention wrapped in a comedy song made for television, the mass medium of the 90s, to get the message out:

You’ve heard me say on the show before — you cannot be what you cannot see.

This TV show provided a vehicle/preview of what’s possible for Black men to transition from whatever their neighborhood circumstance was to something beyond their immediate environment, that they may not otherwise be able to see for themselves. But Will Smith and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” provided that — through representation, humor, and many colorful characters and misadventures!

Prince Will did this; Willonius, a native of Palm Beach County, Florida — surely, you can too!

Will Smith planted a seed, and I personally don’t think it’s a coincidence that the zeitgeist also reflects other famous Wills following in his footsteps:

Will-I-Am comes to mind.

And instead of a prince, we now have:

KING Will-On-I-Us

His last name also just happens to be “Hatcher” — and he’s coming out of his shell, spreading his wings, and as he soars, is bringing us along with him. Or rather, maybe hatching prolific ideas, exponentially — with the help of A.I.! Either way, what a beautiful gift that we all get to be part of — witnessing Will’s dreams manifest. 💝

Will grew up not allowed to use the word “can’t,” so through his brilliance and innovative, curious mind, in collaboration with all the fun new A.I. tools — and most importantly, through his humor — his dreams are coming to fruition.

For he knows who he is.

Enjoy this conversation — I’ll be back on stage with him next year at the hidden gem of Art Basel that is FilmGate Miami — to see, as Dr. Suess seeded: Oh, the Places You'll Go! Where will our King Willonius go next? 🌱

I know Will is just scratching the surface of all that’s possible, because he plays in the playground of possibility, too.

He’s one King to listen to when it comes to manifesting! 👑

In today's exclusive Creativity Squared interview, King Willonius shares — for the first time publicly — how he thinks about manifesting. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to amplify his story and the gifts he’s giving the world. 💝 

Getting more of a glimpse into Will’s universe (grounded both in reality as well as in the imagination and digital realms’ infinite possibilities!) — I discovered how FilmGate Miami nurtured him, gave him a safe space to come out and play, and a stage for his dreams to come true — and very importantly: funding too! His backstory showcases the many gifts that conference and festival organizers, like Diliana Alexander and SXSW’s Hugh Forrest, provide to emerging talent!

I can go on, so if you’re interested in more, stay tuned — I promise, it’ll be worth the wait! 😉

It’s taken me 75 episodes, 40 years on this planet, and a whole lot of experiences and misadventures along the way — but looking back, laughing, and learning, has got me to where I am.

It’s not A.I. ushering in the next era, it’s people. (A reframe I’m embracing in my vernacular and invite you to as well!)

And Will is one of our Kings, like Cincy’s Michael Coppage and Michael Thompson, ushering in the #ImaginationAge. (Don’t worry, we have fierce and beautiful Queens and the incredible ArtsWave in our city with 2.3 million residents with big dreams, too! 🌈🌹)

He’s ahead of the industries stuck in the extractive Information Age, showing how Generative A.I. can actually be nurturing to the soul (through humor!) and what the true meaning of the word “generative” can be for artists — Will created over 100 versions of BBL Drizzy for the world to play with, permeate, remix, and share…even get married to!

And if you didn’t know, I’ll fill you in on the inside joke, so you can laugh with us. The song that captured the imagination of people around the world, with a 70s Motown vibe, made with human lyrics, and A.I., on the Time100 AI List — is about a Brazilian Butt Lift. 🍑🤣

So as we are hopefully easing into the holidays, Will invites us to look back at all the tension from this year, and find ways to repackage the stress into stories that make us laugh.

Because what Will knows. What the algorithms know. What you know, I know, we all know —  

Laughter is the best kind of contagious — and that’s why I think “BBL Drizzy” not only went viral, but it helped our young King break out of his shell.

I can’t wait to see where he’ll take us next. 🚀

I know I’ll be returning to Miami Art Basel next year for FilmGate’s 12th edition and the official debut of the “BBL Drizzy Musical Dome Experience.” It’ll be an interactive adventure inspired by Hip-Hop and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2!

I don’t know about you, but I’m so looking forward to experiencing this immersive piece as it’s projected onto a dome, in one of his FilmGate Miami community’s spaces: The Frost Planetarium in Miami, home to science, art, and possibilities!

Enjoy! 💝

With love,
Helen (Human)

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

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🗞 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

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 A.I. collaborated song to go mainstream!

What does Burning Man, Dune 2, and the Frost Planetarium have to do with his story?

Listen in to our 75th episode — and 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 curator, co-founder, and executive producer, Diliana Alexander.  

On opening night, the FilmGate 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 hear 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:

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

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

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