Rough Cut

We sat down with the award-winning and meticulously creative Canadian filmmaker Charlie Tyrell, co-director of The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, to talk about the value of handmade filmmaking in an increasingly synthetic world. Video Consortium’s founder Sky Dylan-Robbins and Charlie explored the decision to tell a story about artificial intelligence through an entirely handcrafted visual approach, shaped by Charlie’s tactile stop-motion style and the painstaking work behind it. Their conversation digs into the tension between efficiency and authenticity, Charlie’s belief that the struggle of making something yourself is part of what makes the work meaningful, and the importance of developing a distinctive creative voice while holding onto curiosity, critical thinking, and genuine human connection as AI reshapes how we make and experience stories.

Show Links: 
Charlie Tyrell 
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist 
The AI Doc on Peacock (US)
The AI Doc on Apple TV

Credits
Host: Sky Dylan-Robbins
Guests: Charlie Tyrell
Executive Producers: Sky Dylan-Robbins, Kat Vecchio
Producer: Audrey Horwitz
Music: Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium

As AI rapidly reshapes the media landscape, how can we embrace new tools without losing the creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking that make storytelling matter? We spoke with journalist and producer Bianca Consunji about what the rise of artificial intelligence means for creativity, journalism, and the future of nonfiction storytelling. Bianca’s cross-cutting background in both storytelling and tech brings a nuanced perspective on how creatives can use AI as a tool without losing the human qualities that make great work original. She and Video Consortium’s founder, Sky Dylan-Robbins, discuss AI's limitations, the importance of critical thinking and taste, the risks of bias and homogenization, and why journalists might be uniquely equipped to help shape more responsible AI systems.

Show Links: 
Bianca Consunji

Credits
Host: Sky Dylan-Robbins
Guests: Bianca Consunji
Executive Producers: Sky Dylan-Robbins, Kat Vecchio 
Producer: Audrey Horwitz
Music: Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium

What if the future of AI in the creative industry isn’t inevitable? We chatted with Ted Tremper, producer, director, and writer whose credits include The Daily Show, I Love You, America! with Sarah Silverman, the Borat sequel and The AI Doc, and who serves as the Executive Director of the Creators Coalition on AI, about making art in the age of AI, and what it means to have a say in where the technology goes next. They explore how the promise of replacing human workers has become a sales pitch for the AI industry, and what artists can do to challenge that narrative before it becomes reality. They consider the danger of the “industrialization of storytelling” and what it means to move beyond simply accepting or rejecting AI, toward shared language, collective action, and clear boundaries around the technology. With the rules of AI still being written, the conversation asks what it would take for storytellers to help shape what comes next.

Show Links: 
Ted Tremper
Creators Coalition on AI
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

Credits
Host: Sky Dylan-Robbins
Guests: Ted Tremper
Executive Producers: Sky Dylan-Robbins, Kat Vecchio
Producer: Audrey Horwitz
Music: Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium

On this episode of Rough Cut, VC Executive Director, Sky Dylan-Robbins, talks with filmmaker Anthony DiMieri about his unconventional path across nonfiction, fiction, and political campaigns. They discuss Anthony's projects, including Subway Takes and Keep the Meter Running, which blend documentary storytelling, comedy, and social media to reach audiences where they are, as well as his iconic Melted Solids collaboration with Debbie Saslow on the viral social videos for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. Anthony shares his thoughts on the future of filmmaking, vertical versus horizontal video, building audiences online, and why community might be the antidote to nihilism.
Show Links: 
Anthony DiMieri
Melted Solids
Zohran Halalflation
Fix the MTA: campaign precursor, early use of doc style for Zohran media
Claire Valdez + Zohran
Zohran Polar Plunge 
Zohran Donors (our favorite from the primary)
Zohran Nightclub Documentary
KTMR x Zohran
Subway Takes Ep 1

Credits
Host Sky Dylan-Robbins 
Guest Anthony DiMieri
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins, Kat Vecchio 
Produced by Audrey Horwitz
Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium

Leonard Cortana, the Inclusion Program and Strategic Partnerships Manager at EURODOC joins Rough Cut, with guest host Keisha Knight, founder of Sentient.Art.Film and Solidarity Media Network, for a wide-ranging conversation on documentary filmmaking, collective care, and the future of global nonfiction storytelling. Leonard reflects on how documentaries can serve as tools for restorative justice, why producers need spaces built on empathy and shared values, and how initiatives like BIPOC EURODOC are challenging the inequities embedded in the international film ecosystem. Together, Keisha and Leonard explore everything from visa inequities and festival culture to burnout, representation, and the radical generosity needed to create a more inclusive documentary ecosystem.

Show Links
EURODOC: https://www.eurodoc-net.com
BIPOC EURODOC: https://www.eurodoc-net.com/bipoc
Solidarity Media Network: https://www.solidaritymedianetwork.org

Credits
Host Keisha Knight
Guest Leonard Cortana
Executive Produced by Sky Dylan-Robbins and Kat Vecchio
Produced by Audrey Horwitz
Music by Zack Wright

Click here to join or support the Video Consortium