Cocktails, Conversations, and the Road to NAB 2025

From Mardin to Montecito, and All the Way to Vegas

I’m heading to NAB next weekend, and I’m buzzing. Not because of the gear (though, sure, I’ll absolutely lose time to a good compression demo). What really lights me up is seeing people I haven’t shared a hallway or happy hour with in far too long. There’s a rhythm to this industry, and events like NAB and IBC are where and when it snaps back into place.

I’ve been going to this show off and on since 1996. Honestly, more on than off. I’ve worn just about every hat possible on the NAB floor: buyer, exhibitor, freelancer, consultant, startup founder, exec. This year? None of the above or maybe a little of all of them. It’s my first NAB since stepping away from Microsoft, and I’ll be showing up with no agenda beyond conversation and curiosity.

No booth. No meetings to land. No branded swag. Not even a Beach Buck. Just me, walking the floor, catching up, and seeing what’s actually new… and what’s just last year’s idea with a new logo and a shinier slide deck.

And that’s part of why I keep coming back. For all its chaos and spectacle, NAB always delivers the moments that matter: that person you only ever see in Vegas. That accidental 5-minute chat that turns into a 45-minute idea jam. That weird cocktail napkin sketch that becomes your next six-month rabbit hole.

If you’re going to be there, let’s make time. I’m on two panels this year—one takes a clear-eyed look at AI and where things might go sideways, the other explores how it can actually help us be more creative.

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🎙️ Sunday, April 6 | 2:50 PM | Creator Lab Theater B

DeepSeek and the New Reality: Progress or Pandora’s Box

AI models are everywhere now—but what happens when they all start to feel… the same? We’ll get into what that means for the media ecosystem, how the economics of AI are shifting, and what needs to be rethought at the application layer. Come for the caution, stay for the real talk.

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🎙️ Monday, April 7 | 2:45 PM | Theater 2

SMPTE Presents: AI as Ally — Enhancing Human Creativity in Media Production

This one leans hopeful. We’ll look at real use cases where AI tools are making life easier for creators—helping them move faster, make smarter decisions, and stay in the flow longer. Less buzzword bingo, more practical magic.

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🎧 Something New: Future Frames Podcast

While I’m at NAB, I’ll be floating something I’ve been quietly building: a podcast called Future Frames. I’m co-creating it with Doug Daulton, in partnership with SMPTE, and it’s exactly the kind of project I’ve wanted to make for a while—curious, grounded, and not afraid to sit with complexity.

The show is about the space where media and AI collide—sometimes in thrilling ways, sometimes in ways that need a little more scrutiny. We’re talking to creators, technologists, skeptics, optimists, and the folks in the middle who are just trying to make things work.

Think of it as Huberman meets Pivot meets a good hallway conversation at NAB—with less posturing and more real talk.

I can’t pull this off solo. I’ll be looking for sponsors and collaborators while I’m in Vegas. So if you’re working at a company that wants to support honest, smart, future-facing conversations—and help me bring this thing to life—come find me. I’ll buy the coffee (or the cocktail).

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Did I say cocktails?!

For my friend Pinar’s birthday, I created two original drinks. She was having a party last Friday night and sadly I couldn’t fly down to join her. So we had a chat about some of her favorite places and I riffed a few drink ideas together. Pinar is as creative as they come, so I didn’t want to give her flavor experiments, but little moodboards in a glass. Each one nods to a place she holds close: Mardin and Montecito. One is smoky, bittersweet, and grounded. The other’s bright, bubbly, and full of spring.

The goal wasn’t to be clever. It was to be emotional. I wanted the drinks to feel like memory. Like geography with a heartbeat.

🍸 Paid subscribers get the full recipes.

If you’re the kind of person who thinks a drink should tell a story—or just want to impress someone with your next round—hit the upgrade button. It helps me keep writing things like this, and mixing drinks like that.