It’s been a few weeks since Secret Sauce: AI & Chill took over All Is Joy Studios in Soho, but the conversation it sparked about how to walk, talk and laugh through the artificial intelligence fog hasn’t cooled.
Despite September’s tube strikes turning the neighbourhood into a three-people-per-Lime-bike style obstacle course, the event drew a full house of filmmakers, producers, and curious creatives looking to get practical and playful about AI.
Hosted by filmmaker and VFX artist Anthony Rubinstein, the evening steered clear of sci-fi doom or hype and instead dug into the real, messy, inspiring ways AI is already aiding and reshaping creative work. Rubinstein was joined on stage by Chris Boyle (Private Island), Katharina Gellein Viken (Metrotone Media), Ramy Dance + Darri Thorsteinsson (Future Crea+ives), and Dan Andrew (Covert) for candid, fireside-style conversations about workflows, experiments, stumbles, and wins - the kind of talk that rarely makes it to LinkedIn.
“It was brilliant to have a room full of people ready to talk about what AI is doing now, not just what it might do,” said host Anthony Rubinstein. “It’s messy, it’s unpredictable, but it’s also unlocking new ways of making things sharper, faster, and sometimes gloriously stranger.”
Headline sponsors Future Crea+ives played a pivotal role in supporting the event. Co Founder Ramy Dance reflected:
“AI doesn’t need to be scary. The more you put it in the hands of people who understand craft, the more you see it’s not a replacement - it’s a tool. My business partner Ramy embodies that thinking. His passion for using AI as a creative ally is infectious and inspiring.”
Corin West, MD at Lemonade, summed up the energy in the room:
“Lemonade’s Secret Sauce AI and Chill event wasn’t about grandstanding or predicting the death of cinema. It was about a community of makers sharing real talk and real tools. No fluff -just craft, with a side of good humour.”
The event’s key takeaways still resonate:
AI is proving invaluable as a pre-production ally.
Its fails are often hilarious and sometimes spark better ideas than success.
It works best when treated like an intern: unpredictable but occasionally brilliant.
Making the impossible possible!
With the backing of headline sponsor Future Crea+ives and event partners Creative Outpost, NAF+, Covert, and Common People, Secret Sauce once again proved the value of real talk over tech-speak.
The next Secret Sauce is already in the works, promising the same mix of pragmatic insight, bold creativity, and just enough heckling to keep things interesting.