Play with the Tools, Protect the Craft: A Creative Code for the AI Era

🎨 AI is transforming creativity—and this week on The Immergence Show, co-hosts Ian Harrison (creative technologist, anthropologist, and entrepreneur) and Nico Fara sit down with Carl Cleanthes, founder of animation studio Epic Made, to unpack how artists can stay ahead of the curve without losing their craft.

Carl has spent nearly two decades creating bold, animated stories for brands like Nickelodeon, WWE, and SyFy. He’s also pushing boundaries in his personal work—using GenAI to honor his late father’s legacy through live-streamed art and custom-trained models.

But when it comes to brand work? He draws a clear ethical line.

Together, we explore:

✅ Why Carl uses AI in personal projects but not commercial campaigns

✅ What a modern “creative code” looks like in the GenAI era