Hollywood Meets AI: Inside the Making of Tomorrow’s Creative Tools | #115: Jiri Kilevnik

Jiri Kilevnik is a Creative Director and AI VFX Pipeline Architect at Runway, where he helps build the next generation of creative tools for filmmakers and video creators. Before joining Runway, he spent years as a Visual Effects Supervisor at Framestore and Rodeo FX, working on projects like Deadpool and Wolverine, Loki, The Fall Guy and Snow White. He also teaches at NYU, helping students combine AI with real-world production pipelines. In this episode, Jiri shares how he went from studying to become an electrician in a small Czech town to supervising blockbuster films and building cutting-edge tools at one of the world’s most innovative AI startups. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at working in an industry where progress happens faster than ever, along with real advice for anyone aiming to break into VFX, AI or the new wave of creative tech. Connect with JIri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiri-kilevnik-48a0584b/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8945630/ https://www.jirikilevnik.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 – How AI is changing filmmaking 01:00 – Podcast intro and guest welcome 02:27 – From Star Wars fan to VFX artist 04:45 – First projects: ads and shampoo labels 05:08 – Why Jiri never went to film school 06:55 – Learning Maya and Shake from manuals 08:40 – How learning VFX has changed since the 2000s 10:14 – Breaking into film after years of rejection 13:44 – Freelancing abroad: London and Barcelona 15:30 – Working on Game of Thrones in Croatia 17:26 – Persistence, failure, and staying motivated 21:13 – Why filmmakers must learn AI now 23:51 – How fast AI is changing VFX workflows 25:42 – Moving from film to AI development 29:14 – Building The Weeknd’s AI avatar for Spotify 33:01 – Using AI for Marvel movies 37:36 – Why advertising adopted AI faster than film 40:33 – Joining Runway as Creative Director 42:45 – What Jiri actually does at Runway 45:46 – How he accidentally became popular on LinkedIn 47:58 – Balancing work, family, and side projects 49:26 – Book and film recommendations (sci-fi favourites) 52:19 – Where to find Jiri online 54:19 – Why sharing failures matters in tech 56:47 – Podcast closing and thank you   Connect with Tommen: X: https://x.com/TomasLoucky⁠⁠⁠ Stan: https://stan.store/Tommen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasloucky/⁠⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisistommen/⁠⁠ More: FenPost: https://fenpost.com/ Links: https://linktr.ee/produced_by⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://producednewsletter.substack.com/⁠ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProducedByPodcast⁠⁠⁠/ Podcasting tools I recommend: JamX: https://jamx.ai/podcasters-offer?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=e02d48af-ef66-4e76-b804-c2e8d282a8bf Riverside: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=tomas-loucky Adobe Podcast: https://adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:1101l584tU/creativeref:1011l150787 FenPost: https://fenpost.com/?via=tomas Metricool: https://f.mtr.cool/HRJBZK Some links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you find these tools helpful, using these links supports the show. Thank you!