How do you build an entire creative ecosystem? And what does it take to empower storytellers at scale?
In this episode, Alex speaks with Emmy-nominated producer, writer, doctor and serial entrepreneur Mehret Mandefro, a visionary voice at the intersection of storytelling, healing and creative innovation. As co-founder and MD of Realness Institute, Mehret has spent years strengthening Africa’s media landscape through training, mentorship and systemic infrastructure-building.
She shares her remarkable journey from medicine to media, the origins of her “audiovisual medicine” artistic practice, and the powerful lessons learned from pioneering television in Ethiopia and developing talent across the continent.
In a wide ranging conversation, Mehret also dives into:
• Why creative infrastructure is the missing piece in global storytelling
• How Realness Institute nurtures and de-risks new creative voices
• The urgent need for producers to think like entrepreneurs
• The role of technology and AI in elevating human stories
• Why Africa is central to the future of film
This is a conversation about creativity, systems change and the responsibility we all share in shaping the future of screen storytelling.
About Mehret Mandefro
Mehret Mandefro is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of culture, commerce, and social impact. A former physician turned storyteller, she has dedicated her career to transforming how stories are made—and who gets to tell them. Born in Ethiopia and raised in America, Mehret is a transnational force in global media who has built several groundbreaking enterprises, including Truth Aid Media in New York, Kana TV in Addis Ababa, and the Realness Institute in Cape Town, a nonprofit dedicated to training and mentoring writers, producers, and directors across Africa and the diaspora. Her award-winning film and television work bridges documentary and fiction, revealing hidden truths across the human experience. Her credits include How It Feels to Be Free (American Masters), Sweetness in the Belly (Amazon), Difret (Netflix), The Cost of Inheritance (PBS), Little White Lie (PBS), and Ethiopia’s first teen drama, Yegna. Recognized on Variety’s list of the most impactful women in global entertainment, Mehret is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is currently building the African Film and Media Arts Collective with artist Julie Mehretu with the support of BMW. Mehret has a BA in Anthropology from Harvard University, an MD from Harvard Medical School, a MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar, and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University.
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How do you build an entire creative ecosystem? And what does it take to empower storytellers at scale?
In this episode, Alex speaks with Emmy-nominated producer, writer, doctor and serial entrepreneur Mehret Mandefro, a visionary voice at the intersection of storytelling, healing and creative innovation. As co-founder and MD of Realness Institute, Mehret has spent years strengthening Africa’s media landscape through training, mentorship and systemic infrastructure-building.
She shares her remarkable journey from medicine to media, the origins of her “audiovisual medicine” artistic practice, and the powerful lessons learned from pioneering television in Ethiopia and developing talent across the continent.
In a wide ranging conversation, Mehret also dives into:
• Why creative infrastructure is the missing piece in global storytelling
• How Realness Institute nurtures and de-risks new creative voices
• The urgent need for producers to think like entrepreneurs
• The role of technology and AI in elevating human stories
• Why Africa is central to the future of film
This is a conversation about creativity, systems change and the responsibility we all share in shaping the future of screen storytelling.
About Mehret Mandefro
Mehret Mandefro is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of culture, commerce, and social impact. A former physician turned storyteller, she has dedicated her career to transforming how stories are made—and who gets to tell them. Born in Ethiopia and raised in America, Mehret is a transnational force in global media who has built several groundbreaking enterprises, including Truth Aid Media in New York, Kana TV in Addis Ababa, and the Realness Institute in Cape Town, a nonprofit dedicated to training and mentoring writers, producers, and directors across Africa and the diaspora. Her award-winning film and television work bridges documentary and fiction, revealing hidden truths across the human experience. Her credits include How It Feels to Be Free (American Masters), Sweetness in the Belly (Amazon), Difret (Netflix), The Cost of Inheritance (PBS), Little White Lie (PBS), and Ethiopia’s first teen drama, Yegna. Recognized on Variety’s list of the most impactful women in global entertainment, Mehret is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is currently building the African Film and Media Arts Collective with artist Julie Mehretu with the support of BMW. Mehret has a BA in Anthropology from Harvard University, an MD from Harvard Medical School, a MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar, and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University.
80. Jonathan Keasey, Justin MacGregor and Phil Egger: Crafting New Stories with AI
Future of Film Podcast
46 minutes 52 seconds
1 year ago
80. Jonathan Keasey, Justin MacGregor and Phil Egger: Crafting New Stories with AI
This episode explores the intersection of human creativity and AI technology. Filmmakers Jonathan Keasey and Justin MacGregor who are partnering with Phil Egger of J4 on a slate of films assisted by cutting edge AI technology. Entitled Hum.AI.ne Entertainment, their new initiative is focused on the ethical use of AI in the creative process and reflects Jonathan's journey from 'intentional Luddite' to a champion of the technology and its potential to support human powered creativity.
In this conversation, Jonathan and Justin describe their journey and their vision for using the new tools. Describing what the tools can - and importantly cannot yet - do , they outline how they will be working with it on a slate of commercial animated feature films, starting with the legend of GELART. Meanwhile, Phil Egger describes more about the technology and how the process works in practice.
More About Jonathan, Justin and Phillip
Jonathan Keasey is the founder of Mindriot Entertainment and an acclaimed screenwriter, producer, story hunter and proud member of the Writers Guild of America. He has been hired to write films for studios and streamers from Hollywood to Canada, France to China, Central America to Africa, and now beneath the Oceans. As a descendant of Anne Hutchinson, credited by The Smithsonian as North America’s first Feminist and banished for heresy, to the descendant of a Presidential Speechwriter and whistleblower, to the proud grandson of a woman who set speed-records as a typist for a grocery chain, Jonathan does his best to follow in their footsteps and relay heartfelt stories that will have a positive impact. But most important of all, he just wants to make his family and friends proud before he becomes nutrients for an apple orchard.
Dr. Justin MacGregor is Founder and Head of Transatlantic Content for Mindriot as well as the Head of Film at Trinity College, Dublin. His first feature film, “The Vigil (for Kurt Cobain)” screened at film festivals from Vancouver to Mumbai and was released by Vanguard Int’l and played on television sets worldwide after its theatrical run. His latest documentary, “Is There Anybody Out There? Young Voices from Inside a Pandemic” struck another sonic chord at a pivotal time, and premiered at the Virgin Media Dublin Int’l Film Festival in 2021. In between, MacGregor’s award-winning theatre work includes the anti-war trilogy “The Play That Killed Me,” “God Wept and the Devil Laughed,” and “The Lonely Clouds of Guernica.” With a catalogue of work that’s supported from Trinity to UNESCO.
Phillip Egger is an attorney with over a decade of experience in AI acquisitions and development. He has three decades experience advising closely held businesses and owners of taxable estates. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and his Masters degree in U.S. federal tax law from the University of Florida. Mr Egger has been a visiting Professor at the University of Florida School of Law and has been a guest speaker at the University of Washington School of Law Tax Institute.
Future of Film Podcast
How do you build an entire creative ecosystem? And what does it take to empower storytellers at scale?
In this episode, Alex speaks with Emmy-nominated producer, writer, doctor and serial entrepreneur Mehret Mandefro, a visionary voice at the intersection of storytelling, healing and creative innovation. As co-founder and MD of Realness Institute, Mehret has spent years strengthening Africa’s media landscape through training, mentorship and systemic infrastructure-building.
She shares her remarkable journey from medicine to media, the origins of her “audiovisual medicine” artistic practice, and the powerful lessons learned from pioneering television in Ethiopia and developing talent across the continent.
In a wide ranging conversation, Mehret also dives into:
• Why creative infrastructure is the missing piece in global storytelling
• How Realness Institute nurtures and de-risks new creative voices
• The urgent need for producers to think like entrepreneurs
• The role of technology and AI in elevating human stories
• Why Africa is central to the future of film
This is a conversation about creativity, systems change and the responsibility we all share in shaping the future of screen storytelling.
About Mehret Mandefro
Mehret Mandefro is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of culture, commerce, and social impact. A former physician turned storyteller, she has dedicated her career to transforming how stories are made—and who gets to tell them. Born in Ethiopia and raised in America, Mehret is a transnational force in global media who has built several groundbreaking enterprises, including Truth Aid Media in New York, Kana TV in Addis Ababa, and the Realness Institute in Cape Town, a nonprofit dedicated to training and mentoring writers, producers, and directors across Africa and the diaspora. Her award-winning film and television work bridges documentary and fiction, revealing hidden truths across the human experience. Her credits include How It Feels to Be Free (American Masters), Sweetness in the Belly (Amazon), Difret (Netflix), The Cost of Inheritance (PBS), Little White Lie (PBS), and Ethiopia’s first teen drama, Yegna. Recognized on Variety’s list of the most impactful women in global entertainment, Mehret is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is currently building the African Film and Media Arts Collective with artist Julie Mehretu with the support of BMW. Mehret has a BA in Anthropology from Harvard University, an MD from Harvard Medical School, a MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar, and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University.
