Nikola Todorovic is the Co-Founder & CEO of Autodesk Flow Studio (Formerly Wonder Dynamics/Studio) which is one of the most groundbreaking AI companies transforming the future of filmmaking.
In this episode, Nikola opens up about building an AI startup from scratch, surviving the early chaos of generative AI, and why he believes the future belongs to creators. We go deep on AI, tech, creativity, entrepreneurship, mental resilience, and the future of storytelling; including how Nikola and Ty Sheridan built a product people thought was “impossible,” what really happened behind the scenes of their viral launch, and why democratizing filmmaking matters more today than ever.
If you're a filmmaker, 3D artist, startup founder, or AI-curious entrepreneur, this is one of the most important conversations of 2025.
Episode 75 Chapter:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:03:50 – Early days of Wonder Dynamics & scaling challenges
00:05:45 – The power of “Permissionless Storytelling”
00:07:10 – Nikola’s childhood, war, and escaping through film
00:11:45 – The origins of Wonder Studio
00:13:25 – Pivoting from VR to AI filmmaking
00:15:10 – Funding, team size & early startup struggles
00:20:20 – The emotional rollercoaster of building something new
00:22:40 – Why creators forget their darkest moments
00:24:45 – Fear, discomfort & pushing through self-doubt
00:28:10 – Perspective: comparing yourself to your past, not others
00:30:10 – What truly brings happiness (scarcity & meaning)
00:32:30 – Why hiring curious people beats hiring experts
00:35:15 – The “say yes and figure it out” philosophy
00:37:00 – How uncertainty becomes a competitive advantage
00:38:45 – Nature vs nurture
00:41:20 – What top creatives really struggle with
00:49:35 – The problem with modern AI launches
00:51:10 – Generative AI editability
00:53:00 – Multimodal future of filmmaking
00:56:20 – AI’s irony: the first jobs it replaced were creative
00:58:00 – Why AI won’t kill filmmaking
01:02:40 – Democratization of filmmaking in 2025
01:05:50 – Why now is the best time ever to be a creator
01:07:10 – Final thoughts on storytelling, creativity & the future
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