In the SEASON FINALE of Technically Creative, we close out with a true legend.

Orlando Wood sits down with director Rob Minkoff, the visionary behind The Lion King, Stuart Little, and The Forbidden Kingdom — for a wide-ranging conversation about legacy, authorship, AI, and the future of animation.

With decades of experience across both animated and live-action storytelling, Rob reflects on how creative risk shaped his career, why emotional structure is central to great animation, and how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping what it means to tell stories.

It’s an insightful & heartfelt conversation to close out the season, and one you don’t want to miss!

🔍 Highlights include:

• How The Lion King nearly didn’t happen — and why it did
• The narrative timing of animation vs. live action
• Mentorship, creative resilience, and staying inspired

AI’s growing role in the future of animation and storytelling.

In this episode of Technically Creative by KoobrikLabs, Orlando Wood sits down with Mike Day, CEO of Palma Pictures, to unpack what it really takes to run one of Europe’s top production service companies.

Mike shares the story behind Palma Pictures’ growth from its roots in Mallorca to a major player across Spain and Portugal – helping studios, production houses, and brands bring complex creative visions to life. From doubling Spain as every country under the sun for The Crown to pioneering the production logistics behind reality juggernauts like Love Island, Mike offers a masterclass in creative problem-solving at scale.

The conversation explores the evolving role of service companies, the hidden logistics behind seamless shoots, and how production ecosystems survive – and even thrive – through crises like the 2008 crash and COVID. Mike also reflects on the balancing act of building a business with ‘four engines’ – scripted, unscripted, commercial, and digital content – and why the best briefs are the ones that make you a little scared.

Whether you’re a producer, a creative, or just fascinated by what it takes to keep the wheels turning behind the scenes, this episode is a deep dive into the unglamorous, indispensable world of production logistics – with a view from paradise.

Orlando and Mike discuss:

• How Palma Pictures grew into one of Europe’s leading production service companies
• Why Spain’s versatility makes it a global production magnet
• The hidden complexity behind shows like The Crown and Love Island
• Lessons in resilience: surviving the 2008 crash, COVID, and industry strikes
• What production service teams see before the rest of the industry does

In this episode of Technically Creative by KoobrikLabs, Orlando speaks with Pamala Buzick Kim – creative producer, entrepreneur, and community organizer – about her work championing inclusion behind the camera and fighting to keep production jobs in Los Angeles.

Pamala reflects on her career journey from repping top-tier directors to launching tech platforms for creative talent, and how her role as a “bridge between art and commerce” has taken her from ad agencies to advocacy. She shares how Free the Bid evolved into Free the Work, why representation in production still lags behind, and what it takes to shift the needle at scale.

The conversation dives deep into her latest work as a co-founder of Stay in LA, a grassroots coalition tackling outdated permitting, red tape, and dwindling tax incentives that threaten LA’s status as a production hub. Pamala lays bare the human cost of a shrinking creative economy – from job losses to neighbourhood impacts – and argues for a federal approach to supporting U.S. creative labor in the age of globalization and AI.

We also get a preview of mavenverse, her new platform aimed at professionalizing communities and fandoms for authentic brand engagement. And in a raw, honest moment, Pamala shares how perfectionism held her back from launching – and what finally pushed her to hit go.

Orlando and Pamala explore:

• Why representation behind the camera still isn’t where it needs to be
• How Free the Work helped open doors for underrepresented creatives
• What Stay in LA is doing to cut red tape and protect production jobs
• The human cost of industry decline – and why it matters beyond Hollywood
• How mavenverse is rethinking community, commerce, and brand access from the ground up