News & Press

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced additional programming highlights for the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, taking place Feb. 15–19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa. At a time when technology and creativity are converging faster than ever, the HPA Tech Retreat offers an essential forum for candid conversations and bold ideas that will shape the future of media and entertainment, providing clarity and direction amid overwhelming change.

This year’s event brings together some of the most influential voices in media and technology, including futurist Robert Tercek, creative technologist Jessie Hughes of Leonardo.AI, and Emmy-winning creator Bernie Su, alongside leaders from OpenAI and CrunchLabs. Across four days of programming, the Retreat will explore how AI is transforming storytelling, how creator-driven platforms are redefining content strategies, and how cloud-based workflows continue to reshape the media supply chain. Attendees will also gain insights into Washington policy developments and conversations that look well beyond the present moment.

This year also marks a milestone for the HPA Tech Retreat as Mark Schubin, the prolific industry veteran who has served as program maestro for nearly three decades, curates his final event. Schubin’s legacy of shaping the Retreat into the industry’s most influential gathering will be celebrated throughout the week.

“Our industry is at a critical crossroads, impacted by the challenges and opportunities that technology itself represents,” said Leon Silverman, HPA Tech Retreat Planning Committee Chair. “For our 2026 Tech Retreat, we are convening an important and timely industry conversation and program filled with some of our industry’s most informed voices who are navigating at the edge of this dynamic change and generously sharing their knowledge. And since the retreat’s inception, this collection of tech conversation leaders has been pioneered and curated by Mark Schubin, whose name is synonymous with the HPA Tech Retreat. His enduring contributions to this amazing industry innovation conversation, while also serving as the Tech Retreat’s face, brain, chronicler, and timekeeper since its earliest days, will be a legacy long celebrated.”

The Retreat’s highly anticipated Tuesday Supersession will take an unflinching look at the forces transforming media creation under the provocative theme “WTF Is Going On in the Media Industry?” Curated by Silverman, the program dives into AI filmmaking, creator-led economies, and next-generation workflows. Highlights include Ed Ulbrich on the artistry and ethics of generative tools, Jessie Hughes of Leonardo.AI exploring the intersection of algorithms and creativity, and Emmy-winning creator Bernie Su alongside Chad Nelson of OpenAI and Pojo Riegert of CrunchLabs unpacking the Creator Economy. The day will also tackle the business of the business, as Seth Hallen moderates a high-impact conversation with Ethan Jacks, Vince Pizzica, and Joe Harkins on how business leaders can navigate — and capitalize on — the massive disruption redefining today’s media supply chain. Other sessions will explore what these shifts mean for traditional film and television workflows, the rise of cloud-based production, and how AI is reshaping vendor strategies as a new supply chain emerges.

Monday sets the stage with the TR-X program, themed “Imagine No Limits,” a call to rethink workflows and creative possibilities in an era of rapid transformation. The day features conversations on future-facing strategies, including a panel on what the next decade holds for media and entertainment and a CG Pro workshop focused on reskilling talent for evolving studio pipelines. Monday concludes with a keynote from futurist and digital pioneer Robert Tercek, who will share a provocative perspective on creativity and technology in a boundary-free future.

Additional programming includes midweek roundtables and sessions on AI-assisted editing, cloud-era media pipelines, CES 2026 trends, a technology year in review, and more. New features this year include gHack, a Google Hackathon on Sunday, designed to educate and foster collaboration. Additional Sunday activities include the annual HPA Golf Tournament and informal networking, providing a relaxed start to an intensive week of ideas and discovery.

The full schedule and registration can be found by visiting HPATechRetreat.com.