HPA Sets 2027 Tech Retreat Theme Around a Changing Industry
Programs on Building Worlds and Finding Your Place in Them
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, taking place Feb. 14-18, 2027 in La Quinta, Calif. Built on the idea that entertainment isn’t shrinking but changing shape, the 2027 Retreat will bring together the professionals who make, finish, deliver and preserve media for five days of programming focused on where the industry is heading and how its people can prepare.
Storytelling continues to expand across film, television, games, live experiences and AI, the economics behind them are shifting, and production tools are evolving faster than ever. The 2027 program is structured so that each day addresses a key question facing the industry. TR-X, on Monday, Feb. 15, examines how stories become worlds that extend across formats. The Supersession, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, chaired by HPA founder Leon Silverman, explores where the industry is heading and where professionals fit within it. The main program on Wednesday and Thursday will cover the technologies, practices and people shaping the industry today.
“Everyone in our community is asking the same questions right now: Where is this industry going, and where do I fit?” said Renard T. Jenkins, president of HPA. “The Tech Retreat is where this industry stops guessing about the future and starts building it, together, in one room. This year’s program is designed to give attendees a clear picture of what’s changing, along with the knowledge and connections to help shape what comes next.
TR-X: “From Story to World”
TR-X 2027, “From Story to World,” will explore the people, pipelines and business models behind entertainment that now extends well beyond a single release. One story increasingly expands across many formats. Assets captured during production may be reused years later in games, live experiences or AI-driven characters, placing new demands on how productions are budgeted, staffed and contracted.
Sessions will follow a world from first concept to final sale. “Our Budgets Aren’t Ready for This” will examine the planning and pipelines that reusable worlds require. “Scan Once. Use Everywhere.” will address the growth of 3D capture, including the Gaussian splats used to plan “Jurassic World Rebirth.” “Who Owns the World?” will look at rights, provenance and preservation as studios license characters to AI platforms, including Disney’s agreement making more than 200 characters available on OpenAI’s Sora.
Supersession
The Supersession, “Help Me See and Build the Future,” is designed for this moment in time. A time when our industry is reinventing and redefining professional media creation. A time when the path ahead is both exciting and a bit unclear. Organized around the questions the industry is asking now — where Hollywood is going, how new creators are building, where the money is moving and how to prepare — the day pairs “Seers,” who help paint a picture of what’s ahead, with “Builders,” who show what’s already underway. It’s for everyone in our community: the executives placing the bets, and the artists, engineers and craftspeople wondering where their work goes next. Way more show than tell.
“We’re all in the same boat, in rocky seas, heading to a new world, and everyone is asking the same question: is there a place in it for me?” said Leon Silverman, chair of the Supersession Planning Committee. “The industry isn’t shrinking; it’s changing shape. Nobody is going to discover you in this new world. You have to discover yourself. We want everyone in that room to leave seeing a future that includes them.”
Additional Programming, Awards and Innovation Zone
Details of the conference programming on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 18, will be announced in the coming weeks. The Innovation Zone will return with its attendee-voted Best in Show award, and winners of the HPA Awards Innovation & Technology will be revealed at the Retreat. Nominees will be announced Jan. 15.
The HPA Tech Retreat drew more than 800 attendees in 2026. Attendance is strictly capped, and the event is perennially sold out.
The HPA Tech Retreat is made possible by the generous support of sponsors Google Cloud, Hexagon’s Leica Geosystems, Microsoft, Puget Systems and Signiant and Foundation Members AMD, Dolby and Sohonet.
Registration for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat is now open at HPAonline.com.