Hollywood × Tech Soirée

Special launch of Civil. Hollywood × Tech Week Soirée. 13 October 2026, 6 PM to midnight. Bel Air Estate, LA. With Gold House, Icons, First Citizens Bank and Silicon Valley Bank, BCG, Fenwick, Pools, and Bloom XO. Invite non-transferable.

Movie stars
Unicorn founders
Hollywood legends
Midas List investors

One night. One room.

The unicorn founders, Hollywood legends, and investors writing the AI era into culture — and the night Civil goes public. At a private Bel Air estate.

Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Hours: 6 PM to midnight
Place: A private Bel Air estate, Los Angeles
Dress: Cocktail attire, business casual

Agenda

6 PM to 9 PM: VIP cocktail reception; Meet the room over cocktails, with curated introductions for our VIP guests.
8 PM to 10:25 PM: Talks; Leaders from film, tech, and media on what they have built and where technology and creativity go next.
10:25 PM to midnight: Afterparty; The formalities end and the evening opens up. Stay for the best conversations of the night.

A verified, AI-enabled short-form video news network — built so credible creators can meet audiences at the speed of social, within a framework of truth and respect.

The talks

Seven talks from 8 to 10:25 PM, opening with the launch of Civil.

8:00to 8:20 PM
The launch of Civil
- George Nolfi
  Director and writer
- Ian Allen
  Former CIA paramilitary officer; former executive producer, Fox News
- Jeannie Yang
  Former CPO, Smule; former SVP, SmartNews
8:20to 8:35 PM
A special set by Gil
- Gil Rief
  13-time Emmy® winning head writer for The Ellen Show
8:35to 9:05 PM
Panel
- George Nolfi
  Director and writer
- Hayley Kiyoko
  Director, author, and musician
- Bernie Su
  Three-time Primetime Emmy® winning creator; AI leader
9:05to 9:25 PM
Fireside chat with Melanie Uno
- Stephan Bugaj
  SVP of Generative AI, JioStar
9:25to 9:45 PM
Fireside chat with Melanie Uno
- Larry Namer
  Founder, E! Entertainment
- Bob Sabouni
  Global Head of Brand, Stan Lee Universe; former EVP, Marvel Entertainment
9:45to 10:05 PM
Panel — Capital meets content: AI and the business of mediaModerated by James Steinberg
- Ranjit Raju
  AI leader, Google; media and entertainment technologist
- Melissa Daniel
  Partnerships, MTS
- Bryan Liu
  Investor, Alumni Ventures
10:05to 10:25 PM
Panel — Built to last: founding a company in the age of AIModerated by James Steinberg
- Ethan Anderson
  Cofounder and COO, San Francisco Compute
- Eric Menees
  Cofounder, San Francisco Compute
- Susan Barnes
  Founder and CEO, Before The Rain
- Timothy Telleen-Lawton
  Early employee, Anthropic

Your hosts

We bring together leaders in tech, Hollywood, and culture, and each host brings the best of their network to the table. Between us we have made the films, built the platforms, and run the newsrooms that shape what audiences watch and trust. This evening is those networks in one room.

George Nolfi
Award-winning filmmaker whose credits include The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean’s Twelve, Adjustment Bureau, and The Banker — with films grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Ian Allen
Former CIA paramilitary officer in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Marine Corps veteran. Former Executive Producer at Fox News. Three-time founder.
Jeannie Yang
Former CPO at Smule and SVP at SmartNews; multi-time startup veteran in music, media, and social.

AI × Creativity

Melanie Uno
Founder of the Icons community and podcast. Advised on $16B+ in transactions across strategy and finance at Goldman Sachs and EY-Parthenon.
Andrew Damian
Prominent host of major AI industry galas and summits; Princeton alumnus.

Patrick Lee
Co-founder of Rotten Tomatoes. Veteran tech entrepreneur and startup advisor with a deep background building pioneering platforms at the intersection of technology and entertainment.

a16z Tech Week

Our partners

With thanks to the partners who make the evening possible

Following the oversubscribed San Francisco gala covered in Forbes and the Bel-Air gala featured in Rolling Stone, the Hollywood × Tech Soirée brings the world’s most imaginative and influential minds to a private Bel Air estate for the night Civil goes public. A curated gathering of dozens of visionaries — unicorn founders, movie stars, Hollywood legends, Midas List investors, pioneering AI researchers, and Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy-recognized creatives.

“We’re moving to more and more abundance, even though the path to abundance always feels a little uncertain and dark.”
Forbes, covering the San Francisco gala
“The focus wasn’t on which model could produce the most impressive output, but on who retains authorship as AI systems scale and how creators and engineers can work together to ensure the essence of creativity is supported and amplified.”
Melissa Jun Rowley in Rolling Stone, on the Bel-Air gala
“The future of culture belongs to those who write it with intention and who celebrate the enduring value of what only humans can author.”
Melissa Jun Rowley in Rolling Stone

A night intentionally designed for deep conversation, creative collisions, and the celebration of human brilliance in an era where technology reshapes possibility — bringing together leaders in AI and culture who are rarely found in the same room.