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TJ Leonard shared thisThis ⬇️ Just keep showing up 👟TJ Leonard shared thisIn the last 8 days, my daughter’s high school basketball team experienced what most organizations go through over years. They defeated the #7 team in the country to win the ISL Championship… a team they had lost to twice during the regular season. Then they turned around and made it to the DC State Championship game. They were down most of the game. Took the lead in the 4th quarter… lost by four. That’s a big swing in one week. This morning, they were back at school before many of us were even at the office. My daughter brought her sneakers so she could get shots up after class. There’s no way around it - it stung. Sitting in the stands last night, as a former athlete now mom, I felt it all over again. It doesn’t get easier. It just gets clearer. As the team texted after the game, one theme came through… the loss hurt. But with five seniors graduating, this was the last time this team would be this team. That’s what they’ll miss most - the locker room, and the feeling of building something together. And that’s the part that matters. In pursuit of their passion, getting better, and each other, they kept showing up. When you’re building something … a company, a career, a culture … it never goes as planned. Ever. You win games you weren’t supposed to win. You lose games you thought you had. You question yourself. You wonder if you let the team down. But what defines you isn’t the swing. It’s the staying power. It’s showing back up the next morning - sneakers in hand. Perseverance isn’t about avoiding losses. It’s about who you become… and who you build alongside… because of them. I’m so proud of this group. Not for the stats. Not for the scoreboard. But for showing up every single day. 🏀❤️
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TJ Leonard shared thisI sat down with our friends Wistia last week on their Talking Too Loud podcast to discuss how AI is reshaping workflows, the role of creative teams and what it is like leading a company through such a significant technology shift. Shout out to Chris Savage & Sylvie Lubow for being such delightful hosts, and leading the conversation. We covered a ton of ground. Some highlights from me: ⭐ How creative teams will have to embrace their roles of tastemakers and editorial boards as the traditional boundaries between roles break down ⭐ Why even established businesses need to think and act like a 30 person start up in this moment ⭐ The importance of tinker time and learning by doing when faced with a fundamental technology shift ⭐ The relationship between excitement and uncertainty, and how the combination of the two signals opportunity Have a listen here 👉 https://bit.ly/TTLLeonard
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TJ Leonard shared thisWelcome to the Age of the Artist, where originality is the new currency. 2026 will usher in an era where perfection is out and perspective is in. Audiences are craving content that feels human, imperfect and honest. The creators who lean into their personal point of view will set the tone for what’s next. And the best creative teams will embrace their role as tastemakers and editorial boards to tell stories that deliver what audiences value most - connection. This doesn't mean technology won't continue play a leading role - it will - but creativity, thoughtfulness, and soul are becoming the true differentiators in a world where anyone can generate content on command. Our new 2026 Video Trends Guide takes you from ancient China all the way to AI to define where visual storytelling is headed next. From handcrafted collage aesthetics and analog textures to dreamlike escapism. If you're a creator, brand, or marketer wondering how to craft narratives that resonate we think you'll enjoy the read. Explore the guide 👉 https://hubs.ly/Q03XsDcj0 #VideoProduction #Creators #ContentMarketing #VideoMarketing
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TJ Leonard shared thisI’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with nearly every generative tool that could be useful to a video creator. More often than not, I walked away feeling inspired and impressed...but also like something was missing. Why are we positioning generative as an alternative to human-created content? 💡 What if we could combine the authenticity and quality of fully licensed, human-made footage with the creative flexibility of generative tools? 💡 What if a stock library wasn’t a limitation, but a launchpad - a foundation for fully customizable content, tailored to each creator’s unique vision? These are the exact questions our incredible team at Storyblocks set out to answer with the launch of our AI Toolkit. With every decision, we anchored ourselves in our customers’ needs. And I’m deeply grateful to our partners Runway and ElevenLabs for helping bring this vision to life. Too often, creators feel like passengers during moments of technological upheaval. Most of all I appreciate that the team Storyblocks has taken an active role of trying to shape a future that we believe in - one where the artist has more control over their work, not less, and one where we build from the incredible foundation of human-created content that exists today, not replace it. Take a look, we'd love to have you join us along the way. https://lnkd.in/ev796hPSAI features combined with our 100% human-made library | Storyblocks' AI ToolkitAI features combined with our 100% human-made library | Storyblocks' AI Toolkit
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TJ Leonard shared thisWant to see Storyblocks in Austin at SXSW next spring? We'd love your support for our panel! We're teaming up with three unmatched experts who live on the frontier of generative and data training for an unfiltered conversation about what drives the industry, how you can differentiate and what's up next. You can vote by giving a ❤️ to our panel here: https://lnkd.in/eAttRriUTJ Leonard shared this🚨 Want to know how GenAI *really* works behind the scenes? 🗳️ Vote for my SXSW 2026 panel! https://lnkd.in/eAttRriU You remember the first time your phone sorted contacts by face? Or when your editing app magically filled in your search terms and erased backgrounds in one click? Those weren’t happy accidents — they were the result of GenAI models trained on massive datasets. But here’s the real question: 🔍 Do you know where that data came from? 🤝 Who’s brokering the deals behind it? 💲 And what’s the business model powering this new AI economy? 🧠 I’m teaming up with incredible minds in AI commercialization to pull back the curtain on the data economy fueling GenAI: ▪️ TJ Leonard, CEO, Storyblocks ▪️ Geraldine Russell, Head of Global AI Content Partnerships, Microsoft ▪️ Vered Horesh, Chief AI Strategy Officer, BRIA AI You can help us bring this behind-the-scenes look at how AI is being funded, licensed, and scaled to the SXSW stage — Visit the link and click the ‘heart’ for this session to be selected 👉 https://lnkd.in/eAttRriU #GenAI #AIcommercialization #SXSW #datadeals #contentlicensing #AIstrategy #futureofwork
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TJ Leonard shared thisGrateful we have such a thoughtful team at Storyblocks that constantly asks the question - what is best for our customers, and for the artists that power our platform 🙏TJ Leonard shared thisAt Storyblocks, we believe trust starts with transparency. After receiving questions about artificial intelligence in the Storyblocks library, we created an official statement that outlines our policies. Every video, sound, and visual in our library is the result of real filmmakers and artists bringing their perspective, craft, and creativity to life. There's no generative AI content. Just original, human-made content you can rely on to tell stories that truly connect. Read our full AI Transparency Statement to learn about AI usage in the Storyblocks library, how we’re prioritizing creators, and and how we're protecting authenticity: https://lnkd.in/eFRYJQih #HumanMade #AuthenticContent #AITransparency #Storyblocks
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TJ Leonard posted this"You press the button, we do the rest." With this simple 1888 slogan, Kodak transformed photography from a specialist's craft into a cultural phenomenon accessible to millions. Today, AI would seem to offer a similar proposition with "You write the prompt, we do the rest." Our recent survey of 1,000 consumers reveals exactly how this proposition is being received. The statistical evidence is striking: Society stands perfectly balanced on its perception of AI's creative impact — 44% see a positive future, while 45% anticipate negative consequences. This equilibrium reflects what I've been describing with the "Get Real" counter-movement — not a rejection of technology but a rebalancing where authentic human expression and AI-generated content find their appropriate contexts. What's particularly validating is how consumer acceptance varies dramatically by application: 📊 Educational content: 47% find AI generation acceptable 📊 Marketing/advertising: 39% find AI generation acceptable 📊 Entertainment: 34% find AI generation acceptable 📊 News/current events: Only 15% find AI generation acceptable This pattern confirms the core thesis of the "Get Real" idea: When authenticity and truth are paramount, human-created content has a substantial advantage. When utility and efficiency matter more, AI finds ready acceptance. Generational perceptions of AI's value add another dimension. While over half of general consumers wouldn't pay for AI-generated content, nearly 70% of Millennials and 62% of Gen Z would. This isn't simple demographic variance — it reveals how younger audiences are developing more nuanced relationships with digital authenticity, valuing both human-created content and AI-assisted work in their most relevant contexts. But cameras didn't render paintbrushes obsolete — they pushed artists to explore what only human hands could express. We're witnessing a similar specialization with AI. The "Get Real" movement isn't opposing technological progress — it's articulating where the irreplaceable value of human creativity remains strongest. Our data points toward a future creative ecosystem where AI and human creativity develop complementary relationships in distinct domains. The key for creators and brands will be understanding which contexts demand the authenticating power of human vision, and which benefit from AI's capabilities. Explore our complete survey findings (linked in the comments) and tell me which results most surprise you. How do you see the relationship between AI-generated and human-created content evolving in your specific creative domain?
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TJ Leonard shared thisA few weeks ago, I wrote about what I call the "Get Real" countertrend — that equal and opposite reaction to AI's rapid advancement. Today, I'm excited to share how we're putting that philosophy into practice with the latest evolution of our Re: Stock initiative. We're unveiling new collections from 10 filmmakers across the United States who use their distinct perspectives to capture authentic human experiences. This builds directly on what I described earlier — the growing hunger for authenticity. And audiences increasingly recognize the uncanny valley separating AI-generated content from human-created work. Our research at Storyblocks confirms this: 83% of consumers want AI-generated content clearly labeled while 46% of Gen Z specifically worries that AI content doesn't look or feel authentic. The visual complexity of daily life — traffic patterns, athletic movements, nuanced cultural interactions — requires a level of simulation that current AI systems struggle to replicate convincingly. Since launching Re: Stock in 2020, we've transformed our contributor base while maintaining our core belief: Effective stock footage must serve storytellers from all backgrounds. While others experiment with algorithmic solutions to fill content gaps, we see value in investing directly in human artists who understand the communities they're portraying. The flood of AI-generated media in the market has created a challenge for content creators seeking authentic footage, particularly when looking for content depicting local businesses and underrepresented communities. What makes our Re: Stock initiative different is that we're commissioning artists who are actually from these communities, ensuring both authentic representation in front of the camera and authentic vision behind it. Let me be clear: Our approach celebrates art, human vision, and storytelling rather than positioning against technology. We're championing what makes creative expression uniquely human, not rejecting the tools that can enhance it. This approach isn't just an ethical stance — it's a response to market demand. Over half of consumers in our research indicated they would not pay to consume AI-generated content. Meanwhile, brands and creators increasingly seek diverse, premium content produced by real artists to help them tell more genuine, compelling stories that resonate with increasingly discerning audiences. Our new collections showcase what happens when talented artists capture authentic moments from their own communities. Check out Re: Stock at Storyblocks today, and tell me which collection most resonates with your creative vision! https://lnkd.in/eg2XXmUs
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TJ Leonard posted thisI've been thinking about Newton’s 3rd Law lately. Arguably, his most famous: that when two objects interact, they apply forces to each other of equal magnitude and opposite direction. We're at a fascinating moment where AI capabilities keep expanding rapidly, applying an incredible force to creative industries. Yet simultaneously, we're witnessing the "Get Real" counter-trend that feels equally significant when speaking to brands and individual artists. Our research at Storyblocks shows this balance in action. 86% of companies we surveyed cite accuracy concerns when considering AI-generated content, limiting its utility for commercial projects. Compare this to nearly 70% of companies that have adopted generative AI for idea generation. What could explain this massive gap in related use cases? Generative technology is fundamentally about trying to simulate the physics of our material world. Its utility comes down to the quality of the simulation required to meet a specific use case. AI models follow a pattern common in tech: 1️⃣ Getting to "pretty good" happens relatively quickly 2️⃣ Getting to "great" takes exponentially more effort & investment 3️⃣ Getting to "perfect" — as in a near-perfect simulation of the physical world — is an immense technical challenge Take self-driving cars: Getting to 80% accuracy is relatively straightforward, but none of us want a car that makes the wrong decision 20% of the time. If the "safe enough" threshold is 99.99% for autonomous vehicles, the investment required to go from 80% to 99.99% dwarfs the investment to go from 0% to 80%. The same is true with generative content. 80% accuracy is good enough for storyboarding or ideation, but to produce production-quality motion content requires something closer to a 99.99% accurate simulation. Need real-world evidence? Look no further than OpenAI’s $14 million on a Super Bowl ad celebrating AI. They used the Sora model in concepting, but the final product demanded human subjects, physical cameras, and professional creators. As a result of both the current limitations of the technology and the dizzying hype cycle, we’re seeing artists refocus on real — especially for concepts requiring complex movement or narratives grounded in the human experience. Think about the nuanced scenes that unfold at small businesses or through our daily routines. Think about the visual complexity of traffic patterns or the graceful exertion of athletes in competition. This is the Get Real counter-trend. And it will be an equal and opposite creative force in the year ahead. The good news is we don’t need AI to perfectly simulate human creativity — it turns out that’s something we have refined for more than 100,000 years. Generative tools will undoubtedly provide critical support, helping creators quickly express ideas visually in a fraction of the time it once took. How is your team balancing AI tools with human creativity?
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4mo
Matt was a huge part of our GTM team throughout several very different stages. From the early days when we were in "figure it out mode" to running large-scale influencer and partner programs, Matt is one of the few marketers who excelled in both environments. He's sharp, self-motivated and results oriented. Most importantly, he was always a pleasure to work with.
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisBehind every great ‘impossible’ feat is a team that refused to take the path of convention. Here’s to 250. 🇺🇸TJ Leonard reacted on thisTwo hundred and fifty years ago, a group of builders, innovators, and believers chose to pursue a future no one could guarantee. That same spirit of American ingenuity continues today. To mark our nation's moment, we've assembled a collection of 250 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, captured by our American-designed and American-built satellite constellation. From national parks and historic landmarks to critical infrastructure and coastlines, each image reflects both the places that define our country and the technology built to better understand it. This collection is also a tribute to the engineers, operators, and builders behind Umbra. Their relentless pursuit of what's possible has created a new way to see our world and a reminder that the next chapter of American innovation is still being written. 🇺🇲 Link to view the collection: https://lnkd.in/eWe8hsPA
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisI did not grow up with the Fourth of July. ⠀ I grew into it. ⠀ The first photo is from the day I became a U.S. citizen in 2023. ⠀ The second is from today. ⠀ Same flag. Same hat. Very different version of me. ⠀ As a French kid, American independence was someone else’s history. ⠀ I knew the broad outline. ⠀ Revolution. Founding fathers. Declaration. Flags. Fireworks. ⠀ But it was distant. ⠀ Then I moved to the United States at 22. ⠀ No family here. No real network. No idea what this country would become in my life. ⠀ Fifteen years later, I am a U.S. citizen. ⠀ I have a wife, two daughters, a house in New Jersey, a dog, two cats, and a life I could not have imagined when I landed here with two suitcases. ⠀ Somewhere along the way, the Fourth of July stopped feeling like someone else’s holiday. ⠀ It became part of my story too. ⠀ Hamilton probably had something to do with that. ⠀ I know that sounds ridiculous, but it is true. ⠀ As an immigrant, that show hit me in a very specific place. ⠀ The hunger. The reinvention. The obsession with writing your way into a life. The idea that where you start does not have to decide where you end. ⠀ I am still French. ⠀ That will never leave me. ⠀ But I am also American now. ⠀ Not because I stopped being one thing. ⠀ Because I became more than one thing. ⠀ That is the part of immigration I do not think I fully understood at first. ⠀ You do not simply replace one identity with another. ⠀ You learn to carry both. ⠀ And on weekends like this, I feel that more clearly. ⠀ The first photo is the moment it became official. The second is the life that kept unfolding after.
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TJ Leonard liked thisTJ Leonard liked thisThe biggest bottleneck in marketing isn't creating content anymore. It's getting people to care about it. The challenge used to be the act of making the thing: Could you write the blog post? Could you produce the video? Could you launch the podcast? Thanks to AI, making content isn't expensive anymore. Now everyone has the same tools, and the result isn't better content. It's a lot MORE content. As a result, the bottleneck in marketing has moved. Almost anyone can make something now. Fewer people can make something worth paying attention to. That's why so many companies are starting to think like media companies. It’s not because they want to become publishers. It’s because attention has become the scarce resource. Those who win aren’t necessary publishing more. They're publishing things that are genuinely useful. Things like original research, strong POVs, and stories only they can tell. The companies that win today won't be the ones that create the most content. They'll be the ones people would miss if they stopped publishing. I had a great conversation with Noah Greenberg, CEO of Stacker, about this on Talking Too Loud. If you're trying to figure out why content feels harder than ever despite being easier than ever to create, I think you'll enjoy it. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisA little context on this photo. That’s me with TJ Leonard, CEO of Storyblocks, at Colin & Samir's Press Publish LA last week. My relationship with Storyblocks has had a few different chapters. I first worked there back in 2016–2018, then transitioned to being a contractor. Years later, I came back again in 2025, first as a contractor and then full-time. Across those chapters, I helped build out their influencer, affiliate, and partnerships channels. Not exactly a straight line. Before my most recent chapter wrapped up, I helped set up the Storyblocks sponsorship with The Publish Press and Smooth Media, which came with two tickets to Press Publish LA. Shoutout to Josh Kaplan, Jenny Rothenberg, Sydney Frigerio, and the whole Smooth Media team for making it all happen. After my time at Storyblocks came to an end back in March, I reached back out to see if there was still a chance I could attend. They said yes. So for a few days, TJ got to step into the creator and influencer world I’ve been living in since 2014. I got to introduce him to creators Storyblocks has worked with, like Colin & Samir, Johnny Harris and Iz Harris at Newpress, plus close partners behind the scenes like Travis McBride from Spacestation. I also got to connect him with others in the space I thought would be valuable for him to know, including Zack Honarvar, Joshua Cohen, Jesse Engle, Avi Gandhi, and a bunch of other great people from the event. It was a good reminder: Don’t burn the bridge. Not every ending needs to be dramatic. You can move on and still keep the relationship intact. You can leave a company and still root for the people there. And sometimes the relationship ends up being more durable than the role itself. Appreciate TJ, Anna Tuck Pharis, and the Storyblocks team for letting me stay connected to something I helped put in motion.
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisVideo isn't just having a moment — it is THE medium. With the help of technology, social platforms, and cultural shifts, video has become the preferred way people consume information. And that creates a real opportunity for brands that show up accordingly. But producing more video isn't the answer. Producing the right video is. My team and I think about how to meet this rising demand constantly (it's our job 🙂). So we put together a Video Strategy Guide based on what we've learned through our own work and from others in the industry. In my latest article, I break down a few of the key recommendations from that guide like: → Know what you're trying to achieve before you hit record → Think in collections, not individual videos → Test, learn, iterate, repeat → Prove value beyond revenue — awareness and community matter too All that and more in the link below. 👇Consumers are watching more video than ever. How can brands meet the moment?Consumers are watching more video than ever. How can brands meet the moment?
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisLast night, Johnny Harris became one of the first creator journalists — without the backing of a legacy news organization — to win a News and Documentary Emmy. (He won with the New York Times in 2022, Bisan Owda also won with AJ+ in 2024, and the incomparable/now independent Jorge Ramos also won last night.) Animation has always been at the heart of what Johnny and Iz Harris do. Johnny started out as an animator, was hired by Joe Posner at Vox and started telling journalistic stories, and this award for Best Graphic Design is testament to the unique fusion of the two that his channel provides. To me it's really fitting that the word “animation” comes from the Latin word anima — meaning “soul.” Not just because Johnny, Iz and our whole team have always put their hearts and souls into bringing stories to life, but because it's a reminder at this moment in human history that animation at its best isn't a mechanized process. It's a living, breathing thing, fueled by the creativity of some really unique humans. Massive credit to everyone who made this work possible. This is a win for independent visual journalism — and for the idea that audiences are hungry for storytelling that helps them truly understand the world. It was a huge team effort led by Iz Harris and including: Animations & Editing: Aakash Kalaria, Ahmed Jasim, Jeremy Shuback, Joey Yee, Johnny Harris, Julián Gómez, Karla Núñez de Madariaga, Mark Cernosia, Mustafa Jasim, Parjanya Christian Holtz, Sam Anghelides Art, Archive Research & Visual Producing: Adam Stuart, Alex Kennell, Deniz Cam, Nick Tucker, Robin Pickis, Ryan Shields, Sarah Kavanagh Production Management: Humaira N., Marisa Yarborough, Teryn Gray Sound Design: Tom Fox A final thank you also to our partners at YouTube for their support, including Ezra Brettler Kourtney Bitterly Brandon Feldman Veronica White Christopher Lee Jena D.
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisI’m taking my talents to Hollywood. Before you ask -- no, I’m not acting (no one wants to see that 😅) I just joined Big Shot Pictures as VP of Engineering. We’re going all-in on AI + content + storytelling, which basically means taking the stuff everyone talks about… and actually shipping it. If you’re a builder who likes that kind of chaos (especially if you’ve worked with agents, evals, and have shipped something messy, real and valuable vs super polished and unused), my DMs are open!
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TJ Leonard reacted on thisTJ Leonard reacted on thisA good friend of mine just won Survivor. Not "made it far." Won. Season 50 — the all-stars season, the most stacked cast in the show's history — on her fourth try, after losing three times across ten years. Her name is Aubry Bracco, and the prize was $2 million. If you watched Final Tribal closely, you could see something fascinating happening in real time. Yes, there was strategy. Yes, there were alliances and moves and betrayals. But underneath all of it was something else: narrative. Final Tribal Council isn’t really about replaying events. It’s about determining what those events mean, and Aubry understood that on multiple levels. The most important audience to her wasn’t the cameras. It was the people she’d eventually have to vote out. It makes sense, because outside the game, she’s a marketer, and she understands something a lot of people miss: humans rarely make decisions based purely on facts. They make decisions based on the story that makes the facts feel coherent. That’s why the best marketers don’t just push messages louder. They understand the emotional framing people are already using to interpret reality. Watching Aubry play, you could see that same skill everywhere, and if you’ve worked with Aubry before, none of this was surprising. She has this almost unfair ability to understand what someone actually cares about beneath what they’re saying out loud. Then, she adjusts the way she communicates so the other person feels understood instead of threatened. That’s how you win Survivor without making 11 enemies on the jury. And that’s how a surprising amount of leadership, marketing, sales, and life works too. Most people think influence is about dominating the room. The people who are actually great at it usually do the opposite. They pay closer attention than everyone else. They understand the story other people believe they’re living inside of. And they know how to work within it instead of fighting against it. There’s a reason Christian Hubicki once talked about “narrative warfare” as one of the most important forces in Survivor. The game has never just been about moves. It’s about meaning. Congratulations, Aubry. Absolutely incredible to watch. 🏆
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Thorsten Barré
We keep funding growth. Before we fund the fix. Every roadmap has a support ticket sitting above it that nobody wants to prioritize. Every budget review has a growth line that gets approved without a second look. That order tells you everything about where the priority actually sits. And Marketing brings in the customer. Product loses them a few weeks later, quietly, without a headline. Then Marketing gets asked to bring in a new one to replace them. That's not growth. That's a leak dressed up as one. Product used to lead marketing strategy. Not because it was fashionable. Because a company with nothing worth buying doesn't need a marketing budget. Most product leaders can ship a roadmap. Few can defend it against a marketing budget that always wins the argument.
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Jeff Perry
Seth Levine nailed it! The concentration problem isn't just a GP pain point... it's choking innovation. When capital pools around the same 20 funds, emerging managers and founders get shut out. Love that he's using his platform to call this out. Foundry has backed 50+ emerging managers. That's the diversification the ecosystem needs. This is exactly why Carta exists — making capital allocation visible and accessible. Capital Evolution hits at exactly the right moment. Thanks for having us Daniel Dart. Team Carta loves the community of FUTURE TITANS you have built 🚀
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Eric Franchi
BranchLab (an Aperiam portfolio company) was founded on the idea that AI can help health care brands reach patients earlier in their care journeys and with greater precision, privacy, and impact. This week, they announced a strategic investment from Next Ventures, the health and wellness fund co-founded by Lance Armstrong. Armstrong is one of the most recognized athletes of his generation. In his second act, he has become a great investor, backing breakout companies like Oura Ring and Athletic Brewing. Next Ventures is focused on whole-person health, making this partnership a perfect fit. We’re thrilled to see the momentum from Josh Walsh, Michael Parkes, and the BranchLab team as they build the future of privacy-first, AI-powered health care marketing. Link to more in comments.
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