[This article is part of a series where I invited media industry leaders to share their thoughts on 2025 and what it means for the future. Dan May, President of Blackmagic Design’s American corporate headquarters, has been with Blackmagic Design since the Company opened its US office in California’s Silicon Valley in 2006. Dan oversee the growth of Blackmagic Design in both North and South America. Website: Blackmagic Design. ]
2025 has been a challenging year for many in the industry. It was a year of uncertainty for some, as major players and the content pipeline continued to shift, with many wondering how certain trends, such as AI, are going to impact how we view and create content.
While some of those uncertainties may follow us into 2026, there are also wonderful possibilities ahead of how technological advancements can enable whole new workflows for creative storytelling, keeping that at the heart of the industry.
When it comes to AI, we believe that the true power lies in empowering creativity. By focusing on tools that can save time by eliminating redundancies in their workflows and allowing them to focus on the craft, not the keyboard clicks, editors can put their time and energy toward creative decisions.
Along with editing tools further embracing AI, we think cloud collaboration will continue to be front and center in 2026. The industry has shifted into a more remote approach with less projects being done soup to nuts in the same traditional locations. This opens the door for editors to work on projects that they previously may not have been considered for – but only if they have workflows in place that can support cloud collaboration across production and post.
As 2026 lays before us, there is a lot of excitement for what’s to come. For example, now that there are more affordable and accessible tools for immersive filmmaking, we’re going to see more filmmakers explore it as a new way to tell their stories and connect with audiences.
