Your story, animated. Make a cartoon with AI in one day.
You don't need to draw, shoot, or edit. Bring the story only you can tell: a bedtime tale for your kids, a cause you care about, the channel or acting career you're building. We help you find your creative DNA, teach you the AI tools, and guide you until the film is done.
Everyone has a story worth putting on screen
Animation used to take a studio, a budget, and years of practice. Now it takes a clear idea and a day of focused work with people who know the tools. Here's what people come to make.
For your family
Turn your kids into cartoon heroes, animate a family legend, or make a birthday film nobody forgets.
For a cause
Explain a social issue you care about in a short animation people actually watch and share.
For your channel
Build a recurring animated character or series that makes your content recognizably yours.
For your on-screen goals
Put yourself in scenes you couldn't film: a showcase for your acting, voice, or presenting work.
We don't hand you tools and leave. We make it with you.
Most people who try AI video give up after a few random clips. The difference is a clear creative direction and someone guiding you through the hard parts. That's the whole day.
Find what makes it yours
A guided session to pin down your story, characters, tone, and visual style. It becomes the brief every AI tool works from, so the result looks like you, not like everyone else's AI video.
Learn the AI stack hands-on
Generate scenes and characters, give them voices and sound, and cut it together. You learn by making your own film, not by watching demos.
Finish with a real film
Instructors work alongside you from rough idea to final cut, keeping the scope tight so you leave with something finished and ready to share.
A finished film, and the skill to make the next one
Your finished cartoon or animation
A short film made from your own story, ready to share with your family, audience, or casting contacts.
Your creative DNA
A written profile of your story, characters, and style that you can reuse for every film after this one.
A workflow you can repeat
The same step-by-step process, so your second film takes you an evening, not a workshop.
Online or in the room, same day, same outcome
Online
- Live with the instructors, not a recording
- Guided creation on your own laptop, with help when you get stuck
- Great for parents, creators, and anyone outside the Bay Area
In person, San Francisco
- Work side by side with instructors and other creators
- The AISA room, where our workshops and community events happen
- Great for people who make more when they're around other makers
Built for people who have never made a film
Come if you are
- A parent or grandparent who wants to turn family stories into something the kids will watch again and again
- An advocate, nonprofit, or educator who needs a message to land on a social issue
- A creator or influencer who wants animated content that stands out
- An actor, voice artist, or performer who wants to be seen in scenes they couldn't film
- Anyone curious who has always wanted to make a cartoon and never had the way in
What you don't need
- Drawing or animation skills
- A camera, studio, or editing experience
- Coding or technical knowledge
- A big idea. A small, true one works better.
What you'll learn to use
Bring a laptop, headphones, and a charger. We'll tell you what to set up before the day.
A storyteller and a builder
Zhan Petrov
Documentary filmmaker and director of The Way Things Seem to Be. Zhan leads the creative DNA work: finding the real story, the characters, and the shape of the film.
Lex Mustafin
Founder of AI START academy, serial entrepreneur, mentor at 500 Global and Draper University. Lex leads the AI tools: generation, character consistency, voice, and sound.
A new workshop every month
Pick the month and format that fit you. Current dates, seats, and prices are always up to date on the hub.
Live, from anywhere
- One full day, guided live
- Creative DNA, tools, guided creation
- Your finished film
San Francisco room
- One full day at the AISA space
- Creative DNA, tools, guided creation
- Your finished film
Common questions
Do I need film, art, or editing experience?
No. The workshop is built for people from any background. We guide you through every step, from the first idea to the final cut.
Can I join online?
Yes. Every monthly workshop runs in person in San Francisco and online. Pick the format when you choose your date.
What is the "creative DNA"?
A short guided session at the start of the day that pins down your story, your characters, and your visual style, so the AI tools make your film instead of a generic one.
What can I make?
A short cartoon or animation: a story for your family, a piece on a social issue you care about, content for your creator channel, or a showcase for your acting and on-screen goals.
Can I really finish in one day?
Yes, because we keep the scope tight on purpose. It's a short film with a clear story, and instructors guide you the whole way so you don't lose hours stuck on a tool.
When is the next workshop and how much is it?
It runs once a month. Current dates, formats, and prices are on the upcoming dates page.
What should I bring?
A laptop, headphones, and a charger. We send setup instructions before the day.
Who owns what I make?
You do. It's your story and your film to share.
The story's already yours. Let's put it on screen.
Choose your month and format, show up with an idea, and leave with a finished film.