Jeffrey Katzenberg, founding partner of WndrCo, and Kimbal Musk, co-founder and CEO of Nova Sky Stories, are teaming up on a bold new venture: turning the night sky into a stage for storytelling. Their company is pioneering large-scale live entertainment using thousands of synchronized drones to paint luminous “sky stories” with light, music, and motion.
Katzenberg and Musk will discuss their collaboration on stage at TheGrill 2025, TheWrap’s flagship media leadership conference, taking place Sept. 30 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater in Los Angeles.
In their session, “Stories in the Sky: A New Era of Live Entertainment,” Katzenberg and Musk will explore how this mix of art and technology could redefine the future of live experiences, transforming the sky into an immersive canvas for imagination.
About the Panelists
Jeffrey Katzenberg is one of the most influential executives in entertainment. Today, as founding partner of WndrCo, Jeffrey invests in new media ventures and serves as a strategic advisor to Nova Sky Stories, where he champions drone-powered storytelling as “a new art form.” He also works closely with WndrCo portfolio companies Aura, Airtable, Alembic, Netomi and Writer on their enterprise GTM strategy.
Prior to WndrCo, Jeffrey held leadership roles at Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, and DreamWorks. At Disney, he oversaw hits like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King”. In 1994, he co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, producing Best Picture winners such as American Beauty and Gladiator. Later, as CEO of DreamWorks Animation, he built the studio into the world’s largest, releasing 32 films including “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda,” and earning 16 Oscar nominations.
Kimbal Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Nova Sky Stories, a company pioneering large-scale “sky stories” through fleets of purpose-built drones. Under his leadership, Nova Sky has expanded across the U.S., Europe and Australia, with plans for the Middle East, and is on track to sell half a million tickets this year. Musk sees the sky as “a new canvas for family entertainment,” blending technology, music and narrative into immersive live experiences. Prior to Nova, Kimbal founded a number of sustainable food companies including The Kitchen, Big Green and Square Roots, that reflect his commitment to sustainable food systems and community empowerment. He serves on the board of Tesla and was named a Global Social Entrepreneur by the World Economic Forum.
These speakers are part of an already impressive lineup, including:
- Entertainment Moguls: Music mogul Irving Azoff, legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and Dhar Mann Studios founder Dhar Mann and CEO Sean Atkins.
- Media & Tech Leaders: Fox Corporation CTO Melody Hildebrandt, Paramount Global EVP & CTO Phil Wiser and Yves Bergquist, Director, AI in Media, USC’s Entertainment Technology Center.
- Distribution Executives: Warner Bros. Pictures president of global distribution Jeff Goldstein, Regal Cineworld CEO Eduardo Acuna, The Walt Disney Studios head of theatrical distribution Andrew Cripps and Greg Foster, Owner and Principal, Foster + Crew.
- AI in Filmmaking: Google head of entertainment content and platforms Jonathan Zepp and 30 Ninjas partner Jed Weintrob.
- Sports Streaming: Prime Video head of sports partnerships Charlie Neiman, head of Fubo Studios Pamela Duckworth, Roku head of sports Joe Franzetta and Bleacher Report GM Bennett Spector.
- Agency & Talent: WME leadership, including Mark Shapiro, Christian Muirhead and Richard Weitz.
Additional high-profile speakers and sessions will be announced in the weeks ahead.
For over a decade, TheGrill has been known for convening the most influential voices across film, television, music, tech and finance for a day of exclusive panels, high-level networking and meaningful dialogue. The event provides a unique forum to examine the forces transforming entertainment – and to spotlight the leaders shaping its future.
TheGrill 2025 is sponsored by City National Bank, Fox, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, Lionsgate, New York Festivals, Oak View Group, Roku, The Los Angeles Film School and Warner Bros. Discovery.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.thewrap.com ’
