Autodesk Media & Entertainment
Introducing Frame Philly — a filmmaker lab powered by Autodesk Flow Studio
PHILADELPHIA, June 2026 — Autodesk today announced Frame Philly, a filmmaker lab and storytelling challenge developed in partnership with Travori Agency, Big Picture Alliance, and Maestro Filmworks. The initiative invites emerging Philadelphia filmmakers to create short films about their city, supported by production funding, professional crew coordination, casting, and post-production supervision — giving directors the infrastructure to focus fully on their craft.
The launch comes at a significant moment for the city. In 2026, Philadelphia will host events tied to America’s 250th anniversary, the FIFA World Cup, and the MLB All-Star Game — drawing a level of international attention the city rarely sees. Frame Philly is designed to ensure that local voices are part of how that story gets told.
Philadelphia Is Everyone’s City
Most people have a version of Philadelphia in their head: Rocky, the Liberty Bell, cobblestones, cheesesteaks, grit. What’s less often examined is who authored that version — and whether the people actually living in the city’s neighborhoods, running its corner stores, and building its creative community see themselves in it.
Philadelphia has one of the most active film communities in the country, shaped largely by self-starters who built their careers outside the traditional studio pipeline. As Matthew Morris, a mentor for Frame Philly, describes it: “It’s a lot of self-starters who might have started on YouTube University and branched their way out… it’s a very brick by brick, step by step community of filmmakers that are growing together.”
The theme of Frame Philly reflects this: the underdog story. Philadelphia has always understood that one — not just in sports, but in the spirit of Rocky: resilience, pressure, identity, and the pursuit of something greater than expectation. Selected filmmakers will create short films (5–10 minutes) set in Philadelphia, character-driven and grounded in the city’s real texture.
What Autodesk Flow Studio Makes Possible
Autodesk has long been a foundational technology partner for the media and entertainment industry, with tools used across the world’s most complex film and VFX productions. Flow Studio, Autodesk’s AI-powered creator tool, extends those capabilities to filmmakers working at any scale — enabling pre-production visualization, animation, and VFX work that would previously have required much larger budgets and teams.
For the Frame Philly filmmakers, that access is tangible. Kyra Knox, a Philadelphia director whose docuseries Spirit is currently streaming on Peacock, described a project where she needed animation but couldn’t afford an animator: “I wanted so much more and if I had the tools like Autodesk during that time… I could have had so much more animation in a film.” After the Frame Philly workshop, her reaction was immediate: “Oh my God, like, everything is limitless now.”
Nazir Alston, a Philadelphia filmmaker who started his career in high school, sees Flow Studio fitting into how he already works: “I can do a lot of the groundwork and then pass it off” — using the tool to build pre-production visualization before handing off to a larger team. “What Autodesk has done with Flow Studio by giving us the control back, in a way, I think that is very unique within its design.”
Each filmmaker selected for Frame Philly is required to integrate Flow Studio into their creative process — whether in pre-production, visualization, VFX, or another stage of the workflow — and will receive direct training and support from Autodesk throughout production.
“We’ve always believed that great storytelling shouldn’t be limited by access to great tools,” said Leona Frank, Sr. Director of Media & Entertainment Marketing at Autodesk. “Flow Studio is built to close that gap. Frame Philly is a chance to see what happens when filmmakers who have real stories to tell finally have the tools they need to tell them.”
Built on Community
Sean Singletary, founder of Travori Agency, a Philadelphia-based sports marketing company focused on sponsorships, experiences, and storytelling, shaped the vision behind Frame Philly as a way to connect sports, film, and community during a major cultural moment for the city.
“Sports has always been one of the purest reflections of a city’s soul, culture, and identity, but many of the creatives and stories shaping that culture don’t always get seen or celebrated at the same level. Frame Philly felt like an opportunity to help shift that narrative and give filmmakers space to tell stories that feel authentic to the city and the people in it.”
Frame Philly is co-organized with Big Picture Alliance, a Philadelphia nonprofit whose mission is empowering young creatives from script to screen. Executive director Aleks Martray describes the collaboration: “To make it as a creative, you need mentorship, you need creative community, and you need access to tools and resources — and this partnership with Frame Philly and with Autodesk is really all of those three things together.”
Production support is provided by Maestro Filmworks, whose supervisors manage logistics, contracts, permits, and crew throughout the shoot. The final screening is scheduled for November 2026 in Philadelphia.
This Is Just the Beginning
Frame Philly is a pilot program, specific to Philadelphia — the right city, at the right moment. But the ambition behind it extends further.
“Every city has stories that haven’t made it to screen yet,” said Frank. “Philadelphia is where we’re starting, but the idea that professional-grade tools and mentorship can unlock a new generation of filmmakers — that applies everywhere. We’re excited to see where this goes.”
The final screening is scheduled for November 20, 2026, in Philadelphia. Details on the venue and public attendance will be announced closer to the date.
Frame Philly is a collaboration between Autodesk, Travori Agency, Big Picture Alliance, and Maestro Filmworks.