New Community Table Podcast Episode with Orchard: Production as a Strategic Partner, Not a Late-Stage Line Item

Link here to listen to The Community Table on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 

In this episode of Community Table, Heather Elder of Heather Elder Represents and Kelly Montez of Apostrophe sit down with Michael Baca, Art Director and Creative Lead, currently working on contract at Arc’teryx, and from Omnicom Productions, Senior Producer Julie Maxham and Freelance Senior Producer Sari Rowe.

The group talks about what’s actually happening with AI inside creative workflows, right now, not hypothetically.

The conversation moves quickly past surface-level curiosity and into something more immediate: shifting expectations, blurred roles, and a growing need for clarity in a landscape that’s still taking shape. Each guest brings a distinct vantage point, from agency to brand to production, but there’s a shared recognition that the industry isn’t preparing for change, it’s already in it.

From Curiosity to Expectation

AI has moved out of the experimental phase and into active consideration on projects. Clients are no longer just asking if it can be used but asking how. That shift has happened quickly, and not always with full understanding behind it.

As a result, creative and production teams are navigating a new dynamic. They’re not only responsible for execution, but also for translating what AI actually means in practice: where it adds value, where it introduces risk, and how it fits into a larger production approach.

Redefining the Early Conversation

One of the most noticeable changes is when key conversations are happening.

Topics like process, ownership, and methodology used to unfold later in a project are now part of the initial discussion. There’s a growing need to define how something will be made from the start, not just what the final output should be.

This shift is reshaping the relationship between agencies, artists, and clients, creating a more collaborative, but also more complex, front-end to every project.

Efficiency, Reframed

AI is often positioned as a tool for speed, but the reality is more nuanced.

While it can accelerate ideation and visualization, it frequently introduces additional layers of iteration and decision-making. More options mean more choices. More flexibility can mean more revision.

In many cases, the work isn’t reduced, it’s redistributed. Time saved in one phase often reappears in another, requiring careful management to maintain both creative quality and production clarity.

The Expanding Gray Area

Questions around ownership, authorship, and usage are becoming harder to ignore.

With AI integrated into the process, traditional definitions don’t always apply cleanly. Contracts are beginning to evolve, but there’s no consistent standard yet. Each project brings its own set of considerations, and those conversations are happening in real time.

What remains constant is accountability. Regardless of the tools used, the responsibility for the work still rests with the creative team.

What Still Matters

As access to tools expands, differentiation becomes less about capability and more about perspective.

AI can generate, iterate, and assist, but it doesn’t replace taste, judgment, or intent. The strongest work continues to come from clear points of view and thoughtful decision-making.

If anything, the presence of AI makes those qualities more visible.

Why This Conversation Matters

There isn’t a fixed roadmap yet. The industry is still defining best practices, still testing boundaries, still learning where AI fits and where it doesn’t.