Jon M. Chu Tells Canva Crowd: Creativity Is Hard, Dream Bigger — SkimNews
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- Jon M. Chu told designers at Canva Create in Inglewood, Calif. that 'creativity is hard' and that entertainment professionals' job is to make the process look effortless, warning that storytelling can't feel like 'homework' for audiences.
- Chu disclosed that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo improvised the closing 'I love you' door scene in 'Wicked: For Good,' which he fought to retain after composer Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman initially objected that the emotion was too human for the world of Oz.
- Chu confirmed a stage musical adaptation of 'Crazy Rich Asians' is in active rehearsals in New York, noting he skipped a day of those rehearsals to attend the Canva event.
- Chu cautioned the audience that 'the world owes you nothing,' arguing that success in creative industries must be earned through hard work, talent, and expertise, and closing with 'dream bigger than you ever think you could.'
- Canva CEO Melanie Perkins pushed back on fears that generative AI will replace human creativity, telling attendees the company believes 'AI can amplify human thinking and creativity' rather than supplant it.
- Canva Create celebrated the platform's growth from Australian startup roots over a decade ago, with Perkins and co-founders Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams highlighting AI-driven advances ahead of Chu's afternoon keynote.
Why it matters: Chu's candid, tough-love keynote gave Canva's annual Create event genuine Hollywood credibility at a moment when the platform is aggressively pitching AI tools to a creative workforce publicly anxious about job displacement. The behind-the-scenes 'Wicked' anecdote and his hard-won advice to aspiring creatives gave the gathering a substantive, share-worthy draw beyond product demos.
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