CSU MAX:
Leveling Up in the Creator Economy

Get inspired, build your skills, and check out new product innovations in AI and creative tools.

When: April 10, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: California State University, Northridge

CSU Max is a full-day creative experience for the entire CSU community.

Inspired by Adobe MAX, CSU MAX brings together creative leaders, educators, and students for a day

focused on design, graphics, editing, motion, sound, collaborative pipelines, and the latest AI-assisted tools reshaping content creation.

While hosted at CSUN, all CSU campuses are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Register to receive full event details, speaker announcements, and what to expect.

We look forward to welcoming you to CSU MAX at CSUN.

CSU MAX Schedule

Time	Activity
10AM – 11AM	Where We're Going: A Discussion of Award Winning Films and Where AI May Take Us Speaker: Karl Soule, Video, Film, and Television Workflow Expert, Adobe Location: CSUN Armer Theater - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Modern Brand Design in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign Speaker: Kelsey Slay, Adobe Design Evangelist Location: CSUN Maple Hall 100 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA
11AM – 12PM	Pre-Production & Production, Reimagined: Adobe Firefly Generative AI Speaker: AJ Bleyer, DGA Director, Advent Films Location: CSUN Armer Theater - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Next-Gen Designer: Where Human-Centered Design Meets AI Speaker: Magdiel Lopez, Digital Artist, Creative Director, Inhaus.Design, Artist Uprising Location: CSUN Maple Hall 100 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Adobe Creative Apprenticeship: Info Session Speaker: Julia Senne (Program Manager, Adobe), Tara Abtahi (Community Program Manager, Adobe) Location: CSUN Nordhoff Hall - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA
12PM – 1PM	Keynote \| Creating in AI: What’s Next – Paul Trani, Principal Director, Adobe Introduction by CSUN President Erika Beck and Provost Meera Kojamaaru Location: CSUN Armer Theater - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA
1PM – 2PM	Panel — I'm Sorry Hal, I’m Afraid I Can't Do That: The Ethics of AI in Content Moderator: Sharon Greene Participants: John Lopez (WGA), Deone Zell, Ph.D. (CSUN), Brian Johnsrud (Adobe) Location: CSUN Kurland Hall 181 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Powering Post-Production with Assistive AI Speaker: AJ Bleyer, DGA Director, Advent Films Location: CSUN Armer Theater - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Adjustments On The Fly: Lightroom and Combat Photography Speaker: Nancy diBenedetto, Professor, Cal State San Marcos; US Navy Public Affairs Officer Location: CSUN Maple Hall 120 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA
2PM – 3PM	Collaborative Flow with Frame.IO Speaker: Judy Korin, Documentary Filmmaker, CSUN Location: CSUN Armer Theater - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Turning Design into Motion Speaker: Dacia Saenz, Sr. Quality Engineer and Animation Explorer, Adobe Location: CSUN Maple Hall 130 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA Fireside Chat – AI and Pedagogy: Workflow and Real Results Participants: Brian Johnsrud (Adobe), Nidhin Patel (CSULA) Location: CSUN Kurland Hall 181 - 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA
3PM – 4PM	HOW I ADOBE: MY HEAD IN THE CREATIVE CLOUD Submissions from the My Head in the Creative Cloud Content Challenge
ALL DAY	LED STAGE — Rotating Student Work Showcases Head in the Creative Cloud Submissions Edited in Premiere: CTVA Doc Thesis Films Creator Showcase CTVA Animation Reel How I Adobe Slideshow – Meet CSUN’s Student Designers