Reinvention, Resilience, and the Pursuit of Safety in Stunts

Scott Leva’s story begins not with the roar of engines or the crash of glass, but in the discipline of gymnastics and martial arts—a young outsider, moving from place to place as a military kid, finding solace and strength in the physical. Inspired by the everyman relatability of Spider-Man, Leva’s early love for comic book heroes would foreshadow a career spent redefining what’s possible in action cinema.

The Path from Performer to Pioneer

Leva’s leap from champion gymnast to actor brought him to New York, but it was the encouragement of top stunt professionals—and later, the legendary Dar Robinson—that set him on his true path. Moving west on Robinson’s advice, Leva paid his dues in Knott’s Berry Farm stunt shows and Hollywood’s competitive stunt circuit, learning from the best and quietly becoming a high-fall specialist in his own right. Yet tragedy—losing friends and colleagues to airbag failures—sparked a new purpose: making stunts safer for everyone.

Engineering a Safer Industry

In 1997, driven by personal loss and first-hand experience, Leva revolutionized the stunt airbag. His design, born from intensive research and innovation, solved the deadly flaws of traditional airbags—ensuring that even off-center landings were survivable. The result: an industry-wide leap in safety, saving dozens of lives and earning Leva the Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2006. “There’s about 48 people alive today that have hit my bag wrong. If it were a standard bag, probably wouldn’t be here anymore,” Leva reflects .

Multi-Award-Winning Stunt Innovator

Leva’s technical ingenuity has been recognized across the industry:

* Academy Award Winner (Sci-Tech, 2005)

* Emmy Winner (Engineering, 2008)

* World Stunt Award Nominee (Best High Work & Best Overall Stunt, 2003)

* Screen Actors Guild Award Nominee (Outstanding Stunt Ensemble, “Dexter”, 2009)

With over 200 film and television credits—including X-Men, Star Trek, Letters from Iwo Jima, and hits like The Office and Castle—Leva has shaped iconic action sequences, mentored stars like Hugh Jackman, and brought comic book authenticity to the screen. His collaborations span from Clint Eastwood and Spielberg to the Marvel Universe, even landing his own place in comic book lore as the cover star of The Amazing Spider-Man #262.

Stunt Choreography, Second Unit Direction, and Beyond

Whether rigging wire stunts for Gwen Stefani’s music videos, engineering high falls for Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (earning a Taurus World Stunt Award nomination), or coordinating kinetic fights for Olivier Gruner’s military films, Leva’s approach is defined by scientific rigor and a commitment to creative storytelling. “There’s a science, and there’s a way to keep it safe, but make it look spectacular,” he explains .

Legacy, Connection, and the Future of Stunts

As new technologies like AGI and stunt robots reshape the industry, Leva remains an advocate for both practical innovation and human artistry—valuing trust, teamwork, and the sacred responsibility of keeping performers safe. His life, chronicled in a candid memoir, is as much about personal growth and resilience as it is about death-defying feats.

At home, Leva’s greatest pride remains his family: “My most cherished accomplishments are my wife Betsy and our beautiful daughter Georgia.” For Scott Leva, the real adventure has always been about connection—between science and art, innovation and safety, and a quiet, unwavering pursuit of purpose.

From Pixar to the Edge of AI Filmmaking

Flashback to the heyday of CG: Stephan Bugaj cut his teeth in the trenches of cinematic storytelling, helping invent new ways for audiences to shape the story—whether in games or interactive TV. Fast-forward to 2023: Bugaj leads creative at Genvid, bagging an Emmy for Silent Hill: Ascension, an always-live, audience-driven horror series that blurs the line between television and gaming. Hundreds of thousands steer the outcome, making every episode a social event and a narrative experiment.

AI as Paintbrush, Not Puppetmaster

Stephan’s creative pivot? Harnessing generative AI for everything except the soul: visuals, sound, production—leaving core performances to humans, at least for now. The result: The Seeker, a GenAI short film produced for less than the cost of a single spacesuit, using an original pro-level GenAI filmmaking tool he co-designed. The trick isn’t replacing artists, but closing the gap between imagination and execution—allowing indies and outsiders to leap over budget walls, censorship regimes, and “Hollywood’s 40,000 forgotten scripts.”

Guardrails, Governance, and the New Creative Arms Race

AI opens doors, but also Pandora’s box. As deepfakes and unauthorized likenesses threaten reputations and revenues, Bugaj is a vocal advocate for creative accountability: every Genvid project embeds prompts in its metadata for transparency, and he pushes for industry-wide standards in provenance, IP, and consent. “Guardrails, governance, and accountability are essential,” he says—just ask Taylor Swift’s lawyers.

The Future: Reactive Worlds and Social Story Worlds

What’s next? Bugaj sees a future where entertainment is reactive and social—where branching narratives, AI-driven NPCs, and emergent worlds let each viewer or player shape their own canon. He’s building the tools and formats to let indies spin up franchises, deepen fan engagement, and run social experiments at the intersection of games and TV. “It’s not about how the pixels are made,” he says. “It’s about giving audiences the experiences they crave—authentic, interactive, and always evolving.” You may not have heard his name outside of recent Emmy and Webby award ceremonies, but you’ve played in his worlds—and the next ones will be built with code, creativity, and a careful eye on the risks of the AI age.

From Call of Duty to Copyright Crusader

Flashback to 2014: Erik’s face is scanned for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Six months later, his digital doppelgänger is being shot at by millions—no consent, no compensation, just a billion-dollar payday for the studio. Instead of rage-tweeting, Erik becomes co-chair of SAG-AFTRA’s New Tech Committee, writing the playbook for protecting 170,000 performers at the dawn of synthetic celebrity.

The Ghost in the Studio

Hollywood’s old guard is outgunned by tech titans who own your digital DNA. Erik’s response? Build ProtectDigitalIdentity.org, rally 850+ signatures, and unite a Creative Coalition of actors, copyright maximalists, and AI existentialists. The mission: lock down consent, provenance, and permissions so tight that even TikTok can’t remix your face without a digital permission slip.

Watermarks, Consent, and Digital Fingerprinting: How to Flow with the Next Wave

Watermarking is dead unless you work it—tied to a manifest that tracks who, what, where, and why. Informed consent is the new currency, enforced by code and law. Erik’s vision: every digital asset protected, every use permissioned at the quantum level. Automation is devouring the creative class. Erik’s answer? Pay-per-click for acting, granular accounting for every stream, and a war chest of union power. Mix Aristotle, Asimov, and labor organizing—and you get Erik Passoja, hacking the future so humanity, not just algorithms, wins.

Hollywood’s Quintessential Villain and Collaborator

Patrick Kilpatrick is one of Hollywood’s top screen and television character actors, with over 200 film and TV credits. He’s notorious for villain roles alongside Tom Cruise (”Minority Report”), Jessica Alba (”Dark Angel”), Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan (”Eraser”), Bruce Willis (”Last Man Standing”), Steven Seagal (”Under Siege 2”), Sean Connery and Mark Harmon (”The Presidio”), Tom Selleck (”Last Stand at Saber River”, “Crossfire Trail”), Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren (”Death Warrant”, “Black Water”), and Quentin Rampage Jackson (”Cops and Robbers”). As CEO of Uncommon Dialogue Films, he’s produced, written, and directed globally, presenting film investment projects from Fiji to London.

Stage, Writing, and Behind-the-Scenes Excellence

On stage, Kilpatrick starred in Shakespeare’s “Anthony and Cleopatra” with John Goodman and Oscar-winner Tony Richardson, and created plays with Bill Hickey. Before acting, he worked as a bodyguard for icons like Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Rod Stewart, and wrote for TIME Inc., Playboy, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times. He was also an on-air reporter for the Emmy-winning “What’s Happening America”.

Awards, Recognition, and Personal Philosophy

Kilpatrick is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has won the People’s Choice Award (Best Picture, “Assassin X”). He voices film and political campaigns, and his memoir “Dying For Living” (2018) details his storied career and philosophy of humility, gratitude, and making a positive impact.Raised by a decorated underwater demolition team veteran (Purple Heart, Silver Star) and founder of Cigna, Kilpatrick emphasizes humility, gratitude, and making the world a better place:

“Make sure you hug everybody you love, and we all work together to make the world a better place.”

Meet Jennifer Hersch: Bridging Innovation, Wellness, and the Arts

Jennifer Hersch is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience transforming ambitious visions into impactful realities across education, wellness, and the performing arts. Cambridge-educated and strategic, Jennifer is known for connecting the dots between for-profit and non-profit ventures, blending business acumen with artistic expression.

Building Purpose-Driven Wellness Experiences

As founder of one of London’s premier luxury wellness clubs—recognized by Harper’s Bazaar and Time Out—Jennifer has redefined boutique fitness. She excels at building brands from the ground up, overseeing everything from hot yoga studio design to innovative program creation, instructor training, and customer experiences. Her leadership has guided 50+ teams, raised over £3M, and launched award-winning wellness experiences.

Championing Excellence in Education and the Arts

Jennifer developed one of the first 500-hour interdisciplinary hot yoga teacher trainings, integrating science, philosophy, and martial arts. She’s recruited faculty from Oxford, Cambridge, and NYU, and mentored both students and teachers to excellence.An Artistic Director, dancer, and choreographer, Jennifer’s journey includes flamenco in Seville and ballet in New York City. She has led creative direction for performances, managed artist relations, and driven successful fundraising.

Strategic Leadership and Vision

Jennifer has led flagship events such as the Virgin Unite Entrepreneur Challenge and curated leadership seminars at Cambridge, fostering dialogue and driving institutional growth.

Meet Bobbi Hamilton: The Wellness Visionary Who Builds Worlds

Bobbi Hamilton is the founder and CEO of Chi Universe, a Santa Monica–based wellness and technology company she launched in 2007. A patented inventor, designer, and creative director, Bobbi blends biomechanics, storytelling, and play to create interactive wellness products for kids, families, and adults—including the award-winning Chi Yoga Mat & Game. Her work focuses on elevating physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing through joyful, intelligent design.

Raised near Cornell University, Bobbi trained under Olympian Rick Gilbert and mind-body mentor Roy Alvarez, developing early mastery in visualization and precision movement. She went on to compete as a platform diver for UC Berkeley before transitioning into Hollywood as a stunt performer, athletic model, and on-camera talent.

A Pioneer in Play-Along Wellness

Bobbi’s Hollywood work—spanning campaigns for Canon, Adidas/Stella McCartney, Sony, NCAA, and more—sharpened her comfort on camera and her eye for world-class branding. Those skills helped elevate Chi Universe into retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, UncommonGoods, and Four Seasons Resorts, with features in Harper’s Bazaar, Goop, and The Today Show.

The concept behind Chi Universe was born during a children’s class at the Venice Public Library, when Bobbi sketched symbols on a mat to help a student overcome language and alignment challenges—sparking the patented, symbol-based system now used by families and schools worldwide.

Movement with Meaning

A lifelong athlete and healer, Bobbi has taught fitness since age 16 and later mastered yoga, Pilates, meditation, breathwork, Qigong, biomechanics, and Tibetan energetic therapy. She has taught at luxury resorts, corporate programs, and global initiatives including Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! LA and the UN’s HerStory. As Chi Universe expands into digital media and major partnerships, Bobbi continues to build worlds where movement becomes mastery and play becomes purpose.

Meet Tim Storms: The Man Who Does It All

Tim Storms hails from a small Minnesota town, where the family that acts together, stays together. By the tender age of four, Tim was already flipping and tumbling his way through gymnastics, and by twelve, he’d added martial arts to his growing list of skills. He’s racked up hundreds of plays as an actor, director, and fight and dance choreographer. In 1991, he packed his bags for Los Angeles, chasing the bright lights of Hollywood while still keeping one foot firmly planted on the stage.

Hollywood’s Secret Weapon

When Hollywood needs its stars to look like superheroes, they call Tim. He trained Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne for The Matrix, and helped Tobey Maguire swing into action for Spider-Man 2 and 3. He’s doubled for J.K. Simmons in The Accountant 2 and even stepped into Patrick Stewart’s shoes (and wheelchair) as Professor X in Logan, and took on a different character in Star Trek: Picard. Tim’s stunt work also shines in the Saturn Award-winning video game God of War.

Accolades and Action

Tim’s high-flying feats haven’t gone unnoticed. He’s been nominated for Best Specialty Stunt at the Taurus World Stunt Awards for Spider-Man 2, and for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture for his work as Professor X in Logan. Whether he’s on stage, on screen, or behind the scenes, Tim Storms brings a whirlwind of talent, energy, and fun to everything he does.