NAB Show 2026 unveils speakers and sessions: Next-level creators, top media leaders, storytelling legends, and AI step into the spotlight

The expanded Creator Lab, presented in partnership with Adobe and Blackmagic Design, returns with a larger footprint and sharper focus on the business and impact of the creator economy, bringing together creators, brands and platforms for hands-on learning and candid conversations.

Creator Lab sessions such as “Beyond Views: Measuring Creator Impact” examine how success is defined beyond simple metrics, while “Creator Survival Guide: Contracts, Burnout & the Business of Building Content” tackles the realities of sustaining a creative career. “Are We Nervous Yet: A Creator’s Guide to AI” explores how emerging technologies reshape content creation, audience relationships and long-term viability for creators.

Current NAB Show registration shows a 200 percent increase over 2025 in attendees who describe themselves as content creators, influencers or podcasters, while self-described producers of social media content are up about 150 percent.

The Media and Entertainment Theater, in partnership with The Ankler, will host insider conversations on the evolving power dynamics transforming the industry.

In sessions like “The Scary-Smart Business of Horror,” creators and Hollywood executives share the stage to examine how audience-driven IP, digital-native talent and new financing models are converging to redefine how content is developed, scaled and monetized.

The session will feature:

• • Markiplier, a leading creator, filmmaker and entrepreneur behind the feature film “Iron Lung,” building a platform-spanning media business
  
  
• • Akela Cooper, screenwriter behind the hit films “M3GAN” and “Malignant”
  
  
• • Michael Clear, President of Atomic Monster, who has overseen films including several within the “Conjuring” franchise and the highly anticipated movie “The Backrooms” (in addition to “M3GAN” and “Malignant”) 
  
  
• • Moderator Natalie Jarvey of The Ankler

The session “The Cost of Bearing Witness: Journalist Safety in a Polarized America,” moderated by CNN anchor John Berman, will bring national attention to the challenges facing journalists operating in increasingly complex and high-risk environments.

Other featured sessions include:

“The Evolving Paradigm of Broadcast News” with veteran broadcast journalist Deborah Norville and Perry Sook, Chairman and CEO, Nexstar Media Group Inc., on how news organizations are adapting to new technologies and business models.

“Who Controls the Pipe? Platform Distribution, Power and the New Deal Economics,” featuring Matt Schnaars of NBCUniversal and Tedd Cittadine of Roku, on the shifting balance of power between platforms and content companies.

“Putting the New Back in News,” a session from Programming Everywhere on how TV news organizations can reframe their output across platforms to be more relevant and resonant with viewers, featuring executives with CBS LA, CBC News, Hearst Television and Gray News.

Filmmaking Craft and Creative Talent

The 2026 NAB Show will spotlight the art and craft of filmmaking through sessions and workshops in CineCentral, including a special appearance by legendary cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins (April 20 at 1:30 p.m.), dubbed by The Guardian as “the greatest practitioner of his craft alive.” In a live discussion with his wife and collaborator, James Deakins, the pair will share insights from their careers and their book “Reflections: On Cinematography.”

CineCentral programming focuses on the practical skills in cinematic storytelling techniques. This interactive space features live demonstrations, expert-led training and immersive, hands-on learning experiences for cinematographers, directors, camera operators and content creators. Workshops such as “The Storyteller’s Guide to Production on a Tight Budget” focus on practical execution, including planning, resource management and maintaining creative intent within limitations.

Across the Show, programming will highlight how AI, cloud workflows and new production technologies are reshaping media creation and distribution. New for 2026, NAB Show has added a second AI Pavilion to the show floor, reflecting how quickly AI has moved from experimentation into widespread, practical use across the entire media workflow.

Also new this year, the Enterprise Video Strategies track focuses on how organizations are scaling video across communications, marketing and operations. Sessions such as “Architecting ROI: Scalable Virtual Production for Enterprise Teams” highlight how enterprises are building efficient, repeatable production models that deliver measurable business impact.

Other highlighted sessions include:

• • A Fireside Keynote at the NAB Show Streaming Summit with Robert Schildhouse, CEO of Direct to Consumer at BBC Studios (oversees BritBox, BBC Select and all BBC Studios).
  
  
• • A Fireside Chat at the NAB Show Streaming Summit, “Orchestrating JioHotStar Traffic: Scaling a Video Workflow for 72 Million+ Concurrent Viewers,” exploring how the platform delivered record-setting global streaming scale during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
  
  
• • “The Augmented Studio: Supercharging Creativity with the Power of AI” with Anil Jain of Google Cloud and Márcia Mayer of Google DeepMind examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping creative workflows across production, editing and visual storytelling.
  
  
• • “Powering Intelligent Media: From AI Experimentation to Real-World Impact” with Silvia Candiani, vice president of Telecommunications, Media and Gaming at Microsoft, explores how media organizations are moving AI from early experimentation to real-world deployment.
  
  
• • “Securing Distributed Broadcast Operations: Field Safety, Infrastructure Protection and Modern Media Networks,” a Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference session on growing cybersecurity and operational challenges facing distributed broadcast infrastructures.
  
  
• • “Transforming Media Delivery: Live Sports Innovation and Broadcast-Broadband Convergence” examining how hybrid broadcast and broadband technologies are reshaping the delivery and scale of live sports.
  
  
• • “The Enterprise Video Quality Gap: What Viewers Really Get and Why” the technical and operational factors that shape video quality across modern streaming and enterprise distribution platforms.
  
  
• • “Efficient by Design: Cloud-Based Production for Modern Brands” on how brands and media organizations are using cloud-based production tools to streamline workflows and scale content creation.
  
  
• • “Imaging at Unprecedented Scale for Sphere” with Andrew Shulkind, senior vice president of capture and innovation at Sphere Entertainment, and Rich Welsh, president of SMPTE, exploring the Big Sky camera system and how ultra-high-resolution imaging is redefining large-format, immersive storytelling (from the SMPTE VIBE Conference).

As previously announced, the four-day Sports Summit, Powered by Lumen Technologies Inc., will convene executives from leagues, media companies and technology platforms to examine the rapidly evolving sports media landscape.

“The 2026 NAB Show lineup is one that truly reflects where the industry is right now: a powerful mix of emerging creators and world-class storytellers alongside the technologies shaping how content is made and delivered,” Chupka said. “We’re seeing that same momentum in our registration, with a significant influx of new voices joining established leaders from across the global media ecosystem.”

Film, TV and Content Creators

Stephen Brown — EVP, Programming and Development, Fox First Run and Fox TV Stations

“Team Deakins” — Cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins and James Deakins

Carolyn Giardina — Crafts and Entertainment Technology Journalist, Cinema Editor

Jeff Hasler — President of Original Productions at Fremantle

Dylan Huey — CEO, REACH

Travis Keyes — Photographer, Filmmaker and Content Creator

Shira Lazar — CEO, What’s Trending

Ashlee McCullock — VP, Social Research and Insights, Paramount

Pojo Riegert — Head of Mark Rober’s Creative Team at CrunchLabs

René Ritchie — Head of Editorial and Creator Liaison, YouTube

Rick Siegel — multiple Emmy Award-winning Director of Photography

Nicki Sun — Host and Executive Producer, The Nicki Sun Show

Mari Takahashi — Content Creator, AtomicMari

Sports and Entertainment Leaders

Tom Ara — Partner, Weil Private Equity (leads Weil’s entertainment, sports and media practice)

Assia Grazioli-Venier — Co-Founder, Muse Capital

Laura “LJ” Johnson — Executive Producer and Senior Director of Game Presentation and Live Events, San Francisco 49ers

Rebecca Kacaba — Co-founder and CEO of DealMaker

Allen T. Lamb — Co-founder and CEO of EuroStep Ventures, Controlling Owner of Levallois Metropolitans Basketball Club

Jon Miller — President, Acquisitions and Partnerships, NBC Sports

Michelle Munson — CEO and Co-founder, Eluvio

John Ourand — Sports Correspondent, Puck Media

Blake Paris — SVP Safety and Experience, Smith Entertainment Group

Jeff Roth — Partner, Bruin Capital

Ameeth Sankaran — CEO of Religion of Sports

Shelby Williams — Head of Integrated Sports Marketing at AWS

News and Media Leaders

John Berman — Anchor/Correspondent, CNN

Mike Dello Stritto — VP and News Director, CBS LA

Mara Gassmann — Senior Staff Attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Marc Lefebvre — Senior Director of Operations, CBC News

Barbara Maushard — SVP and Chief Content Officer, News, at Hearst Television

Mohamed Moawad — Managing Editor, Al Jazeera

Deborah Norville — Journalist and television host

Eric Rasmussen — Investigative Reporter, KSTP

Perry Sook — Chairman and CEO, Nexstar Media Group

A.C. Thompson — Correspondent, Producer/Staff Reporter, PBS FRONTLINE/ProPublica

Lee Zurik — SVP Strategy and Innovation, Gray Media

Technology and Innovation Leaders

Ernest Appiah — Senior Solutions Engineering Leader, Cisco

Aaron Behman — Market Development Leader, AMD

Silvia Candiani — VP, Telecommunications, Media and Gaming, Microsoft

Caroline Coleman — Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Verkada

Anil Jain — Managing Director, Global Strategic Industries, Google Cloud

Justin Lee — Associate Director of Production, The Clorox Company

James Leach — Director of Product Management, Modular Compute, Cisco

Tony Masiello — Chief Network Officer, Castanet 5G

Márcia Mayer — Head of Production, Google DeepMind

Rajesh Ramachandran — President and CTO, Qube Cinema

Andrew Shulkind — SVP of Capture and Innovation at Sphere Entertainment

Steve Shultis — CTO, New York Public Radio

Katie Stout — Director of Transformation, The Clorox Company

Rich Welsh — President, SMPTE

Platform and Distribution Leaders

Tedd Cittadine — SVP, Streaming Services Partnerships, Roku

Ryan Pirozzi — Head of Prime Video Channels, Amazon

Akash Saxena — Chief Technology Officer, JioStar

Robert Schildhouse — CEO, Direct-to-Consumer, BritBox

Matt Schnaars — President, Platform Distribution & Partnerships, NBCUniversal

Attendees, exhibitors and sponsors can learn more on the NAB Show website: https://www.nabshow.com/las-vegas/

View the 2026 NAB Show floorplan: https://nab26.mapyourshow.com/8_0/floorplan/

About NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at https://www.nab.org/

About NAB Show

NAB Show is the premier global event powering the future of broadcast, media and entertainment, April 18–22, 2026 (exhibits April 19–22), in Las Vegas. Produced by the National Association of Broadcasters, it convenes creators, technologists, exhibitors and decision-makers exploring breakthroughs in AI, the creator economy, sports, streaming and cloud. With curated destinations, immersive education and unmatched networking, NAB Show delivers both discovery and deal-making, attracting buyers with real influence. From its century-long legacy to today’s multi-platform world, NAB Show remains the catalyst for innovation. Learn more at https://www.nabshow.com/