Rochester AI Expert Ken Collins Helps Syracuse University’s AI Creative Summit as Presenter, Mentor, Panelist and Judge

Ken Collins selected to AI Expert Panel for AI Creative Summit at Syracuse University's Newhouse School (Photo by Zobayer Joti)

Pittsford NY AI expert and web developer Ken Collins joins Adobe, American High, Five Peaks Animation and INVNT at Syracuse University’s AI Creative Summit.

SYRACUSE, NY, UNITED STATES, November 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ken Collins, a Pittsford NY resident, AI expert and veteran Rochester NY web developer, served as a presenter, mentor, panelist and judge at Syracuse University’s AI Creative Summit on November 14 and 15. Collins, who is the Director of Research and Development at YPC Media, a Rochester-based online marketing company, and the Founder of ezad.com, a human-powered, AI-assisted advertising platform, worked closely with students throughout the two-day event to guide them through emerging creative AI workflows.

The Summit was conceived and organized by Professor Milton Santiago, Assistant Professor of Visual Communication, and Professor Adam Peruta, Associate Professor and Program Director of Advanced Media Management at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Their goal was to bring students together with industry experts to explore how generative AI is reshaping creative production while reinforcing the importance of ethics, continuity and strong narrative fundamentals.

The event was supported by Adobe, American High, and the Newhouse Office of Community, Culture and Engagement.

Industry-Led Workshops Featuring AI, Video, Audio and Story Planning

Day one included workshop sessions with professionals representing leading creative organizations:

Hailey Tredo, Head of AI, American High

Drew Muckell, Executive Producer, INVNT

Dean Lyon, Director, Five Peaks Animation

Jonathan Carrera, Senior Strategic Development Manager, Video, Adobe

Karina Anglada, Strategic Development Manager, Video, Adobe

Ken Collins, Director of Research and Development, YPC Media and Founder of ezad.com

Collins presented “AI Video Generation Beyond Firefly”, where he introduced students to advanced ideation, prompt engineering and continuity strategies using multiple AI video generation platforms. He demonstrated how thoughtful planning, coherent character prompts and structured story workflows help maintain visual consistency across scenes.

Following his workshop, Collins joined Tredo, Muckell and Lyon for a panel discussion titled “AI in Creative Practice”. He contributed insights from his background in SEO, GEO and AEO optimization, online marketing strategy and AI-driven advertising, explaining how AI tools are already being used in commercial environments.

Mentoring During the Gen Jam Production Competition:

On Saturday, the Summit shifted into a six-hour hack-a-thon style AI content creation event. Student teams worked across Newhouse labs while rotating through expert mentoring sessions. Collins held open office hours in the Startup Garage, where he helped students refine prompts, tighten narratives, debug continuity issues and optimize their production workflow.

Industry professionals available for mentorship throughout the day included:

Ken Collins, YPC Media and ezad.com

Hailey Tredo, American High

Dean Lyon, Five Peaks Animation

Drew Muckell, INVNT

Professors Milton Santiago and Adam Peruta

Students selected one of three challenge prompts and produced 30 to 60 second AI-assisted projects:

Prompt 1: Conspiracy Theory
Create a mock documentary, commercial or concept trailer for a fictional conspiracy that blends realism with absurdity.

Prompt 2: The Whacky Product
Invent an outrageous or unnecessary product and build a full AI-generated advertising concept around it.

Prompt 3: The Mash Up or Wild Card
Fuse unrelated genres or worlds into a surprising but coherent short video.

After submissions were screened in Halmi Hall, Collins served on the judging panel evaluating each project on creativity, coherence, technical execution and storytelling strength.

A Pittsford NY Technologist Helping Shape the Future of Creative AI

“Newhouse created an environment where students could experiment freely while staying grounded in the fundamentals of story, ethics and quality,” Collins said. “Technology moves fast, but solid planning still matters. I was impressed by how quickly students adopted AI tools and how thoughtfully they approached each challenge.”

As a Pittsford NY resident and long-time Rochester NY technology professional, Collins brings more than 15 years of experience in web development, online marketing, SEO, GEO optimization, AEO optimization and AI-assisted creative production. His work at YPC Media and ezad.com focuses on helping small and mid-sized businesses leverage modern digital tools to compete effectively in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.

About the AI Creative Summit

The AI Creative Summit at Syracuse University is a two-day educational program focused on emerging generative AI tools for creative production. Students participate in workshops, panels, mentoring sessions and a Gen Jam content creation challenge. The event brings together educators, industry leaders and students from across Central New York.

About Ken Collins

Ken Collins is a Pittsford NY resident, AI expert, web developer and Director of Research and Development at YPC Media, a Rochester NY online marketing company supporting thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. He is also the Founder of ezad.com, a human-powered, AI-assisted advertising platform that makes high-quality marketing simple and accessible. Collins specializes in SEO, GEO optimization, AEO optimization, online marketing strategy and generative AI creative workflows.

Ken Collins
ezad.com
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.