You have the idea. Maybe you have a script, a trailer or a project already in motion. What you need next may be harder to find: a collaborator who shares your vision, feedback you can use or someone who understands the work well enough to help you move it forward.

On Saturday, November 7, CityGate Studios is bringing those conversations into the same room at CREATE2026 | TAKE FLIGHT in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.

The one-day gathering welcomes filmmakers, actors, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs and content creators for workshops, industry insight and opportunities to participate. Registration is $50 and includes lunch, along with the evening’s NIGHT//VIZION: IGNITE Praise Party.

For creatives who want to pursue their calling with both faith and professional excellence, the day offers a place to ask questions, introduce their work and meet people who may become part of what comes next.

Here’s a look at what’s involved and how to make the most of it.

Christian “Mister” McCartney will deliver the closing keynote, “Seriously Funny: Building a Life That’s Bigger Than the Algorithm.”

A comedian, actor and entertainer, McCartney brings an animated storytelling style to his work onstage and onscreen. His credits include the dramatic feature Just One More and his comedy combines energetic characters with a clear sense of purpose.

His keynote title raises a question many creators know well: How much of your creative life is being shaped by the pursuit of the next click, view or follower?

For anyone building a public platform while trying to stay grounded in a larger calling, it’s a timely conversation and a fitting way to close a day focused on where your work can take you.

The WE Focused Workshops bring together professionals whose experience spans screenwriting, filmmaking and animation. The lineup includes:

• Bob Saenz, screenwriter, author and actor, whose writing credits include Church People and The Farmer and the Belle.
• Cheryl McKay Price, screenwriter of The Ultimate Gift and creator, showrunner and executive producer of These Stones. Saenz and Price are scheduled to lead a joint workshop.
• Kaleb and Kyler Cook of Twinbolt Media, directors, producers and writers whose work includes Just One More.
• Ben Davis, CEO / Creative Trailblazer at MOONDOG Animation Studio, bringing an animation industry perspective to the workshop lineup.

Their work represents different ways of bringing a story to an audience. That matters whether you are developing your first project or trying to solve a problem on your next one.

Come with a question rooted in the work you’re doing now. A specific challenge gives you something concrete to listen for ask about and carry back into your own creative process.

A trailer has a demanding job. In a short span of time, it needs to establish tone, create interest and give someone a reason to want more.

The Trailer Showcase offers constructive feedback on how filmmakers present and promote their stories. It’s an opportunity to consider how a project comes across to people who haven’t lived with it through every draft, production day and edit.

That outside perspective can be valuable. What feels obvious to the filmmaker may not be clear to the viewer. What seems like an essential detail may slow the momentum. And sometimes the most compelling part of a story needs more room to stand out.

If you’re interested in having work considered, check with the organizers for submission instructions and participation details before the event.

Presented by ReDiscover TV and BackLot, the Greenlight Games bring an interactive element to the day, with films, music videos and trailers in the mix. Backlot Bucks are part of the experience, adding a playful element to discovering projects and engaging with the work of fellow creators.

There’s value in seeing what other people are making. You encounter different approaches, recognize interests you share and discover projects you might otherwise never hear about.

The Games give attendees another way to participate and another starting point for a conversation after the screen goes dark.

You can admire someone’s work for years without ever meeting them. You can also spend an entire event with people who could be useful collaborators and leave without knowing what they do.

Creator Speed Networking is designed to get those introductions started. It gives attendees a structured opportunity to meet potential collaborators across creative disciplines. The networking program is presented by Papaian Studios, while The Concourse is another part of the day’s connection-focused experience.

An actor may meet a filmmaker. A writer may connect with a producer. A musician may discover a project that needs an original sound.

Before you arrive, think about how you’ll introduce yourself. What do you create? What are you working on? Where could another person’s skills help? A clear introduction makes it easier for someone to recognize a shared interest and continue the conversation.

The Watch — Industry Intelligence, presented by Watchman Action Network, brings industry insight together with a spiritual perspective. It creates space to consider the business and craft of entertainment with Christ at the center.

For faith-driven creatives, those concerns belong in the same conversation. The decisions involved in building a career, choosing collaborators and developing a project affect both the work and the people making it.

The Watch is part of CREATE2026’s broader emphasis on helping creators pursue meaningful work with purpose and professional care.

The day continues into NIGHT//VIZION: IGNITE Praise Party, presented by FaithChannel.

The evening brings music, worship and community into the experience, giving attendees time to celebrate together after the day’s programming. Admission is included in CREATE2026 registration.

Lunch is included, too, providing another opportunity to get to know the people you’ve been learning alongside.

At CityGate Studios, we work with creators from development through post-production and final delivery. Across those stages, we see how much a project depends on the people around it: the person who asks a useful question, offers a fresh perspective or brings the skill the team needs.

CREATE2026 extends that commitment to the creative community. Presented by CityGate Studios in partnership with CONTENT Christian Media Conferences, it brings experienced professionals and fellow creators together in a setting built for participation.

Bring something to talk about, something to ask and a willingness to hear what someone else is building. You may arrive looking for one answer and discover a connection you hadn’t considered.

CREATE2026 | TAKE FLIGHT takes place Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 3100 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 110, Peachtree Corners, GA 30071. Registration is $50, including lunch and admission to the evening Praise Party.

A good speaker can give you something to think about. A useful conversation with someone who understands your work can help you decide what to do next.

That’s the opportunity behind the speaker lineup at CREATE2026 | TAKE FLIGHT, coming Saturday, November 7, to Peachtree Corners, Georgia. From comedy and screenwriting to independent filmmaking and animation, the day brings together professionals who know what it takes to put a story in front of an audience.

Leading the lineup is closing keynote speaker Christian “Mister” McCartney, whose message reaches beyond the metrics that so often dominate a creator’s attention.

If you create content, you know how quickly the numbers can take over. Views. Followers. Engagement. The next post, the next performance, the next thing that might catch someone’s attention.

McCartney’s closing keynote, “Seriously Funny: Building a Life That’s Bigger Than the Algorithm,” invites a broader conversation about the life behind the work.

A comedian, actor and entertainer, McCartney is known for animated storytelling and energetic characters. His work spans the stage and screen, including a role in the dramatic feature Just One More. He brings humor into a creative career grounded in faith.

For attendees building a platform of their own, the keynote offers a timely question to consider: What do you want your work to accomplish beyond getting noticed?

You don’t have to be a comedian—or have a large following—for that question to matter. It belongs just as much to the actor choosing a project, the filmmaker developing a story and the entrepreneur deciding where to invest time and attention.

A story can begin with a striking image, a compelling character or a question you can’t leave alone. Turning it into something that holds an audience takes another kind of work.

Screenwriters Bob Saenz and Cheryl McKay Price are scheduled to lead a joint workshop as part of the WE Focused Workshops program.

Saenz is a screenwriter, author and actor whose writing credits include Church People and The Farmer and the Belle. His experience crosses both the page and the performance, offering a perspective shaped by more than one part of the filmmaking process.

Price wrote the screenplay for The Ultimate Gift and is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of These Stones. Her experience spans feature storytelling and the continuing demands of a television series.

Together, they bring substantial professional experience to a room of people working to develop their own stories. Whether you write, direct, produce or perform, understanding the choices behind the script can change how you approach the finished work.

Kaleb and Kyler Cook of Twinbolt Media join the workshop lineup as directors, producers and writers. Their work includes Just One More, connecting them with another familiar name on the CREATE2026 program: McCartney.

Independent filmmaking asks people to move between creative and practical decisions constantly. A choice on the page affects production. A production decision changes what reaches the edit. The people involved have to carry the same vision through each stage.

The Cook brothers’ work across those roles makes them relevant to attendees thinking about how a project gets made, as well as what they want it to say.

Ben Davis, CEO / Creative Trailblazer at MOONDOG Animation Studio, adds another storytelling discipline to the lineup.

Animation begins with possibilities that live-action production may approach very differently. Characters, environments and visual worlds must be imagined and built, with creative and technical decisions working together throughout the process.

Davis brings experience in animation and creative development to the WE Focused Workshops. For creators interested in visual storytelling, his presence broadens the day’s conversation beyond a single production format.

You’ll get more from the day if you arrive with something specific in mind. Think about the challenge that keeps coming back in your current project. Where are you stuck? What decision have you been putting off? What would help you move forward?

Write the question down. Listen for approaches you can apply, and make room for an answer you may not have expected.

CREATE2026 combines the speaker program with Creator Speed Networking, the Trailer Showcase, Greenlight Games, industry conversations and an evening of worship and community. The relationships formed between sessions may prove just as useful as the notes you take during them.

Join us Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 3100 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 110, Peachtree Corners, GA 30071. Registration is $50 and includes lunch and admission to NIGHT//VIZION: IGNITE Praise Party.

You can keep an idea on the back burner for a long time. There’s always another deadline, another expense or another reason to wait until you feel more prepared.

Sometimes the next step is simply putting yourself in a room where you can ask the question, meet the collaborator or get a clearer view of what your project needs.

CREATE2026 | TAKE FLIGHT is coming Saturday, November 7, to Peachtree Corners, Georgia. If you’ve been meaning to register, now is a good time to make the decision and give yourself time to prepare.

Here are five reasons to put it on your calendar.

The speaker lineup spans several parts of the creative process. Closing keynote speaker Christian “Mister” McCartney will present “Seriously Funny: Building a Life That’s Bigger Than the Algorithm.” The comedian, actor and entertainer brings a timely subject to anyone trying to build a platform without letting the numbers define the purpose.

The WE Focused Workshops include screenwriters Bob Saenz and Cheryl McKay Price; directors, producers and writers Kaleb and Kyler Cook of Twinbolt Media; and Ben Davis, CEO / Creative Trailblazer at MOONDOG Animation Studio.

You may be working in a different discipline from the person speaking. Listen anyway. Understanding what another part of the team needs can make you a better collaborator.

Make it count: Bring one specific question about a project or professional challenge you’re facing now.

A creative career depends on relationships. The challenge is finding opportunities to build them while you’re also doing the work.

Creator Speed Networking gives you a structured place to start. The Concourse and conversations throughout the day offer additional opportunities to get to know fellow creatives.

An introduction may lead to a future collaboration. It may also introduce you to someone who understands a problem you’re trying to solve. Both are worth making time for.

Make it count: Prepare a short introduction and an easy way to share your contact information. After the event, follow up with a reference to the conversation you actually had.

Creators spend a great deal of time looking at their own work. That makes an outside perspective especially valuable.

The Trailer Showcase offers constructive feedback on how filmmakers present and promote their stories. The Greenlight Games, presented by ReDiscover TV and BackLot, add an interactive way to discover films, music videos and trailers.

Watching other people respond to a story can reveal something you hadn’t noticed. What catches their attention? What raises a question? What makes them want to know more?

Make it count: If you want work considered for a participation opportunity, contact organizers now for instructions and any deadlines. If you’re observing, listen for feedback you can apply to your own projects.

Faith and professional excellence belong in the same conversation. The work deserves care, and so do the people making it.

The Watch — Industry Intelligence, presented by Watchman Action Network, brings a spiritual perspective to industry discussion. NIGHT//VIZION: IGNITE Praise Party, presented by FaithChannel, continues the experience with an evening of music, worship and community.

For creatives who want to keep Christ at the center of their professional lives, those elements make the gathering more personally relevant.

Make it count: Consider what you want your work to accomplish and where you 

could use greater clarity. Let that guide the conversations you choose to have.

For $50, CREATE2026 brings together the speaker program, workshops, networking and interactive activities, with lunch and evening Praise Party admission included.

That gives you several ways to make the day useful. You can arrive with a question, explore projects outside your usual circle and meet people with experience different from your own.

The value starts with how you use the opportunity. Arrive ready to participate, give other people’s work your attention and identify a next step you’re willing to take.

Make it count: Before you go, name one thing you want to accomplish. Afterward, choose an action and put it on your calendar while the conversations are still fresh.

November 7 is getting closer. Register now, make your travel plans and take time to prepare an introduction, a question or materials for an activity you want to join.

CREATE2026 | TAKE FLIGHT takes place Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 3100 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 110, Peachtree Corners, GA 30071. Registration is $50.