Hader, Kroll and Nintendo Bosses Talk AI and Fandom at Variety Summit

Bill Hader on voicing the Cat in the Hat, Nick Kroll on shooting in Los Angeles and Nintendo on taking The Legend of Zelda to cinemas shared one stage in Beverly Hills.

The talks were part of Variety's Entertainment & Technology Summit 2026, presented by EY and held on Thursday, 17 September at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel, Variety reported. Variety organised the event as a one-day programme on trends, tools and strategies reshaping entertainment, including advances in AI and gaming, according to Variety Events. Speakers came from across the business, including Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Sony, Warner Bros., Mattel and Reddit. Sessions centred on navigating AI, engaging fandom, the creator economy, meaning creators who build businesses around online video and social followings, and the future of the industry.

Kroll appeared in a keynote conversation about keeping productions shooting in Los Angeles and about his Netflix comedy series 'A Hundred Percent'. The conversation put the practical question of where work gets filmed alongside talk of a new show.

Hader headlined a separate keynote about voicing the Cat in the Hat. He also spoke about resistance to AI among young people and how they respond to the technology in creative work.

Horror filmmaker James Wan, of Blumhouse Atomic Monster, pointed to wider access to technology as the reason YouTube creators could break through with the films 'Obsession' and 'Backrooms'. Sony TV chief Keith Le Goy spoke about activating its engaged audience, meaning turning loyal viewers into active fans. Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer Devon Pritchard discussed the Switch 2. He also discussed Legend of Zelda projects, including a film collaboration with Sony Pictures.

Television leaders had their own session. Executives from NBCUniversal Entertainment, Crunchyroll and Hulu spoke about super-serving audiences, meaning giving committed fans more of what they already love, and the danger of AI slop, meaning floods of low-quality material made with generative tools. Variety published a summit round-up titled 'Top Media Execs Break Down How to Super-Serve Audiences, the Real Threat of AI Slop and More at Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit', as covered in a separate Variety report.

For viewers, this matters in simple terms. Decisions made in rooms like this decide where stories are filmed, how they are made and how they find you on television, in cinemas or on a games console.