Lauren Neal

Lauren Neal is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker, data scientist, and AI/ML engineer. She is a graduate of Brown University’s Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies and the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science, where she studied applications of machine learning to filmmaking. Lauren has edited, produced, and directed for several political campaigns. She also won the Hyundai Emerging Director Award at Outfest Fusion 2020–Hyundai then enlisted Lauren to direct a commercial that aired during the GLAAD Awards, OutFronts, and Outfest LA. In 2023, Lauren was named a 2023 Commercial Directors Diversity Program semifinalist. Lauren served as technical director, editor, VFX artist, VFX coordinator, post-production supervisor, executive producer, and lead performer in “Under the Influencer,” an innovative microbudget feature film that recently wrapped post-production, and for which Lauren developed several new workflows that leverage new technology (i.e. ethical AI tools). A graduate of Warner Bros. Discovery’s inaugural VFX Coordinator training program, Lauren is currently editing two documentary projects and has been tapped to direct the romantic comedy “Ex Life” for Story Mill Entertainment in 2024.