FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SANTA FE, NM: Curt Doty, a Santa Fe branding expert and now AI consultant has conceived a speaker series in a Salon format focused on discussing Artificial Intelligence titled “El Sailon.” Eric D Renz-Whitmore, the Economic Development Specialist from the Office of Economic Development, City of Santa Fe, NM, has been following Curt’s AI Podcast and AI newsletters for awhile and approached Curt that perhaps his department could help support the effort. Within weeks, they had a space and a speaker. The first El Sailon took place August 13th at Edition One Gallery on Canyon Road. Cindy Coon, experiential futurist from Applied Futures Lab, was the first speaker.

This month El Sailon features five speakers who are lined up to share their AI Journey, ‘AI and I’ which includes Alexander Ramsay McCaig, Carl McLendon, Jack Allread, Kat Walsh and Michael Garfield. December 10, 5:30-7:30. The venue is BOXCAR on 133 Water St. in Santa Fe.

Alex is a co-founder of a new AI company, TARTLE, that has a unique approach to handling and monetizing ones Data. Carl is a local business leader who heads up programming at Santa Fe Business Incubator. Jack Allread is a software developer and worked for decades with the Navy. Kat Walsh is a local social media guru. Michael Garfield, a musician, artist, futurist, and more. Five perspectives from five very different voices.

Curt Doty, the host of the AI Salon Series "El Sailon," expressed his enthusiasm for the gathering, highlighting the importance of ongoing conversations about AI's far-reaching impact across various business sectors. He reflected on the idea's origins, noting that it began as a LinkedIn discussion and evolved into a local forum to explore AI's implications. Doty emphasized the urgency of understanding AI, noting its rapid advancement and the potential consequences of not engaging with it. He went on to say, "Creative people need to be at the center of where this technology goes, because it's always the creative people who think beyond the technology and lift it to higher levels than a lot of mediocrity that's happening right now."

El Sailon is a RealmIQ Event and Founder Curt Doty has been putting on these AI Salons since August at various venues around Santa Fe. His lineup of speakers has included business leaders such as Joe Thurman, CEO of TalentBloom, and Mike Johns, Futurist from Digital Mind State. His Salon on the Future of Film entitled “AI in Film: FOMO or FUBAR” featured guest speakers Peter Csathy, entertainment lawyer, B. Earl, Marvel Writer, Russell Schwarz, Associate Professor of film marketing at Chapman University, Lane Kinkade, Professor of UX at SCAD, John Attanasio, cofounder of TOONSTAR and Zahir Kahn, an AI Filmmaker.

Doty says, “Our mission is to bring together AI leaders, enthusiasts, users, business leaders, creative minds, and educators from the Santa Fe and Albuquerque area to foster discussion and increase AI adoption and AI literacy.

If you’re curious or passionate about AI and eager to engage in stimulating conversations, we invite you to be part of our monthly meetups.”

Doty also introduced the concept of "Creative-Centered AI," stressing that creative people should be at the forefront of driving AI technology. To quote him, “"Creative people need to be at the center of where this technology goes, because it's always the creative people who think beyond the technology and lift it to higher levels than a lot of mediocrity that's happening right now." He acknowledged the ethical concerns surrounding AI, particularly regarding the use of copyrighted material in training large language models, and noted the emergence of "alt tech" companies striving to develop ethically sourced AI platforms.

Doty believes Santa Fe, and New Mexico, can be the sister to Silicon Valley and be the “Silicon Mesa” with all the technology moving here. He is committed to AI upskilling locally to make that happen.

The upcoming speakers stated, "I feel deeply inspired about the future of AI and the opportunities it brings to shape our world in meaningful ways. Coming together in a group to openly discuss all the aspects of this technology—from its potential to its challenges—reminds me how important collaboration and shared vision are for progress. I especially appreciate Curt Doty’s positive perspective on AI. His optimism resonates with me because I truly believe that with the right mindset, we can harness AI to create incredible innovations while staying grounded in human values. Events like this give me hope for what’s ahead."--Kat Walsh, High Vibe Brands.  “El Sailon has quickly become a foundation stone for the AI enthusiast and practitioner in the New Mexico community. Ripe with ideas, and practical application, El Sailon brings together great minds pursuing the next generation of human technology in fireside conversation and academic presentation that works for the common man and the expert.” --Alexander R. McCaig, CEO, TARTLE. “El Sailon underscores the importance of community dialogue, not just for sharing knowledge, but for building a foundation of trust and understanding around AI technologies. EI Sailon isn’t just a meeting place—it’s a movement toward empowering New Mexico residents and businesses to embrace the future with confidence and creativity.” --Carl McLendon | Program Manager | Santa Fe Business Incubator

Lead Sponsor Eric Renz Whitmore adds, “I’m thrilled that Curt Doty had the idea for this series of salon-style events focusing on AI - and that the City’s Office of Economic Development has been able to support the El Sailon series in becoming a success. Santa Fe has always been a place where creativity, arts & culture, and deeper thinking come together. I’m glad to see this play out today with El Sailon from Curt Doty.” --Eric Renz-Whitmore, Office of Economic Development, City of Santa Fe, NM

El Sailon is sponsored by THE CITY OF SANTA FE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE , HUTTON BROADCASTING and DANIEL QUAT PHOTOGRAPHY. If you would like to become a sponsor, contact Curt at curt@realmiq.com.

About El Sailon

El Sailon is a monthly meetup presented by RealmIQ, a local AI consultancy helping companies and executives adopt and thrive in the age of AI and navigate business transformation through workshops and personal coaching. Led by Curt Doty, a branding and marketing veteran. He hosts RealmIQ: SESSIONS, a podcast on YouTube where he talks with AI leaders and AI founders from around the globe.

Links:

http://evite.me/elsailon

https://www.meetup.com/el-sailon/events/302603263/

About Curt Doty

Curt Doty is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, HeyGen, and DALL-E. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design and Chapman University. His AI consultancy RealmIQ helps enable business transformation in the Age of AI.

Beyond his consultancies, CurtDoty.co and RealmIQ, he is currently on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and serves as the marketing director for Performance Santa Fe.