Gigi Louisa Johnson, EdD, MBA, FRSA
Rethink Next and Maremel Studio
Futurist · Educator · Creative Technologist · Systems Thinker
Gigi Johnson designs and leads experiences that blend foresight, storytelling, and hands-on AI experimentation.
Think futures literacy with humor, tools you can actually use, and just enough play to unlock real insight.
More specifically, she studies how AI reshapes what we find, choose, and believe, and teaches people to catch it before they lose it without noticing.
What People Walk Away With
Her events and programs help participants:
- Decode hype, signals, and algorithmic influence
- Reframe careers, creative work, and decisions in nonlinear ways
- Use AI as a clarity and imagination tool, not a replacement brain
- Rebuild the discovery and intelligence infrastructure that AI tools quietly narrow
- Leave with artifacts: maps, prompts, frameworks, and next steps
A Career Bridging Finance, Media, and Futures
Through Rethink Next, Gigi designs programs for creatives, educators, civic leaders, and organizations navigating systemic change.
Her work spans multiple waves of disruption across industries:
SVP / Managing Director, Bank of America
Led entertainment, media, and telecom M&A financing; evaluated early mobile, radio, cable, and independent film sectors during periods of rapid change
SVP, Studio 4 Networks
Worked on early video-on-demand channel launches and growth
UCLA (20+ years)
Founded and led the Center for Music Innovation; taught media transformation, marketing, and digital strategy at both the Herb Alpert School of Music and UCLA Anderson School of Management; developed global programs from Spain to Abu Dhabi; and represented UCLA in its first negotiations with Coursera and edX as the MOOC platforms launched.
She also co-created Amplify Music, a global virtual summit connecting local music ecosystems leaders around the world during the pandemic, collecting and connecting stories and solutions in transformative times.
Outlets including BBC, NPR (Marketplace & Morning Edition), The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Billboard, Reuters, and Le Monde have covered her research and perspectives.
Current Work
Through Rethink Next, Gigi researches how AI-mediated systems narrow discovery and possibility, and builds programs and tools that rebuild that range for people and teams. Current work includes the AI Career Navigator, a self-directed course for mid-career professionals, and ongoing Discovery Systems research on preserving exploration inside AI-mediated environments.
Creative & Media Work
Gigi brings a maker’s mindset to foresight:
- Host/producer of Creative Innovators, Innovating Music, and Amplify Music Conversations podcasts and YouTube channels
- Designer of narrative futures games, speculative storytelling, and immersive workshops
- Creator of original media, learning tools, and collaborative formats that travel across sectors
Education
- EdD, Educational Leadership for Change, Organizations and Technology Change focus, Fielding Graduate University
- MBA, Finance & Accounting, UCLA Anderson
- BA, Cinema-Television Production, University of Southern California
Speaking & Workshops (Selected)
2026: NerdFest @ Cal Lutheran · UCLA Anderson Alumni · EPIC International Summit · LABest BioTech 2026
Selected past: SXSW · Web Summit Lisbon · Collision New Orleans · BIME Bilbao · Academy of Management · EPIC International Summit · Augmented World Expo · Music Biz · NARM · Digital Hollywood · ISTE · The Mallen Scholars and Practitioners Conference in Filmed Entertainment Economics · Consumer Electronic Show · UCLA conferences · U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development · universities, cities, and cultural organizations worldwide