How Trilith Studios Empowered Their Team with AI: A Workshop Case Study

Transforming a "small and mighty" team into AI thought leaders through hands-on, interactive training

The Challenge: Doing More with Less

Trilith Studios operates one of the most impressive production facilities in the entertainment industry. Spanning over 700 acres in Atlanta, Georgia, the studio provides everything filmmakers need—from 29+ production stages to on-site accommodations, from backlots to wellness centers. It's a filmmaker's destination where major Marvel productions, theatrical films, and television shows come to life.

But behind this massive operation is what their team calls a "small and mighty" group of professionals.

"We like to refer to our studio team as small and mighty, so we're not a very big team," explains Tracy Cronin, Chief of Staff at Trilith Studios. "Which means team members take on various cross-functional roles to really ensure that Trilith is truly a place that has every resource storytellers need to make anything they can imagine."

The reality of running a world-class studio with a lean team meant everyone wore multiple hats. Marketing specialists handled operations. Production coordinators managed communications. Operations leads contributed to business development. It was exactly the kind of environment where AI tools could make a significant impact—if the team knew how to use them effectively.

"We recognized that leveraging AI tools in our workplace would be a super important component when it comes to ensuring our team is able to manage all of their cross-functional roles and contribute to our studio operations," Cronin shared.

This recognition wasn't just coming from the operations team—it was a strategic mandate from the very top. Dan T. Cathy, Trilith's Chief Visionary and owner of Chick-fil-A, understood that AI adoption would be critical to the studio's future success. His vision set the tone for what would become a transformational initiative for the entire organization.

The question wasn't whether to adopt AI. It was how to do it effectively, across different teams with different working styles and organizational structures.

The FM Approach: Listening, Adapting, Delivering

Trilith Studios came to FM with ambitious ideas about implementing AI across their organization. They needed more than generic training—they needed something tailored to their unique needs, budget, and diverse team structures.

"The FM team was absolutely amazing to work with," Cronin recalls. "We came to FM with really big ideas about how we wanted to see AI in action across all of our different organizations. The team really listened to our needs and were able to work within our budget to translate our really big ideas into smaller areas of focus."

Collaborative Planning

Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all solution, FM worked closely with Trilith to understand:

The specific roles and responsibilities of different teams
The daily workflows that could benefit most from AI
The varying levels of technical comfort across the organization
Budget constraints and desired outcomes
The need for practical, immediately applicable skills

"I think the biggest impact of working with FM was not only their organization and execution, but their access to this really wide network of AI professionals that they then activated according to our workshop needs to ensure that we were bringing in subject matter experts who would make the biggest impact during our workshop."

Strategic Focus Areas

Through this collaborative process, FM and Trilith identified three core areas that would deliver the most value:

Mastering Prompting - Teaching teams how to communicate effectively with AI tools to get better results
Improving Meeting Efficiencies - Using AI to streamline planning, documentation, and follow-up
Generating High-Quality Presentations - Leveraging AI to create compelling visual content faster

All of this was framed around a central theme: how AI is shaping productivity in the modern workplace.

The Workshop: AI in Action

When workshop day arrived, the FM team came prepared with a detailed plan to maximize every minute of the engagement. And the Trilith team was ready to learn, including Dan T. Cathy, who joined to introduce the FM team and share his vision for AI adoption at Trilith Studios. Dan stayed throughout the session, learning alongside his team.

Interactive and Hands-On

"The AI in Action workshop was perfectly executed by the FM team," Cronin explains. "They showed up with a plan for how to maximize our time together. They had slides prepared to help walk our teams through how to use these AI productivity tools."

But the real magic wasn't in the slides—it was in the approach.

"The biggest impact of our workshop was the fact that it was interactive and hands-on. It gave our teams a chance to see in real time how to use certain AI tools and relate them to productivity in their individual roles."

Rather than sitting through lectures about AI theory or watching demonstrations, Trilith's team members worked directly with AI tools during the session. They brought their actual work challenges into the workshop and learned to solve them using AI assistance.

The Energy Shift

About halfway through the workshop, something remarkable happened.

"At one point during our workshop, I looked around the room and you could feel this energy and excitement as you started to see team members learning about how functional these AI productivity tools can be in their individual jobs."

Team members weren't just learning abstract concepts—they were having genuine "aha" moments as they discovered how AI could transform their daily work.

"In between our individual sessions, I would have team members come up to me and share what they had just learned and the immediate application to their role, to their job, and how it's going to improve what they're working on."

Real-World Application

The workshop wasn't designed to create AI experts overnight. It was designed to give team members the confidence and skills to start using AI tools immediately in their specific roles.

The marketing team learned how to use AI for content creation and campaign planning
Operations staff discovered ways to automate routine documentation
Production coordinators found tools to streamline scheduling and communication
Leadership saw opportunities to enhance strategic planning and reporting

Each team member left with practical skills they could apply the very next day.

The Transformation: From Novices to Thought Leaders

The impact of the workshop extended far beyond the day itself.

"By the end of our workshop, our teams left feeling educated and empowered to use AI tools to increase productivity in their roles," Cronin shares. "We had teams go from not using AI at all to now being some of the thought leaders in our organization when it comes to how we can leverage AI tools to increase our productivity."

Immediate Adoption

Unlike many training programs where knowledge slowly fades after the session ends, Trilith's team members immediately began applying what they learned. The hands-on nature of the workshop meant they already had experience using the tools by the time they returned to their desks.

Cultural Shift

Perhaps more importantly, the workshop shifted how the organization thought about AI.

"It was really amazing to see this shift in mindset across our team," she explains. "And we're so thankful we found such a valuable resource in FM to make all of this possible."

AI went from an intimidating, abstract concept to a practical set of tools that could help them do their jobs better. Team members who had been hesitant about AI became advocates for its adoption. Those who had experimented on their own found new techniques and best practices.

Ongoing Impact

Months after the workshop, the cultural change continues. Team members regularly share AI tips and tricks with each other. They've integrated AI tools into standard workflows. And most importantly, they've maintained the excitement and curiosity that sparked during that initial workshop.

Lessons for Other Organizations

Trilith Studios' experience offers valuable insights for other businesses considering AI adoption:

1. Start with People, Not Technology

The most successful AI implementations begin with understanding your team's needs, not with selecting tools. FM worked with Trilith to identify the specific challenges their teams faced before recommending any solutions.

2. Make It Hands-On

Watching demonstrations isn't the same as doing. Trilith's team learned best by actually using AI tools during the workshop with their own work scenarios.

3. Tailor to Your Context

Generic AI training rarely sticks because it doesn't connect to real work. By focusing on Trilith's specific use cases—from studio operations to creative production—the training was immediately relevant.

4. Work Within Reality

FM helped Trilith translate "really big ideas into smaller areas of focus" that fit their budget and timeline while still delivering significant value.

5. Energy Is Contagious

When a few team members get excited about AI's possibilities, that enthusiasm spreads throughout the organization naturally.

A Message to Other Businesses

Cronin had this advice for other organizations considering AI adoption:

"I would tell other businesses who are hesitant or unsure about how to use AI in their workplace to definitely partner with FM to educate their teams on the full scope and range of what AI can do. FM will be your biggest ally and resource when it comes to adapting your business to meet the rapid advances in all of the AI capabilities."

She continued: "They're a thought leader in the AI space and they bring all the tools, resources, and knowledge to the table. So all your team has to do is show up and prepare to have their minds blown when they learn about all that AI can do in the workplace."

The Bigger Picture: Making AI Accessible

What makes Trilith Studios' story particularly powerful is how it demonstrates that successful AI adoption doesn't require massive budgets, large IT departments, or months of implementation.

A single day of focused, practical, hands-on training transformed how an entire organization approaches their work.

This is the democratization of AI in action. Not AI as a replacement for human creativity and expertise, but as a tool that amplifies what talented people can accomplish—especially when those talented people are wearing multiple hats and managing cross-functional responsibilities.

For organizations wondering if their team is "ready" for AI, Trilith's experience suggests a different question: Can your team afford not to leverage tools that could dramatically increase their productivity and impact?

Ready to Transform Your Team?

If you're looking to educate and empower your team to use AI tools effectively, FM's Business is Software Workshop can help you identify opportunities and build capabilities tailored to your organization's unique needs.

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About Trilith Studios

Trilith Studios is a premier film and television production facility spanning over 700 acres in Atlanta, Georgia. With 29+ production stages, on-site accommodations, and comprehensive production services, Trilith serves as a complete creative destination for storytellers. The studio has hosted major productions including Marvel films, theatrical releases, and television series. Learn more at trilithstudios.com.