The "Philly 250" GenMedia gHack

As Philadelphia approaches its 250th Anniversary (Semiquincentennial), join us for an exclusive, challenge-based Generative AI hackathon during Philly Tech Week. Participants will work in small teams, guided by coaches, to get hands-on with the latest Generative Media stack—including Imagen 3, Veo, Vids, and Gemini. The goal of the event is to build 30-to-60-second broadcast-quality commercials that answer the creative question: "What would the Founding Fathers do in Modern Philly?". The video content generated at this event has the potential to be used by Visit Philadelphia as actual ad copy for their 2026 Semiquincentennial tourism campaigns. Session Schedule: Tuesday, May 5: Morning Session 8:00 am - 1:00 pm | ☕ Breakfast and coffee provided.Afternoon Session 1:30 - 6:30 pm | Lunch and coffee provided. Wednesday, May 6: Morning Session 8:00 am - 1:00 pm | ☕ Breakfast and coffee provided. Session Flow (The Challenges): During their designated half-day block, teams of up to 5 people will work with their coach to complete the following workflow: From History to Narrative: Using Gemini to establish Visit Philly brand guidelines, design a historical protagonist (e.g., George Washington), and write a 3-scene script. The Visual Blueprint: Using Imagen 3 / NanoBanana to generate a character contact sheet and 16:9 storyboard images of their Founding Father in modern Philly. From Stills to Motion: Using Veo to convert the static storyboard images into high-quality, dynamic video clips. The Assembly: Using Google Vids to stitch the generated clips together into a cohesive 30-to-60-second ad. Giving It a Voice: Using Chirp 3 HD or Gemini TTS to generate professional voice-overs from their script (including at least one foreign language option). The Soundtrack: Using Lyria to compose a custom background music track that complements the visuals and voice-overs. Judges: Sindoor Shah, Creative Director from Visit Philadelphia Calan the Artist, Head of Founder Experience Philly, 69&Sunny Google Expert Please Note: participants will be required to bring their own device for the hackathon, laptops will not be provided. Media and Photography Disclosure By registering for this event, attendees agree to granting permission for their image, likeness, and voice to be recorded on audio or video without payment or other consideration. These recordings may be edited, copied, exhibited, published, or distributed, and waive the right to inspect or approve any finished product in which their likeness appears. Attendees also waive any right to royalties or other compensation related to the use of their image or recordings. This material may be used in various educational and promotional settings across an unrestricted geographic area.