PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Gavin Purcell

Gavin Purcell is a television producer and creative technologist who brings showrunning craft to AI education and interactive media. In 2009, he co-produced Late Night with Jimmy Fallon after working on G4's Attack of the Show, and he won a 2015 Emmy for The Tonight Show's Social TV Experience. He led video at Vox Media, ran I Love You, America, and signed a scripted and unscripted deal with Universal Television in March 2019. In November 2019, he became interim showrunner of The Tonight Show and returned to Universal Television development in November 2020. Since 2023, he co-hosts AI For Humans; he leads AndThen, a platform for voice-driven AI stories founded in 2025, and works as a creative technologist on AI productions with his agent Fig in 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2009

    Late Night and G4

    In 2009, he co-produces Late Night with Jimmy Fallon after working on G4's Attack of the Show.

  2. 2015

    A Social TV Emmy

    His work as a producer earns the 2015 Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media, Social TV Experience, for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

  3. 2019

    Vox Media and Universal TV

    By 2019, he leads video at Vox Media and serves as showrunner and executive producer of I Love You, America. In March 2019, he signs an exclusive Universal Television deal for scripted and unscripted programming.

  4. 2019–2020

    Tonight Show showrunner

    In November 2019, he becomes interim showrunner of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In November 2020, he exits the role and returns to his development deal at Universal Television.

  5. Since 2023

    AI For Humans

    In 2023, he co-hosts AI For Humans with Kevin Pereira, a twice-weekly show that explains AI news, tools and issues to general listeners.

  6. 2025

    CEO at AndThen

    AndThen is founded in 2025 as a platform for voice-driven games, challenges and episodic stories with AI characters. Purcell serves as its CEO.

  7. As of October 2026

    Creative technologist

    In 2026, he works as a creative technologist who helps media and entertainment teams ship AI projects. He co-creates The Last Invention with AI agent Fig, which writes its scripts, designs the host, directs each shot and cuts the 27-minute documentary.

  1. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI from 1961 to 2025, with a year-by-year chart.
  2. The United States employs an estimated 53% of people in our data with a known employment countryOur estimates of where AI careers are concentrated now and how countries’ shares of dated positions changed over time.
  3. 46% of living people in our data with known birth and employment countries work outside their birth countryOur estimate of cross-border careers in AI, from country of birth and the country of each current organization.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionOur estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Gavin Purcell yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Jimmy the Geek observer.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  2. Gavin Purcell | Emmy Awards and Nominations | Television Academy televisionacademy.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  3. 'I Love You, America' Showrunner Inks Overall Deal with Universal Television thewrap.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  4. Executive Producer Jim Bell to Leave NBC Sports and 'The Tonight Show' thewrap.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  5. Gavin Purcell Exits as 'Tonight Show' Showrunner, Jamie Granet-Bederman Will Replace Him thewrap.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  6. AI For Humans: Weekly AI News, Tools & Trends - Podcast - Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  7. About — AI for Humans aiforhumans.show. Checked 19 October 2026.
  8. AndThen - speedrun speedrun.a16z.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  9. Gavin Purcell, AndThen - speedrun speedrun.a16z.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  10. Gavin Purcell | Creative Technologist, AI Speaker for Media & Entertainment gavinpurcell.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  11. The Last Invention: an AI Documentary Made With My AI Agent | Gavin Purcell gavinpurcell.com. Checked 19 October 2026.