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Zachary Levi: Wyldwood Welcome Address

April 23, 2025 | 8:00 PM

Talking Points​

  • Personal Welcome: Express genuine gratitude for guests' presence
  • Wyldwood Vision: Personal dream coming to life, vision for creative sanctuary
  • Connection to Alpha: Partnership potential with Gary Sheng's Alpha School model
  • Human Agency: Focus on human potential, AI as amplifier not replacement
  • Creative Protection: Concern about exploitation of artists' likenesses/talents
  • Alpha Micro-School: Vision for performing arts micro-school at Wyldwood
  • No False Tradeoffs: Students can excel academically while pursuing creative passions
  • Superhero Academy: Creating a "superhero academy for free range artists"
  • Open Invitation: Encourage guests to approach you anytime during the evening
  • Investment Opportunities: Subtle mention of partnership/investment possibilities
  • Detailed Deck: Mention having a detailed presentation for those deeply interested
  • Call to Action: Inspire others to consider starting their own micro-schools
  • Divine Purpose: Personal belief in helping people express and create authentically
  • Closing: Encourage connections among "superheroes" in attendance

Full Speech​

Good evening, everyone!

I want to welcome you all to Wyldwood. This place... [deep breath] this place is truly my baby. It's a vision I've dreamed about for years, and it's finally coming to life before my eyes. I'm incredibly grateful that Gary and his team have brought all of you here tonight.

Some of you know that Gary and I connected deeply at the Futurist Summit here in Austin. What brought us together was our shared belief in the power of creating in-person spaces that nurture and empower people. Places where humans aren't bound by outdated constraints – what I call the shackles of our ancestors. The same kind of thinking that led the Rockefellers and Carnegies to engineer an education system that treats our kids like factory workers instead of free agents with unlimited potential.

I hear a lot about "AI agents" these days, but the agency I care about more than anything is human agency. I worry that we're missing the point in all the AI excitement. Gary has explained to me that the way Alpha School uses AI – and the way he envisions it being used more broadly – is as a force multiplier. It's a tool that helps people with dreams achieve those dreams faster. An amplifier of human potential.

But I fear not everyone sees it that way. In Hollywood, where I've spent my career, I'm watching as some very powerful people treat this technology as an opportunity to exploit the images and likenesses of actors who may not fully understand the fine print of what they're signing. I think many of you in this room can relate to this – you've seen deals that weren't favorable to your communities or to the heroes you admire. What I fear is creative people signing away their life force to entities that don't value their humanity.

Later this evening, you'll hear from several leaders of Alpha School. I'm personally very excited about exploring whether Wyldwood could become home to a micro-school focused on the creative and performing arts. I want world-changing films to be created here. I want world-class talent to be nurtured here.

And as someone who trusts Gary and his dreams of the future, I believe Alpha School's approach – what they call the Alpha OS – could be transformative. Their "time back" system ensures that students don't have to choose between academic excellence and creative pursuits. There are no tradeoffs. Students get both a strong foundation in science, math, and history, while having the freedom throughout most of the day to pursue their creative passions.

What I want to create here is something like a superhero academy for free-range artists. And I'm so grateful that so many of you who understand the meaning of freedom – who have worked so hard to earn your freedom and your seat at this table – are here tonight. I think you get it. I believe you'll leave this dinner incredibly inspired and activated.

Some of you may want to help bring my vision for Wyldwood to fruition. Others might be inspired to start your own sports schools, acting schools, or whatever calls to you – in Texas or around the country. I encourage all of these paths.

I want you to know that I'm here to connect with you tonight. Please feel free to approach me anytime during the evening. Whether you're curious about investment opportunities in Wyldwood, exploring how your students might benefit from what we're building, or just want to share ideas about creating spaces that honor human potential – I'm all ears.

And for those of you who are deeply interested in what will emerge here, I have a detailed deck I'd be happy to share that lays out the full vision and timeline.

Above all, I want to be a good host today. I want you to feel welcome, at home, and inspired to connect with the other remarkable people in this room. I believe God put me on this earth to help people express and create in the way they were divinely designed to. I believe I'm here to help create heaven on earth.

And I'm so grateful that you're all here tonight because I believe you can help me bring out the superhero within me as I work on this mission. Together, we can create something truly extraordinary.

Thank you for being here. Enjoy your dinner, enjoy the conversations, and let's make some magic happen, together.

Notes for Delivery​

  • Keep tone conversational and authentic
  • Pause after emotional points for emphasis
  • Make eye contact with different sections of the room
  • Gesture toward Wyldwood property when referencing the vision
  • Explicitly invite approaches during mingling periods
  • End with genuine warmth and enthusiasm