Talking Treatments Debuts in London: First Industry Panel Dedicated to Treatment Designers

The first edition of Talking Treatments took place last month in Shoreditch, London, a one-of-a-kind evening dedicated entirely to exploring and celebrating the role of treatment design and creative development.

Hosted at Second Home Spitalfields, the event brought together over 100 professionals, from treatment designers and directors to producers, researchers, writers, and AI artists, highlighting the need to connect, share insights, and discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of creative development in the advertising, film, and TV industries.

Speakers who were invited to join the panels include renowned directors David Wilson (Biscuit, UK) and Lucrecia (Prettybird), in-house experts Daniel Grieshofer (head of design at Magna Studios) and Nnena Nwakodo (Global Head of Music Videos and Executive Producer at Magna Studios), AI image maker and creative director Omar Karim (Iconoclast, UK) and Victor de Castéja, co-founder and CMO of image research platform Flim.

Hosted and presented by award-winning director and treatment designer Chris Parton and Lucia Garcia, founder of treatment design agency Lucia Garcia Studio, the conversation explored how the treatment designer’s role and toolkit has expanded in recent years, what the future of treatments and creative development looks like in an AI dominated world, the growing expectations of production companies and agencies and the need for recognition and value to this important role.

Talking Treatments was born from the need to open up dialogue and give visibility and voice to the community of creatives who work behind the scenes of some of the industry’s most celebrated advertising campaigns, films, and TV shows, yet rarely receive much space for recognition or discussion of their practice.

“We work behind the scenes, often under NDAs, shaping the treatment that helps a director win a pitch,” said Lucia in her opening speech. “This is why we’re here today, to talk about our role openly, give it value, and recognise it as an essential part of the creative process.” said Lucia Garcia.

“I was excited to be asked to co-host this great evening that brought together so many people involved in the niche side of the industry that doesn’t always get much love. Lucia curated a great line up of guest speakers who shared invaluable insights and you could tell the audience felt very inspired. We’re looking forward to our second edition!” said Chris Parton.

Talking Treatments was made possible thanks to the support of leading companies in the field of image research including Flim and ShotDeck, as well as London-born drink company Yew.

Beyond the panels, Talking Treatments became a space for attendees to connect and network. For many, this was the first time meeting their peers face-to-face after years of collaborating remotely on treatments, and the first time hearing the insights from industry experts and creators of one of the platforms that have most helped define image research in recent years.

This event is organised by Lucia Garcia, creative researcher and founder of Lucia Garcia Studio, a design studio working internationally across film, TV, and advertising.

“I wanted to create this event to bring together a community of professionals who often work behind the scenes, but play a crucial role in shaping the early stages of creative development. It’s a space to connect, share, and recognise the value of this work, with conversations led by some of the most acclaimed and recognised voices in the field.”

Talking Treatments is expected to return for its second edition in 2026.