The inaugural awards mark an early milestone for Tyrannus Foundation as co-founder Chantel Chang helps turn a faith-rooted mission into opportunities for filmmakers.
LOS ANGELES — In its inaugural year, Tyrannus Angel Awards has received more than 600 submissions, giving the new AI film awards initiative a substantial opening response as Tyrannus Foundation prepares for LA AI Film Summit 2026 on October 24.
For a platform still establishing its name, the submission count represents a concrete early achievement: hundreds of projects have entered a program created to bring attention to emerging talent and meaningful storytelling. The response gives the founding team both a foundation to build on and a responsibility to turn that participation into a thoughtful selection and showcase experience.
Among the people driving that work is Chantel Chang, a Tyrannus Foundation co-founder who leads brand development, marketing and event production. Working alongside her fellow founders, Chang has helped shape how the initiative reaches creators, presents its mission and builds relationships with speakers, sponsors and community partners.
Her work connects two priorities: recognizing creative talent and helping that talent find a professional path forward.
“There are people who have carried stories for years but were told their dreams could not pay the bills,” Chang said. “We want to help bring those stories back into the light—and help the people behind them see a future for their creativity.”
A First-Year Response with a Larger Purpose
The more than 600 submissions, reported by the organizing team, mark an early measure of participation in the awards. For Chang, their significance also lies in the people behind the entries: creators investing time, imagination and hope in work they want others to see.
That perspective shapes the relationship between Tyrannus Angel Awards and LA AI Film Summit. The awards provide a framework for recognizing creative work; the summit is designed to extend the conversation into production, careers, distribution and ownership.
Scheduled for October 24 at City Club Los Angeles, the summit will bring together four panel themes—MAKE IT, BUILD A CAREER, SELL IT and OWN IT—alongside an interactive Creator Lab, a Screening Room featuring selected work, and Industry Exchange opportunities.
The aim is to connect the excitement of making a film with practical questions about what comes next: improving the work, finding collaborators, reaching audiences and developing a sustainable business.
The Creative and Commercial Perspective Behind the Work
Her background spans the arts, fashion, film and entertainment, marketing, and finance—a combination that informs her eye for creative potential and her understanding of what it takes to bring a vision to life.
That perspective shapes Chang’s role in building a platform where artistic recognition connects with professional opportunity. Working alongside her fellow founders, she has helped give Tyrannus Angel Awards and LA AI Film Summit a shared direction: bringing promising stories into view and connecting their creators with knowledge, audiences and industry relationships. Her approach to brand and event production begins with a question that reaches beyond the stage: what can this experience make possible for the person attending?
A Mission Rooted in Faith, Open to the World
Chang traces her involvement to years of prayer about how she could use her abilities to serve. Christian faith remains central to her motivation, particularly the qualities described as the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
She hopes those values will be expressed through both the stories the foundation supports and the way it welcomes people across cultures and beliefs.
“As AI gives more people the ability to make films, the stories we choose to tell become deeply important,” Chang said. “We want creators to feel respected and supported, and to know that their work can bring hope or meaning into someone else’s life.”
With its inaugural submission milestone reached, Tyrannus Angel Awards now moves into the work of evaluating entries and preparing selected films for audiences. For Chang and her fellow founders, that next stage is where the initiative’s early momentum must become lasting value for the creators who have placed their trust in it.
LA AI Film Summit 2026 will take place October 24, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at City Club Los Angeles. Program updates and ticket information are available at aifilmsummit.com.
About Tyrannus Foundation
Tyrannus Foundation is a faith-driven organization supporting meaningful storytelling and creative opportunity. Through Tyrannus Angel Awards and LA AI Film Summit, it seeks to connect creators, encourage professional development and welcome participation across cultures and beliefs.
Media Contact
Chantel Chang
Tyrannus Foundation
chantel.chang@tyrannusfoundation.org
aifilmsummit.com
