About
Always curious
Creative AI, agents and prototyping. Creative engineer, technologist, producer, educator and, occasionally, a Chinese rock star. Based in Liverpool, working across the North West and beyond.
I have spent twenty years building the things that come next, and helping other people build theirs.
I'm Pete Woodbridge, a creative engineer and technologist based in Liverpool. Most of my hands-on work now is creative AI, agentic workflows and software prototyping, building agents and tools that do real work inside production. That sits on top of two decades of software development, realtime production, immersive experiences, interactive media and the workflows underneath them. That has meant projects for major brands, artists, studios and partners across film and TV, music, games and live experiences, and it has meant leading teams of developers, engineers, UX designers and 3D artists on new software, games engines, hardware, data and AI products.
Now I am the Digital & Technology Cluster Lead for the Liverpool City Region, working with the region's businesses, universities, investors and talent to grow its digital and technology sector. I also direct Dreamlab, an R&D lab and collective of 40+ experts, and write Dream Machine, a living book, newsletter and podcast about AI and the next creative economy.
Before that I was R&D and Innovation Lead on MusicFutures, a £7.2m programme I helped the region win, and Innovation Director at the MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub, where we backed 35+ collaborative projects on a £3.2m accelerator. Hands-on, I have been a creative technologist at Crucial FX, a creative producer on the LED stage at Pathway, a senior R&D technologist at Draw & Code, and Product Director at TMRW Foundation, building a new 3D web engine and patented immersive products.
In universities I developed and led the world's first MA Immersive Arts at LJMU, co-directed its Experimental Technologies Lab, led curriculum for Manchester's £35m School of Digital Arts, and worked on award-winning open education and digital publishing at Coventry's Centre for Disruptive Media. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
In the community I founded the Immersive Liverpool network in 2018 and the Immersive Storylab collective in 2014. I have sat on the Liverpool LEP Digital Board, the College of Experts at XR Stories, review panels for innovation funding across the UK, and as an external bid reviewer and advisor for the EPSRC, CoSTAR and Digital Catapult.
Outside of all that I am a partner and dad, and a guitarist.
Roles
Where I've been.
Recognition
Awards & fellowships
BIMA 100, 2020. Named among the 100 most influential people in the UK digital and tech industry, in the Creatives and Designers category.
500 UK Trailblazers, 2024. UKII Intelligence Report, sponsored by Verizon and Epic Games, for work in AI animation.
FRSA. Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
FHEA. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Plus awards for creative AI workflows, and research grants from the AHRC, Innovate UK and commercial investors.
Worked with
Brands, studios & funders
Commissions, consultancy and R&D collaboration with organisations including:
Funded R&D
Programmes & grants
Led and developed funded research and development with:
Teaching & talks
Eight years of teaching digital technology.
I have created industry-focused degree programmes and courses for universities and private training providers, set up industry bootcamps in gametech for HOST in Salford, consulted on new creative technology degrees, and mentored programmes from Ithra in Saudi Arabia to Raindance. I have been an invited lecturer at Warwick, Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, the University of Ibadan and Stellenbosch University.
Say hello.
If you have an idea or an opportunity to make the world a bit cooler than it is, I would like to hear it.
Contact ↗