On a beautiful, sunny Wednesday in April, Disrupt Magazine followed Chris Pizzolo, founder of Immediate Family, into the heart of Chelsea Studios in New York City. Within hours, what started as a casual content day for Cuban percussion legend Pedrito Martinez turned into a full-blown creative convergence — one that involved a Grammy-nominated band, award-winning photographer Michael Weintrob, video storyteller Brad Wagner, and even an unexpected cameo from Bill Murray.

This is what happens when you don’t gatekeep creativity — and when you use AI not to replace the artist, but to amplify them.

The Mission Behind Immediate Family

Immediate Family isn’t your typical marketing agency — it’s a collaborative engine built by creatives for creatives.

“We don’t just do campaigns. We build moments,” says Pizzolo, who founded the company to give independent artists the kind of attention and strategic power usually reserved for major label acts.

What makes Immediate Family different? For one, it doesn’t silo talent. Chris keeps a crew of creators within reach — strategists, designers, photographers, videographers — and combines them with AI tools that streamline planning, ideation, and execution.

“We’re not here to cut corners,” Pizzolo says. “We’re here to add limbs.”

A Day in Chelsea Studios

April 17th was a test of agility and trust. With less than 24 hours’ notice, the Immediate Family team assembled a crew to shoot content for Pedrito Martinez’s upcoming album Ilusión Óptica.

“This is the kind of thing we’re built for,” Pizzolo explains.

The session was more than a content shoot — it was a celebration of spontaneity. Drums were played. Cameras rolled. Interviews flowed. Bill Murray watched on.

“It’s wild what you can pull off when the right people are in the room and the tools are sharp,” says Pizzolo.

How Technology Fuels the Mission

Where does AI come in? According to Chris, it’s not about replacing the human spark — it’s about building infrastructure to scale it.

Pizzolo draws a lot of similarities when talking about AI to the dawn of social media. “For me, when I got started in my career, it was because I was able to leverage technology to bring people together faster than they were able to do that. Today it’s the same thing, but at a larger scale and more people have access to these tools than ever before,” says Pizzolo.  From content ideas to caption writing, project tracking to audience targeting, AI is baked into every layer of Immediate Family’s workflow. It’s inspiring to be a fly on the wall and hear how the team works together like an assembly line to ensure that all details are in place. 

“It’s like having five extra bodies in the room,” says Pizzolo. “It lets us move faster, think bigger, and stay focused on what matters most — the art.”

What’s Next?

Immediate Family is just getting started. With a growing roster of clients and a proven ability to create magic at a moment’s notice, Chris’s vision is clear: keep the doors open, keep the ideas flowing, and never forget that the most disruptive thing you can do is empower others to dream out loud.

Final Word

“We’re here to encourage artists to think and dream bigger — and with the technology we have available to us, we’re able to make those dreams and ideas come to life.” — Chris Pizzolo