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UNLOCKING AI-POWERED VIDEO CREATIVE AND STRATEGY
Storytelling is everything, even when tools change.
As an Executive Producer and Creative Director, my expertise in emotive storytelling has helped world-famous brands win the war for attention. I launched the Upworthy brand studio, grew it into one of the most-viewed social publishers, and earned dozens of industry awards, including Digiday’s “Best Video Publisher for Brands” and a Webby.
What has changed are the tools. AI video can be a powerful accelerator, but it can't be a substitute for taste, strategy, and experience. I bridge that gap, applying a creative director’s craft to an engineer's algorithm to create work that is both innovative and effective.
Unlocking the New Production Model
Case Study: FanDuel x Rocket Mortgage Parody Commercial
The Concept: A :30 parody spot that felt timely, sharp, and visually cohesive—a perfect test for a hybrid workflow that blends human direction with AI generation.
The Old Way: costs around $100,000+ | 8 weeks from kickoff to delivery
AI Production: costs around $2,500 | 8 hours from start to finish
Behind the Scenes: Insights from the AI-Creation Process
Fusing Experience with AI
Creating the FandDuel x Rocket Mortgage parody spot wasn't a simple "type and create" command. It required nuanced direction to overcome the inherent limitations of today's leading AI models, where even with careful prompting, the success rate for a usable clip is only about 10%.
The generated output is just raw material. The real work happens in the edit using professional tools. This is where a project goes from being an AI experiment to a professional, polished piece of media.
This process proves that great AI-powered creative doesn't replace human talent; it augments it. True mastery lies not only in using the tools but in guiding them with the timeless principles of storytelling, audience development, and proven distribution strategy.
Craft Over Command
- Strategy is the Seed: A brilliant prompt can't save a bad idea. I start with the 'why'—the audience, the message, the goal.
- Directing Against the Bias: AI models are predictive; they default to common patterns. Prompting against the model's bias demands a deep understanding of how it interprets creative language.
- Orchestrating the Workflow: This project involved separate, specialized models for scripting, video generation, custom audio, and on-screen graphics, all orchestrated to work in concert.
- Maintaining Consistency: A 30-second ad is assembled from multiple short clips. The core challenge is maintaining consistency and preventing key visual elements from "drifting" between shots.
Benefits of AI-Driven Creative
- Execute True Creative Testing: Develop and test multiple distinct video concepts to see what truly resonates, rather than committing an entire budget to one.
- Content Marketing: Fill your feeds with fresh, daily posts that grow your audience.
- Paid Social: Spin up high-performance ads for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Television Commercials: Create broadcast-quality spots for Connected TV, where targeted media buys can begin for as little as $500.