Podcast Summary: AI Explored with Michael Stelzner Episode: AI Video Made Easy: How to Create High Quality Content That Grows Your Business Date: February 17, 2026 Guest: Stephanie Navinskas, AI marketing strategist, educator, and author

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Michael Stelzner speaks with AI marketing strategist Stephanie Navinskas about demystifying AI video production for marketers, creators, and business owners. The conversation focuses on making high-quality AI video content accessible—even for those without a traditional video background—using tools like HeyGen, Opus Clips, and Lumen5. Stephanie shares her personal journey from digital marketing into AI adoption, practical tips on avatar creation, addressing ethical concerns, and the real-world business applications of AI video.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Stephanie’s Journey into AI and AI Video (02:26-06:14)

• Background in Media: Stephanie started in newspaper writing in 1995, quickly becoming an early adopter of digital trends like dot-com and wireless apps.
• AI Wake-Up Call: After 30 years in digital marketing, she initially dismissed generative AI like ChatGPT, only to soon experience "an existential crisis" and a "panic attack" (04:01), worrying about being replaced—before deciding to master the tech.
  • Quote: "I could grab the bull by the horns, learn everything that I could about this new technology, and become a very early adopter and master of it in my particular space. And I chose the latter." (04:52)

Why AI Video Matters (06:14-08:25)

• Major Benefits:

  • Increased content production speed—from one manually-produced video a week to potentially five AI-driven videos a day.

  • Boosted visibility and opportunities for thought leadership.

  • Significant savings in time and cost.

  • Quote: "The content amplification is so powerful in increasing your visibility, increasing your ability to really position yourself as a thought leader and saving time and saving money at the end of the day." (06:37)

• Lowering Barriers:

  • AI enables reluctant creators or those self-conscious on-camera to participate and compete via avatars or voice models.
  • "The easy, easy path—you can get off the sidelines now, people..." (07:44)

Foundational Considerations Before Creating AI Video (08:25-12:52)

• Ethics and Acceptance:

  • Decide if you're comfortable with an AI avatar representing you—morally and for your brand.

  • Stephanie views the avatar as an extension of her thought leadership and as a security measure.

  • Quote: "It was quite creepy when I saw what could be done with this technology... All I saw was advantages." (09:40)

• Security Motivation: Family impersonation scam made Stephanie proactive about managing her digital likeness. (09:40)

• Avatar in Action: Used her avatar to open public talks—her husband of 25 years couldn’t tell the avatar from a real video. (10:58)

  • Memorable Moment: "He literally did not know the avatar was not a video I just, you know, recorded with my phone of myself." (12:37)

Use Cases for AI Avatars & Video (14:16-15:54)

• Evergreen webinars

• Turning blogs or books into video content, automatically sliced into short-form clips

• Online courses—update videos or adapt scripts without rerecording

  • Quote: "You can actually feed your blog to an AI avatar software and it will create a video version of your blog." (14:36)

• Option to use AI-generated generic avatars to further reduce barriers

Getting Started with HeyGen: Training Your Avatar (16:05-21:39)

• HeyGen Basics:

  • Upload training video clips of yourself (Stephanie recommends 2 hours for better quality and variety).

  • Variety helps prevent "uncanny valley" and captures mannerisms.

  • High quality input = better output, but phone video works if needed.

  • Tips: Use basic lighting (Elgato or sunlight) and a mic (Blue Yeti or similar). Use a pop filter and test for background noise.

  • Quote: "If you have high quality video, then that's what you want to feed it. But if you don't...there's ways around it." (17:42)

  • Audio setup matters: "The closer you are to the mic, the crisper your sound will be..." (20:20)

• Multiple Avatars: Create versions with different outfits, hair, or settings for variety, or maintain a "uniform" look for simplicity.

  • Quote: "If you're going to be putting out frequent video, you probably don't always want to be wearing the same shirt..." (23:24)

Scripting and Production Tips (26:24-28:37)

• Process Overview: Feed a written script to HeyGen; generated video is ready in minutes.

• Scripting:

  • Write and read your scripts aloud to ensure natural, conversational tone.
  • Intentionally include filler words ("right," "um") for realism.
  • Use Claude or ChatGPT for drafting; Claude preferred for more natural writing.
  • Quote: "I read all of my scripts aloud before I record anything...that's not how you show up in a human conversation." (27:15)

• Editing Approach:

  • Make small tweaks in HeyGen’s built-in editor; keep the process simple.
  • "The goal is not perfection. The goal is to scale your content." (30:58)
  • Avoid overcomplicating with other tools unless absolutely necessary (Camtasia, Adobe, etc. are options).

Turning Long-form Content into Short Clips (32:17-33:39)

• Opus Clips: AI tool that slices long videos into short, high-potential viral clips; scores each segment for likely impact.
  • Use Case: Repurpose for social media, scale client content for reach.

Alternative and Supplementary AI Video Tools (34:02-39:35)

• Lumen5: For script-to-video without avatars, using stock or uploaded video/photo and voiceovers.

  • Good for internal communications, quick brand videos.

  • Personalize with 11Labs (voice model) if needed.

  • Free version available; editing is quick and intuitive.

  • Can handle vertical, square, and horizontal formats.

  • Quote: "Just go to Lumen 5, dump in a script and see what it does." (38:41)

• Frontier AI Video Models:

  • Sora (OpenAI/ChatGPT), Runway, Veo (Google).

    • Runway: Advanced editing, no native audio.
    • Sora, Veo: Native audio, shorter clips.
    • Veo included with Google Workspace, Sora with ChatGPT.

  • Quote: "If you want to spend the time editing, Runway is going to be the leader. I don't... want to fuss with heavy duty editing, so I lean toward [Veo]." (41:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stephanie’s existential AI moment:
  "I had my very first panic attack...because I was like, I've been doing this for 30 years. What in the world? Am I being replaced in real time?" (04:01)
• The spouse test:
  "The man did not know...he literally did not know the avatar was not a video I just...recorded with my phone." (12:37)
• On scalability over perfection:
  "The goal is not perfection. The goal is to scale your content...Good enough with this stuff is actually really good." (30:58)
• Scripting for authenticity:
  "I read all of my scripts aloud before I record anything...that's not how you show up in a human conversation." (27:15)
• On practical tools:
  "Literally, if you can use your iPhone or your Android or whatever, you can use this." (29:05)
• Security tip:
  "Come up with a secret passphrase, okay, with your family...If they don't know it, you hang up on them." (12:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Stephanie’s Background & AI Epiphany: 02:26–06:14
• Benefits of AI Video: 06:14–08:25
• Avatars & Ethics Discussion: 08:25–12:52
• Real-World AI Video Applications: 14:16–15:54
• Creating & Training AI Avatars with HeyGen: 16:05–21:39
• On Scripting and Production: 26:24–28:37
• Editing & Output: 30:58–32:17
• Using Opus Clips for Short Form Content: 32:17–33:39
• Lumen5 and Alternate Tools: 34:02–39:59
• Frontier Video Models (Sora, Runway, Veo): 40:04–41:43

Tools & Resources Mentioned

• HeyGen: AI video avatar creation tool (https://www.heygen.com/)
• Opus Clips: Turns long videos into short viral clips
• Lumen5: Script-to-video platform with stock and custom footage (https://www.lumen5.com/)
• 11Labs: Voice model for personalized narration
• Editing Software: Camtasia, Adobe, GarageBand (for more refined editing)
• Major AI Video Models: Sora (OpenAI), Runway, Veo (Google)

Final Thoughts

Stephanie Navinskas and Michael Stelzner break down the process of producing AI-driven video content, bringing professional-level capabilities within reach for marketers and small business owners. Their message: scalable, engaging video is possible, even for the "non-video people," and today's AI tools make jumping off the sidelines easier than ever.

Find Stephanie Navinskas on:

• LinkedIn: [Show notes for link]
• TikTok: @sizzle.force
• Website: SizzleForce.com

Show notes: socialmediaexaminer.com/aipod
Episode notes and transcripts: socialmediaexaminer.com/a93

End of Summary