Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Startup Ideas Podcast

Host: Greg Isenberg
Episode: How I use Veo3 + Sora 2 to create Viral AI Videos (300M+ views)
Date: October 13, 2025
Guest: PJ Ace, Founder at Genre AI, viral AI video creator

Overview

This episode dives deep into the exact workflow used by PJ Ace and his agency to create viral AI videos that have amassed over 300 million views, including high-profile ads for companies like Origin Financial, Ramp, and even collaborations with figures like David Beckham. PJ shares an unfiltered, detailed, practical blueprint—including every tool, prompt, and trick—empowering listeners to replicate the process themselves. Discussion focuses on using AI video platforms (Veo3, Sora 2, Nano Banana, Rev/reeve, and others), the creative process, and forward-looking thoughts on how AI—specifically Sora—will disrupt creative video production.

Main Discussion Points

1. The Viral AI Video Workflow (02:05–16:25; 18:28–26:13)

• PJ’s Promise: Full transparency on prompts, tools, and workflows—“Full open kimono. Don’t point the cam down. Not wearing any pants right now. You guys are going to get full exposure with this.” (PJ, 01:56)
• Recent Wins:
  • David Beckham ad: 230M views, complex process.
  • Origin Financial ad: Simpler process, 2M views, used as a step-by-step demo during the episode.
• Workflow Steps:
  1. Scripting: Begin with a big, universally recognizable idea. Use loosely structured brainstorms, often relying on public domain IP and trending internet concepts for immediate recognition and shareability (see Segment on Comedy & IP below).
  2. Script Iteration: “Follow your interests. If you love beer companies or perfumes, start there because it won’t feel like work.” (PJ, 05:11)
  3. Turning Scripts into Images:
     • Use ChatGPT to turn the script into a shot list and generate detailed prompts for every scene.
     • Use Rev (Reeve) or comparable apps to generate images from prompts; iterate until capturing the right look, framing, and emotion.
     • “What’s amazing is Reeve gives you three variations of a prompt, and you can quickly dial in the exact shot.” (PJ, 13:22)
  4. Master Boards/Figma:
     • Consolidate all chosen images and variations on a visual storyboard, collaborating with AI cinematographers to fill gaps or try new angles.
  5. Animating the Clips:
     • Use VO3 or Sora 2 to animate the static images, using the images as starting frames. ChatGPT can enhance prompt-writing for camera movements and scene directions, even if you’re not a filmmaker.
     • “You don’t need to know film lingo: even if you just write ‘move camera left to end on the ship’, it works.” (PJ, 22:22)
  6. Editing & Sound:
     • Quick assembly in the editor (CapCut, Da Vinci Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut, etc.).
     • Add music and sound effects with third-party platforms like Epidemic Sound or Storyblocks.
  7. Export and Share:
     • Finalize and release—cycle repeats.

Key Memorable Quotes:

• “People charge thousands for this sort of sauce, but on the Startup Ideas podcast, it’s free for just a like and a comment.” (Greg, 00:45)
• “It’s a Super Bowl commercial—ridiculous, comedy first, with a little brand at the end. If people are laughing the whole time, they’re more likely to finish the ad, and less likely to bust out pitchforks at the AI.” (PJ, 03:54)

2. Comedy, Juxtaposition, and IP: The Secret Sauce for Virality (09:59–12:03)

• Strategies to Hold Attention:
  1. Recognizable/public domain IP (Pompeii, Marie Antoinette, Titanic) immediately signals context.
  2. Juxtaposition elevates surprise and shareability (“Beanie Babies as a college fund”).
  3. Trendjacking: Reference whatever is hot online (“Meme coins are trending, so ending with that was strategic for X (Twitter) virality.” (Greg, 10:11))
• Writing Comedy with AI:
  • Use ChatGPT for “bad advice through history” prompts, but only 1 in 100 generated lines is truly funny. However, even failures spark better ideas.
  • Absurdity and contrast drive the humor (“20% off on the first unsinkable ship”).

3. Tools Deep Dive: Rev, VO3, Sora 2, Others (12:04–27:28)

• Image Generation:
  • Rev/reeve and Nano Banana: “Rev’s interface just feels better and more realistic.” | “Sometimes the guy looks like a psychopath, so you reroll, but otherwise the realism is wild.” (PJ, 16:51)
  • Enhanced photorealism available by running through programs like Enhancer AI.
  • Use Freepik for multi-model image access (Nano Banana, Flux, C Dream, Ideogram)—cheapest route for unlimited image generations.
• Video/Animation:
  • VO3: “Best today for talking characters. Google terms/ethics, indemnification is strong for commercial work.”
  • Sora 2: Takes over much of the stack, automates script, image, video, sound. Currently limited to 10 seconds but rapidly improving.
  • Others: Kling (K), Luma Labs, Seed Dream/Seed Dance, Minimax—most comparable but varying levels of quality.
• Editing Software:
  • Beginner: CapCut | Free/Pro: Da Vinci Resolve, Final Cut, Premiere.

Notable Quotes:

• "To the average person listening, including myself, I barely know what camera movement means. But ChatGPT makes it easy." (Greg & PJ, 22:07–22:22)
• "Don't do quality mode on video, just fast mode; it's 80% the quality for much cheaper." (PJ, 25:13)

4. Advanced Tricks & Workflow Hacks (28:11–31:43)

• Reference Images:
  • Drop an actual photo (e.g., Beanie Babies) as the starting frame and the AI will “outpaint” the scene, adapting characters or props in context.
• Iterative Approach:
  • Making ultra-custom shots is easier/cheaper than ever; hundreds of variations can be quickly iterated for perfection.
  • Dumping and redoing full ads is now viable due to speed/low cost of image-to-video.

Example:

“That Beanie Baby shot would be a nightmare in live action… you couldn’t even do it!” (Greg, 29:36)

5. Case Study #2: Ramp’s Financial Horror Ad (30:55–34:23)

• Process: Used same workflow: AI writers, directors, and cinematographers iterating on horror-movie-inspired visuals for a financial brand.
• Refining Image-to-Video:
  • Initially tried text-to-video but results looked “too AI and morphy.”
  • Scrapped and rebuilt using image→video technique for realism and cinematic style.
• Polishing:
  • Run “Enhancer AI” to add humanizing details, fix “AI glow,” and rough up characters for realism.

6. Industry Outlook: Sora and the AI Video Disruption (34:23–41:32)

• Sora’s Next Wave:
  • Sora will soon automate 30/60+ second spots with consistent characters, tweakable clips, and full audio.
  • “The real disruption: what took 6–8 weeks will take under a week.” (PJ, 35:30)
  • Agencies will move to lower price, higher volume, retainer models; creative/writing become the only bottleneck.
• The Age of IP & Remixing:
  • AI will make “meme branding” and historical/famous figure IP cameos mainstream.
  • “I want to buy IP. It’s so undervalued—OpenAI and the like will do deals, it’s only a matter of time.” (Greg, 39:53)
  • Even small agencies/teams specializing in prompt design, style, and curation will thrive.
  • Long-tail: “Imagine an exchange or Fiverr marketplace for IP-based remixes, brands, and creators.”

Memorable Quotes:

• “Once you create a portfolio full of branded viral content, the keys to the kingdom unlock.” (PJ, 42:42)
• “My advice: just get your hands dirty. Sometimes you just gotta start.” (Greg, 42:22)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 02:05 | Overview of full workflow with new tools | | 05:11 | Scripting and following your curiosity | | 09:59 | Viral content secrets: IP, juxtaposition, trends | | 12:04 | Turning scripts into images; working with Rev | | 18:28 | Collaborating with AI cinematographers | | 22:07 | VO3 explained and prompt writing for animation | | 25:13 | Cheap/free workflow tips and suite walkthrough | | 28:11 | Advanced hacks: reference images & outpainting | | 30:55 | Case study: “Ramp” ad, lessons learned | | 34:23 | Refining, tweaking, and collaborative feedback | | 36:17 | Sora’s impending disruption of the workflow | | 39:53 | AI, IP, and the marketplace for remixing | | 42:22–43:29| Closing advice: Get started and portfolio value |

Notable Quotes & Speaker Attribution

• Greg (00:45):
  “People charge thousands of dollars for this sort of sauce, but on the Startup Ideas podcast, it’s free for just a like and a comment.”

• PJ (01:56):
  “Full open kimono. Don’t point the cam down. Not wearing any pants right now. You guys are going to get full exposure with this.”

• PJ (03:54):
  “It’s a Super Bowl commercial—ridiculous, comedy first, with a little brand at the end. If people are laughing the whole time, they’re more likely to finish the ad, and less likely to bust out pitchforks at the AI.”

• Greg (10:11):
  “The fact that you ended with that was a very smart, strategic move because you shared it on X, and a lot of people trade meme coins and talk about it on X.”

• PJ (22:22):
  “Dolly, jib, do a three-quarter turn…honestly, ChatGPT gives pretty great suggestions and you can also be stupid with it, like ‘move camera left to end on the ship.’"

• Greg (29:36):
  “If you—I mean, I just, you know, recorded this docu-series and I saw how expensive it is... that shot... you couldn’t even do that, right?”

• PJ (35:30):
  “It essentially makes our six to eight week timeline down to what, like a week or less.”

• Greg (39:53):
  “This just gets me thinking like I want to buy IP. You know what I mean? Like IP is so undervalued right now…”

• PJ (42:42):
  “The biggest takeaway for any creator is just start creating, start putting shots on target, consume viral content and then figure out: if I were a brand, how would I find this palatable?”

• Greg (42:22):
  “My advice to people is just get your hands dirty. Like this was a how-to… Sometimes you just gotta get your hands dirty.”

Final Takeaways

• Viral AI video creation is now democratized—the tools, techniques, and even premium prompts are accessible.
• Creative breakthroughs come from concept, comedy, and trend awareness—not just technical skills.
• AI is accelerating the future—speed, cost, and quality improvements mean agencies and creators alike must adapt rapidly, focusing on ideation, writing, and brand alignment.
• Portfolio = Opportunity: Build and showcase viral, branded content; the rest will follow.