After more than a decade in the creative agency world, one thing has remained consistent: tools change. Every “new” tool has arrived with a mix of hype, fear, and resistance of course.
And every time, it eventually becomes part of the workflow.AI is no different. A real creative doesn’t fear new tools, they use them to their advantage.
We don’t just work in a fast-paced industry, we work in one where clarity sells.
AI helps:
In a South African production context; where budgets, timelines, and multiple stakeholders all collide, clarity isn’t a luxury - it's a necessity. The quicker everyone “gets it”, the smoother everything runs.
Here’s how I actually use AI tools in my creative pitching process:
This is where it starts. Whether I’m developing a key visual, a main character for a storyboard, ChatGPT helps translate abstract ideas into something tangible.
The real skill here is prompting:
Done right, you’re not just generating images, you’re crafting a visual language.
Once the main character is locked, consistency becomes a superpower. You can place that same character across multiple scenes, instantly building a believable narrative.
For clients, this is gold. They don’t have to imagine the idea anymore, they can see it.
Now we polish. Using Photoshop and Firefly:
This is where the campaign starts feeling real. And most importantly, it bridges the gap between concept and production.
When a production house receives this level of visual clarity, there’s no guesswork:
It saves time, and ensures the agency, production house and clients are aligned on the day of the shoot.
Static images are great, but movement lands. By taking storyboard frames into Google AI Studio (using tools like VEO), I can simulate:
You suddenly have something powerful, a moving reference of your idea before a single frame is shot. I usually convert these into short looping GIFs, quick, punchy, and perfect for pitch presentations.
Visuals alone aren’t enough, tone matters.
With Suno, I generate music that reflects:
Sometimes even incorporating the campaign name into the lyrics.
It becomes a sonic moodboard, something that helps:
In the South African context, where music is such a powerful cultural driver, this step is a game changer, which also helps us source the perfect producer/musician for the job.
Simple:
AI can generate visuals, it can simulate motion and it can even compose music.
But it can’t:
That part? That’s still on us. “The Big Idea”, the creative input that real people bring to the set on the day, the editing of the video, and the rollout of the creatives across multiple platforms.
So, in conclusion, “The Big Idea” still belongs to us, AI just helps us get the campaign across the line more efficiently.
