🎬 How Sora AI Video Supercharges Creativity

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

🎙️ “AI isn’t a threat to our creativity,
​it’s a megaphone for it.”
​— Jon Leland

Experimentation is the best way to learn, and the video below was created while experimenting with Sora 2, OpenAI’s latest, controversial text-to-video model and app.

One way that my creativity got amplified by Sora is this 9-second video. I only gave Sora a simple prompt:

“@joncombridges is on a mission to span the Grand Canyon Gap between people and technology.”

Watch this video to see how this AI auto-imagines multiple scenes and writes scripts based on that simple prompt.

As rough as this is, I feel like it gave my mission new life!

​

🎥 What I’m Learning

Exploring Sora 2 hasn’t been some film school-style cinematic lesson — it’s more of an ongoing creative conversation with a sometimes wildly creative thought-partner/collaborator.

And while AI expands creative potential, it’s also generating a lot more media slop: content without clarity or purpose.

That’s why our human-in-the-loop creative discernment matters more than ever. The more powerful the tools, the more each of us needs a strong creative compass.

💭 Closing Question

AI can amplify our creativity — not by doing the work for us, but by giving us new ways to play, experiment, and learn.

So the question becomes:

How can we use AI to create better, not just more? 🤔

👇 Join the Conversation

As I often recommend, I’m focusing more on some social media channels than others. Currently, my focus is on TikTok and YouTube, with an occasional side of LinkedIn, Instagram, and Sora (yes, Sora is a social media app as well as a video generator… and fun, in my opinion.)

If you’d like to continue this conversation, I’d be delighted to hear from you via a reply to this message, a comment, or a share on any of the social channels above.

See you (and/or your avatar) there! 😁

Stay creative,
Jon

🚀 4 New, Juicy AI Insights to Fuel Your Creativity

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

This week, as usual, I’ve been swimming in the fast current of AI creativity — and I brought back 4 juicy discoveries worth sharing.

From a $500 one-person sci-fi film to the definition of entrepreneurial journalism to a free guide to AI video production, each of these discoveries illustrates how AI can accelerate creativity (without replacing it).

Scroll down and enjoy the ride…

🎬 Kira — 1 Creator, $500, Big Bang

The short sci-fi film Kira blew me away — not just because it looks cinematic and delivers a meaningful message with nuance and original songs(!), but because it was made by one person on a $500 budget, in his spare time!

Of course, the creator, Hashem Al-Ghaili is talented (yes, there’s a very creative human in the loop). But AI gave him the leverage to turn his imagination into something that normally takes much more significant resources.

And it’s 100% certain that this is the worst AI we’ll ever have.

video preview​

📰 Entrepreneurial Journalism: The Importance of Owning Your Media

I got inspired this week by Alexa Phillips and her 2-part TikTok mini-series on entrepreneurial journalism. Her core idea: stop building on rented land. It’s not a new concept, but the “journalism” reframe gives it new meaning. Bottom line, this is a great reminder to create and control your own media channels — newsletters, podcasts, video series vs being overly dependent on social media. (Fingers crossed, I’m working on having Alexa as a guest on Video Mojo.)

🎥 New Video Mojo Episode with Rick McCawley

The brand new episode of Video Mojo is a verbal jam session with Pulitzer-recognized photographer and veteran educator Rick McCawley. Together, we explore how AI can be understood and appreciated — not just as disruption, but as a vehicle for building a better world.

video preview​

🎁 Free Find of the Week

I stumbled on a valuable free video resource The Complete AI Filmmaking Guide with Google Veo 3. It’s worth bookmarking if you’re experimenting with your own creative AI video production workflows.

✨ Closing Thought

Whether it’s a brilliant solo AI video filmmaker or a shift in how we publish our creative content — the pattern is clear:

AI is fuel for our creativity. It doesn’t do the work for us, but it does open doors that were previously a very heavy lift.

👉 Which of these AI discoveries resonates most with you? What would you like to hear about more or less? Hit reply — I’d love to know.

Stay creative,
Jon

🎬 How AI Video Finally Grew a Backbone: My New Demo

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

After decades as a video producer, I’m delighted to report:
AI is helping me direct full stories, not just spit out random clips.

In my latest AI app video demo (watch for more “AI Recipe” videos coming soon), I explore MovieFlo.AI. What stood out for me is their storytelling-first workflow that I call a “backbone”:

  • 🎭 Characters stay consistent across scenes
  • 🧩 Clips connect into a narrative
  • 🚀 Creativity becomes more accessible

Here’s my demo:

​

It’s a fresh reminder that AI isn’t just about speed — it can also enhance productivity, amplify creativity, and support better storytelling.

💡 Want to go deeper?

Here’s a way that this rabbit hole really gets fun…

I’m genuinely proud of the value I delivered in my recent NISM webinar ‘AI Hype to AI Action: How Video is Powering a New Wave of Marketing Creativity.’ Instead of just surface-level tips, this presentation opens up practical insights, distinct AI video trends, and fresh ideas for marketers who want to keep learning and experimenting.

FYI, going forward, live events like this will always be free to attend, and the replays will have a nominal fee.

👉 Get the replay for $5​

Your support and participation are GREATLY appreciated.

Create more. Worry less.
Jon

The iPhone Ad Apple Wouldn’t Make (But Someday Might) 📱✨

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

Today, Apple will give us its official future with its keynote. Meanwhile, here’s an alternate future — one that feels even more revealing.

Filmmaker Simon Meyer created a spec ad for the iPhone 17 Pro — a phone that doesn’t exist — using AI tools and a very clever, forward-thinking, and very human sense of humor. 🤣

👉 Watch the ad here​

video preview​

Why does this video work so well? Because only the truth is funny.

In this case, it’s the truth about where we seem to be heading:

  • He’s staged photos of events that haven’t happened yet.
  • He made his “mother” the star of UGC-style ads.
  • He’s pulling back the layers on a rapidly evolving AI-powered future. 📡

The takeaway is a glimpse of how creative humans + AI can bend reality, educate, and entertain, all at the same time! 🤯

Why Does This Matter?

It’s NOT about machines making ads. 🤖

It’s about humans 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 daring to imagine what doesn’t exist — and using AI to make it visible.

That’s what I call creative chutzpah. 🔥

And it’s exactly the kind of bold play that will shape the future that we want. At least, I hope so. 🙏

So here’s the humbly human call to action:

Don’t wait for Apple’s keynote to tell you what’s next.
Make your own.
🔹 Sponsored by MovieFlo.ai 🔹

That entire ad could have been created in MovieFloAI, including concept and script development. In addition to all the leading-edge video generation models used in that video, MovieFloAI features:

🎬 AI Movie-Making in a Box​
The future of video storytelling.

🎞️ One Flow, Start to Finish​
From prompt → script → storyboard → voice → video, a seamless workflow.

🧠 Consistency for Your Look, Your Cast, Your Brand​
Consistent actors, visuals, and branding across your entire project.

🧰 Top AI Models, One Subscription​
All of today’s leading generative AI video models, united in a single platform.

👉 Explore more (affiliate link)

Create more. Worry less.
Jon

🌊 Don’t Miss the Wave! AI Video Tsunami Hits Tomorrow ⚡

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

🌊 The AI Tsunami Is Here!

In the spirit of playful creativity, I made an 8-second AI-generated video—complete with AI music and sound effects—that dramatically illustrates what’s happening right now. Sound up! 🔈

​

The speed and power of AI video is unlike anything we’ve seen before. And it’s not just hype—it’s a strategic opportunity when you learn to use it.

That’s why I’m inviting you to join me tomorrow for a live, free webinar hosted by the National Institute for Social Media:

​AI HYPE to AI ACTION:
How AI Video is Powering a New Wave of Marketing Creativity​

📅 Date: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 4th
⏰ Time: 10am PT / 1pm ET
🔗 Register Here​

Don’t just watch the AI video wave. Learn how to ride it.
🔹 Sponsored by MovieFlo.ai 🔹

🎬 AI Movie-Making in a Box​
The future of video storytelling.

🎞️ One Flow, Start to Finish​
From prompt → script → storyboard → voice → video, a seamless workflow.

🧠 Consistency for Your Look, Your Cast, Your Brand​
Consistent actors, visuals, and branding across your entire project.

🧰 Top AI Models, One Subscription​
All of today’s leading generative AI video models, united in a single platform.

👉 Explore more (affiliate link)

I hope you’ll join us tomorrow — because the AI video wave is here, and this is your chance to catch it early. The only cost for this webinar is the missed opportunity, both creative and business, if you’re not in.

Happy surfing,
Jon

🎬 Like Photoshop Before It, AI Video Will Redefine Creativity

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

🎨 From Photoshop Panic to AI Video Power 🚀

Back in 1989, journalists worried that Photoshop would “end photography.”

They said we’d never know what’s real. That copyright was over. That creativity itself was at risk.

Sound familiar?

Today, we’re hearing the same kinds of fears about AI.

But here’s the truth: Photoshop didn’t end creativity. It expanded it. And AI is doing the same — especially when it comes to video.

That’s why I’m so excited to invite you to my upcoming free webinar with the National Institute for Social Media:

​From AI Hype to AI Action: How AI Video Is Powering a New Wave of Marketing Creativity​
📅 Live September 4th

​

Don’t Panic!

Here’s a clip from the latest episode of my Video Mojo podcast that puts today’s AI fears in perspective by comparing them to the Photoshop panic of 1989.

video preview​

🔹 Sponsored by MovieFlo.ai 🔹

🎬 AI Movie-Making in a Box​
The future of video storytelling.

🎞️ One Flow, Start to Finish​
From prompt → script → storyboard → voice → video, a seamless workflow.

🧠 Consistency for Your Look, Your Cast, Your Brand​
Consistent actors, visuals, and branding across your entire project.

🧰 Top AI Models, One Subscription​
All of today’s leading generative AI video models, united in a single platform.

👉 Explore more (affiliate link)

Just like Photoshop became a tool we can’t imagine working without, AI video is on the same path.

This is not about more AI hype — it’s about actionable AI strategies that amplify creativity and help you scale your impact.

I hope you’ll join me live on Sept 4th — because the AI video wave is here, and this is your chance to catch it early.

To creativity in action,
Jon

🎬 These New AI Video Storytelling Breakthroughs Blew My Mind 🤯

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

When a Simple Prompt Turns into a Full-Blown Video

This week, I had two AI play experiences that left me buzzing.

In the first, I didn’t just watch Google’s Veo3 AI write a video script from a simple text prompt. I watched it write, voice, and produce an entire video. No scriptwriting on my end. No voice recording. Nothing less than video magic. 👇

​

This new kind of AI video collaboration is not about just faster production, it’s the tip of the iceberg for a whole new paradigm for video storytelling.

Enter “Movie-Making in a Box”

That’s the promise of my new sponsor and AI video playground of choice, MovieFlo.ai: It’s a breakthrough platform that puts all the leading AI video generation models into one place. It’s like having AI movie-making in a box.

Instead of juggling multiple tools, you get one integrated sandbox with a whole software suite built for creative video storytelling. To me, this feels like next-level video software. 🚀

A Spirited Collaboration

I had the joy of connecting with Mike Levine, founder of MovieFlo.AI, on the latest episode of my Video Mojo podcast. Mike’s a video creator through and through, and our conversation was a lively exploration of how this technology is empowering new kinds of creativity.

More than just an interview, our conversation was a spirited collaboration. 🎥 Watch here:

video preview​

🔹 Sponsored by MovieFlo.ai 🔹

🎬 AI Movie-Making in a Box​
The future of video storytelling.

🎞️ One Flow, Start to Finish​
From prompt → script → storyboard → voice → video, a seamless workflow.

🧠 Consistency for Your Look, Your Cast, Your Brand​
Consistent actors, visuals, and branding across your entire project.

🧰 Top AI Models, One Subscription​
All of today’s leading generative AI video models, united in a single platform.

👉 Explore more (affiliate link)

Let’s Talk Creativity Over Coffee ☕

AI is changing the way stories are told. If you’re curious how this can fuel your marketing or your own creative projects, let’s have a coffee date (no charge, of course).

💬 Book a virtual coffee with me​

I Gave AI 2 Big Experiments — The Videos It Created Surprised Me 🤯✨

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

Sometimes you just have to see what happens… and have a little fun along the way. 😏

That’s exactly what I did this week with Google’s NotebookLM — their shiny new feature for creating professional-sounding AI-narrated VIDEO summaries with slides. 🎙️🖼️

Stress Test #1 🎯

I fed it the YouTube URL for a 2.5-hour Diary of a CEO podcast episode featuring three major marketing mavens I respect: Alex Hormozi, Codie Sanchez, and Daniel Priestley.

NotebookLM crunched the whole thing down into a 7-minute narrated slideshow — with the same natural, hard-to-believe AI voice quality you might know from NotebookLM’s famous Audio Summaries. 🎧

That little video experiment pulled in almost 800 YouTube views in just a few days. 🚀

Stress Test #2 🚀

I got personal(ly meaningful) ❤️ — uploading the knowledge base from my Prompted to Create course. (The same knowledge base that I provide as a value add for course participants.)

Now… NotebookLM won’t directly promote products, so I had to play a little cat-and-mouse with the prompts. 🐭

Three iterations later, I had a Video Overview version I loved:
​AI for Marketers: Get in the Game. 🏆

Here’s what both experiments reminded me:

💡 AI is powerful — but the magic happens when you play, iterate, and get strategic.

I walk you through the whole process described above (and my surprises) in this video:
​

video preview​

🚨 Last Call: $100 Off the Prompted to Create Course

If you’re ready to go beyond dabbling — and actually do — this is your moment.

My course, Prompted to Create: A Breakthrough Experiential Approach to AI for Marketers, provides you with the skills, tools, and hands-on experience to create smarter, faster, and with greater confidence.

Right now, you can get $100 off the regular price — but only until Sunday, 8/18. Use code SUPER297 at checkout to grab the discount before it disappears.

👉 Learn more and enroll here​

Bonus viewing for the curious 👀​
Want to see the actual videos from these experiments?

Here you go:
🎬 AI for Marketers: Get in the Game​
🎬 Alex Hormozi, Codie Sanchez & Daniel Priestley reveal the Entrepreneur’s Playbook & Scaling Mindset​

🚀 Make Marketing Fun Again—with AI! $100 Off Ends 8/18 🎉

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

Hey there, Reader,

“AI won’t take your job—but the marketer who masters it will.”​
​(That’s the opening concept of the new 5-minute video I just posted on my new course page.)

Why this matters right now

Most marketers are still dabbling with AI. Only a fraction have crossed the gap to getting things done—faster and better than ever. Prompted to Create was built to help you make that leap.

What you’ll learn

Six concise, hands-on modules move you from
​Fear → Fluency → Fun:

  • 🔑 Foundations for AI-Powered Social Success
    ​    Core principles + mindset shifts that set you up for everything that follows.
  • ✍️ AI-Enhanced Writing Strategies​
    Prompts and workflows to draft stronger copy in a fraction of the time.
  • 🤖 Self-Driving Campaign Workflows​
    Automations that push content where it needs to go—while you sip coffee.
  • 🎨 Image Design & Generation​
    Create scroll-stopping visuals without hiring a designer or opening Photoshop.
  • 🎬 Navigating the AI Video Landscape​
    Avatars, scene builders, and quick-turn video ideas you can deploy this quarter.
  • 🔄 Building a Human-AI Content Engine​
    Tie it all together into a repeatable system you can run every week.

Each module pairs a clear objective with an experiential exercise and a quick quiz, so you learn, practice, and retain.

“I used to keep my head in the sand about AI. Now I’m back in the driver’s seat—and enjoying the ride.”​
— Lee Doyle, marketing writer & strategist

Launch-week Super Early Bird Savings

  • $100 off the regular $397 price → $297
  • Use code SUPER297 at checkout
  • Expires Sunday, August 18 at 11:59 pm PT
  • Bonus: 15-minute strategy Zoom with me for every enrollee

👉 Watch the 5-minute video invite & enroll here​
​Prompted to Create Landing Page​

Thanks for being part of the AI Creativity Chronicles community.
I hope to see you inside the course.

With enthusiasm for the future,
​

I’m Delighted: AI Beat Me at My Own Game 🎲. Learn How It Can Make YOU More Successful Too.⚡

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AI Creativity Chronicles​
Weekly AI Tips to
Spark Your Marketing Mojo

🧠 AI Just Got Smarter Than Me… and That’s a Good Thing

 

​

We hear a lot about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and the coming Singularity. Fascinating? Sure.

But mostly, that’s not what matters.

Here’s what does matter:

AI is already smarter than most of us.​
And I’m not mad about it—I’m grateful.

Just yesterday, I worked on a proposal follow-up to a consulting session that, in the past, would’ve taken me at least three focused hours. With ChatGPT, it took about 20 minutes (no exaggeration)—and the result was better than anything I would’ve done on my own. It even recommended strategies I hadn’t thought of yet.

It wasn’t just faster.
It was smarter.
It made me better.
And, most importantly, it helped me serve my client WAY better.

This kind of AI+person collaboration is what we mean by “human in the loop.”

It’s not about ceding control to machines. It’s about taking agency and using AI as a lever—to boost your creativity, expand your strategic thinking, and even enhance your self-awareness.

For me, this new AI edge shows up everywhere—from proposal writing to dream work.

Yes, dream work. I use AI there too. And often, it surprises me with insights that delightfully help me expand my inner view.

🧭 Here’s the Real Shift:

AI is no longer just a tool.
It’s a creative partner—and the sooner you start treating it like one, the more momentum you’ll build.

But you only get that power by getting your hands dirty.

  • Prompt more.
  • Experiment more.
  • Start now.

Because waiting?
Waiting is how people get left behind.
Worse—it’s how smart, creative people end up shooting themselves in the foot by clinging to old ways while the new world speeds past… while someone else gets that gig you want because they’ve got an AI thought partner.

☕️ If This Is Your Moment: Let’s Talk

If you’re feeling the tug—if you know you should be using AI more but you’re still unsure how or where to begin—I’ve got something for you.

I’m offering free 15-minute Virtual Coffee Chats to explore if my course “Prompted to Create: A Breakthrough Experiential Approach to AI for Marketers” might be the right next step for you. I’d love to show you how rich this course is by taking you for a sneak peek “behind the curtain.”

This course is built to take you from hesitation to momentum—from overwhelm to “I’ve got this.”

“The experiential exercises in this course were EXACTLY what I was seeking and didn’t even know it.”​
— Lee Doyle, marketing strategist & writer

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be ready to take the next step.

👉 [Book your Virtual Coffee Chat here]
​(No pressure—just possibility. I’d love to support you.)

Your partner in welcoming new frontiers! 🙌🏼

Jon Leland
AI Creativity Coach