How Video Production Companies Should Be Using AI
Artificial intelligence is dominating business conversations right now. New tools appear almost every week, each promising faster workflows, automated processes, and new ways to produce content. For video production companies this can create a quiet pressure to experiment with everything. Spend a few minutes on LinkedIn and you will see people discussing agents, automations, and complex AI systems. It can feel like everyone else is building technical infrastructure while you are simply trying to win clients and deliver projects. A better place to start is not with the tools. It is with how you spend your time.
The Main Constraint in a Video Production Business
Every video production company operates with the same constraint. There are only so many hours in the week.
When you look closely at what moves a production business forward, the activities are fairly predictable. You need marketing that attracts enquiries. You need sales conversations that turn those enquiries into projects. You need proposals that clearly explain the work and the outcome the client will receive.
Positioning also matters. If clients cannot quickly understand why your company is the right fit for their project, the conversation rarely progresses. Systems matter for the same reason. When production workflows are documented and repeatable, projects run faster and with fewer mistakes. AI becomes useful when it improves one of these activities. If a tool does not strengthen marketing, proposals, positioning, or production efficiency, it probably deserves less attention.
Where AI Is Useful in My Video Business
AI has become useful in a few specific parts of my business. None of these uses are complicated. They simply improve work that already exists inside the company.
Website content
Writing website content used to begin with a blank page. That process was slow, especially for service pages and case studies that required clear structure.
Now I work inside a framework that has been refined over many years. AI helps generate an early draft that follows the structure of the page. From there I rewrite most of it, adjust the examples, and make sure the message reflects the voice of the business. The time saving comes from avoiding the blank page. The thinking and editing still happens on my side.
Proposal drafting
Video Production Proposals are another area where AI has helped significantly. Over time I developed a proposal structure that explains the client’s situation, outlines the approach, and clarifies the expected result of the project.
AI now helps produce the first draft inside that structure. The draft still needs careful editing and tailoring for the client, but reaching a solid starting point happens much faster. That time saving matters because it allows more attention on the strategy of the project. Instead of spending an hour writing the first draft, that hour can go into refining the solution for the client.
Transcript analysis and paper edits
AI also helps during post production. Many of our projects involve interviews, and reviewing hours of footage used to take a significant amount of time.
We now generate transcripts and analyse them with AI. The system highlights strong sections and proposes a structure for the paper edit. The editor still shapes the narrative and decides what stays in the film. The difference is that the sorting stage happens much faster, which means more time for creative decisions.
A thinking partner
Another use is less technical but still valuable. I often use AI to challenge ideas when I am developing an article, refining messaging, or preparing a podcast episode.
For example, I might ask it to identify weaknesses in an argument or point out assumptions I have made. Sometimes it suggests angles that had not occurred to me. Other times it highlights gaps in the logic. Used this way, the tool becomes a form of structured feedback rather than a replacement for thinking.
What I Choose Not to Do With AI
Just as important as how you use AI is what you decide to ignore.
I am not building custom apps. I am not experimenting with every new AI tool that launches. I am not spending evenings connecting automation systems together. Those activities can be interesting, but they can also consume large amounts of time without improving the business. A similar pattern appeared during the NFT boom a few years ago. Many people spent weeks exploring the technology even though it had little connection to their core business. The same thing can happen with AI if you are not careful.
When AI Turns Into Procrastination
AI tools can easily become a sophisticated form of procrastination.
Building a workflow often feels productive. It involves technology and experimentation, which can create the impression of progress. At the same time it may avoid more difficult tasks such as improving your website positioning or following up on a proposal. Experimenting with prompts can also consume hours. Meanwhile the sales pipeline remains unchanged. None of this means experimentation is wrong. The issue is whether the activity improves the business.
The Line Between Leverage and Avoidance
A useful way to think about AI is through leverage.
Leverage happens when a tool multiplies the value of your thinking. Drafting a proposal faster allows more time to refine the strategy. Analysing transcripts quickly allows the editor to focus on shaping the story. In both cases the tool removes mechanical work so human judgement can focus on higher-value decisions.
Avoidance looks different. That happens when generic AI content is pasted into a proposal or when a machine determines the story of a film without editorial oversight. In a creative business, judgement is the product. Clients are paying for perspective, experience, and interpretation.
Protecting the Human Element
Another pattern is emerging as AI becomes more common. Some business owners are outsourcing their voice entirely.
Marketing emails, LinkedIn posts, and website articles are produced automatically with minimal involvement. Over time that approach removes the personality that originally attracted the audience. Creative businesses rely on human expression. Personal examples, observations from projects, and practical experience are difficult to reproduce through automation. Those details often become the reason clients choose one production company over another.
A Practical Way to Approach AI
If you run a video production company, a simple approach works well.
Start by applying AI to revenue-related work. Improving proposals, refining website pages, and analysing sales conversations are good places to begin. These activities directly affect the health of the business. Next, measure the result. Did the tool save time? Did the quality improve or decline? Honest evaluation prevents experimentation from becoming a distraction.
Finally, use AI to strengthen your existing skills. If storytelling is your strength, use it to organise interview material faster so you can focus on narrative. If strategy is your strength, use it to test ideas and refine thinking. Judgement should remain with the person running the business.
The Goal
The aim is not to become an expert in artificial intelligence. The aim is to build a stronger video production business. That means clearer positioning, a steady stream of enquiries, and projects that run efficiently. If AI helps improve those areas it deserves a place in the workflow. If it does not, you can safely ignore the noise and return to the activities that have always built production companies.
Work On This With Me
If you run a video production company and you are trying to work out how AI fits into your business, this is something I spend a lot of time helping my coaching clients with.
We look at practical applications that improve the fundamentals of the business. That includes things like refining website content, strengthening proposals, improving positioning, and building simple systems that save time across projects.
Recently I helped one of my clients run a proposal through the AI proposal framework I use in my own company. We then worked together to build a similar system inside his business so he could produce stronger proposals faster.
The goal is not to experiment with every new AI tool that appears. The goal is to use a small number of tools in ways that support marketing, sales, and project delivery.
If that kind of practical approach is useful for you, you can learn more about my coaching program here:
I work with video production business owners around the world who want to build a more focused and profitable company without adding unnecessary complexity.
