The Future of Creative Work Belongs to Tastemakers

Why creativity still needs a human touch — and always will.

Screenshot of Kalshi’s NBA Finals commercial by PJ Ace.

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In the AI era, anyone can be a creator. What now separates a viral hit from forgettable content is taste. And that can’t be faked, bought, or prompt-engineered.

Director PJ Ace recently shared the best breakdown I’ve seen on creating a viral, AI-generated NBA Finals ad. It’s insightful, straightforward, and reveals where creative work, and work in general, is headed.

Key takeaways:

• PJ created the ad by himself using AI in just three days — a 95% cost reduction compared to traditional ads.
• AI handled the generation, but his taste did the filtering. With 15+ years of directing experience, PJ’s trained eye and creative judgment are what brands value most.
• The future belongs to small teams delivering 80–90% of the results for a fraction of the cost.

Favourite quote:

“Just because this was cheap doesn’t mean anyone can do it… Brands still pay a premium for taste.”

Full breakdown here → **Kalshi hired me to make the most unhinged NBA Finals commercial possible** by PJ Ace. I’ve collected the thread below for easier viewing. All IP belongs to PJ Ace.

Read it. Bookmark it. Study it. This is how small teams will dominate creative work in the future.

— Lawrence

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My Veo 3 viral video process

Concept

• Kalshi asked me to create a spot about people betting on various markets, including the NBA Finals.
• I said the best Veo 3 content is crazy people doing crazy things while showcasing your brand.
• They love GTA VI. I grew up in Florida. This idea wrote itself

Script

• I asked their team for a few dialogue bits they wanted to include.
• Then I came up with 10 wild characters in unhinged situations to say them.
• I co-write with Gemini (or ChatGPT) asking it for ideas, picking the best ones, and shaping them into a simple script.

Prompting

I then ask Gemini to take the script and convert every shot into a detailed Veo 3 prompt. I always tell it to return 5 prompts at a time — any more than that and the quality starts to slip.

Each prompt should fully describe the scene as if Veo 3 has no context of the shot before or after it. Re-describe the setting, the character, and the tone every time to maintain consistency.

Prompt example

A handheld medium-wide shot, filmed like raw street footage on a crowded Miami strip at night. An old white man in his late 60s struts confidently down the sidewalk, surrounded by tourists and clubgoers. He’s grinning from ear to ear, his belly proudly sticking out from a cropped pink T-shirt. He wears extremely short neon green shorts, white tube socks, beat-up sneakers, and a massive foam cowboy hat with sequins on it. His leathery tan skin glows under the neon lights.

In one hand, he clutches a tiny, trembling chihuahua to his chest like a prized accessory.

As he walks, he turns slightly toward the camera, still mid-strut, and shouts with full confidence and joy: “Indiana got that dog in ’em!”

Trailing just behind him are two elderly women in full 1980s gear — both wearing bedazzled workout leotards, chunky sneakers, and giant plastic sunglasses. Their hair is still in curlers under clear plastic shower caps. One sips from a giant novelty margarita glass, the other waves at passing cars. Around them, the strip is buzzing — people filming with phones, scooters zipping by, music thumping from nearby balconies. Neon signs flicker above, casting electric color across the scene. The crowd parts around the trio, half amazed, half confused.

Veo 3 / Flow tip

• Run 5 prompts at a time in fast mode ($0.20 each).
• If a shot isn’t right, paste the prompt into Gemini, ask for changes, then try again in Flow.
• Leapfrog ahead while waiting and then repeat until the shot list is done.
• Subtitles sometimes show up unexpectedly. The team knows and is working on it.
• To get yelling, prompt with “screaming at the top of their lungs” or use all caps dialogue.
• Veo 3 text-to-video doesn’t support consistent characters, but detailed descriptions help.

Cost and Time

• This took about 300–400 generations to get 15 usable clips.
• One person, 2–3 days.
• That’s a 95% cost reduction vs traditional ads.

The Future of Ads

• Just because this was cheap doesn’t mean anyone can do it.
• I’ve been a director 15+ years. Brands still pay a premium for taste.
• The future is small teams making viral, brand-adjacent content weekly, getting 80 to 90 percent of the results for way less.

What’s the Moat for Filmmakers?

• It’s attention.
• Right now the most valuable skill in entertainment and advertising is comedy writing.
• If you can make people laugh, they’ll watch the full ad, engage with it, and some of them will become customers.