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Fast Hours

Drew Brucker & Rory Flynn

Fast Hours is a weekly generative AI podcast where Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn dig into the craft, taste, and business of making creative work with AI.

Every week, they unpack what’s changing across AI image and video generation, creative workflows, models, platforms, culture, creative careers, and the business of creative work.

What matters? What works? What’s overhyped? And where does leverage exist?

Expect AI news, practical workflows, experiments, guest conversations, and strong opinions from two dudes actually using it in their professional work.

https://www.fasthourspodcast.com

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  • 33 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 27 min
  • English

Episodes 33

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  • S3 · E31
    Sunday · 1 hr 33 min

    The Velocity of Novelty Is Making Your Work Forgettable (feat. Jack Butcher)

    The velocity of novelty makes creative work easier to forget when trends turn over before people see a distinct idea more than once. Jack Butcher built Visualize Value one black-and-white diagram at a time. He talks with Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn about what happens when the feed asks for something different every time he posts. Rory’s example is a talking AI yeti that had about two weeks in the sun. Jack Butcher traces Visualize Value from agency pitch decks to a daily diagram series. The conversation covers pattern interrupts, social media discovery, the Google Veo 3 talking-yeti trend, and creative judgment. Jack Butcher also describes using Claude, ChatGPT, and Codex in daily creative work. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Meet Jack Butcher, founder of Visualize Value 04:45 Pitch decks built Jack’s visual storytelling skill 07:00 Turning one agency skill into a focused service 09:52 The Visualize Value idea that found an audience 17:15 The value in deleting most of the deck 24:03 Creative judgment means taking a risk 28:34 When spectacle gets cheap, value moves 30:35 The LEGO ad that says everything without copy 33:27 How a pattern interrupt becomes a template 38:44 The feed makes repeat exposure harder 40:05 When repetition stops paying off 42:35 The velocity of novelty and the AI yeti 44:54 Using AI beyond doing the old job faster 53:30 AI has reached every part of Jack’s process 55:06 From writing partner to generative art 57:05 A new laptop without Figma or Adobe 59:17 The illusion of working less with AI 1:03:17 Public deadlines get creative work out the door 1:05:58 AI agents clear the admin from Jack’s day 1:07:45 Bullshit Jobs and the work people still pay for 1:10:01 Making art that can be the product 1:19:04 Escaping creative autopilot 1:22:15 Creative identity meets a changing market 1:30:46 The problem with predicting exponential change 1:32:38 A shout-out to the deck makers---/ Jack Butcher / Art: https://jack.art/ Visualize Value: https://visualizevalue.com/ X: https://x.com/jackbutcher Instagram: https://instagram.com/jckbtchr Writing: https://visualizevalue.substack.com/ Mentioned in the conversation Build Once, Sell Twice: https://visualizevalue.com/learn/build-once-sell-twice-the-productization-playbook The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: https://www.navalmanack.com/ Bullshit Jobs: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bullshit-Jobs/David-Graeber/9781501143335 / Fast Hours / Episodes, transcripts, tools, and guests: https://fasthourspodcast.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FastHoursAI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yAw8VHGcGq1eqG1zzbS2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-hours/id1755081772 #JackButcher #VelocityOfNovelty #VisualizeValue #FastHours

  • S3 · E30
    November 3 · 55 min

    How an Investor in 300+ Companies Picks What to Build With AI (feat. Anthony Pompliano)

    Anthony Pompliano chooses AI projects around problems he needs solved, friction worth fixing, and builds he enjoys.After investing in 300+ companies, Pomp still builds software because something in his own day annoys him. He joins Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn to explain when an AI idea earns his time, when paying for existing software makes more sense, and why a weekend experiment can be valuable just for the practice. The hosts recognize the habit of turning every free evening into another build (their podcast website gives them away).Anthony Pompliano covers AI project selection, build versus buy decisions, and rapid product iteration. Silvia, ChatGPT, Claude, custom AI models, and Slack support agents supply concrete examples. Personal AI command centers, podcast repurposing, YouTube comment filtering, and creative context connect AI development to everyday work.#AIAgents #AnthonyPompliano #FastHours---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Meet Anthony Pompliano02:47 The Personal Problem Behind Silvia AI04:46 The $550,000 AI Bill That Forced a Rethink06:17 Inside Silvia's Custom AI Stack09:56 10 People, Dozens of AI Agents10:48 Toby: AI Support With Human Approval13:23 Competing When Big AI Labs Copy Your Features17:12 Building AI Products People Want to Keep Using21:13 The AI Command Center Pomp Built for Himself22:11 Building With AI Through Fast Iteration23:29 Shipping Speed as an AI Investing Signal25:16 Should You Build It or Keep Paying for Software?26:38 The AI Projects Pomp Makes Time For27:06 Turning Podcast Episodes Into Articles and Clips32:24 Pomp's Late-Night AI Building Habit33:16 Using Multiple AI Agents to Find Opportunities36:28 Protecting Family Time When You Love Building40:06 Why AI Saves Time and Creates More Work40:36 Training an AI to Filter YouTube Comments41:34 How Pomp Spots an AI Idea Worth Building43:12 Spotting Real AI Adoption47:43 When Expertise Gets in the Way of New Ideas48:39 Asking AI What to Do Next50:31 Giving AI the Context to Be More Creative51:19 How AI Changed Pomp's Curiosity and Delegation53:20 The Fast Hours Sign-Off---🔗 Resources/ CONNECT WITH ANTHONY POMPLIANO / Website: https://www.anthonypompliano.com/Silvia: https://www.cfosilvia.com/X: https://x.com/APomplianoLinkedIn: / anthonypompliano Instagram: / pompglobal The Pomp Letter: https://pomp.substack.com/Anthony’s books: https://www.anthonypompliano.com/books/ THE POMP PODCAST /Website: https://www.pomppodcast.com/YouTube: / anthonypompliano Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bn8XQH...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...---FOLLOW FAST HOURSWebsite: https://fasthourspodcast.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yAw8VH...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

  • S2 · E29
    October 25 · 1 hr 42 min

    How a Figma Weave Insider Gets Creative Teams to One Click (feat. Ron Baranov)

    Creative teams get to one click by building and testing Figma Weave workflows, then packaging repeat work into shared tools. Figma Weave Creative Workflow Advocate Ron Baranov shows how the hours behind a one-click AI workflow become a tool the whole team can run. Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn follow the builds, from looping animations to locked illustration styles, and Rory discovers version history after explaining his backup routine. (Excellent timing.) [Discussed in this episode] Figma Weave connects large language models (LLMs), image generation, and video generation into repeatable creative workflows. Ron Baranov covers automated prompt writing, looping animations, locked brand styles, character contact sheets, and shared team tools. Figma integration, Model Context Protocol (MCP), version history, and Gen Effect controls support production workflows and creative decisions. #FigmaWeave #AIWorkflows #CreativeAutomation #FastHours --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Opening and Ron Baranov's Creative Background 08:07 What a Creative Workflow Advocate Does 12:39 Helping Enterprise Teams Build AI Workflows 17:11 The LLM Gap in Creative Workflows 24:35 Learn Figma Weave by Taking Workflows Apart 27:24 One Prompt, Six Image Models 32:04 LLMs Write Camera-Angle Prompts 34:44 Which AI Models Can Enterprise Teams Use? 38:30 Teaching AI Without Overwhelming a Team 43:24 Automating Loop Animations 45:35 Turning a Workflow Into a Tool the Team Can Run 47:27 A Brand Illustration Tool With One Input 49:35 Connecting Weave Assets to Figma Frames 55:17 Running Weave Tools Through Claude and MCP 57:30 What It Takes to Get to One Click 1:02:01 Using Custom Weave Tools Inside Figma 1:04:47 Building Characters From Visual Contact Sheets 1:07:28 Version History Surprises Rory 1:11:36 Keeping Creative Choices in the Workflow 1:14:18 Inside the Workflow Advocate Team 1:18:45 Creating Custom Effects With Gen Effect 1:23:17 Getting a Whole Creative Team Using AI 1:31:28 The Creative Skills Ron Would Learn Next 1:34:49 Behind the Figma Config Presentations 1:39:33 Figma Weave Office Hours and Community 1:40:13 Handlers, Fixers, and the Closing Shout-Outs --- ✱ Resources from the episode / Workflows & Tools / Ron's create character workflow: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/ChkZWxAE74RbiTn20eIjbc Intro to Figma Weave workflow: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/2ACz7n2ycDm6jxbh0D0jf1 Gen Effect workflow: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/Y5IBkzwFyc0zeYioDmGB6K Extract a product from image tool: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/YI6F6lHjCn7K6T6HZg1bjg / Tutorials / Weave first steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pwXwbtqjBQ&t=1426s Figma Weave youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqrnJYussMFHy5_AxwK5gg / Ron's Social / Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-baranov-b31740100/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronbaranov/ --- ⚡️ Explore all episodes, transcripts, tools, and guests: https://fasthourspodcast.com/

  • S3 · E28
    October 18 · 1 hr 49 min

    We Built an Entire Creative Team With AI Agents. It's Getting Weird.

    Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn have officially reached the point where their AI agents are doing more work than they can keep track of.Six months ago, they were discussing who they'd need to hire to scale Fast Hours. Now they've built an interconnected system handling everything from podcast clips and thumbnails to website publishing, creative production, and client workflows.Naturally, that freed up enough time for Drew to spend an unreasonable number of hours building a squirrel video game with his dad, while Rory assembled an army of AI agents inspired by Lord of the Rings.Somewhere between the squirrels, the robots, and the existential questions about creative work, there's a pretty compelling picture of what happens when AI gives people the ability to execute their ideas.[Discussed in episode]Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn explain AI agents, Claude skills, Model Context Protocol integrations, and reusable creative workflows. Fast Hours production covers Riverside, Cloudflare, YouTube packaging, clip selection, and thumbnails. Creative experiments span Blender, Magnific, Runway, Higgsfield, and Figma. Examples show agent teams, model specialization, automated quality control, and context-driven production.#AIAgents #CreativeAI #AIWorkflows #ContentCreation #FastHours---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Fast Hours hits 100K subscribers04:21 Flying cars are getting ridiculous11:26 Cars are becoming software platforms14:40 Why AI is destroying traditional software moats16:09 AI can reverse-engineer entire software products20:32 The competitive advantages that still matter23:11 We built an entire creative team with AI agents25:33 The AI creative explosion30:26 Combining AI, Blender, Excel, and code32:25 The new formula for creating with AI34:37 Building a video game with Claude43:13 Turning curiosity into an AI learning program46:44 A new approach to creative ideation48:41 Building a team of specialized AI agents52:39 Tracking how AI crawlers interact with websites54:51 Using AI skeptics to improve creative work56:47 Our AI-powered podcast production system1:00:51 Cutting thumbnail production from 6 hours to 30 minutes1:02:37 Automating podcast publishing with AI agents1:04:45 Building reusable AI workflows for clients1:07:01 Running entire creative projects with AI agents1:09:49 Creating interactive websites with AI1:12:22 Automated creative testing and quality control1:17:10 Better AI video with virtual camera operators1:18:39 Recreating Fast & Furious scenes with AI and Blender1:21:51 The problem with unlimited creative possibilities1:23:36 Drew shares 12 free Claude skills1:26:18 Rory's Lord of the Rings AI agent army1:29:24 Should AI agents handle your personal life?1:36:03 Midjourney explores MCP integration1:36:55 Apple, Meta, and the future of local AI1:41:38 Remembering Napster, LimeWire, and early computing1:46:43 Final thoughts and shout-outs---🔗 ResourcesDrew's Claude Skills: https://github.com/dcbruck/claude-skillsDrew's Squirrel Game: https://squirrelscramble.com/Fast Hours Podcast Website: https://fasthourspodcast.com

  • S3 · E27
    October 11 · 1 hr 42 min

    He’s Using AI to Double His Agency Without Hiring (Ep. 86 / feat. Phil Rivers)

    Phil Rivers is using AI to scale his agency by automating approvals, task creation, onboarding, and shared workflows across his team.Drew and Rory spend an embarrassing amount of time obsessing over AI visuals. Phil Rivers shows up with 40 clients, 16 employees, and an entirely different obsession: automating all the boring stuff nobody wants to do.And it turns out the boring stuff might be where the biggest opportunities are hiding.Phil has rebuilt his agency around an AI-powered operating system that handles client approvals, project management, task creation, onboarding, and internal knowledge sharing.His goal? Double the number of clients his existing team can handle without hiring another employee.And he's already built much of the infrastructure to pursue it.Phil Rivers breaks down an AI-powered agency operating system built with Claude Code, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Supabase, GitHub, Slack, Asana, and Figma. Automated client approvals create campaign tasks and deadlines. A Slack agent named Tim drafts Asana tasks with dependencies. Klaviyo data, onboarding automation, permissions, and shared knowledge help teams handle more clients.#AIAutomation #ClaudeCode #AgencyOperations #FastHours --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Who is Phil Rivers? 08:16 Why rebuild an agency with AI? 11:15 How an email agency first used Midjourney 14:24 How do you adopt AI without slowing down? 24:35 How to build an agency on AI from day one 27:03 How can Asana automate campaign planning? 34:36 Why service keeps clients longer than results 37:30 How do you build client context into AI? 43:20 Who decides what the AI remembers 47:38 How AI unblocks account leads to just serve 49:52 How can teams share AI skills? 54:11 How does one MCP support an entire team? 58:17 Why one-off tasks break agency teams 1:00:13 Meet Tim, the Slack agent that writes tasks 1:05:41 How many clients can AI add with zero new hires 1:09:19 Can AI shorten employee onboarding? 1:14:27 Which AI projects aren't worth building? 1:18:20 How do you keep AI workflows current? 1:19:13 How to prove AI ROI to your boss 1:24:50 How do you secure shared AI infrastructure? 1:30:11 What can Obello automate for brands? 1:34:42 How many clients can the team handle? 1:35:42 How does AI automate client onboarding? 1:38:33 What's Phil's biggest AI operations lesson? 1:41:24 Who should viewers tell about Fast Hours?

  • S3 · E26
    October 4 · 1 hr 27 min

    Claude Opus Feels Like Midjourney Now

    Claude Opus feels like Midjourney because it can take minimal direction and produce imaginative visual work.Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn gave Claude Opus room to create, then watched the to-do list get ambitious (their neglected websites finally got some attention). A promo’s visual style carries into animated podcast clips, while a handwriting experiment reshapes Drew’s site.Claude Opus powers motion graphics, podcast clipping, and website builds from creative references. Midjourney supplies the creative comparison and visual references for animation. Riverside Model Context Protocol connects recordings and transcripts. ChatGPT image generation builds animation assets. Magnific and ElevenLabs support sound effects and narration.#ClaudeOpus #Midjourney #MotionDesign #FastHours---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 What's coming in Fast Hours 85?04:20 Why does context improve creative quality?05:35 Why does Claude Opus 5.5 feel like Midjourney?06:07 One design system, a creative domino effect09:07 We built a custom AI clipping workflow10:01 A blind grader judging clip hooks?13:35 Why does Riverside MCP matter for clipping?14:26 How do reference clips train an AI editor?16:37 How do you build clips around out-of-order hooks?19:32 Podcast clips get branded motion graphics23:52 Motion designers losing their sh*t over AI democratization29:58 How precise are code-based motion graphics edits?32:14 Domain expertise raises the ceiling for AI motion design39:17 Drew let his daughters' handwriting shape his brand website44:52 How do you prompt a cohesive website redesign?49:56 Fast Hours builds a website from its creative DNA52:05 Can transcripts power a searchable website?58:28 Music-reactive web design with a face1:00:20 Code-based animation gets a story to tell1:04:00 How does one image become an animation asset library?1:05:48 How do AI tools add animation and narration?1:11:24 How does ElevenLabs find a voice from a description?1:16:15 How real does a Tavus conversation feel?1:21:41 What will Phil Rivers teach about AI operations?

  • S3 · E25
    September 27 · 1 hr 28 min

    Opus 5.5 Is Cracked! AI Videos You Can Actually Edit

    Opus 5.5 made editable AI video practical: build motion graphics in code, then revise shots, text, and variations without starting over.A cocktail graphic from Rory’s T-shirt became an animation system. Then came four more drinks, a Pokémon battle, podcast promos, and a client-style video. Drew and Rory sound like two people who’ve spent years hearing “one tiny change” and knowing exactly how much work that used to mean.Claude Opus 5.5 turns one cocktail image into a JavaScript or HTML animation system and produces four more recipe videos. Three.js lets Rory block a Pokémon battle and change camera angles for complex scenes. Riverside supplies context for Fast Hours promos. Drew tests a client-style video using a website and company context file.#Opus55 #AIVideo #MotionGraphics #claudeai ---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 What are Drew and Rory making this week?07:31 Why is AI adding work for project managers?9:29 Why most companies are stuck at basic AI17:36 What is production debt, and why AI took off20:45 Is the $200 AI plan a different product?21:19 What changed with Claude Opus 5.525:04 How one T-shirt image became a motion graphic26:28 Why code-rendered video is infinitely editable28:19 How to turn one render into an animation pipeline31:25 Can Opus 5.5 render a 3D Pokémon battle?36:58 How can Three.js block a complex shot?41:36 How did AI make a Fast Hours promo?42:28 Do you need brand guidelines for this?45:41 Can AI pick a stronger clip hook?47:34 Cutting a promo with no instructions49:18 Why creatives aren't siloed anymore50:39 Watching a sponsor promo render live53:38 What one Opus 5.5 prompt gets you for a B2B SaaS video56:09 The exact prompt behind the one-shot video57:21 Claude Code vs Cowork for motion builds59:17 How do editing and motion graphics combine?1:03:05 How did Drew turn his kids' handwriting into a font?1:10:33 Stop sending AI output without the context1:14:17 How to share a skill that runs anywhere1:18:40 Why trading transcripts beats trading drafts1:20:40 Can you share a Claude project?1:24:18 How to get email discounts, then unsubscribe1:27:44 Where does the episode close?

  • S3 · E24
    September 20 · 1 hr 38 min

    20 Year Creative Vet Sold Golden Wolf to Doodles, Then Went All-In on AI (feat. Ingi Erlingsson)

    After 20 years in creative, building Golden Wolf and selling it to Doodles, Ingi Erlingsson went deep on AI to start a new chapter at his company, SYSTMS.Ingi has spent two decades making work for brands including Nike, Adidas, Jordan, Disney, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and Cartoon Network. He built Golden Wolf from the ground up, sold the studio to Doodles, became Doodles’ Chief Content Officer, and now builds custom AI creative systems at SYSTMS.So naturally, Drew and Rory spend half the episode staring at his ComfyUI graphs wondering what the hell is happening.Ingi breaks down how he actually works with AI: custom ComfyUI nodes, LoRAs, agents, model fine-tuning, Wan 2.2, Krea 2, GPT 2.5, After Effects, transition models, and the reusable systems behind his visual work. The conversation also gets into creative control, originality, attention, open source, prompt hunting, and why experienced creatives may have an advantage as AI gets more capable.More importantly, Ingi explains why the goal matters more than the prompt, why rapid iteration changes the creative process, and why giving AI more capability does not automatically mean giving it more creative decisions.#GenerativeAI #ComfyUI #AICreative #creativedirector ---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Who is Ingi Erlingsson?02:58 How much creative freedom do top brands give?05:56 How do studios get hired for their style?10:59 What did Doodles teach Ingi about brand work?13:05 How do you turn attention into recognition?18:13 How does Ingi build his signature AI style?26:13 Why does AI make experimentation cheaper?29:01 How do AI and After Effects work together?30:20 Why did Ingi move into ComfyUI?31:42 What hardware does Ingi use for ComfyUI?34:34 What does ComfyUI let you control?38:33 How does Ingi create tracked AI graphics?42:05 How do you build custom ComfyUI nodes?47:11 How does Ingi combine fine-tuned AI models?51:09 How should you train a style LoRA?55:13 What should a video LoRA learn?58:50 How much creative control should you keep?1:01:04 Do AI videos need longer generations?1:07:28 How can open-source AI sustain itself?1:11:31 What did Doodles and Web3 teach him about AI?1:15:01 How does viral content connect to X payouts?1:17:42 AI critics keep moving the goalposts1:19:12 How do bots expose themselves in replies?1:21:48 How does AI search surface a local business?1:24:04 Why do comment-for-workflow posts spread?1:25:42 What should young creatives learn now?1:28:23 What should AI creatives get good at?1:32:15 Do creatives still need to collect prompts?1:32:54 How did Ingi end up working on DuckTales?1:36:12 Who gets the Fast Hours sign-off?---🔗 Links Ingi's X: https://x.com/ingi_erlingssonIngi's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingi.ai/Ingi's company (SYSTMS): https://www.systms.ai/

  • S3 · E23
    September 13 · 1 hr 7 min

    What Can OpenAI’s Astra and GPT Image 2.5 Actually Do?

    So, what can OpenAI’s Astra and GPT Image 2.5 actually do? Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn put OpenAI’s Astra and GPT Image 2.5 models through a golf course build, a vintage typewriter animation, and a round of image edits. Rory’s golf course experiment burns 70% of his weekly allowance. Drew spends three hours getting a typewriter to type. Their gift for turning a quick test into a side project remains undefeated. The pro-AI half of the show. The other half: a viral AI resignation that looks planned to the minute, Anthropic's 154-page report on how people misused Claude, and GPT Image 2.5 quietly fixing the reasons everyone kept running back to Nano Banana. This episode covers OpenAI Astra with computer use, two ChatGPT chats collaborating inside one project, Three.js and Blender renders, a fantasy football analytics hub, and Astra running Midjourney with mood boards and style references. GPT Image 2.5 multi-edit comments, sketch input, custom aspect ratios, and template creator. Anthropic's threat report, Moonshot and Kimi distillation, and the viral AI researcher resignation. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 What’s on Fast Hours this week? 06:35 Why do traumatic moments burn into memory 07:42 What was different before social media 13:48 This week: Astra, GPT Image 2.5, a viral resignation 15:04 Did an AI researcher really resign over ASI 18:40 How to tell what is true in AI news 20:42 Why quitting your AI job can't stop superintelligence 27:01 What do the cited reports allege about Kimi 28:33 What AI misuse examples do the hosts discuss? 34:07 How did Astra build a golf course prototype? 35:35 How did research improve Astra’s first attempt? 36:33 What happened when two AI chats collaborated? 39:29 Why did Rory stop the drainage research? 40:02 How did Drew approach his Blender experiment? 40:52 How did Astra recreate Drew’s typewriter? 43:49 How long does AI-assisted 3D work take? 44:43 How did Drew build a ChatGPT dashboard? 48:32 What happened when Astra explored Midjourney? 53:56 How did mood boards shape Astra’s prompts? 58:49 What improved in GPT Image 2.5? 01:00:24 How do GPT Image 2.5 edit comments work? 01:01:47 How do you request multiple image variations? 01:03:30 How well did GPT Image 2.5 resize ads? 01:07:11 How reusable templates in GPT Image 2.5 can help brands 01:08:37 What’s coming next for Fast Hours?

  • S3 · E22
    September 6 · 1 hr 57 min

    How We Use AI to Run Our Businesses With Skills, Agents & MCPs

    To run a solo business on AI, build a system of small skills and agents that handle the admin, comms, and ops so your time goes to creating. --- Two founders who swore AI would give them their time back open the hood on what they actually run. Drew walks through 37 hand-built skills and a 21-layer system for writing in his own voice. Rory runs his whole business out of Notion and Claude, down to finding an online fax machine for New York State. Neither of them can remember what half their own skills do. That's kind of the point. This episode covers building an AI operating system for a one-person business. Topics include Claude skills and agents, a voice system for writing, email and call ingestion, Notion as a CRM, red-teaming contracts and MSAs, predicting LinkedIn reach, Nano Banana prompt engineering, and handling taxes, invoices, and vendor forms. Fable and Astra model releases open the show.

  • S3 · E21
    August 30 · 1 hr 42 min

    A 24 Year Old AI Creative Director Gives Away Her Playbook (feat. Jamey Gannon)

    An AI creative director combines design fundamentals, AI fluency, tool selection, and repeatable workflows to produce better creative work. The boys over at Fast Hour invites a 24-year-old AI creative director to give away her playbook and somehow gets reminded that buying more AI subscriptions does not count as mastery. Jamey Gannon explains why AI is a skill, what top operators do differently, how Midjourney mood boards become brand systems, and why sometimes the smartest AI move is opening Photoshop. Jamey Gannon explains how self-taught design, social media, freelancing, and AI fluency shaped her work as an AI creative director. Jamey Gannon demonstrates Midjourney mood boards, SREFs, Midjourney V8.2 Edit, Krea K2, Claude, Figma, Photoshop, Flora, Nano Banana, and the CXO brand system, including when to build custom tools instead of forcing an existing workflow. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Who is Jamey Gannon? 06:43 How Jamey taught herself design at 15 12:23 Why Gen Z chases money over job titles 15:35 What first freelance clients look like at 17 18:43 Why social media is a freelance prerequisite 22:16 Freelance math: 20 clients vs one salary 24:13 How her sister makes $5K–$10K/month with AI 27:08 What is an AI creative director? 28:58 What the AI Creative Director course teaches 33:05 Is Krea catching Midjourney? 35:53 The "easy, fast, cheap" AI lie 38:43 Three moments that hooked Jamey on AI 42:23 How to build brand mood boards 46:00 How one SREF cracked the brand style 46:27 Midjourney + Figma: the pixel shader pipeline 49:06 When you should not use AI 51:53 Two ways to use Midjourney mood boards 56:44 What top AI creatives do differently 59:44 Build the tool when the workflow doesn't exist 1:11:28 Midjourney V8.2 Edit: first live tests 1:15:00 What works and what drifts in Midjourney Edit 1:20:06 Midjourney Edit vs Nano Banana: identity lock 1:21:32 Can Midjourney edit text and fonts now? 1:25:23 Can Midjourney's edit model preserve logos and apparel graphics? 1:31:05 Is Midjourney inpainting or regenerating? 1:34:33 The verdict: using Nano Banana less 1:37:34 Where Nano Banana still fits

  • S3 · E19
    August 23 · 1 hr 51 min

    AI Workflows Brands Actually Pay Five Figures For

    Brands pay five figures for AI workflows that turn repetitive creative work into reusable systems teams can run at scale.Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn speedrun their way into a useful business model while trying to explain node-based AI without melting anyone’s brain. The opportunity itself is practical. Find expensive, repetitive creative bottlenecks, turn them into reusable workflows, and make the complicated machinery simple enough that an entire team can actually use it.The boys break down Figma Weave, node-based AI workflows, system prompts, batch processing, arrays, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Flux, Nano Banana, Gen Effect, and MCP. SharkNinja and BarkBox examples show how AI workflows support localization, product visualization, asset re-versioning, creative production, team handoff, and scalable content generation.The bigger idea here is that the value comes from encoding the process, creative logic, and standards into a system that can be reused across hundreds of assets without starting from zero.#AIWorkflows #CreativeAutomation #GenerativeAI #FigmaWeave #aiforbusiness ---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Cold opener07:22 Why a full Figma Weave episode09:53 How node workflows went mainstream in a year14:10 Why use a node-based AI tool at all?19:02 Inside the Figma Weave AI toolbox20:53 How to sell AI workflows to businesses23:24 Why brands pay five figures for AI workflows24:33 How SharkNinja localizes across 35 markets30:07 Why recurring tasks belong in workflows31:34 Live build: your first AI workflow39:09 What the Gen Effect node can do44:00 How to turn an image into a 3D asset48:46 Scale one fashion image into reusable assets55:18 How to build a batch-processing engine1:03:24 Prompt vs system prompt: what's the difference?1:05:38 Turn a node graph into a reusable tool1:12:17 Engineering an automated listicle video1:14:51 One-shot video vs modular AI production1:24:29 How BarkBox fixed one production bottleneck1:35:20 Where AI workflows create business ROI1:38:20 Why workflows survive every new AI model1:39:29 Paste your workflow into Claude to debug it1:42:57 Use AI workflows as callable functions1:44:28 Publish your workflows into Claude MCP1:46:09 Resources and wrap-up---FIGMA WEAVE 15% OFF: Use code FASTHOURS15 at checkout- 15% off the first purchase of a Figma Weave Starter, Pro, or Team subscription- One-time use per person- Applies to the first month (for monthly plans) OR first year (for annual plans)OUR FREE FIGMA WEAVE WORKFLOWS: Drew's Apparel Photoshoot: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/JV8vBtbkOl3vNeiJjAYwxN Drew's Product Social Images: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/la8iMD20eGX4eGF91qunVu Rory's Listicle: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/SpLj0jsU8hThMmHWtfmT37 Rory's SD2.5 Prompting: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/MdYt6UJi6ch0MkgxTaCe6r Rory's GenEffects Collage: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/sX4dJgsrp9DIrOz5f9ojX1 Rory's Batch Generator: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/f9OljOQLkPbJ9Q04iN8Uou Rory's El Camino Concept: https://app.weavy.ai/flow/BPfVXywHhoymEi3CFxOO3Q

  • S3 · E19
    August 14 · 1 hr 22 min

    He Built an 8 Figure AI Business in One Year (feat. Rourke Sefton-Minns)

    Rourke Sefton-Minns scaled his AI creator business from zero to eight figures in one year by turning audience, education, and creative AI into a business system.Drew and Rory invited Rourke Sefton-Minns on to discuss AI and somehow ended up reverse-engineering a business built on sleep streaming, 420 straight days of posting, multiple failed creator experiments, hitting zero in the bank, and an apparently unhealthy refusal to quit. Rourke breaks down how Gen HQ grew, why brand partnerships now drive hundreds of thousands in monthly revenue, why learning AI tools is often the least important part of getting paid, and why the best move for aspiring AI creatives may be finding the client before figuring out every last detail.Rourke Sefton-Minns explains Gen HQ, AI creator businesses, brand partnerships, LinkedIn client acquisition, spec work, creative partner programs, Meta advertising, Adobe Photoshop Generative Fill, CapCut, Google Gemini, node-based workflows, narrative-loop content, creator burnout, AI careers, and generative AI-powered fandom. He also shares a practical three-month playbook for landing paid AI creative work and his mission to create 100,000 jobs for creatives through AI.---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Rourke Sefton-Minns, Gen HQ and 100K jobs02:55 Five social pages before the one that worked05:03 The sleep-streaming business that changed everything09:03 Making $10K a month at 21, then burning out13:04 Betting everything on a six-month ski channel17:11 The persistence lesson behind hitting zero20:50 420 days of posting before the AI pivot28:40 Why Gen Z sees generative AI as the enemy33:01 Why great AI content starts with communication35:10 Inside his vibe-coded content idea system39:19 How long a viral AI video takes to make43:20 Why AI creators burn out46:14 Outsourcing creativity made burnout worse47:27 Why changing formats brought the fun back50:25 How narrative-loop videos create retention52:44 How his 8-figure AI business makes money56:10 Why $40K a month in Meta ads is not enough57:12 The business skills AI creatives overlook01:00:51 The 100,000-jobs North Star01:03:29 How to land your first paying AI client01:07:51 What major AI brands actually want01:12:30 Why boring products can win spec-work clients01:14:09 The four-post strategy for winning brands01:17:47 AI fan content as a new growth engine

  • S3 · E18
    August 9 · 1 hr 30 min

    How to Build an AI Universe That Compounds (feat. BLVCKL!GHT)

    Build an AI universe by compounding recognizable characters, consistent worlds, recurring stories, and creative assets instead of starting from zero. ⁨ BLVCKL!GHT has spent thousands of hours doing the thing most AI creators accidentally avoid: sticking with one weird idea long enough for it to become an actual universe. Route 47 now spans 28 interconnected shows and characters, four seasons, recurring locations, expanding lore, and even a game in development. characters → worlds → stories → audience → distribution → monetization Drew and Rory dig into: + how creative consistency becomes leverage + why cult audiences can beat virality + and why every finished asset can make the next one easier to create. BLVCKL!GHT breaks down AI world-building, Route 47, original AI IP, character development, consistent AI art styles, audience compounding, and FAST TV distribution. Krea, Magnific, MiniMax H3, Seedance 2.5, Flux 3, Runway, RunComfy, Comfy Cloud, Higgsfield, and Luma Dream Machine frame the AI image and video workflow discussion. AI agents, creator economics, model costs, synthetic media, and creative ownership shape the broader conversation. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Who is Blvckl!ght? 04:15 Why did Blvckl!ght change his mind on AI? 09:06 Why does Gen Z hate AI but love his work? 12:15 What shaped Blvckl!ght's visual style? 16:19 What is Route 47? 19:04 How do you build an AI universe? 22:31 How do you stay creatively consistent? 24:35 Which AI tools does Blvckl!ght use? 26:42 Can AI agents make creatives slower? 29:14 Why can a cult audience beat virality? 30:15 How can AI creators monetize on FAST TV? 32:44 How does AI content reach mainstream media? 34:34 How do AI film projects get financed? 38:14 What is “Hi-Fi Slop” and why does it fail? 40:00 How do shorts become a real series? 46:52 Why can obvious AI feel more authentic? 47:57 What is AI's real creative opportunity? 50:14 MiniMax H3 vs Seedance 2.5 53:38 Local AI video vs cloud generation 54:39 How fast can one AI creator produce? 55:55 What is Flux 3? 56:57 How do you control AI generation costs? 59:06 How do unlimited AI generations work? 01:00:29 Brand equity vs capability in AI tools 01:03:26 Why do creators stay loyal to AI tools? 01:10:13 Where should AI creators draw the line? 01:18:26 Should AI make personal decisions? 01:27:01 Where should you start with Route 47? 01:28:45 How can AI check story consistency?

  • S3 · E17
    August 2 · 1 hr 37 min

    How to Build AI Workflows That Never Start From Zero

    A good AI workflow remembers what worked last time, so you don’t have to rebuild the same process from scratch.Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn attempt to explain how advanced AI workflows actually work, then accidentally expose the mildly concerning machinery behind their own. The useful version of AI goes far beyond isolated prompts. It remembers prior decisions, pulls from real conversations, reuses approved skills, evaluates its own output, and saves the human from rebuilding the same process every Tuesday like a highly caffeinated goldfish.The episode breaks down context files, AI agents, evaluation loops, prompt amplifiers, reusable skills, call transcripts, sales data, and personal knowledge systems. Drew and Rory also examine Seedance 2.5, Midjourney V8.2, emerging AI-assisted 3D workflows, synthetic video detection from NVIDIA, LinkedIn’s AI slop button, and the growing gap between generating faster and building systems that improve with use.---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 What is next for Fast Hours?05:39 Why criticize AI while using it?08:56 How can AI recover old creative work?10:46 Why did 90s sports design feel better?19:07 What is LinkedIn's AI slop button?22:37 Why did LinkedIn reward lower effort?29:10 How are creators gaming account reach?32:43 Why do large platforms ship so slowly?33:48 What changed in Seedance 2.5?39:57 What is new in Midjourney V8.2?43:48 How does texture improve AI prompting?49:25 Why is Midjourney regaining momentum?50:04 Why is AI entering its 3D moment?58:12 Can people still detect synthetic video?01:01:21 How does NVIDIA detect fake video?01:07:10 Why does speed devalue AI creative work?01:11:13 How do eval loops prevent AI slop?01:13:00 How can calls create original content?01:16:20 Why can't AI automate your opinion?01:21:54 What should AI content systems ingest?01:25:27 How can AI improve sales calls?01:29:41 Why should prompts stop starting at zero?01:31:08 How should AI skills be customized?01:33:29 When should AI workflows be deleted?01:35:12 How do you build an AI skill vault?01:38:23 What is Fast Hours' next milestone?

  • S3 · E16
    July 26 · 1 hr 39 min

    How to Make AI Images That Don’t Scream “I Used AI” (feat. Finn McKenty)

    AI images stop looking generic when creators steer models with real expertise, original references, hand-built assets, and selective craft. Finn McKenty joins Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn to explain why the fastest route to better AI work may involve drawing by hand, reading the manual, and making fewer things. The three alleged efficiency experts also wander into AI burnout, fake UGC, Higgsfield trust problems, Midjourney’s long game, and the deeply inconvenient possibility that one great image may beat the 1,000 they can generate before lunch. Topics and tools covered:Midjourney, Weavy, ComfyUI, Claude, Gemini 2.5, GPT Image, Nano Banana, Flux, Krea, Figma, Adobe Photoshop, and Higgsfield anchor the practical discussion. Sketch references, image references, style references, out-of-distribution inputs, material-specific prompting, systems thinking, AI adoption, fake UGC, creator trust, and durable AI-assisted SEO define the core concepts. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00Who is Finn McKenty? 03:13 Why did Finn quit YouTube? 05:30 Do creators need a large audience? 12:05 Which existing skills create an AI edge? 14:26 Does expertise accelerate AI mastery? 16:27 Are creatives too attached to process? 18:17 Why do companies fail to adopt AI? 20:17 Why does advanced AI work cause burnout? 27:33 Where should creators invest brainpower? 29:31 How do creators steer probabilistic AI? 31:27 What made Midjourney click for Finn? 34:00 How did AI produce 10x SEO traffic? 37:44 Why reject polished AI perfection? 38:41 Why does handmade design feel better? 41:06 How should AI and manual craft combine? 46:24 Why does making more have zero value? 50:57 How does material knowledge improve prompts? 55:03 Why choose Weavy over ComfyUI? 55:44 How do sketches improve AI images? 58:33 How should creators divide work with AI? 01:02:12 What does out-of-distribution mean? 01:05:56 How do original references beat AI slop? 01:07:03 Why does fake AI UGC destroy trust? 01:11:31 What went wrong with Higgsfield? 01:22:33 Why did Midjourney acquire Co-Star? 01:24:09 Has Midjourney had the right vision? 01:27:30 Why are creators returning to Midjourney? 01:29:10 Why does bootstrapping protect creativity? 01:34:01 Why does AI creative work need fun again? 01:35:04 Does direct attribution kill creativity? #Midjourney #AICreativity #AIDesign #GenerativeAI #FastHours

  • S3 · E15
    July 19 · 1 hr 25 min

    How AI Is Making Human Creativity More Valuable

    AI is making creative production faster while increasing the value of human craft, imperfection, and hands-on creative control.Drew and Rory start with Netflix’s 300 AI-assisted programs and somehow end up defending Blockbuster, boxy cars, greasy roommates, and the radical act of making creative work harder on purpose. Between the usual intellectual potholes, they uncover why invisible AI succeeds, why perfect outputs are becoming exhausting, and why human-made work may become the premium signal.Covered in this episode:Netflix generative AI workflows span concept development, pre-visualization, visual effects, post-production, and release. Suno, Udio, Strudel, Foley artistry, AI music licensing, Runway visual storytelling, Claude, ChatGPT, Figma shaders, Photoshop retouching, creative consistency, nostalgic design, imperfect aesthetics, and hybrid human-AI production define the broader creative shift.---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Why are guests returning to Fast Hours?03:45 Why does summer trigger nostalgia?10:49 How is Netflix using generative AI?20:39 Could Blockbuster have become Netflix?24:04 What AI tools has Netflix open-sourced?28:36 What did the Suno breach reveal?32:21 Should AI be used to make music?43:31 Breaking down Runway's lamp film—hy does it work?51:43 How many movie story arcs exist?53:32 Does AI increase the value of human craft?57:53 Why are creators rejecting AI perfection?01:06:16 Why is nostalgic design returning?01:17:09 Why do simple stories feel better?01:23:09 How do AI projects maintain consistency?01:25:43 Who should Fast Hours interview next?#GenerativeAI #AIFilmmaking #AIMusic #CreativeProcess #FastHours

  • S3 · E14
    July 12 · 1 hr 18 min

    She Cracked AI Advertising Before Brands Were Ready

    In Episode 73, Salma Aboukarr joins the show. A creative director and founder, she explains how she moved from painstaking CGI workflows in Blender and 3Ds Max to AI-native campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola, Panasonic, and Google Labs. She breaks down her viral IKEA exploding-room video that helped brands see the commercial potential of generative AI video, the detailed JSON prompting method behind it, and the modern AI creative stack she uses across Claude, Midjourney, Nano Banana, Seedance, FAL.ai, Z-Image Turbo, Qwen, style LoRAs, and custom AI agents.The conversation goes deep on AI advertising, product fidelity, photorealistic skin, color correction, video upscaling, automated client workflows, and why high-end AI work still depends on original concepts, trained taste, and obsessive finishing. They debate whether AI can truly be original, why technical teams struggle to manufacture taste, how creators survive a feed flooded with AI content, and why the next creative moat may come from the experiences, references, and strange little details nobody else can copy.---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 Meet Salma Aboukarr02:17 From CGI agency to AI-first studio04:44 Product fidelity before AI got good07:34 The duct-taped road to photorealism11:10 Art direction beyond basic prompting14:28 Salma’s current AI creative stack16:08 How she stress-tests every new model20:20 Why color correction still matters22:25 The IKEA video that changed everything27:13 Going viral and handling AI backlash30:38 Originality as the next creative moat33:05 Can AI actually be original?38:52 Inside an AI-native creative agency39:55 Z-Image Turbo and aesthetic base models43:06 From client brief to automated pipeline47:54 Style LoRAs for brand consistency49:11 Claude, MCP, FAL, and leaving ComfyUI51:07 The model that cut a day to 15 minutes55:13 Why AI content stopped feeling special01:00:57 The value trapped in AI archives01:02:06 Create for yourself or the audience?01:04:31 Can engineers manufacture taste?01:08:38 Finding inspiration outside the feed01:11:57 Jackie Chan and thumbnail fuel01:15:29 Final lessons from a creative trailblazer#AICreative #AIAdvertising #GenerativeAI #AIVideo #CreativeDirection #Midjourney #ClaudeAI #NanoBanana #SeedanceAI #AIWorkflow #AIAgency #AIContentCreation #BrandMarketing #CreativeTechnology #ProductPhotography #AIBranding #FutureOfAdvertising #FastHours

  • S3 · E13
    July 4 · 1 hr 28 min

    Taste Isn't the AI Moat You Think It Is

    The boys are back with episode 72, where Rory Flynn and Drew Brucker attempt to discuss AI like serious adults. Yeah, that didn't work. They immediately detour into Figma Config, Waymo trust issues, Invisalign lisp watch, and the quiet horror of paying for AI models that may or may not be getting nerfed behind the curtain. This one gets into the big question creative teams keep circling: is taste still a moat in the AI era? Drew and Rory break down why “taste as a moat” is getting shakier, what types of taste are actually durable, and why timing, novelty, cultural awareness, editorial judgment, brand systems, and compounding context may matter more than ever. They also dig into Claude Fable, government access to stronger AI models, the widening gap between public and private model capability, Figma’s new AI workflows, Weavy integration, Adobe Firefly Foundry, Disney’s custom AI model deal, and Midjourney’s V8.2 preview, texture upgrades, editing roadmap, and secret search tricks. ---⏱️ Fast Hour00:00 The boys are back00:11 Rory recaps Figma Config03:13 Rory tries Waymo for the first time08:52 The algorithm ding09:59 Invisalign enters the chat10:41 Claude Fable returns nerfed13:32 AI regulation gets messy18:44 AI tools and IP risk22:33 Taste as a moat gets challenged25:02 Breaking down types of taste27:40 Timing, novelty, and AI trends29:53 Trend cycles hit warp speed31:12 AI slop can damage brands34:45 Vintage aesthetics and timing38:37 Taste needs systems now40:14 Evolving visual taste43:19 South Park and imperfect taste45:55 Figma updates and custom tools52:39 Shaders, motion, and Weavy56:01 Retention beats acquisition01:00:59 Adobe Firefly Foundry01:02:25 Disney enters custom AI models01:03:34 The custom model problem01:07:09 Midjourney preview mode01:08:18 Midjourney V8.2 texture and skin detail01:16:13 Midjourney V9 training and web redesign01:16:43 Midjourney editing roadmap01:21:34 Secret search tip01:23:03 Broken toes and podcast lore01:25:14 Listener shoutouts01:27:13 Subscribe, hype, tell a mechanic#FastHours #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AICreative #GenerativeAI #AIArt #Midjourney #ClaudeAI #AdobeFirefly #Figma #Weavy #AITools #BrandStrategy #CreativeAI #AIWorkflow

  • S3 · E12
    June 23 · 1 hr 24 min

    Midjourney's Wildest Move Yet: Full Body Medical Scans

    Midjourney spent years helping people generate impossible images. Then it used that image money to build a machine designed to look inside the human body. In Episode 71, Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn, two men with zero medical degrees and a medically concerning level of confidence, unpack Midjourney Medical and David Holz’s surprise hardware reveal. At the center is the Midjourney Scanner, a water-based, full-body Ultrasonic CT prototype designed to capture detailed 3D body maps in roughly 60 seconds. They break down how the scanner uses sound waves, water, and serious computing power; why Midjourney plans to introduce it through a San Francisco spa; and how a bootstrapped company with no investors can make a bet this strange. They also separate the scanner’s current body-composition ambitions from the much bigger MRI-level future Midjourney hopes to pursue through research, testing, and FDA approval. Then the episode gets even less normal.Claude Fable 5 appears, dramatically accelerates Rory’s coding, Blender, and MCP workflows, and disappears days later following a US government directive. Naturally, this sends the hosts directly into Conspiracy Corner with no adult supervision. Along the way, Drew and Rory explore how brand adoption of AI has changed, why some of the most advanced commercial AI work stays hidden behind NDAs, how companies can reward employees for useful AI innovation, and why first-time reaction content remains one of the internet’s strongest viral formats. Is Midjourney’s full-body scanner a medical breakthrough, an ambitious wellness experiment, or the first clue to a much larger hardware roadmap? The hosts attempt to answer that question while also discussing the World Cup, the Knicks, government intervention, possible AI futures, and several topics their wives wisely avoid asking them about. --- ⏱️ Fast Hour 00:00 Knicks, World Cup, and viral tourism 10:14 Sports, culture, and AI gatherings 13:06 Midjourney reveals secret hardware 15:49 David Holz explains the bigger mission 18:27 The 60-second full-body medical scanner 20:18 How bootstrapping made this possible 23:26 Water, spas, and medical skepticism 28:56 The scanner demo and nine-person team 40:30 Midjourney’s bigger secret roadmap 48:11 How brand AI adoption has changed 58:57 Claude Fable 5 appears, then vanishes 1:00:41 Inside the Fable 5 conspiracy corner 1:04:48 Why Fable 5 felt revolutionary 1:13:58 The AI race and 12 possible futures 1:18:22 Four years of Midjourney and the outro

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