Say Hello to Traction's Futureproof AI Video Studio
By Adam Kleinberg
Reimagining Video Production Through AI and Human Creativity
Introducing Futureproof Studios, a revolutionary AI video production company—a collab between Traction and our long-time video production partner, Fridays. AI tools are transforming video at a lightning pace, but to tell great stories you need great storytellers. By combining incredible filmmakers from our liquid workforce with the best AI tools, workflows, and data-driven personalization, we are redefining content creation.
That means faster turnarounds, lower costs, unmatched personalization, and cinematic quality that speaks directly to your audience’s hearts and minds.
We're not just announcing another production company. We're introducing a fundamentally different approach to creating videos that connect with audiences while respecting the realities of time and budget constraints that most marketing teams face daily.
An Award-Winning Start
Our approach is already making waves. We're thrilled that our work for cybersecurity company Recorded Future recently won a 2025 ANA B2 Award in the Best Use of AI category. This project perfectly captures what we're trying to achieve—beautiful, effective brand storytelling created in a fraction of the traditional time and cost.
PULL QUOTE: Kalpana Singh, SVP of Marketing at Recorded Future: "I'm so proud to have this video represent our brand! Everyone loves it and can't believe it when we tell them it's made with AI!"
Real People, Real Challenges
The genesis of this project wasn't complicated. Recorded Future needed a compelling brand video but simply didn't have the budget typically required. As Traction's CEO, Adam, explained during a recent team conversation: "In the past, we would probably charge a hundred thousand dollars or maybe more to do a brand video, and they didn't have that. So we approached this work differently, doing something more efficiently, faster, with smaller teams."
The result? We delivered in one-quarter of the usual time and one-third of the budget.
Inside the Creative Process: A Technical Deep Dive
Creating the Recorded Future video involved an orchestrated blend of AI tools and human expertise throughout each production stage. Here's a detailed look at our process and the specific technologies we leveraged:
Strategic Development & Scripting
- Initial Strategy: Traditional customer interviews and stakeholder discussions formed our foundation
- Brief Development: We used Claude and other enterprise-grade LLMs to synthesize strategy documents into a creative brief
- Script Generation: Multiple AI-generated script versions were iteratively refined based on team feedback
- Voiceover Creation: Eleven Labs provided our AI voice, with careful manipulation of pace, emphasis, and timbre controls to achieve a natural, authoritative delivery
- Music Selection: We paired AI-generated script and voice with carefully selected music to establish the emotional foundation
Visual Development & Asset Creation
- Brand Asset Integration: We leveraged existing brand-approved AI images as a starting point for our visual language
- Visual Consistency: Created a monochromatic aesthetic with color appearing only in brand elements to maintain visual cohesion
- Midjourney for Concept Art: Generated initial visual concepts and reference frames to establish the overall look
- Image Refinement: Photoshop's AI tools were used to enhance and refine generated imagery before animation
Video Production & Animation
- Multi-platform Approach: Rather than relying on a single tool, we strategically combined the strengths of several platforms:
- Kling: Used for its superior video quality, film emulation, and ability to preserve cinematic characteristics like grain structure
- Runway: Employed for specific camera movements and video-to-video transformations
- Luma: Leveraged for its exceptional morphing capabilities between abstract forms
- Sequential Generation: Ben's innovative technique of "catching the beginning and ending of frames and then generating video" created seamless transitions between segments from different platforms
- Frame Stitching: We developed a workflow where segments generated in one platform could be extended or transformed in another, allowing for more complex sequences
- Resolution Enhancement: Used Topaz for upscaling and detail enhancement where needed
Post-Production & Finishing
- After Effects Integration: Traditional motion graphics skills were crucial for integrating brand elements and ensuring visual consistency
- Sound Design: Combined AI-generated sound effects with traditional sound libraries for a rich audio environment
- Motion Refinement: Careful frame-by-frame adjustments ensured smooth movement and transitions throughout
Ben Elie elaborated on the nuanced differences between video platforms: "Kling has the best video quality. If I film something with cinema lenses and take a still, put it into Kling, and have it create a video... it preserves a lot of that quality with the grain and texture. Whereas Runway has a kind of smearing quality to it and this jittery dot mesh texture that looks inorganic. Luma is somewhere in between but excels at morphing transitions."
The team maintained visual cohesion through disciplined aesthetic choices. Perry emphasized: "We made it really constrict... we're not going to try to go out of this creative direction... Because it would have fallen apart if we hadn't been so specific about this monochromatic look."
This integrated approach—combining multiple AI platforms with traditional post-production techniques—allowed us to achieve results that would be impossible with any single tool, while maintaining the creative vision and narrative cohesion that only human experts can provide.
The Human Touch Remains Essential
Throughout the process, one truth became abundantly clear: while AI tools are revolutionary, they're just that—tools. The real magic happens when talented humans direct these tools with vision and purpose.
Perry Pickert reflected on what sets professional creative work apart: "I think as creatives entering this world, that's really what we offer people. You can go out and use these tools and make stuff, but it doesn't really mesh together. There isn't really a narrative arc or theme or something that as a viewer you watch and feel connected to."
This insight forms the philosophical foundation of Futureproof Studios. We're not replacing human creativity—we're amplifying it.
The New Creative Imperative: Curiosity
One of the most significant shifts in our industry is the need for active experimentation and learning. "Curiosity is now a critical business function," Adam observed. "There's all these things now changing all the time. And the possibilities are endless. If you're waiting for the perfect tool... you get into this analysis paralysis and cannot move forward."
Perry added an important distinction: "The difference about these tools versus any tools in previous workflows is that they're not just versioning, but they're evolving and they evolve through usage."
Looking Forward
At Futureproof Studios, we believe we're at the beginning of something transformative. By combining our liquid workforce of talented filmmakers with cutting-edge AI tools and data-driven personalization, we're offering clients faster turnarounds, lower costs, and highly personalized content without sacrificing quality.
The future of video production isn't about replacing the human element—it's about enhancing it. As we launch today, we're excited to help brands tell their stories in ways that were previously impossible within typical constraints of time and budget.
We believe great storytelling will always need great storytellers. We're just giving them extraordinary new tools to bring those stories to life.
Adam Kleinberg has been CEO and a founding partner of Traction since 2001. He has written over 100 articles in publications like AdAge, Adweek, Fast Company, Forbes, Mashable and Digiday and spoken at dozens of industry conferences. He's led Traction to win Agency of the Year awards from AdAge, ANA B2 Awards, CampaignUS, and in 2026, he was recognized as one of the Campaign 40 Over 40 game-changers in marketing and advertising. He is also the author of the "Tai Chi for Business" Substack.
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