EP 011 · 70 MIN A TWO-MAN BAND SIGNED COCA-COLA
The Next Gen (AI) Toolkit for Creatives feat. Chris Branch
The short version
Episode 11 welcomes Chris Branch, founder of creative agency Seedily and the 200,000-member Artificial Inspiration LinkedIn community, as Fast Hours' first-ever guest. Branch traces getting free Midjourney access at version 1 in 2022 after the company's Discord mod cold-emailed his agency, and explains how a speculative Coca-Cola concept post went viral and became a paid agency partnership. The trio also cover Runway's Lionsgate deal, Suno versus Udio, and an AI art show with the Frida Kahlo Foundation.
Key takeaways
- 01
Chris's early break: a Midjourney Discord mod personally emailed his ad agency free V1/V2 access in exchange for professional-grade feedback most users couldn't give.
- 02
Run speculative pitches like Seedily does: spend 15-45 minutes daily generating concepts for dream clients and post them publicly instead of cold-emailing them.
- 03
A speculative Coca-Cola concept post, boosted when design influencer Chris Doe engaged with it, put Seedily on Coca-Cola's radar and led to an ongoing paid partnership.
- 04
Style or character training that used to need 5-50 images now takes one, says Chris: Midjourney's personalization and character reference work from a single reference.
- 05
Early Magnific upscaling (Chris used 'version 1') turned Midjourney's roughly 5MB native files into 500MB prints, good enough for a Frida Kahlo Foundation gallery show.
- 06
ComfyUI's node graphs read as development work rather than art direction to Chris: connecting nodes between objects, in his words, is 'too far for me.'
- 07
Business use of AI is happening quietly, says Chris: brands are generating pitch decks and social concepts internally with AI while showing nothing public yet.
Receipts · said on the record
“You gotta create something that people haven't seen before or something that's gonna shock them or something that really is purposeful in stopping the scroll.”
“The interesting move they had was with Getty. When they brought Getty on as a partner … that was the ethically sourced sort of model training where it was like, okay, this is all licensed. This is official … We know where it came from.”
“All he needs to do to open that up is open the API so someone can build it on top. But he's not even doing that … it's very short sighted again to leave that on the table.”
“Comfy wires beyond me … it just looks like connecting nodes between random objects, and that's no longer art direction for me.”
“To me, from a branding standpoint, if everyone starts to know that, and then they're sharing their creations, just added impression value. It's Coca-Cola. Who's going to steal your brand at that point? You can't.”
“There are so many pseudonyms being used by major Hollywood directors that don't want to be known for their AI stuff. And that makes a lot of sense.”
Chapters
- 0:00:00 Guest Introduction
- 0:05:45 Early Midjourney Days
- 0:12:08 AI in Music
- 0:16:17 Video AI Evolution
- 0:21:24 Layers in Midjourney?
- 0:26:44 User Onboarding Challenges
- 0:32:37 Coca-Cola Partnership
- 0:38:44 AI Art Exhibition
- 0:42:42 Creative Ideation Process
- 0:47:47 Brands Embracing AI
- 0:52:30 AI in Hollywood
- 0:56:00 Monetizing AI Skills
- 0:59:15 Future AI Predictions
- 1:03:52 Community Building Importance
- 1:07:45 Closing Thoughts
Questions this episode answers
How did Chris Branch's agency Seedily land Coca-Cola as a client using Midjourney?
Seedily posted a speculative Midjourney concept reimagining Coca-Cola bottles as high-end crystal and diamond versions; when design influencer Chris Doe engaged with the post, it reached Coca-Cola, and the relationship grew into an ongoing paid partnership on the brand's agency roster.
How did Chris Branch get early access to Midjourney?
Chris says a Discord moderator working with Midjourney emailed his agency directly around version 1-2, in early 2022, offering free access in exchange for professional-grade feedback, because Midjourney wanted input from people who understood composition and advertising rather than just the general Discord community.
What does Chris Branch think of ComfyUI?
Chris says ComfyUI's node-based workflows feel like software development rather than art direction, calling it 'too far for me'; he prefers tools like Midjourney that don't require connecting technical nodes.
What AI art exhibition did Chris Branch's agency put together?
Seedily worked with the Frida Kahlo Foundation on a licensed AI art exhibition at Miami's Avant Gallery, using early Magnific upscaling to turn Midjourney images into roughly 500MB prints; the same gallery was then planning a follow-up exhibition with the Einstein Foundation.
Is Midjourney likely to open an API, according to this episode?
No indication of one -- Chris criticizes founder David Holz for not opening an API so third parties could build business tools, like single-image LoRA training, on top of Midjourney, calling it 'short sighted' to leave that opportunity on the table.
Show notes
The Next Gen Creative Toolkit feat. Chris Branch
In this captivating episode, Drew Brucker and Rory Flynn sit down with Chris Branch, the founder of creative agency Seedily, to unravel the fascinating journey of generative AI.
The conversation kicks off with Chris sharing his experiences from the early days of Midjourney, painting a vivid picture of how far AI has come in such a short time.
As the discussion unfolds, the trio dives into the rapid evolution of AI technology, particularly in image and video creation. They explore how community engagement has played a crucial role in shaping these tools and driving their development forward. The conversation transitions into the exciting world of AI-integrated music, opening up new possibilities for creators.
The group doesn't shy away from the challenges either.
They tackle the complexities of marketing and user onboarding in this fast-paced landscape, emphasizing the need for effective use cases and workflows to help newcomers navigate these powerful tools.
Chris, Drew, and Rory bring the conversation to life with real-world examples, discussing how major brands like Coca-Cola are leveraging AI in their marketing strategies.
They also delve into the unexpected ways AI is making waves in the fine art world, even finding its way into prestigious exhibitions.
As the episode draws to a close, the focus shifts to the future.
The trio explores the myriad opportunities AI presents for creators and brands alike, from innovative marketing approaches to novel ways of monetizing creativity. They leave listeners with a sense of excitement about the potential of AI, while also emphasizing the importance of adaptability in this rapidly changing landscape.
It's a journey through the past, present, and future of AI creativity that you won't want to miss.
