For most founders and digital creators, the biggest bottleneck to growth isn't a lack of ideas—it's the friction of production. You might be a world-class writer with a newsletter that generates millions in revenue, yet you find yourself paralyzed by the thought of setting up lights, fixing your hair, and recording six takes for a 60-second TikTok. This is the 'Founders Dilemma': the realization that while short-form video is the most powerful distribution channel on the planet, the manual labor required to stay consistent is often unsustainable.
Rowan Cheung, the founder of The Rundown AI, solved this by building an AI video creator workflow that allowed him to scale to over 150,000 followers [source: Rowan Cheung on X] in less than a year without ever needing to step into a studio. By leveraging high-fidelity face cloning and voice synthesis, he transformed his written newsletter content into viral video assets. This isn't just about 'automation'; it’s about operational leverage. In this playbook, we’ll break down the exact tool stack and strategy used to turn a one-person writing machine into a multi-platform media powerhouse.
The Founders Dilemma: Why Writing Doesn't Always Translate to Video
Consistency is the currency of social media algorithms. However, for a founder busy running a 15-person team or managing high-level operations, content creation often feels like a distraction from the core business. Rowan Cheung notes that while he is a 'writer first,' the transition to video was daunting because of the time commitment. The solution wasn't to stop writing, but to find a way to repurpose written insights into video format using an AI avatar for video.
The goal of using an AI avatar isn't to trick the audience; it’s to provide a visual anchor for the storytelling. By being transparent about the use of AI, you can actually build trust through innovation. Rowan's experiment proved that as long as the value of the information is high, audiences are willing to engage with a synthetic presence—provided it looks and sounds professional. The key is to avoid the 'one-click' trap. Many believe AI content is effortless, but the Rowan Cheung playbook emphasizes that high-quality output requires a blend of AI efficiency and human editorial oversight.
The Tool Stack Deep Dive: HeyGen for Face and ElevenLabs for Voice
To achieve a level of quality that doesn't feel 'uncanny valley,' you cannot rely on all-in-one tools that produce mediocre results. The professional workflow involves decoupling the visual and the auditory. Rowan uses HeyGen for face cloning and ElevenLabs for voice synthesis.
High-Fidelity Face Cloning with HeyGen
HeyGen has emerged as the industry leader for creating realistic digital twins. To start, you record a high-quality video of yourself speaking for several minutes. This serves as the training data. The AI avatar for video created by HeyGen can then be animated to match any script you provide. However, a common mistake is letting the AI handle the audio. To get the best results, you should generate your audio separately in a specialized tool and then upload that audio file to HeyGen to sync the lip movements.
Advanced Voice Synthesis with ElevenLabs
While HeyGen is great for visuals, ElevenLabs provides the gold standard for AI voice cloning. Rowan mentions that the AI-generated voice is sometimes even better than his natural recording because it avoids mispronunciations and maintains a consistent cadence. The workflow involves training the model on your best audio samples to capture your specific tone, pitch, and emotional nuances. When you use ElevenLabs voice cloning, you ensure that even if the video is synthetic, the 'human' connection remains through the familiarity of your voice.
The 98% B-Roll Rule: Increasing Authenticity Through Scarcity
The biggest secret to Rowan Cheung’s viral success isn't the avatar itself—it’s how little he uses it. A common pitfall for founders using an AI video creator workflow is showing a talking head for the entire duration of the clip. This highlights the limitations of current AI video technology. Instead, Rowan follows what we call the '98% B-Roll Rule.'
In this strategy, the AI avatar is only shown for the first 3 to 5 seconds of the video to establish a human connection and 'hook' the viewer. After that, the visual shifts entirely to B-roll, screenshots, headlines, or relevant animations that support the narration. This approach serves three purposes:
- Hides Imperfections: By minimizing the time the avatar is on screen, you reduce the chance of viewers noticing synthetic artifacts.
- Enhances Storytelling: High-quality B-roll keeps the viewer's brain engaged with shifting visuals, which is essential for retention in short-form environments like TikTok or Instagram.
- Scales Editing: Once the avatar and voice are set, an editor can focus 100% of their energy on visual storytelling rather than worrying about the nuances of a human performance.
The Playbook: Step-by-Step AI Video Workflow
If you want to replicate this success, you need a repeatable system. Here is the step-by-step AI video creator workflow used to scale The Rundown's social presence.
Step 1: Ideation and Voice Dictation
Don't start at your desk. Rowan often begins his content process by walking and talking. Using a tool like OpenAI’s Whisper or WhisperFlow, he dictates his thoughts while on the move. This captures natural insights that feel human and unscripted. These voice notes are the 'raw ore' that will be refined into content.
Step 2: Script Refinement with Claude
The raw transcript is then fed into Claude. Rowan uses a custom prompt trained on his best-performing tweets and newsletter segments. The goal here is to formulate the ideas for short-form video, ensuring the hook is sharp and the pacing is tight. Claude acts as a 'co-editor,' helping to strip away fluff while retaining the founder’s unique voice.
Step 3: Generate Voice and Avatar Assets
Once the script is finalized, it is pushed into ElevenLabs to generate the audio file. That audio file is then uploaded to HeyGen, where the pre-trained avatar lip-syncs to the narration. This creates a high-quality 'talking head' clip that serves as your intro.
Step 4: The Final Edit and B-Roll Overlay
This is where a talented editor takes over. Using tools like Adobe Premiere or CapCut, the editor stitches the intro avatar clip with dynamic B-roll. They follow the 98% B-roll rule, ensuring that the visual experience is fast-paced and information-rich. This manual layer is what separates professional AI content from low-effort spam.
Beyond Video: Scaling Operations with AI Agents
While the AI avatar is the face of the brand, AI agents are the engine behind the business. To operate a 15-person team with the speed of a 50-person company, Rowan utilizes specialized agents for operations and lead management. For example, using Lindy.ai, he created an AI meeting scheduler named Ava. AI agents like Ava respond to leads within 60 seconds, checks calendars, and books meetings 24/7 without human intervention.
Similarly, for brands looking to scale their influencer and UGC efforts, platforms like Stormy AI streamline creator sourcing and outreach. While Rowan uses an AI avatar for his personal distribution, many companies use Stormy AI's discovery engine to find real human UGC creators who can supplement their AI strategy with authentic, person-on-the-street content. By using AI-powered outreach, founders can manage these creator relationships just as efficiently as Rowan manages his internal agents.
Monetization and Growth: Reaching 150k Followers
The result of this HeyGen tutorial for founders isn't just a cool video; it's tangible business growth. By staying consistent with his AI-assisted workflow, Rowan reached 150,000 followers and millions of views. This distribution directly feeds his newsletter, which is the primary revenue driver for his media company. The lesson here is that short-form video is the top-of-funnel discovery engine that fuels high-intent platforms like newsletters and communities.
For those worried about the 'AI hate' or lack of authenticity, the key is to embrace the medium. In an era where everyone is competing for attention, the 'idea guy' (as Sam Altman calls it) wins by producing the most value in the shortest amount of time. Whether you use an AI avatar for video or source human creators through Stormy AI, the goal is the same: eliminate the friction between having a great idea and getting it in front of an audience.
Conclusion: How to Start Your AI Content Journey
Scaling your short-form content with AI doesn't require a Hollywood budget; it requires a systematic approach to leverage. Start by mastering the HeyGen and ElevenLabs stack. Focus on your 98% B-roll rule to ensure your videos remain engaging and professional. Remember that AI is a tool to amplify your existing expertise, not a replacement for it. If you are already writing a newsletter or posting on LinkedIn, you have the raw material needed to dominate video. By automating the production, you free yourself to focus on what truly matters: the strategy and the vision. Start small, run a 30-day experiment, and watch how AI-powered distribution changes the trajectory of your brand.