Today, we're speaking with Joe Apfelbaum, CEO and founder of Ajax Union, a B2B digital marketing agency based in Brooklyn, NY.

Joe is a dynamic business strategist, LinkedIn trainer, and AI expert and developer. He frequently shares his insights on digital marketing, professional networking, and personal development through seminars, webinars, and articles. Joe is also an accomplished author of several books, including High Energy Secrets, High Energy Networking, and his latest High Energy Marketing.

In our conversation, Joe dives deep into the world of AI and its transformative potential for entrepreneurs. He also discusses a platform he developed called evyAI which turbo-charges LinkedIn engagement by automating everything from generating posts, comments, and responses that sounds just like you to optimizing profiles, generating strategic comments, and creating high-quality LinkedIn content with just a few clicks. Joe also touches on the importance of integrating AI into personal development, using tools to create custom strategies for both personal and professional growth. He emphasizes how AI can help identify patterns, suggest improvements, and create personalized plans for success. There’s a TON of information in this episode and it flies very fast so prepare to take notes and please welcome Joe Apfelbaum.

SHOW NOTES

AI APPS/ TOOLS

• evyAI.com - An AI assistant for LinkedIn developed by Joe, designed to help with posts, comments, direct messages, and profile optimization.
• Synthesia - Used for avatar creation.
• Suno.com - A tool for creating music with personalized affirmations.
• MidJourney - A platform for image creation.
• 11 Labs and Synthesia - For voice cloning and virtual avatars.
• Haygen - Another tool for creating human avatars.
• D-ID - Specializes in real-time talking images for websites.
• Google Bard (now Gemini), Google Cloud, Meta AI, Perplexity, and ChatGPT - Different AI technologies Joe mentions for integration with his app.
• Copilot - Related to the Microsoft ecosystem, useful for Microsoft-related tasks.
• Zapier and Make.com - Automation tools.
• Opus Clip and Cap Cut - Video content creation and editing tools.
• Pi.ai - An AI tool noted for its conversational abilities, similar to a therapy session.
• SubMagic - Another tool for video editing highlighted for performance.
• Veed.io - Mentioned in the context of emerging video editing tools.
• InVideo - Mentioned for video creation and editing.
• Grok - Praised for its speed in processing and real-time interactions.

COURSES/ BOOKS

• High Energy Networking - A book by Joe on networking strategies.
• Evergreen Business Development Circle (evyrgreen.com) - Offers courses and resources focused on AI-driven business development.
• AI Business Development Circle - Joe's initiative for teaching AI applications in business. Can also be found at evyrgreen.com

Follow Joe here:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joeapfelbaum
• Website: www.joeapfelbaum.com
• X:

Today we're speaking with Caleb Ward, the mind behind Curious Refuge, a company that stands at the forefront of integrating AI into creative filmmaking, marketing and education. Caleb has spent over a decade in filmmaking across editing, production, animation, and visual effects pipelines. His journey took a significant turn with the advent of generative AI, leading him to explore its capabilities in storytelling, which culminated in the viral success of multiple videos you may have seen including: Barbenheimer, Star Wars by Wes Anderson, Lord of the Rings by Wes Anderson, and Avatar by Wes Anderson among many more.

Caleb pivoted his learnings and passion for democratizing AI filmmaking into the founding of Curious Refuge, an online academy of courses designed to teach advanced AI filmmaking techniques with courses from people like Caleb himself and Dave Clark who’s appeared multiple times on the show.

With students in over 109 countries, Curious Refuge has become a beacon for those looking for in-depth and cutting edge knowledge of AI in filmmaking and advertising. In addition to its courses, of which I’m a student, one of the other amazing things about Curious Refuge is its global community.

There’s a real spirit of sharing within Curious Refuge and this community is dedicated to creating a collective repository of knowledge, with members sharing discoveries and innovations in AI in real time. Members are not keeping their discoveries secret but instead freely sharing them within the community so everyone can learn together in real time which is very rare and very extraordinary.

In this episode, Caleb discusses the importance of community in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI tools as well as the potential of AI to democratize creativity. We also get into the origin story of Curious Refuge and some of Caleb’s favorite AI lifehacks. All this and so much more on today’s episode of Brand Bots.

SHOW NOTES

Educational and Online Platforms

• DALL-E
• ChatGPT
• Midjourney V5
• Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects
• DaVinci Resolve
• Adobe Firefly
• Runway AI

Courses and Learning Materials

• AI Advertising course with Dave Clark - A course offered at Curious Refuge.

Business and Administrative Tools

• Gusto
• Notion

Follow Caleb Ward at:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/caleb-ward-43543b2b
• Websites: curiousrefuge.com , calebwardportfolio.com
• X: twitter.com/calebwward
• Instagram: instagram.com/calebwward/

Learn AI Filmmaking and AI Advertising at Curious Refuge: https://account.curiousrefuge.com/a/aff_s6vd1tn0/external?affcode=461245_y4w7j-xi

Dave Clark is a filmmaker and creative force who's directed commercials for major brands along with multiple narrative films, including his 2019 feature, 'After She Wakes.'

Dave recently released a must-watch short film called ‘Another’ which is not only terrifying and beautifully made, but a great example of blending AI with live action filmmaking.

This film exemplifies Dave's significant contribution to the AI filmmaking landscape, showcasing how AI should not replace humans or any facets of the filmmaking process. Instead, it can serve as an incredible creative tool, adding unique and exciting dimensions to the work. Dave has been a pioneer in the AI filmmaking conversation, demonstrating what accessible AI tools like Midjourney, Magnific, and Runway are capable of when combined with a skilled and discerning eye for cinema. His understanding of cinema and filmmaking has seriously enabled him to get really incredible results.

Dave champions a future where AI is just another tool in the toolbelt and not a replacement for anyone. Dave was also recently brought in by SAG to deliver a presentation on AI and filmmaking to over 1,000 Screen Actors Guild Members.

In this episode Dave get into the practical applications of AI in pre-visualization and post-production, and its ability to bring high-quality VFX within the reach of filmmakers. He stresses the importance of balancing AI tools with traditional filmmaking techniques, ensuring the human touch remains central in storytelling and cinematic aesthetics.

Dave also shares his process for creating ‘Another’ his short film that integrates AI with live action and together we explore how AI can act as a creative partner, offering fresh insights and accelerating the writing and development phase without overriding the unique voice of the writer.

Overall Dave provides valuable insights into how filmmakers can navigate this new landscape, using AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, their creative processes.

SHOW NOTES

Dave's AI Projects:

• Another (Dave's short that integrates AI into live action) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyeZn4Xks8E
• Dave's AI Adidas Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzWOyzM3RSs
• Dave's AI Nike Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c3yiODsOJw
• Dave's AI Tesla Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n56q3TpNVEs
• Dismal Swamp - Dave’s AI Movie Pitch: https://daveclarkcreative.com/the-dismal-swamp

Follow Dave here:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidarthurclark/
• Instagram: https://t.co/aVtAQYmjnG
• X: https://twitter.com/diesol
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Afraid2Sleep

Dave's Personal website: https://daveclarkcreative.com/

Other Projects