We’ve always wanted to do it.

To create work that’s cohesive across every channel — from print to film to social — without having to brute-force it into consistency later.

To bring local teams into the creative process at the beginning, when it still matters, rather than tagging them in just before the deadline and asking them to “transcreate.”

To finally bring localisation into the heart of production — not bolted on at the end, but baked in from the beginning, so every market’s version can take shape as the content takes shape.

To design with adaptation in mind — not as an afterthought, but as a core principle.

But the truth is, until recently, the tools didn’t exist. Or they existed, but not at scale. And so, we got good at compromise. We got clever at fixing things late. We built processes around silos, because silos were safe.

Then came GenAI. And suddenly, the thing we’ve always wanted — that orchestration of content across markets, mediums, and moments — doesn’t seem impossible anymore. 

It may not be perfect yet, but it shows signs of possibility.

The instinct, of course, is to use the tech to speed up what we already do. Swap a synthetic voice in for a voice actor. Use AI to generate subtitles. Get three versions of a script instead of one.

It’s tempting. It’s useful. But it misses the point.

Because the real value of GenAI isn’t that it makes the existing machine faster. It’s that it lets us build a new machine entirely.

The Shift: From Tasks to Thinking

We don’t just need a more efficient workflow. We need a new kind of workflow — one that reflects how people consume content now.

Fragmented. Fast. Fluent across channels.
Personal, not just localized.
Relevant, not just repurposed.

In this new model, production isn’t linear — it’s layered.

Planning becomes platform-aware. Scripts are seeded with multilingual intent. Slogans written for print evolve into voiceovers. A shot designed for the hero film becomes a still for a product page, a loop for TikTok, or a background for a display ad.

The assets don’t just work harder — they work together.

AI doesn’t replace creativity here — it scaffolds it. It gives global teams a starting point, not a finish line. It lets us think modularly, culturally, and strategically at the same time. If anything, it puts the human imagination more firmly at the centre — because now we’re not just solving problems. We’re designing systems.

Start Where It Matters

So, I’ve started mapping out a living workflow — not a fixed blueprint, but a prototype. A draft for what global content production could look like when AI becomes a true creative partner.

It starts with integrated planning, where format, market, and message are aligned from the outset. Not just what to say, but where, how, and for whom. Not just one campaign, but all its potential versions. Not just global, but global-ready.

This framework breaks down the production cycle into four evolving stages — Planning, Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production — with outcomes and roles clearly defined for each. It’s illustrative so it may not be perfect. But it’s adaptable. 

From there, pre-production becomes the foundation of adaptability. We use AI to generate multilingual script variants early, build asset libraries that are inherently cross-format, and design storyboards with different channels in mind. Every part of the creative process becomes an input into a wider system — a flywheel, not a funnel.

In production, we think in modules. A performance that works for the hero spot also works for the bumper. A product demo becomes a still image with a CTA. Synthetic voice tracks run alongside human ones — not to replace them, but to offer options. And AI tools help us localize visually in real time.

Then in post, we scale. Smartly. AI engines recompile edits by platform. Dubbing, subtitling, and cultural nuance are handled in hybrid — machine speed, human oversight. We don’t localise at the end. We finish at the end. And we feed what we’ve learned back into the machine for next time.

Because that’s the thing. The workflow itself isn’t static. It’s a work in progress — a living document. Because the tools are changing, the platforms are changing, and our ambitions should be changing too.

Build the Muscle, Not Just the Machine

If there’s one principle to hold onto, it’s agility.

No two projects will use the same tools in the same way. What works for a regional retail rollout won’t work for a global brand film. And that’s okay. The goal isn’t to lock in a perfect process. It’s to build a flexible one.

That means building cross-functional teams that speak the same language — creative, data, AI, strategy.
It means investing in brand-specific training data, so AI outputs aren’t generic but grounded.
It means testing new tools in low-risk environments — subtitling, B-roll, social variants — and then scaling what works.

And above all, it means thinking differently.
Not just faster.
Not just cheaper.
But better.

I’ve Never Felt So Excited About What Comes Next

I’ve said it to colleagues again and again: I’ve never felt so excited about the changes happening in global production.

We’re standing at the edge of a new kind of production — one that’s not just about making things, but about designing systems that make possibilities real.

If we get this right, GenAI won’t just help us do what we already do a little better.
It’ll help us finally do the things we’ve always dreamed of — the things we knew were right — but never had the tools to make happen.

And the best part?

We’ve only just begun.