Ratava is an AI media agency that blends traditional filmmaking with AI avatars and generative tools to create videos for B2B communications, marketing, sales, and internal messaging. Led by creative directors Maximus Jenkins and Kaleb Manske, Ratava works with clients across marketing agencies, brokerages, and franchises who all need dynamic, high-volume video content without the heavy burden of traditional production.
Before integrating HeyGen, Ratava faced recurring bottlenecks. Every client shoot, especially with executives, required precise scheduling, multiple takes and extensive coordination. “We’d do a shoot with a CEO and need to get everything perfect that day,” Maximus said. If something wasn’t captured correctly, there was no easy way to go back. Executives were often pressed for time, uneasy on camera or unavailable for reshoots, which meant one missed opportunity could stall an entire project.
The production process itself compounded the strain. Limited shoot days created tight deadlines, while nervous or camera-shy talent slowed momentum. Post-production dragged projects out even longer, making it difficult to deliver fresh content quickly. “One of the biggest challenges was just getting someone in front of the camera,” Maximus explained. For clients who needed constant, personalised video output, these limitations made scaling nearly impossible.
Building a reusable library of avatars for scalable creation
HeyGen changed everything for Ratava. By capturing executives once and building a library of avatars, Ratava could generate new content on demand without needing another shoot, whether it was days, months, or even years later. “Now, we can create a library of 15 to 30 avatars and generate new content whenever they need it,” Maximus shared. What had once been locked into the constraints of live filming became an open-ended, flexible system for continuous video production.
The creative scope expanded dramatically. Video pitches evolved from static decks into dynamic presentations featuring executive avatars. Event marketing was reimagined with personalised hype videos before conferences, live avatar-based speaker intros during events, and recap videos afterwards that blended avatar footage with real-time captures. Instead of one-off productions, Ratava could now deliver ongoing campaigns at scale.
For Maximus, the impact was personal as well as professional. Having started in traditional filmmaking, he saw AI as a democratising force: “AI lets me do things I never could before, whether it was too expensive, too time-consuming, or technically complex. Now, I can produce videos with skydiving effects and global language variations without millions of dollars or a full crew.”
“HeyGen lets us give our clients, many of whom are uncomfortable on camera, a voice. That’s the heart of storytelling, and now anyone can do it,” Kaleb said. He also highlighted how simple the platform was to use: “As a video editor, there was no learning curve. But even someone new to video could jump in and start creating. You just type in your script and you’re off.”
Proving the power of AI with personal and professional wins
Since adopting HeyGen, Ratava has scaled content production across every major use case, saving time and opening up new creative opportunities.
- Speed at scale: Cut turnaround on interview-style videos from weeks to just one day. “We finish and say, ‘I made this today.’ That’s never happened before,” Kaleb said.
- Global reach: Leveraged language localisation to expand into Spanish- and French-speaking markets without native fluency. “I can pitch to Arabic or French speakers without knowing the language,” Maximus added.
- Personalisation in depth: Video open rates on outreach campaigns jumped from 10% to 30–40% with personalised avatar messaging.
The magic moment for Maximus came when he saw HeyGen’s lip-syncing quality in action. “I uploaded my voice and watched my avatar speak with my client’s face, and it looked perfect.” For Kaleb, it was sending a “good morning” video to his mum. “She replied, ‘I love you too,’ and had no idea it was AI. That’s when I knew how real this was.”
HeyGen has since become foundational to Ratava’s business model. They integrated it into their CRM, enabling automated, localised video outreach. “98% of our videos now include HeyGen avatars in some way,” said Maximus. “It’s become part of our toolkit, like actors we can deploy anytime.”
As Ratava continues to scale, HeyGen remains central to their vision: empowering clients to tell better stories, faster, and at a fraction of the traditional cost. “We’ve built our business on HeyGen,” Maximus noted. “The results speak for themselves.”
