Kouji Ishiyama knows what it takes to produce videos consistently.

Through Gold Coin on YouTube, Kouji has built an audience of over 1.2 million subscribers and published more than 2,000 videos. His business focuses on selling antique and gold coins online, serving an audience primarily comprising collectors aged between 40 and 70, including doctors, business owners and executives.

Video has become an important means for Kouji to inform that audience, promote his business and share his expertise.

But after creating thousands of videos, one part of the process had become increasingly inconvenient: filming himself each time.

​‘The main reason I became interested in HeyGen was that filming videos every day had become time-consuming,’ Kouji said. ‘I wanted a way to create videos without having to record myself each time.’

HeyGen gave him a digital version of himself, removing the need to film each video.

Using a digital version of himself instead of a camera

Before HeyGen, every new video required a traditional filming process.

Kouji would write a script, set up his camera, film himself delivering it, transfer the footage, and send everything to a professional editor.

Being on camera itself wasn't the problem. It was everything involved in capturing the footage.

'It was difficult to read or refer to a script naturally without making it obvious, and connecting the camera and transferring the data also took extra time and effort,' Kouji said.

With HeyGen, that process is far more straightforward.

​Now Kouji writes his script, generates the video using his avatar and voice, and sends the result to his editor for final production. He still gets the professionally edited videos he wants without having to set up a camera and record himself first.

The quality of HeyGen's avatars was a key factor in his decision to choose the platform.

‘The quality of the avatars was very good,’ Kouji said. ‘I also found the website straightforward to understand, and I was able to create my avatar quickly without much difficulty.’

His initial response to seeing his digital likeness was equally positive.

'It looked natural, and I did not feel much discomfort or awkwardness seeing an avatar version of myself.'

Saving up to 30 minutes on each video

Removing filming from the workflow saves Kouji approximately 20 to 30 minutes each time he creates a video.

He no longer has to set up his camera, prepare for filming, deliver the script on camera, connect his equipment or transfer the footage before editing can begin.

‘Not having to film yourself is extremely convenient,’ Kouji said.

For him, the main benefit is reclaiming the time and effort previously spent filming.

And for someone who has already created more than 2,000 YouTube videos, saving 20 to 30 minutes of repetitive work on each new video can soon add up.

Today, Kouji publishes around three videos a week. That is deliberately fewer than he used to publish. Having built such a large library, he chose to reduce his schedule rather than let production demands dictate it.

Making multilingual video simpler

HeyGen has also made it considerably easier for Kouji to create videos in other languages.

Rather than filming himself again for every language, he can use AI to tailor his video content to audiences who speak languages other than his own.

‘HeyGen made it much easier for me to create videos in foreign languages,’ Kouji said.

Gold Coin’s YouTube channel has grown to more than 1.2 million subscribers. Kouji believes that being able to create multilingual content more easily has played an important part.

‘I believe this was an important factor in helping my YouTube channel grow to more than 1 million subscribers,’ he said.

HeyGen gives him greater flexibility over what he can create and the audiences he can reach.

Concentrating on the information rather than the camera

Despite using an AI avatar of himself, Kouji says the audience's reaction hasn't been an issue.

‘From the outset, very few people seemed to notice that the videos had been created using an avatar,’ he said.

More importantly, he does not think viewers are particularly concerned about whether an avatar is involved.

‘What matters far more is the quality and value of the information in the video,’ Kouji said.

That’s also why he recommends the technology to others who regularly create videos.

‘If someone regularly produces video content, I would recommend trying it straightaway,’ Kouji said.

After producing more than 2,000 YouTube videos, Kouji already had the expertise, audience and content strategy in place. HeyGen did not need to replace any of them; it simply removed one of the most repetitive parts of his workflow.

Now he can write a script, turn it into a video using his avatar and voice, and send it straight to post-production without stepping in front of a camera.

As Kouji puts it, HeyGen feels like ‘having a reliable virtual version of yourself that can help you create content whenever you need it’.