Kouji Ishiyama knows what it takes to create 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 the online sale of antique and gold coins, catering primarily to collectors aged between 40 and 70, including doctors, business owners, and senior executives.

Video has become an important medium for Kouji to educate this audience, promote his business and share his expertise.

However, 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 very 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, eliminating the need to film each video.

Replacing the camera with a digital version of himself

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

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. The problem 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 required additional time and effort," Kouji said.

With HeyGen, that process is far simpler.

​Now Kouji writes his script, generates the video using his avatar and voice, and sends it 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 high quality of HeyGen's avatars was one of the key reasons he selected the platform.

“The quality of the avatars was excellent,” Kouji said. “I also found the website easy to understand, and I was able to create my avatar quickly without much difficulty.”

His initial reaction on seeing his digital version 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

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

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

“Not having to film yourself is incredibly convenient,” Kouji said.

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

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

Today, Kouji publishes about three videos a week. This is intentionally fewer than he used to publish. After building such an extensive library, he chose to reduce his publishing frequency rather than be constrained by production demands.

Simplifying multilingual video creation

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

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

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

Gold Coin’s YouTube channel has grown to over 1.2 million subscribers. Kouji believes that the ability to create multilingual content more easily has played an important role in this growth.

"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 in what he can create and the audiences he can reach.

Focusing on the information rather than the camera

Despite using an AI avatar of himself, Kouji says the audience's response has not been an issue.

“Right from the beginning, 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 presented in the video,” Kouji said.

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

“If someone regularly produces video content, I would recommend trying it straight away,” Kouji said.

After more than 2,000 YouTube videos, Kouji already had the expertise, audience, and content strategy. HeyGen didn't need to replace those things. It simply removed one of the most repetitive parts of his workflow.

Now he can write a script, turn it into a video with his avatar and voice, and send it directly into 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."