Ratava is an AI media agency that combines traditional filmmaking with AI avatars and generative tools to create videos for B2B communication, marketing, sales, and internal messaging. Led by creative directors Maximus Jenkins and Kaleb Manske, Ratava partners with clients across marketing agencies, brokerages, and franchises who all require dynamic, high-volume video content without the heavy burden of traditional production.
Before integrating HeyGen, Ratava faced recurring bottlenecks. Every client shoot, especially with senior 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 straightforward way to go back. Executives were often pressed for time, uncomfortable on camera, or unavailable for reshoots, which meant a single missed opportunity could delay an entire project.
The production process itself added to the pressure. Limited shoot days created very tight deadlines, while nervous or camera-shy talent slowed the pace. Post-production stretched projects out even further, making it difficult to deliver fresh content quickly. “One of the biggest challenges was simply getting someone in front of the camera,” Maximus explained. For clients who needed constant, personalised video output, these constraints made scaling almost impossible.
Building a reusable library of avatars for scalable content creation
HeyGen transformed everything for Ratava. By recording the executives once and building a reusable 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 earlier been restricted by the limitations of live filming became an open-ended, flexible system for continuous video production.
The creative scope expanded significantly. 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 introductions 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 both personal and professional. Having started in traditional film-making, he saw AI as a democratising force: “AI lets me do things I could never do earlier, whether it was too expensive, too time-consuming, or technically complex. Now, I can produce videos with skydiving effects and global language variations without needing millions of dollars or a full crew.”
“HeyGen lets us give our clients, many of whom are uncomfortable on camera, a voice. That is 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 are off.”
Demonstrating the power of AI through personal and professional success
Since adopting HeyGen, Ratava has scaled content production across every major use case, while saving time and opening up new creative opportunities.
- Speed at scale: Reduced turnaround time for interview-style videos from weeks to just one day. “We finish and say, ‘I made this today.’ That has never happened before,” Kaleb said.
- Global reach: Used language localisation to expand into Spanish- and French-speaking markets without needing native fluency. “I can pitch to Arabic or French speakers without knowing the language,” Maximus added.
- Deep personalisation: Video open rates on outreach campaigns increased from 10% to 30–40% with personalised avatar messaging.
The defining 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 realised how real this was.”
HeyGen has since become a core part of 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 has become part of our toolkit, like actors we can deploy at any time.”
As Ratava continues to scale, HeyGen remains central to their vision: empowering clients to tell better stories, more quickly, and at a fraction of the traditional cost. “We’ve built our business on HeyGen,” Maximus noted. “The results speak for themselves.”
