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Kenny Hesse

Basic Info​

  • Location: Los Angeles, California (flies back from LAX)
  • Role: Content Producer/Host at Really American Media
  • Met: Introduced through Justin Horwitz on a business operations call
  • Connection: Works closely with Justin Horwitz in Really American Media network

Professional Background​

  • Content producer and video host for Really American Media
  • Creates political commentary videos focused on progressive messaging
  • Responsible for story selection, scripting, thumbnail creation, and video production
  • Works with YouTube's algorithm and vidIQ plugin for content optimization
  • Manages A/B testing for titles and thumbnails
  • Handles video uploads and publishing process

Content Creation Process & Skills​

Story Selection Expertise​

  • Specializes in finding stories that are underreported or can be approached from unique angles
  • Focuses on "fucking around and finding out" type stories (MAGA accountability)
  • Looks for stories showing humiliation in Trump administration
  • Sources content from X (Twitter), Raw Story, Daily Beast, Instagram
  • Emphasis on time-sensitive content that can capitalize on trending topics

Production Workflow​

  • Can identify 3-5 good story angles even when only able to produce 1 video
  • Uses vidIQ plugin for title optimization based on YouTube search algorithm
  • Currently takes 20-45 minutes from download to upload (30-45 typical)
  • Works with editor Tony who handles thumbnail creation in Photoshop
  • Manages Slack channels for story identification and team coordination

Interaction History​

AI Operations Meeting (2025-12-01)​

  • First meeting with Gary Sheng, facilitated by Justin Horwitz
  • Discussed pain points in content creation process
  • Identified key areas for AI automation:
    • Story selection from various sources
    • Script outlining and bullet points for teleprompter
    • Title optimization using YouTube algorithm
    • Thumbnail generation to reduce 30-45 minute process
  • Explained current manual processes and inefficiencies
  • Agreed to provide Gary with:
    • List of Twitter accounts they follow for stories
    • Thumbnail breakdown guide
    • Analysis of top performing videos from competitors (Midas Touch, Keith Edwards)
    • Top performing content examples with outlier scores

Operational Insights & Challenges​

  • Time Sensitivity: Speed matters significantly - need to capitalize on breaking stories
  • Thumbnail Bottleneck: Current process involves downloading photos, Photoshop editing, group chat discussions
  • Data Underutilization: Collecting A/B test data but rarely analyzing it for insights
  • Story Curation: Current story aggregator provides links but lacks the editorial "knack" for selection
  • Manual Inefficiencies: Multiple slack channels, manual downloads, context-finding taking significant time

Communication Style & Approach​

  • Direct and practical communicator
  • Detail-oriented about production processes
  • Open to automation and efficiency improvements
  • Collaborative approach to problem-solving
  • Willing to provide detailed documentation and examples

Strategic Value & Collaboration Areas​

  • Process Documentation: Can provide detailed breakdown of current workflows for automation
  • Content Expertise: Deep understanding of what makes political content perform on YouTube
  • Testing Ground: Ideal user for AI tools given hands-on production role
  • Feedback Loop: Can provide real-time feedback on tool effectiveness

Notes & Observations​

  • Experienced the post-Thanksgiving travel chaos (1-hour wait for Uber at LAX)
  • Uses gaming headset for calls (practical, no-nonsense approach)
  • Frustrated by current inefficiencies but optimistic about AI solutions
  • Values speed and efficiency in content production
  • Understands the importance of data but lacks tools to analyze it effectively

Potential Collaboration Areas​

  • Beta Testing: First user of Gary's AI tools for Really American Media
  • Process Refinement: Help identify which manual processes to prioritize for automation
  • Data Analysis: Provide historical performance data for training AI models
  • Feedback Provider: Give practical feedback on tool usability and effectiveness

Key Quotes​

  • "I spend a lot of time figuring out what story I'm going to cover"
  • "Time sensitivity being a factor... if something's popping off currently... that has a lot more upside potential"
  • "From downloading a finished video to uploading it and publishing it... the quickest I can get it done is 20 minutes"
  • "We're just accruing data that no one's using"
  • "We've never really gone through and like here are our top performing videos of all time, here are what they all have in common"

Transcripts​

Transcript IDDateSummary
2025-12-01-gary-justin-kenny-ai-operations2025-12-01AI automation strategy meeting with Gary and Justin for Really American Media operations