Greg Isenberg

I sit down with Cova, a creator known for racking up millions of views on Instagram Reels through her signature AI-enhanced visual style. She has worked with brands like NVIDIA and Adobe, and for the first time ever, she walks us through her entire creative workflow. I watch her use Manus AI to reverse-engineer viral video styles, FreePik's Nanobanana Pro model to transform plain talking-head shots into cinematic scenes, and AI video generators like SeaDance to create impossible transition shots. She also reveals how she plans and scales her content pipeline using Obsidian paired with Claude Code. Cova’s Content Creation Stack: Video Editing: Premiere Pro, After Effects (for visual effects) Image Generation: Freepik (Nanabanana Pro her preferred model) Video Generation: Seedance (her current go-to), Kling (especially Kling 3) AI Research & Planning: Manus AI (for analyzing existing videos, creating style breakdowns, and building replication plans) Project Planning & Organization: Obsidian (for storing scripts, storyboard templates, style guides, and project files), Poke (for daily task management and scheduling) AI Coding / File Automation: Claude Code and Cursor (used alongside Obsidian to convert scripts into storyboards, restructure project folders, and execute on templates automatically) Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:59 – Using Manus AI to Analyze Creator Videos 09:41 – Video Breakdown and Replication Plan 20:57 – Using FreePik to Transform Static Shots 28:46 – Using Seedance for AI-Powered Transitions 33:44 – The Importance of Differentiation 34:31 – Full Tool Stack Rundown 35:44 – Obsidian & Claude Code for Content Planning & Scaling Systems 39:23 – Closing Thoughts Key Points - Manus AI can watch a creator's video, break down the style and story structure, and produce a full replication plan with aesthetic keywords, script transcription, and step-by-step filming guidance. - FreePik's Nanobanana Pro model lets creators transform bare or average-looking rooms into visually rich, cinematic sets by generating and masking in new background elements — all from a single still frame. - AI video generators like Seedance create short transition clips (three to four seconds) from a start frame and a prompt, enabling "impossible shots" that hook viewers in the first seconds. - When prompting video generation models, use positive terminology and describe what the camera is doing rather than what it is avoiding. Models respond better to affirmative descriptions. - Pairing Obsidian with Claude Code (or Cursor) lets creators automate repetitive planning tasks — turning scripts into storyboards, restructuring project folders, and enforcing personal style guides across every edit. - Creator differentiation increasingly depends on smart tool use; Cova credits AI-driven artistry as the factor that made her content stand out and grow. Numbered Section Summaries 1. Reverse-Engineering Viral Videos with Manus AI I watch Cova prompt Manus AI to