ClickUp isn’t just a software company; they are a content powerhouse. With an in-house team of full-time actors and videographers, they’ve built a massive following on “human-driven” corporate humor. When they approached me to explore AI video, the stakes were high: we had to go viral without hitting the “Uncanny Valley” or diluting the high-quality brand identity they had spent years building.
The brief was simple: Make it viral, make it funny, and make AI work for a brand that lives on human connection.
To protect the brand, I had to be honest about the technology’s limits. Instead of forcing AI to do “human talking heads”—which can often feel “uncanny” and robotic, I pivoted the focus to a universal human constant: The To-Do List.
We decided to look back at 1.5 million years of human productivity. We could use AI to achieve a massive historical scale that would be impossible (and budget-prohibitive) for a traditional film crew.
In an environment where users are ruthless with their time, I chose a historical listicle .
The response was immediate and record-breaking for the ClickUp team.
The doctor will see you now
