Who is PJ Accetturo? All about the viral AI generated Kalshi ad filmmaker

One of the fastest rising stars in AI-driven filmmaking is PJ Accetturo, thanks to a viral Kalshi ad he made using Google’s Veo 3. The parody style spot, with moments including an alien chugging beer and a farmer hanging out in a pool of eggs, went viral in the wake of its release, racking up more than 18 million impressions in just 48 hours (Business Insider).

Accetturo had established a successful career in both the commercial and entertainment industries before entering the AI scene.

According to his LinkedIn bio, he has previously worked with large brands worldwide, including Red Bull, Toyota, the Atlanta Braves, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading campaigns that focused on audience participation and unique storytelling. In 2019, he even took a YouTube channel from zero to a million subscribers in just six months.

He has completed his studies in Cinematography and Film/Video Production from the St. Petersburg College and has also volunteered with The Underground Network, where he created video content for the company.

He eventually transitioned to long-form storytelling and managed to raise a substantial amount of funding for his own animated series, Ghosts of Ruin.

According to his LinkedIn profile, on this project he served as the writer and executive producer and joined a team that consisted of an Oscar-nominated director, an Emmy-winning showrunner, Hans Zimmer’s music team, and a lineup of celebrity voice cast.

PJ Accetturo’s leap into AI filmmaking was an experiment. When Google debuted Veo 3, a product that turns text prompts into cinematic videos, he supposedly saw the chance to be one of the first to break new ground.

The first AI experiment he ever did was “Puppramin,” a spoof pharmaceutical ad in which animated puppies are said to be the cure for depression. The eccentric clip, which he recalls was made in one night, caught the eye of Kalshi, who instantly hired him for their NBA Finals campaign.

PJ Accetturo's newfound success after the Kalshi ad and his thoughts on AI-generated content

When the Kalshi ad took off, PJ Accetturo supposedly got almost 400 applications from creatives who wanted to join his AI studio, a business he had started only months before.

Now he's working with five-figure budgets, while keeping the production costs at about $2,000, a departure from traditional commercials that need dozens of crew members and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"It's just kind of been this explosion, pipe bomb in my hand," Accetturo told Business Insider.

In his projects, PJ Accetturo supposedly uses software such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Gemini, as well as Veo 3. These platforms help with everything from writing jokes and scripts to creating shots and character details.

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Accetturo is also outspoken about how this technology could influence the filmmaking business. He believes that in the near future, many traditional jobs such as lighting crews, sound mixers, and even some acting roles could be made redundant with this new production model.

He is now the CEO of a stealth AI startup that is on a mission to rehaul media production and is motivated to shorten production timelines. But PJ Accetturo also recognizes that creative judgment and human taste still matter, at least for the time being.

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