Rainer Ziehm has spent the last two decades at the intersection of entertainment, tech, and storytelling — launching studios, directing music videos, building toy worlds, making games, and basically saying “yes” to every weird creative rabbit hole you can imagine.

He’s directed and produced music videos tied to artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, J-Lo, Pearl Jam, Bob Marley, and he’s helped craft brand stories for giants like Coca-Cola, Nike, Disney, Sony, Honda, Absolut, McDonald’s, MTV, ESPN, and Oreo.

In this episode, we talk about what real creativity looks like in the age of AI: what “AI slop” actually is, how people are over-relying on tools, and where AI is genuinely powerful without replacing your voice.

Rainer breaks down how he thinks about craft, risk, career pivots, and staying curious when the whole internet is screaming “optimize.”

If you’re a creator, founder, or just someone wondering where all this is headed, this one’s going to hit you in the gut in the best way.

Hit follow on Spotify, drop a rating, and send this to the one creative friend who’s both obsessed with AI and secretly terrified of it.