#89 · How a nobody hit #1 on the Skool Games (not even close!)
I do use a teleprompter for my Instagram videos, which are short‑form news clips. I write a script, read it on camera, and then my editor handles about 99% of the post‑production. That workflow has helped us scale quickly. I don’t use a teleprompter for these daily Q&A videos, though, so the answer depends on the platform you’re creating for.
I record by reading from a teleprompter, which lets me hit exactly what's written and keeps information density high. I have multiple streams set up for newsletters and Instagram, which I funnel into a system that rewrites the content into scripts. I then record the scripts in front of the teleprompter, usually getting about two weeks of material into roughly 15 minutes of raw footage. An editor takes that footage, adds the on‑screen scrolling visuals you see, and we publish the final video—ideally once a day. My gear is fairly low‑budget: a Samsung Q2U microphone, a Sony A7C with a 35 mm lens, and a cheap XP‑Pen tablet (around $50). I don’t use any lights, just a window, so the lighting is a bit uneven, but it keeps costs down.
Yeah, we hit 100K followers in about 82‑83 days. I have an automation that scrapes a bunch of related pages and subscribes to many technical newsletters. Those newsletters post technical stuff first, which gives me early access. I go straight to the source, drink from the faucet of knowledge, then automatically generate script templates. Someone makes minor edits before giving me a teleprompter script—basically a Google sheet with all the scripts combined. I upload that to a teleprompter service so I can look at the camera while reading. I've used it a lot, so you can't tell my eyes are looking elsewhere when I film Instagram reels. Then I record the video in one shot—about 15 reels in 15 minutes. I give them to my editor, who has a template and does great work. The videos themselves aren't automated, but everything else is as automated as possible while retaining high quality.
I don't edit all of my videos myself—my main channel has an editor (currently on pause but I'll bring them back soon). For this daily updates channel, I do no editing at all; I just click record, talk for about 20 minutes answering questions, strategizing, and sharing my day, then upload directly to YouTube. I set up my pipeline to minimize friction so I can produce more content; less friction means more output.
He works with a single editor. He spends about ten minutes a week recording a batch of shorts, then the editor assembles them. They gather AI news from multiple sources, filter out low-value content, and the editor writes scripts from the valuable material. He reviews and tweaks the scripts, puts them in a Google Doc, imports them into a teleprompter, and records lines like 'You don't need ChatGPT anymore. Wait for blank.' He gives the footage to his editor, who uses a simple top/bottom template to create the videos. They're bringing on additional team members to help the editor avoid bottlenecks. The editor then produces videos showing the tools in action, they spend a little money to sign up to the platforms, and publish on Instagram, aiming for one short per day.