Mastering AI Video Marketing w/ Magnific CEO Joaquín Cuenca Abela | AI Basics

April 30, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In this episode of This Week in Startups, Jason Calacanis speaks with Joaquín Cuenca Abela, co-founder and CEO of Magnific (formerly Freepik), a creative platform with five billion all-time downloads and over 150 million monthly users. The conversation focuses on how modern marketing departments can use AI not just to do old things cheaper and faster, but to do entirely new things—what Cuenca Abela calls "the void" that opens up when production costs collapse. The episode centers on a live demo where Cuenca Abela shows how a single non-creative person can produce a cinematic, post-apocalyptic ad for the show in 24 hours, and then explores the psychology of creativity, the changing economics of video production, and the conditions under which these tools actually work for founders.

The Demo: One Person, One Day, One Ad

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What you'll learn

1 (00:03) **Episode Introduction & Sponsor** - Jason introduces the AI Basics series, explains the accelerating pace of AI change, and thanks Google Cloud for sponsoring.
2 (01:53) **Guest Introduction: Joaquín Cuenca Abela** - Jason introduces the CEO of Magnific (formerly Free Pick), a company with 5 billion all-time downloads and 150 million monthly users.
3 (03:07) **Live Demo: Creating a Post-Apocalyptic Ad** - Joaquín shares his screen to demonstrate what a single non-creative person can build in 24 hours using Magnific.
4 (04:49) **How the Storyboard Works** - Joaquín explains how users move from text prompts to connected scenes.
5 (06:30) **The Finished Demo Clip** - Joaquín plays the 90-second dystopian ad he created.
6 (08:37) **Cost Comparison: AI vs. Traditional Production** - Jason estimates this quality of video would have cost $50k-$100k to produce traditionally; Joaquín reveals the AI platform cost is negligible.
7 (10:50) **The Technology Stack** - Joaquín explains that Magnific uses a mix of proprietary and third-party models.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Jason Calacanis

Show Notes

The TWiST AI Basics series is made possible by Google Cloud!Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca AbelaVisit: goo.gle/futureofgenmedia to check it out!Today’s show:In today’s edition of TWiST AI Basics, J-Cal is joined by Joaquin Cuenca Abela, co-founder and CEO of Magnific (formerly known as Freepik). We’re discussing how generative AI is transforming the creative landscape for startups.In watching today’s show you’ll have-consider your expectations of what AI video can actually do for you and your business. What used to take a high end production team months and tens of thousands of dollars now takes 24 hours and one person with patience to learn the right tools. This conversation explores how founders can use these tools to scale their creative output better, cheaper, and faster.Timestamps:0:00 Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud's new report, "Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups," Featuring thoughts from today's guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at https://goo.gle/futureofgenmedia1:10 Welcome to AI Basics, presented by Google Cloud!2:11 Meet Joaquín Cuenca Abela, CEO of Magnific (formerly Freepik)3:12 Building a post-apocalyptic SF ad for TWiST in 24 hours4:25 Storyboarding characters, blending images, and text-prompting scenes6:39 The finished product: post-apocalyptic Jason!7:56 How much cheaper is this than traditional advertising?9:34 The tech stack: Magnific's upscaler and 3rd party frontier models11:02 Which Hollywood productions are actually using AI?13:14 Hollywood's 180 from "F these tools" to enthusiastic adoption14:38 One director's 600-person AI-enabled production15:23 Why Magnific built in Málaga, Spain and how they recruit AI talent16:40 Can AI ever match human creative vision?18:43 The future: 100 versions of the same ad, hyper-localized by city21:35 Where to find Magnific + Google Cloud's Future of AI reportConnect with Joaquín and Magnific!Magnific (formerly Freepik) — Joaquín's AI creative platform, 150M+ MAU, $230M ARR → https://magnific.comJoaquín Cuenca Abela on X → https://x.com/cuencaJoaquín Cuenca Abela on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaquin-cuenca-abela-905717a/Magnific on X → https://x.com/magnificPanoramio — Joaquín's prior startup, acquired by Google in 2007 → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PanoramioFortune feature on Magnific's $230M ARR rebrand (April 2026) → https://fortune.com/2026/04/28/freepik-magnific-joaquin-cuenca-abela-230-million-arr-video-generation-ai-pivot/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you