Televisionation: Swedlow Show – Duane Varan on AI’s Advertising Opportunity

November 23, 2025

Dr. Duane Varan, CEO of Mediascience, discussed the evolution of his company, which started in 2008 and developed the AI-driven video-creation platform MediaPET.ai. MediaPET, Duane says, has already produced AI-generated ads that outperformed real ones—including a recreated Coca-Cola spot made in under two hours. The platform, priced at $25–$200 per month, offers tools for scriptwriting, animation, and editing, and has integrated with more than 15 models. Duane emphasized MediaPET’s potential to democratize storytelling and make high-quality video creation accessible to small businesses and local brands.

And of course, Duane isn’t just a tech innovator—he’s one of the most influential advertising academics of the last two decades. His work on attention, biometrics, and ad effectiveness helped set the industry’s standards long before AI arrived, which makes his take on this moment especially sharp.

We had a great time talking about the impact of AI and much more!