Why Fiverr Took AI Roster Launch to the Heart of Tinseltown | LBBOnline

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Behind the Work in association withThe Monthly Cut
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Why Fiverr Took AI Roster Launch to the Heart of Tinseltown
21/04/2026
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21/04/2026
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AI director Billy Boman and Fiverr head of creative Nir Refuah tell LBB’s Laura Swinton Gupta about creating real world impact with a new sign in the Hollywood Hills

When director Billy Boman first heard Fiverr’s idea for the new campaign launch, he thought it was a joke. The plan was to create his name using 30-foot tall letters, a provocative companion to the iconic sign in the Hollywood hills. Fiverr wanted to take its new roster of hand-picked AI directors to the heart of the film industry, and Billy was to be the poster boy

This sign was to be placed on a Los Angeles hillside, by the Cahuenga Pass, overlooking Highway 101. It’s an unavoidable location for many of Tinseltown’s movie execs and creatives as they made their way to Studio City on their morning commute

The creative team at Fiverr, led by Nir Refuah, wanted to bring old Hollywood and the future of filmmaking together in one striking image. “The team and I thought of how to create this image of the two signs, the iconic Hollywood sign along with the sign of change, of new ways of filmmaking, of a new layer of talent that is joining the city,” said Nir. “[We wanted to ] have them together, not opposing one another… showing how people like Billy are now part of traditional filmmaking and part of this industry.”

While this was an exercise in promoting AI talent, the only way to ensure that this had an impact was to make it real

Impact it had. When the campaign launched in March, it certainly got people talking, says Billy. There was a real mix between people claiming “best ad spend ever” and others who were upset or derided him for being an unknown

“I’m not a big influencer, I’m not a social media celebrity in any way. I have a small but loyal following on LinkedIn and I’m building this rocket ship as we’re flying it,” he chuckles. “It’s been mostly really good. Of course, a mixed bag, and it sparked conversations and dialogue that I think are necessary and something I think is productive even though there is still resistance in the older industries.”

There has, of course, been a great deal of debate in the movie industry and the ad business about the quality or otherwise of AI filmmaking. That’s why when it came to AI filmmaking talent, Fiverr were keen to add a layer of curation. Hence the launch of a hand-picked roster of talent

As Nir Refuah explains, “We started with the thought that AI video isn’t ‘good enough’. We see slop everywhere. Even on our TV. We know that the engines are amazing and the possibilities are tremendous and it’s really impressive, but the outputs generated by AI video are not good enough for real cinema.”

In response they decided to scour the globe for a collection of AI talent who they believe can elevate AI video. In the process they found what Nir calls ‘the 0.1%’. It’s a collection of directors, VFX and post specialists and creative directors who have turned their experienced hands to AI craft

Billy is a Stockholm-based digital artist and creative director whose roots in adland go deep. His parents (now in their 80s and 70s) ran a boutique agency and have seen the transition from old ways of working, like gluing layouts and couriering work to clients for approval. Billy reflects that older people in their 60s and above have seen so many cycles of disruption that they tend to take a longer view. Painters may have resisted the advent of photography, but these days painting and photography co-exist.

“The story of cinema is also the story of technology,” says Billy

It’s not just the technology that’s changing, but business models for talent. The Fiverr model puts artists in direct contact with clients, which is liberating – though Billy doesn’t think it’s the end of the road for the production company model quite yet

“As with anything, it’s probably both,” he says. “What I like about the Fiverr thing is that they are doing what they call ‘Vetted Pro’, meaning anyone who makes it into the AI roster is actually scrutinised by Fiverr, that the quality is meeting a certain level of expectation, which I think is super good. Clients tell us all the time, “we worked with this AI guy we found on Instagram, his work was really cool but then he couldn’t execute on the brief”. Everything just looked the same, he could only do one style. So I think as good as Instagram and stuff can be, there’s a place for something more curated.

“In terms of the old exclusive model, where you’re represented by one person exclusively worldwide, that’s gone. The world is too global, there’s too much opportunity floating around, it’s much more like a creator-led model. I think if something is gone, it’s that old exclusive model for directors.”

According to Nir, the criteria for pulling the Fiverr roster together was pretty straightforward. One, they have to be genuinely good filmmakers. Two, they should have commercial experience –  Too Short for Modeling has a Dollar Shave Club campaign under their belt; and Alon Seifert was a group creative director at McCann New York. And three, they want to source exciting up-and-comers, the big stars of tomorrow.

“One of the good things is the democratisation that AI gives,” says Nir. “Everyone has the tools now. It’s not really levelling the playing field, but it is doing a lot of work towards it. That gives talent from all over the world opportunity to shine, this was also important for us. Opening up the market to many kinds of talents.”

Now that the platform has been launched, the team are preparing for the next phase of their campaign, which will see them focus on promoting more of the individuals on the roster

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