From the story of Noah in the Quran and Bible to Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh , humanity has been telling the same dramatic story for thousands of years: the world ends… and a few survive. But here’s the twist: this isn’t just a Middle Eastern idea. In India, Manu is warned of a great flood and builds a boat to preserve life. In ancient Persia, Yima creates a protected sanctuary to survive a deadly winter. In China, Yu the Great doesn’t escape disaster; he solves it, controlling floods through sheer effort and innovation. Travel across the globe, and the pattern continues. Indigenous American stories speak of floods that reset the world, like the tale of Nanabozho recreating land with the help of animals. In Australia, the Rainbow Serpent shapes rivers and landscapes through powerful floods. So why do these stories exist everywhere? Some scholars point to real ancient disasters - massive floods, rising seas, or climate events that left a deep ...
Some of you might’ve already seen the recent video ad I made for Contentsyruplabs.com. If you did - nice! If not, don’t worry. Let me take you behind the scenes and walk you through how this little experiment came to life.
Like most good (and slightly chaotic) ideas, this one started with a sudden light-bulb moment. I thought, Why not make an actual ad/commercial for CSL? Once that idea landed, the real question kicked in: what’s the story?
Around the same time, I had built a tiny web app on my blog where you can tickle your friends and let them know they’ve been tickled. That app itself was inspired by Facebook’s old poke feature - which, if you’re from the early Facebook era, you know hits straight in the nostalgia. Old Facebook, old friends, endless poking… simpler times.
That nostalgia led me to the tickle idea. And honestly, tickling just felt more fun, and way more intimate, than poking. Plus, let’s be real, it also neatly avoids copyright headaches. Win-win.
I vibe-coded the tickle app using Gemini, published it, and asked a LinkedIn friend to write a quick promo post about it. The response was surprisingly good. Encouraged, I created a feature image using Nano Banana, prompting something along the lines of:
“Create a Pixar-like 3D image of two friends—one fat and chubby, the other lean—where the lean guy is tickling the chubby one.”
The result? Honestly… chef’s kiss
That image later became the visual reference for the ad.
When it comes to ads and commercials, I’ve always been inspired by Apple ads - short, punchy, minimal, but emotionally effective. They don’t waste time, yet they tell a story. So I decided to keep the CSL ad short, playful, and message-driven.
And yes… I also decided to poke Facebook a little.
Here’s the story I landed on:
Two friends are sitting in their own rooms. The chubby guy is working on his computer when suddenly he winces and grabs his eye, as if someone just poked him. Turns out, the lean guy is poking him on Facebook. He pokes again… this time it goes into the chubby guy’s nose. He sneezes, confused, wondering who’s doing this.
Cut to the lean guy opening Contentsyruplabs.com and tapping the tickle button.
The chubby guy starts giggling, as if he’s been tickled. Another tickle, and now he’s on the floor, rolling with laughter. Boom.
Contentsyruplabs.com appears on screen.
Simple. Playful. Slightly absurd. Exactly the vibe I wanted.
The process 🛠️
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I used the character reference images and created a storyboard with the help of Nano Banana.
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Then I used Grok to generate the video clips—and to my surprise, they turned out really good. They even had sound, which saved me from figuring out dialogue separately.
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For editing, I used OpenShot. It has both free and paid versions, and since I use it occasionally, the free version works just fine for me.
I edited the clips according to the storyboard and… voilà. The ad was ready.
Now, I’ll be honest—I’m not a video-editing wizard. The editing could’ve been tighter. I could’ve added more transitions or effects. But here’s the thing: those are always secondary.
Storytelling comes first.
If you have a good story, people can overlook rough editing and minor flaws. They might still sting, but at least you’ll have something worth watching. On the flip side, if there’s no story and you’re relying purely on flashy effects, transitions, and gimmicks, no amount of polish can save that video.
That’s a lesson especially for new filmmakers who overemphasize editing, camera movements, and effects, while ignoring plot and storytelling.
So, I’m sharing the ad once again for those who haven’t seen it yet.
Do watch it—and let me know what you thought in the comments.
Did it make you smile? That was the whole point:)
Check also: Tickle Your Friend - Bringing The Old FB Vibes Back
App: Forget Boring Resolutions - Try One Random Act of Kindness Daily
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