Over the last year, I’ve experimented with multiple “passive income” ideas as a student. Some worked briefly, others burned me out fast. What finally stuck — and scaled — was building faceless YouTube Shorts inspired by the Zack D Films style using AI.
This post breaks down exactly what worked, what didn’t, and how I turned this into a mostly automated system generating £1.1k–£1.8k per week.
My First Attempts at AI Content (And Why They Failed)
I initially started with a TikTok page posting AI-generated short stories in slideshow format. At its peak (summer 2023), it made around $500/month, mostly from selling workflow guides.
The problem?
- Writing full short stories daily was time-consuming
- It was extremely hands-on
- Balancing it with university deadlines caused burnout
That experience taught me an important rule:
If it’s not scalable and automatable, it’s not passive.
Faceless YouTube Automation: A Dead End?
Next, I tried faceless YouTube automation using long-form Reddit stories.
At first, it worked:
- Monetized within a few months
- ~1.5k subscribers
- £75–£250 per week
But growth completely stalled. I had entered the Reddit stories niche right at peak saturation, with no real way to stand out.
That’s when I realized I needed:
- Higher complexity (harder to copy)
- High demand
- Short-form compatibility
Discovering the Zack D Films AI Opportunity
While scrolling YouTube Shorts, I kept seeing Zack D Films–style videos and had a realization:
“What if I could recreate this 3D cinematic style with AI?”
I spent about a week experimenting and eventually built a workflow that looked shockingly close to the original style — without Blender skills.
The Manual Workflow (Before Automation)
Before automating anything, this is how I created each short.
Step 1: Script Generation With AI
I used ChatGPT to generate short, cinematic scripts:
- Under 500 characters
- Each line = one story beat
- High-retention hooks
This ensured scripts were fast to produce and optimized for Shorts.
Step 2: Turning Scripts Into Visual Prompts
Each story beat was expanded into:
- Image prompts
- Video prompts
Structured by:
- Style
- Camera
- Setting
- Action
Dynamic camera motion was key to retention.
Step 3: Image & Video Generation
For generation, I used:
- Replicate (pay-per-use, no subscriptions)
- Nano-banana image model (cheap, efficient)
- Seedance-1-lite for video animation
Each image became the base for an animated clip.
Step 4: Editing and Voiceover
Final assembly was done in CapCut:
- 6–8 clips per short
- AI narration (ElevenLabs)
- Optional background music
- Subtitles (time-consuming but effective)
Cost per video: ~$0.80
Time per video: ~2 hours
Great money — but still not passive.
The Results: Why This Niche Exploded
I launched a brand-new channel to avoid context drift.
The results:
- Monetized in just over 3 weeks
- Hit 4,000 watch hours insanely fast
- Estimated RPM: ~$4,000–$5,000
This was far faster than my Reddit stories channel.
Automating the Entire Process (The Real Breakthrough)
The turning point came when a tool I was already using for Reddit stories added a Zack D Films format after I shared my workflow with the developer.
The entire pipeline became automated:
- Script → visuals → video → export
- 2 hours per video → 5 minutes total
Now I post daily with minimal effort.
Current Earnings With AI Zack D Films Shorts
With automation in place:
- £1.1k–£1.8k per week
- Stable views
- Less competition than Reddit stories
- Far lower burnout
Almost nobody is consistently posting this specific style yet, which keeps RPM and reach healthy.
Key Lessons Learned
Location Matters
Being UK-based slightly reduces RPM. US creators could see 20–30% higher earnings with the same views.
Don’t Overthink AI Perfection
Minor AI artifacts don’t matter.
Retention and hooks matter far more than realism.
Consistency Beats Everything
Daily posting took me from £300/week to £1,000+.
Automate Early
If you can’t automate it, you’ll burn out — no matter how profitable it looks on paper.
Final Thoughts
I’m comfortable sharing this because information alone is no longer the advantage. Execution and consistency are. Most people won’t implement this fully, and fewer will stick with it long enough to matter.
If this niche saturates, I’ll move on — there are new faceless channel opportunities every month. I’m already testing AI horror story formats next.
If you want:
- The exact prompts
- Example videos
- Or a breakdown of how I previously funneled TikTok traffic into paid guides
just leave a comment.
Good luck — and stay consistent.