For Craig Veroni, Vancouver is more than just where he works. It’s where he has spent most of his life and established his career in property.
Before becoming an estate agent, Craig spent more than a decade working as a professional film and television actor. He brought that experience to property, creating educational YouTube videos and cinematic neighbourhood tours that helped buyers navigate Vancouver's housing market.
Eventually, approximately 75% of his business came from YouTube.
‘People would see my videos,’ Craig said. ‘They’d contact me and say, “We’re thinking of moving here. Can you help us find a home?”’
Then, in 2024, a fire in the flat above his family's home changed everything. The resulting flooding destroyed 60% of their belongings and damaged more than 75% of their home.
‘Everything that I had been working on and building up to that point suddenly came to a crashing halt,’ Craig said.
Forced to leave his home and without a suitable place to film, Craig saw his video production come to a halt and the flow of new leads slow down.
'At the back of my mind all the time was the question: how do I get back to creating video content?'
HeyGen provided him with an answer.
Rebuilding his video presence without filming
Craig knew video was effective, but traditional production required time, equipment and locations. His neighbourhood tours could take more than a week to produce.
Then two fellow agents told him they were generating business using AI avatars.
"I did a double take and thought, 'What? There's no way someone has started using a brand-new channel with a digital twin and is generating business from it.'"
Intrigued, Craig joined a training group, created his digital twin with HeyGen, and published his first Instagram Reel.
‘I could create this digital twin that looked and sounded like me,’ Craig said. ‘For me, that was the first “Oh my God, this could work” moment.’
Instead of filming every update, Craig could turn local property news into videos featuring a realistic version of himself.
‘I started using HeyGen because I was looking for a way to start creating video content again without the burden of producing actual video content.’
Building an audience who know, like and trust him
Craig wasn't interested in using his digital twin for novelty content. He wanted to provide the same useful information that had made his original videos successful.
‘The twin exists to keep people informed about what’s happening locally and provide them with information,’ Craig said.
He created his avatar using footage from his existing video library and paired it with professionally recorded voice models. He continues to write, review and fact-check scripts against local market data.
'Everything has to be very, very accurate,' Craig said. 'The moment I lose my audience's trust, it's all over.'
At first, Craig was concerned that viewers would not connect with an AI version of him.
He was surprised by the response.
‘Every single post I’d made had performed better than anything I’d done personally,’ he said.
Soon, strangers began recognising him in person. One even pulled over whilst Craig was walking his dog to thank him for his videos.
‘You can use a digital twin and establish authenticity with your audience,’ Craig said. ‘I think I’ve proved that I can use AI to build an audience who know me, like me and trust me.’
Growing his Instagram following fourfold in 10 months
Craig began publishing one HeyGen Reel each day before increasing this to two, sharing housing market updates, local news and information for Vancouver residents.
Over the course of roughly 10 months, his Instagram following grew fourfold, from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000.
‘I quadrupled my Instagram following,’ Craig said. ‘I could hardly believe it.’
His content now reaches more than 770,000 accounts each month and generates approximately 60,000 to 70,000 interactions. Individual Reels regularly exceed 100,000 views.
This greater visibility supports Craig's ambition to become Vancouver's 'digital mayor' – a trusted source of local knowledge.
Just as importantly, HeyGen gives him more time to spend with clients.
‘The digital twin frees me up to spend more time working one-to-one with my clients,’ he said.
Regaining his freedom and enthusiasm for video
Craig still films traditional property tours and personally presents videos that require his presence.
'My use of HeyGen and the news Reels is not a replacement at all for the video content I create myself,' he said.
Instead, his digital twin maintains his visibility whilst he focuses on clients and property marketing.
What started as a way to recover from an unexpected disruption has become a key part of Craig's marketing strategy.
‘HeyGen has given me freedom, renewed enthusiasm and a sense of excitement about video content,’ Craig said. ‘It has led to moments and interactions with people that still astonish me.’
