Case Study Interviews
A guide for chapter leaders to interview applied AI practitioners and produce case study profiles.
Purpose
We create practitioner profiles to:
- Showcase real people doing applied AI work in the field
- Inspire others who want to follow a similar path
- Build authority for the society through documented success stories
The final artifact is a published case study with photos, a short intro video, and a written profile covering how the practitioner works, finds clients, and delivers value.
Finding Interview Subjects
Who qualifies?
- Actively doing applied AI work (consulting, freelance, or in-house implementations)
- Has an interesting story or angle worth sharing
- Willing to be public about their work and approach
You don't need someone famous. You need someone doing real work with real clients who can articulate what they do.
How to reach out
Keep it simple and direct:
Hey [Name],
I'm [Your Name], a chapter leader for the Applied AI Society in [City]. We're building a library of practitioner profiles: real people doing applied AI work, how they got there, and what they've learned.
Your work caught my attention. Would you be open to a short interview? Takes about an hour, we'd do it at your workspace, and you'd get some nice photos and a short intro video out of it.
Let me know if you're interested.
Scheduling and Location
Where
Conduct the interview at their workspace. Home office, studio, coworking space. Wherever they actually do the work. This adds authenticity and gives you a natural backdrop for photos.
Time needed
Block 1 hour:
- 45 minutes for the interview
- 15 minutes for photos and video
Let them know the format ahead of time so they're not surprised when you pull out a camera.
Interview Questions
Use these as a starting point. Follow the conversation where it goes. The best stuff often comes from follow-up questions.
Background
"How did you get into applied AI? What were you doing before?"
Get the origin story. What led them here? Was it intentional or accidental?
Training & Programs
"What training or programs helped you most? How did you build your skills?"
Bootcamps like Gauntlet? Online courses? Self-taught through projects? This is actionable for people trying to break in.
Finding Clients
"How do you find new projects? What's worked best for you?"
Referrals? Cold outreach? Content? Events? Reddit? Get specific. Ask about the first client too.
Pre-Call Prep
"What do you do before the first call with a potential client?"
Some practitioners research the company and come with 3-4 AI implementation ideas ready. Others wing it. This is tactical gold for readers.
Client Communication
"Once a project starts, how do you manage the relationship? How often do you communicate?"
Understand their process. Weekly check-ins? Async updates? How do they handle scope creep or misalignment?
Pricing
"How do you price your work? How do you explain your pricing to clients?"
Hourly? Project-based? Do they tie pricing to business value (ROI, saved hours, reduced churn)? This is one of the hardest things to figure out.
Leveraging Success
"How do you use successful projects to get more work?"
Do they ask for referrals? Case studies? Testimonials? Do past clients become repeat clients?
Why Applied AI
"Why is this the right work for you right now? Where do you see it going?"
Get at the motivation. Is it financial? Mission-driven? Skill development? What does their future look like?
Tech Stack
"What tools and frameworks do you rely on most?"
Languages, libraries, platforms, AI providers. What do they reach for first?
Value Proposition
"What do you do that makes clients willing to pay good money for your help?"
This is the core question. What's the thing they deliver that people value? Speed? Expertise? Trust? Results?
Soft Skills
"What makes you easy to work with? How do you make clients feel comfortable?"
Technical skills get you in the door. Soft skills keep you there. Ask about: explaining complex things simply, managing expectations, handling disagreements, making clients feel safe. Zero ego came up repeatedly in interviews as a differentiator.
Upskilling
"How do you stay sharp? How do you learn new things in this field?"
Courses? Building side projects? Community? Reading papers? GitHub trending? arXiv? Multiple LLMs for different perspectives? What's their learning system?
Hackathons
"Do you participate in hackathons? Why or why not?"
Some practitioners use hackathons for networking, exposure, and sharpening skills. Winning can lead to LinkedIn engagement, VC outreach, and job opportunities. Others skip them. Worth asking.
Location & Community
"Where should someone be if they want to do this work? What communities have been valuable?"
Cities matter. Meetups matter. Ask which ones specifically. (Example: AITX, Deep Learning AI, Fiesta in Austin.) This is actionable advice for readers.
Content & Building in Public
"Are you posting about your work? What's your content strategy?"
LinkedIn? Twitter? Newsletter? Some practitioners hire marketing help. Others don't bother. Ask what's working and what's not.
Media Capture
Don't leave without these. This is your exit criteria.
Photos (minimum 2)
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| In action | At their desk, looking at code, whiteboarding. Whatever "working" looks like for them. |
| Portrait | Facing camera, good lighting, natural smile. This becomes the profile photo. |
Tips:
- Natural light is your friend. Face them toward a window if possible.
- Clean up the background. Move clutter out of frame.
- Take more than you think you need. You can pick the best later.
Intro Video (1 minute)
This is the hook that gets people to read the full profile. Keep it short and punchy.
Script template:
Hey, I'm [Name]. I'm an applied AI practitioner based in [City].
I do [consulting/freelance/in-house] for [type of clients].
The reason I love what I do is [motivation: problem solving, growth, learning, etc.].
[Optional: call to action about community, content, or why others should get into the field.]
Example:
Hey, my name is Rostam Mahabadi. I'm based out of Austin, Texas.
I'm an applied AI practitioner and I do consulting for companies of various sizes.
The reason I love what I do is I get to continually grow my skill set by working with different clients with different needs. I also get to work on complex problems that aren't solved in today's world.
I'm hoping to build a bigger community out in Austin so we can information share and all rise together.
Tips:
- Film horizontal (landscape), not vertical
- Good audio matters more than good video. Find a quiet spot.
- Do 2-3 takes. Let them warm up.
- They don't need to memorize it. Bullet points on a sticky note behind the camera works fine.
Post-Interview
Write it up
The goal is a narrative article, not a structured interview summary. You want something people actually want to read and share.
Bad profile: Headers → bullets → quote → next section. Scannable but boring. Loses momentum. Reads like a form you filled out.
Good profile: Opens with a hook, tells a story, weaves quotes in naturally, builds to a point. Reads like a short magazine piece.
Key principles
- Open with tension or curiosity. Find the most surprising or counterintuitive thing they said. Lead with that.
- Let the story unfold. Origin → first client → how they work now → what they've learned. Chronology is your friend.
- Weave quotes in naturally. Don't just list quotes under headers. Let them emerge from the narrative.
- Use section breaks sparingly. Just enough to let the reader breathe. Not every topic needs its own header.
- Build to a theme. What's the takeaway? What do you want the reader to feel at the end?
- Keep it conversational. Write like you're telling a friend about this interesting person you met.
AI prompt for drafting
If you have a transcript, use this prompt:
I have a transcript of an interview with an applied AI practitioner. Turn this into a narrative profile article (800-1200 words) for our community blog.
Guidelines:
- Open with a hook: the most surprising, counterintuitive, or compelling thing they said
- Tell their story chronologically: background → how they got into AI → first clients → how they work now
- Weave quotes into the narrative naturally (don't just list them under headers)
- Use minimal section breaks (just horizontal rules to let the reader breathe)
- Build to a theme or closing insight
- Keep the tone conversational, not formal
- End with a simple bio line and any upcoming events
Do NOT write a listicle or structured interview summary. This should read like a magazine profile.
Here's the transcript:
[paste transcript]
Structure (loose guide)
- Hook: The most interesting thing they said or do. Create curiosity.
- Background: How they got here. Origin story.
- The work: How they find clients, run projects, deliver value.
- What makes them different: Their edge. The thing that sets them apart.
- Staying sharp: How they keep learning in a fast-moving field.
- Why this work: Motivation. What drives them.
- Close: Theme, takeaway, or call to action. End strong.
- Bio line: One sentence: who they are, where they're based, upcoming events.
Submit materials
- Upload photos and video to the shared drive
- Submit draft to the editorial review queue
- Include subject's contact info for fact-checking
Review process
Before publishing:
- Subject reviews for accuracy
- Editorial team reviews for quality and consistency
- Final approval, then publish
Checklist
Before the interview:
- Subject confirmed date, time, location
- They know to expect photos and video
- You have your questions ready
- Camera/phone charged, storage available
During:
- Recorded or took detailed notes
- Asked follow-up questions on interesting threads
- Captured 2+ quality photos
- Recorded intro video (multiple takes)
After:
- Wrote up the case study draft
- Uploaded media to shared drive
- Sent draft to subject for review
- Submitted to editorial queue
See Also
- Finding a Photographer: If you want professional photo support
- Case Studies: Published practitioner profiles