Reuse one AI spokesperson across videos with an avatar handle

To reuse one AI spokesperson on Sume, create the avatar once with an avatar_handle, then pass the same handle in every talking-video request. A handle may start with @; Sume normalizes it and stores it without the @. Creating the avatar is a one-time, job-based step, and videos reuse it.

Create once, render many times

The Models overview describes Avatar 1.0 as two steps, and the handle is the link between them.

Why handles beat ids

Docs recommend a stable handle so that your app or agent has a simple name to use again later and does not depend only on a generated id. In practice this means a content calendar can refer to product_host or studio_presenter rather than a stored identifier, and a teammate or an agent can pick the right face from a list.

If the spokesperson must be unique per campaign, create one handle per campaign. If you want one face everywhere, use one handle and vary only the script, the scene prompt and the optional product_image.

Limits worth knowing

• One final video resolves to one avatar; the current execution does not mix several avatars in a video.
• Multi-scene video_inputs are expected to share one scene background.
• Avatar creation is billed separately from videos, as a one-time step.
• The handle must belong to a ready avatar; poll the creation job until it completes.
• Compatibility aliases such as /v1/models/sume/avatar/v1.0/runs still work, but /v1/avatar-1.0/generate is preferred.

A naming habit

Use lowercase words and underscores, name by role (reference_presenter, product_host), and avoid putting a real person's name in a handle that other people can see. Check Create new avatar for the exact input shapes.

Governance for shared spokespeople

If several teammates or agents render videos, keep a single list of approved handles and what each is for. The list endpoint returns the avatars in your workspace, so use it as the source of truth instead of a spreadsheet that can drift.

Rotate by creating a new avatar rather than editing an old one, and retire handles you no longer want to use. Videos already rendered keep working, since they are separate artifacts.

Avoid claiming a synthetic spokesperson is a real employee or customer. Label the clip as AI where rules require, and review your platform's policy on synthetic media before you publish at scale.