Episode 103
Balancing Creativity, Business, and AI (ft. Mi Media Productions)
Manuel Izquierdo runs a video business the way a lot of independents actually do: one person at the center, a trusted circle of freelancers around him, and a dozen small bets running at once so no single slow month can sink the year. As founder of Mi Media Productions in Miami, he sits down with Dario and Kyrill for one of the more casual, unusually candid conversations on the show.
It ranges across the whole business of production: steady growth over fast growth, how to balance the budget with the creative, where AI actually fits (pre-production, not the final cut), the quirks of the Miami market, the SEO and Google Ads game, and a genuinely useful breakdown of the economics and risks of renting out gear.
Key Takeaways
- Steady growth beats fast growth. Manuel’s mantra, borrowed and now his own: fast growth builds ego, steady growth builds character.
- A trusted team raises the bar. His go-to freelancers function like full-time collaborators, and the good ones push the creative when the owner’s budget instinct takes over.
- Balance budget and creative. As the person running the business, the budget often comes first, so he leans on people who fight for the creative side.
- Read the room on set. Executives give you two or three takes, so plan your shots and coverage around limited patience and the overtime clock.
- Use AI in pre-production, not as a crutch. Manuel uses ChatGPT for spell-checking, storyboarding, and scratch voiceovers to test a script before hiring the real artist.
- Know your market’s quirks. Miami is heavy on commercial, agency, and Latin music work, and he avoids the low-rate, high-drama music-video and reality-TV lanes.
- Production is a tight-knit community. In mid and high-end Miami work, everyone knows everyone, which rewards relationships and referrals over cold competition.
- Google is the front door. A large share of inbound comes through Google, so a verified Business Profile and a spot in the map pack genuinely matter.
- Run the octopus method. Multiple lead sources, SEO, ads, referrals, and networking, mean no single slow season can take the whole business down.
- Treat gear as an asset class. Rentals can pay for themselves at roughly one booking a month, but only with certificates of insurance, deductibles, prep days, and before-and-after photos.
Timestamps
From Freelancer to Mi Media Productions
Manuel started Mi Media Productions in 2019 after more than a decade in the industry, most of it at a Miami production company he joined out of school. The company’s bread and butter is commercial work, with corporate jobs usually coming in as production support: crewing, DP work, or gear for teams shooting in the region.
It is a familiar shape for anyone building a video business that lasts. Tighter client budgets and harder travel have pushed the whole industry toward lean crews and local hires, which is exactly why production support and a strong regional network have become so valuable.
Steady Growth, and Balancing Creativity with Business
One of the clearest themes is patience. Manuel is blunt that as the owner, the budget tends to come first, which is why he values collaborators who push back and protect the creative. The right freelancers, he says, are not cranky, they just have high standards and pull everyone up to them.
That balance of operational discipline and creative ambition runs through every healthy studio, and it is closely tied to vetting and managing talent and investing in your team. On set it shows up in small decisions, like how many takes you take from a CEO before you lose them.
“Fast growth builds ego, and steady growth builds character.”
Manuel Izquierdo, Mi Media ProductionsHow Manuel Uses AI in Pre-Production
When Dario asks how he uses AI, Manuel is refreshingly specific: it lives entirely in pre-production. He uses ChatGPT to spell-check copy, to build detailed storyboards by feeding in talent, locations, and products, and to generate scratch voiceovers so clients can react to a script before a real voice artist is booked.
It is a practical, low-risk way to speed up concepting and client sign-off, and it echoes the bigger conversation about AI and the future of video production. Used this way, AI supports the corporate video process rather than replacing the craft.
The Miami Market vs. Toronto’s Scene
Manuel gives a great tour of Miami: a big Latin and U.S. music scene he mostly avoids for its low rates and drama, a busy commercial and agency market that is his focus, plus conferences, nonprofit, and healthcare work. He describes a tight-knit community where the mid and high-end players all know each other.
Dario and Kyrill contrast that with Toronto’s larger, more fragmented ecosystem, where you constantly stumble on capable companies you have never heard of. For anyone breaking into new markets, the lesson is the same: learn the local rules before you compete, and treat relationships as infrastructure.
SEO, Google Ads, and the Octopus Method
The marketing stretch is pure business-of-video gold. The three of them trade notes on Google Business Profile, the map pack, review incentives, address-verification headaches, and how a big share of inbound now comes through Google. Manuel stopped running Google Ads after a spam wave, and Dario’s diagnosis is that the campaign was likely set up badly, not that ads do not work.
His bigger point is diversification. Manuel calls it the octopus method: keep several lead-generation tentacles working at once so one dry season cannot sink you. That means pairing SEO with paid ads, referrals, and networking, and it pairs well with learning to diversify your income and find work in your community.
“I call it the octopus method. You have tentacles in all the different revenue, so if something dries up, something will always come through.”
Manuel Izquierdo, Mi Media ProductionsRentals, Insurance, and Managing Risk
The last stretch is a mini master class in gear rentals. Manuel is expanding into renting glass and cameras, and he lays out the math: buy equipment that holds value (good lenses over fast-depreciating cameras), aim for roughly one booking a month to cover a lease, and the asset pays for itself while improving your own shoots.
The risk management is just as sharp: never rent without a certificate of insurance, make the renter cover the deductible, add a matte box or ND to protect the glass, do a prep day, and photograph everything before and after every handoff. It is the kind of operational detail that separates a hobby from a business, and it connects directly to understanding day rates and what a production really costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Manuel Izquierdo?
Manuel Izquierdo is the founder of Mi Media Productions, a Miami video production company focused on commercial and corporate work, with more than a decade in the industry. He also offers production support and is expanding into gear rentals.
What is the octopus method?
It is Manuel’s name for having many marketing tentacles, SEO, Google Ads, referrals, and networking, working at the same time, so that if one lead source dries up, the others keep the business steady.
How does Manuel use AI in video production?
Entirely in pre-production. He uses ChatGPT to spell-check copy, generate storyboards, and create scratch voiceovers so clients can react to a script before a real voice artist is booked. He treats AI as a previsualization aid, not a replacement for the craft.
Is the Miami video market competitive?
The commercial side is competitive, but Manuel describes a tight-knit community where the mid and high-end players mostly know each other, there is enough work to go around, and relationships and referrals carry a lot of weight.
Is buying gear to rent out worth it?
It can be. Manuel targets equipment that holds value, good glass over fast-depreciating cameras, aims for roughly one booking a month to cover a lease, and protects himself with certificates of insurance, deductibles, prep days, and before-and-after photos.
The Hosts
Dario Nouri and Kyrill Lazarov are the co-founders of Lapse Productions, a Toronto video production company, and the hosts of Creatives Grab Coffee, a weekly show about the business of video production.
About
Creatives Grab Coffee is a podcast about the business behind video production: sales, strategy, pricing, team building, and everything that happens off camera. New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Lapse Productions is a Toronto-based video production company serving tech, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing clients with corporate, promotional, testimonial, event, and training video. Curious how search fits in? See our take on video SEO.
Mi Media Productions is a Miami-based video production company founded by Manuel Izquierdo, specializing in commercial and corporate work, production support, and gear rentals across South Florida. Learn more at mimediapro.com.
