In Episode 108 of the Creatives Grab Coffee podcast, hosts Dario Nouri-Nejad and Kyrill Lazarovsit down with Amr Khani, Founder & Creative Director of AK Films, a Dubai-based production company operating at the intersection of high-end corporate media and creative storytelling.
As the show’s first guest from Dubai, Amr offers a rare, inside look at one of the world’s most competitive international video production markets, where corporate video production has overtaken cinema as the dominant revenue driver.
Watch the episode here:
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From Engineer to Filmmaker: Amr Khani’s Origin Story
Amr’s path into filmmaking wasn’t traditional. Before founding AK Films, he worked as a systems engineer — a background that heavily influenced how he approached running a video production company with structure, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
After walking away from a stable career, Amr spent a year self-funding his transition into video production, learning editing, color grading, and cinematography before landing his first freelance projects — a journey familiar to many studio owners navigating the leap from solo creator to business operator.
How Dubai’s Film Industry Shifted from Cinema to Corporate
Over the last decade, Dubai has experienced a dramatic shift away from traditional cinema toward corporate and branded content.
As Amr explains, production demand today mirrors what many studios see globally — brands prioritizing clarity, speed, and measurable outcomes over theatrical releases. This aligns closely with broader trends explored in what is a corporate video and how corporate video content supports modern businesses.
Dubai’s position as a global business hub has only accelerated this transformation.
Competition, Pricing Pressure & Market “Noise”
Dubai’s growth has created intense competition — not just creatively, but financially.
Amr describes a market split between established studios and freelancers competing aggressively on price, a challenge echoed in discussions around video production agency vs freelance videographer and videographer day rates.
Many clients cycle through low-cost options before returning to professional studios — not due to lack of talent, but because of missing business systems, unclear scopes, and misaligned expectations.
Why Most of AK Films’ Clients Are International
Despite operating in Dubai, most of AK Films’ clients are international companies with regional offices in the UAE.
This model mirrors how many global brands work with a long-term video production partner rather than building internal teams — relying on trusted studios to manage consistency, quality, and execution across markets.
Local legal requirements further reinforce the need for regional production partners, making companies like AK Films essential facilitators for foreign productions.
Scaling to a 7-Person Team (and Why Freelancers Still Matter)
AK Films currently operates with a seven-person in-house team supported by freelancers — a structure designed around flexibility, seasonality, and risk management.
Amr explains that post-production and project coordination must remain internal, while production crews scale based on project size — an approach aligned with best practices outlined in crew roles in video production and the video production process.
Growth decisions weren’t driven by ego — they were driven by protecting delivery timelines and client trust.
Client Education & Creative Self-Sabotage
One of the episode’s most resonant concepts is client self-sabotage — when urgency, over-specification, or unclear briefs derail creative outcomes.
Amr emphasizes the importance of shielding creatives from chaotic feedback loops, reinforcing why pre-production planning and clear client education are critical for successful projects.
Without structure, even well-funded projects can collapse under poor communication.
Inbound Leads, SEO & Sustainable Growth
Like Lapse Productions, AK Films relies heavily on inbound lead generation rather than outbound sales.
Amr explains that SEO, digital discovery, and reputation-driven visibility outperform cold outreach — reinforcing the value of SEO for video content and YouTube SEO strategies for production companies.
Inbound leads arrive better qualified, better informed, and better aligned with long-term partnerships.
What’s Next: Returning to Filmmaking
After years of scaling AK Films, Amr’s long-term goal is to return to directing narrative films — the creative seat that started his journey.
With stronger systems, a capable team, and sustainable workflows in place, AK Films is now positioned to balance creative ambition with operational stability.
Key Takeaways:
- Dubai’s production market is booming — but competition is relentless.
- The corporate sector has overtaken cinema as the main driver of production work.
- Strong business systems and communication protect creative integrity.
- Local partnerships are essential for foreign productions due to legal structure.
- Balancing creative ambition with sustainable operations is the key to long-term success.
About the Guest
Amr Khani is the Founder and Creative Director of AK Films, a Dubai-based video production company specializing in high-end corporate and branded content for international clients. With over a decade of experience, Amr has built AK Films into a scalable production house operating in one of the world’s most competitive creative markets.
Originally trained as a computer and communications engineer, Amr transitioned into filmmaking without a formal film school background — teaching himself production, post-production, and storytelling before launching AK Films in 2017. Today, he leads a hybrid in-house and freelance team, focusing on strong systems, client education, and sustainable growth while balancing commercial work with his long-term goal of returning to narrative filmmaking.
Website: https://www.akfilms.ae
Instagram: @akfilmsae
About the Hosts
Creatives Grab Coffee is hosted by Dario Nouri and Kyrill Lazarov, co-founders of Lapse Productions — a top video production company in Toronto helping businesses create cinematic content that drives results.
