Episode 109
Vertical Dramas, Values, and Hard Times (ft. Corbin Visual)
Jon Corbin has now done something no other guest has: three appearances on Creatives Grab Coffee, which officially makes him the CGC Champ. He returns as the founder of Corbin Visual, a Toronto studio built on strategic corporate storytelling, employer branding, and product education, and he comes back at a moment when the ground under the whole industry is shifting.
Budgets are tightening, AI is rewriting workflows, and production companies are being forced to rethink how they create value. This conversation goes well past gear and trends. It is about adaptation, execution, mental health, and Jon’s most unexpected pivot yet: directing feature-length vertical dramas.
Key Takeaways
- Value beats novelty. Jon spent years as an early adopter of drones, VR, and influencer marketing, but AI commoditized the gimmicks, and consistent client value is what lasts now.
- Think like a C-suite, not a vendor. Zoom out from what video do you need to the real business problem: employer brand, product education, and the full customer journey.
- Your portfolio tells you your niche. Scrolling his own past work showed Jon what he is actually best at selling, product education for tech and employer brand for professional service firms.
- Outbound is a real job. Without a CRM and dedicated effort, consistent outbound is nearly impossible for an owner-operator, so speed and experimentation beat a rigid playbook.
- Sales calls are for listening. Ask what is keeping you up at night, then shut up, take notes, and repeat the problem back to them.
- Solve one problem first. Nail the first project and doors open, and do not biggie-size the meal before the client asks.
- Adapt or stall. Lapse cut internal costs and scaled productions down, because 5 percent profit beats zero, and it beats staying home.
- Staying busy is a mental-health strategy. Being useful matters, and showing up for people when things are hard is its own kind of value.
- AI makes strategy cheap and execution harder. Advice is now on demand, so the gap between people who can act and people who only plan is widening.
- Execution beats ideas. Jon’s vertical-drama pivot proves it: he had never directed narrative, said yes, hired better people, and shipped two features.
Episode Timestamps
From Trend-Chasing to Client Value
Early in his career, Jon built a reputation as an early adopter, experimenting with drones, VR, influencer marketing, and podcasts before most people had heard of them. But as those tools got commoditized and AI accelerated content creation, that model stopped being enough. As he puts it, the only thing that matters now is providing consistent value, a shift we dug into in AI and the future of video production.
The reframe is subtle but total. Instead of defining his work by formats or technology, Jon now runs everything through a business lens, employer branding, product education, and long-term positioning. It is the same philosophy Dario and Kyrill keep circling back to: sustainable growth comes from client value, not novelty, which is also the heart of our primer on what a corporate video is.
Think Like a Partner, Not a Vendor
The strongest theme of the episode is zooming out. Rather than asking what video do you need, Jon asks deeper questions: what problem is keeping you up at night, where is the real bottleneck, how does content support the whole customer journey. That moves a production company upstream, from execution to strategy, and positions it as a long-term partner rather than a one-off vendor, the same logic behind choosing a company over a lone videographer.
His method for finding a niche is refreshingly practical. He scrolled his own portfolio, looked for the through line, and realized he was strongest at product education for tech companies and employer brand for professional service firms. It is the kind of positioning work that helps studios like Lapse Productions build recurring relationships, and it rhymes with our episode on the power of niching down.
“Don’t try to sell them a Big Mac if all they want is a hamburger.”
Jon Corbin, Corbin VisualInbound vs Outbound: The Reality Check
Jon is candid about sales. Inbound is reactive: the phone rings and you solve the immediate problem. Outbound is hard, time-consuming, and almost impossible to run consistently without systems, a CRM, and dedicated effort. Rather than preach a perfect playbook, he advocates for speed: test an idea, validate the messaging, and move on, sometimes shipping an outbound experiment in 48 to 72 hours.
The best sales calls, he says, are not about pitching at all. Ask what is keeping you up at night, then listen and repeat the problem back. It pairs well with our takes on new ways to generate leads and how to pitch as a producer, and with the buyer psychology in how to choose a video production company.
Adapting Through Hard Economic Times
The episode does not dodge the uncomfortable truth: slower pipelines, delayed approvals, and shrinking marketing budgets are everywhere. Dario and Kyrill share how they adapted, cutting internal costs, doing more in-house, and right-sizing productions so a smaller budget still works. As Dario notes, that move kept work coming in and actually raised margins, even if it meant a Canon C70 instead of a red camera, or one fewer PA on set.
Jon reinforces the mindset shift: making some money, staying active, and remaining useful beats waiting for the perfect project. Or as Dario puts it, 5 percent profit beats zero, and it beats staying home that week. Pricing realities like these are exactly what we unpack in how much a video costs and our wider talk on adaptability, sales, and SEO.
Mental Health, Isolation, and Showing Up
One of the most honest stretches of the conversation is about mental health and isolation. Running a production company, especially solo, can be lonely, and Jon speaks plainly about how much it matters to show up for people during hard times without expecting anything back. Being useful, he says, is one of the best feelings there is, and the hardest part of a slow season is the sense that nobody needs you.
It reframes success as sustainability rather than pure output, and it is a reminder that the industry is full of talented people going through tough stretches. Building each other up, and simply being willing to talk, is part of what keeps a video business that lasts.
“It’s not competition, it’s community.”
Jon Corbin, Corbin VisualEnter Vertical Dramas
Midway through, the conversation pivots to Jon’s most surprising venture: vertical dramas. These are feature-length narrative films, roughly 90 minutes, built for the vertical scroll and released one to two minutes at a time. Think heightened, soap-opera-style storytelling, werewolf and mafia plots, pulling hundreds of millions of views, hugely popular in Asia and, as Jon puts it, already here in the West.
He had never directed narrative before. But when a client asked, he leaned on what he already knew, storytelling for a social-first, vertical audience, and said yes. The result challenged him technically and creatively while proving a core lesson of the episode: execution beats ideas, every time. Fifteen companies have popped up in the space since his first shoot, so the real question, he says, is what each of us decides to do about it, a theme close to breaking into new markets.
Hiring Better and Letting Go
Jon is clear about why the vertical dramas worked: he hired better people. He brought in a seasoned AD, narrative-experienced department leads, and a producer, Megan, he had worked with for three years, so he could focus on where he actually added value. Shooting three cameras and 10 pages a day in 14-hour days is a sprint, and letting go of control was the only way through.
Wearing fewer hats led to better work, healthier sets, and stronger outcomes, the same operational clarity we explore in growing and investing in your team and vetting and managing talent.
Looking Ahead: 2026, AI, and the Next Thing
Heading into 2026, Jon admits he would love some old-reliable interview and B-roll shoots as a counterbalance to all the innovation, work he can deliver in his sleep. But he is also clear-eyed about AI: integrate it into your workflow or risk being dead in the water. The point is not that everything must be made with AI, it is that clients want their problems solved faster and cheaper, and AI is one of the tools to do it.
Both hosts land on the same frame: AI is a tool, not a threat, at least for now. If you want a team that treats the business as seriously as the craft, explore our video production services or request a competitive quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jon Corbin?
Jon Corbin is the founder and creative director of Corbin Visual, a Toronto video production company focused on strategic corporate storytelling, employer branding, and product education. He is a three-time Creatives Grab Coffee guest, earning the show’s CGC Champ title.
What are vertical dramas?
Vertical dramas are feature-length narrative films, around 90 minutes, built for vertical mobile platforms and released in one-to-two-minute episodic chunks. They feature heightened, soap-opera-style storytelling, are hugely popular in Asia, and are now arriving in the West.
How do you shift from being a vendor to a strategic partner?
Stop asking only what video the client needs and start asking about the business problem behind it. Jon opens sales calls with what is keeping you up at night, listens, repeats the problem back, and solves one problem exceptionally well before expanding into the rest of the organization.
How should a video company handle a slow economy?
Adapt scope and costs rather than chasing the perfect project. Dario and Kyrill cut internal costs and right-sized productions, while Jon argues that staying active, useful, and in relationships often matters more than short-term margin. As Dario puts it, 5 percent profit beats zero.
Is AI a threat to video production companies?
Both hosts and Jon frame AI as a tool, not a threat, for now. It makes strategy and advice instant and cheap, which widens the gap between those who can execute and those who only plan. The takeaway is to integrate AI into your workflow rather than resist it.
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 recruitment video. Not sure who to hire? Start with our guide on how to choose a video production company.
Corbin Visual is a Toronto-based video production company founded by Jon Corbin, specializing in strategic corporate storytelling, employer branding, and product education, with recent work in long-form vertical narrative. A three-time Creatives Grab Coffee guest, Jon is known for adapting to shifting platforms and market conditions. Learn more at corbinvisual.com.
