Episode 94
Growing with Purpose (ft. Chocolate Films)
Some video companies chase growth. Mark Currie built one that grows on purpose, in both senses of the word. He co-founded Chocolate Films in London in 2001 with Rachel Wang, and over two decades turned it into a 20-plus-person social enterprise with bases in London and Glasgow, satellite offices across Europe and the US, and a rare double mandate: make excellent work for clients and deliver real social benefit.
In this episode, Mark joins Dario and Kyrill to talk about scaling organically over 20 years: why he opened a second office in Glasgow, why he keeps the team in-house, how the ambitious 1000 Londoners project fuels both creativity and new business, and how Chocolate Films grew past 20 people without drowning in bureaucracy. It is a clinic in building a company where culture and purpose are the strategy, not a side project.
Key Takeaways
- Differentiate with community-driven work. Chocolate Films stands apart by genuinely engaging in social projects and workshops, most famously its ongoing 1000 Londoners series.
- Expand strategically. Opening a Glasgow base let Mark service clients across the UK, cutting travel overhead and building a real local presence, later extended through satellite offices abroad.
- Scale organically. The team grew by continually adjusting internal processes and communication systems, keeping the company agile as it passed 20 employees.
- Keep the team in-house. A full-time, in-house team delivers more consistent quality, a stronger culture, and smoother project management than leaning heavily on freelancers.
- Adopt new tech cautiously. Mark waits for clear client demand before investing in a new tool or trend, avoiding the risk of chasing shifts that do not stick.
- Use passion projects to grow. Initiatives like 1000 Londoners let the team experiment, sharpen skills, build teamwork, and attract new client interest.
- Build an open culture. A culture of open communication and feedback surfaces problems early and keeps morale and productivity high through rapid growth.
- Let purpose be your positioning. Being a social enterprise and a net-zero company is not just values, it is a genuine differentiator that draws aligned clients.
- Grow through relationships. Personal connections and steady client communication, not aggressive selling, are what drive Chocolate Films’ growth.
Timestamps
Two Decades, Built on Purpose
Mark co-founded Chocolate Films in 2001 with Rachel Wang, coming to it from a background as a theatre actor and director. From the start the company carried a double mandate: deliver high-quality video for clients and create real social value. That dual purpose, now formalized as a social enterprise and a net-zero company, has shaped every decision since.
It is a long game, and a reminder that the strongest studios are built to last on a clear sense of why they exist. If you are mapping the landscape they work across, our guide to the types of corporate video is a useful primer.
Expanding to Glasgow, and Beyond
One of Chocolate Films’ smartest moves was opening a second UK base in Glasgow, Mark’s home city. It let the company genuinely service clients across the UK, reaching most locations within a few hours, cutting travel overhead, and offering a real local presence rather than a logo on a map. From there the model extended to satellite offices in Berlin, Porto, Sardinia, and New York, plus partners in more than 20 countries.
Opening a second location is a serious growth lever, and a recurring theme on the show when studios talk about breaking into new markets without diluting what makes them special.
The In-House Team Model
Unlike many agencies that lean on freelancers, Chocolate Films keeps a full-time, in-house team of more than 20 producers, filmmakers, animators, and writers. For Mark, that is a deliberate quality and culture decision: an in-house team delivers more consistent work, smoother project management, and a shared identity that clients can feel. Scaling to that size brought real growing pains, which he is candid about.
It is the opposite end of the spectrum from a pure freelance model, and it changes how you invest in and grow a team. For studios weighing the tradeoffs of headcount versus flexibility, it pairs interestingly with the scale-smart lessons from Heehaw.
“An in-house team is not just about quality. It is how you build a culture that clients can feel.”
Mark Currie, Chocolate Films (thematic paraphrase)1000 Londoners: Passion Projects with Purpose
The clearest expression of Chocolate Films’ ethos is 1000 Londoners, a landmark documentary series launched in 2014 that captures short portrait films of individual Londoners from every walk of life. Alongside it, the not-for-profit Chocolate Films Workshops runs filmmaking sessions for schools and community groups, empowering young and underrepresented filmmakers.
Crucially, these are not charity on the side, they feed the business. Passion projects let the team experiment, sharpen craft, build teamwork, and draw client interest, the same way great community work generates work and reputation. It is also a masterclass in documentary and animation craft applied at scale.
Systems Without Bureaucracy
Growing past 20 people is where many studios seize up. Mark’s answer is constant, deliberate iteration on communication and management systems, so the company gains structure without gaining bureaucracy. The goal is to stay agile: enough process to coordinate a large team and diverse projects, never so much that it smothers the work.
Underpinning it all is an open, feedback-driven culture that surfaces problems early and keeps people engaged. That combination of light systems and strong culture is exactly what lets a studio keep investing in its people as it scales.
Growing with Purpose: Tech, Sales, and Relationships
On new technology, Mark is deliberately cautious: rather than chase every trend, he waits for clear client demand before making a significant investment, a discipline that has protected the company through many industry shifts. It is the measured counterpoint to the constant churn the show explored around AI and the future of video production.
And when it comes to growth, his engine is relationships, not hard selling: personal connections, genuine client communication, and a reputation earned through purpose-led work. That is how modern studios generate durable leads. If you want a Toronto team that shares that values-first, relationship-driven approach, that is exactly what Lapse Productions is built on.
“Our passion projects are not a distraction from the business. They are a big part of why the business is worth building.”
Mark Currie, Chocolate Films (thematic paraphrase)Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mark Currie?
Mark Currie is the co-founder of Chocolate Films, a London and Glasgow video production company and social enterprise he started in 2001 with Rachel Wang. A former theatre actor and director, he is also a creative director of the 1000 Londoners documentary series.
What is Chocolate Films?
An independent, full-service video production company and social enterprise based in London and Glasgow, with a team of more than 20. It balances commercial work, documentaries, promos, brand films, and animation, with social impact through Chocolate Films Workshops and 1000 Londoners.
What is the 1000 Londoners project?
A landmark documentary series, launched in 2014, of short portrait films of individual Londoners from all walks of life. It is Chocolate Films’ flagship passion project and a centerpiece of its community engagement.
Why does Chocolate Films keep its team in-house?
A full-time, in-house team gives Mark more consistent quality, a stronger internal culture, and smoother project management than relying heavily on freelancers.
How did Chocolate Films scale without becoming bureaucratic?
By continually adjusting internal processes and communication systems as the team grew past 20, and by protecting an open, feedback-driven culture that keeps the company agile.
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, event, and education video, plus animation. Curious what a project costs? Read our guide on how much a video costs.
Chocolate Films is an award-winning, full-service video production company and social enterprise based in London and Glasgow, founded in 2001 by Mark Currie and Rachel Wang. It balances commercial work with social impact through Chocolate Films Workshops and the 1000 Londoners documentary series. Learn more at chocolatevideoproduction.co.uk.
