Episode 21
How to Focus on Internal Growth (ft. Black Box Productions)
Black Box Productions works out of both Montreal and Toronto, making branded content and marketing videos for advertising agencies and corporate clients. Josh Usheroff and his business partner did not grow it by chasing every lead. They grew it from the inside.
In this episode, Josh joins Dario and Kyrill to talk about internal growth: how the industry is changing, how involved a production company should get in client strategy, what his business partnership taught him about growing, how SEO and inbound leads built a quieter demand engine, and why team structure is the real determinant of how far a company can scale.
Key Takeaways
- Internal growth is a strategy, not an afterthought. The episode is about building the company from the inside, team, systems, and partnership, rather than only chasing more clients.
- Get involved in client strategy. Black Box does not just execute the shoot; the conversation covers how involved a production company should get in a client’s strategy.
- A good business partnership accelerates growth. Josh talks about his partnership and the role it played in how the company started to grow.
- SEO and inbound leads compound. Rather than only chasing outbound sales, they built SEO and inbound lead flow, a quieter demand engine that grows over time.
- Team structure is the engine of growth. How you structure the team determines how far you can grow the company, and it takes up a large part of the discussion.
- Growth brings its own challenges. The episode is honest about the challenges of growing a business, not just the wins.
Timestamps
Getting Involved in Client Strategy
The episode opens on how the industry is changing, and one shift in particular: production companies are no longer just hired hands. Black Box gets involved in a client’s strategy, not only the shoot, which is exactly the production-versus-agency question V Strategies dug into on providing strategic video. For a company making branded content for agencies and corporate clients, that strategic layer is the difference between being a vendor and a partner, and it starts with being clear on what a corporate video is really meant to do.
Partnership and a Quieter Demand Engine
A big part of the story is how Black Box actually grew. Josh talks candidly about his business partnership and the role it played, the kind of shared-load, split-responsibility dynamic that runs a company like Lapse’s own partnership. And rather than living or dying on outbound sales, they leaned on SEO and inbound leads, building a quieter demand engine that compounds over time, much like the relationship-driven, organic approach covered in how to grow organically.
The Fun Machine and Team Structure
The heart of internal growth is people. The conversation gets into team structure in depth, along with The Fun Machine, an internal initiative that speaks to how Black Box thinks about culture and systems as it scales. How you structure a team, and when a lean core beats a bigger payroll, is the same calculus behind Lapse’s look at running a full production company versus a solo operation.
Growing the Company, Challenges and All
None of it is frictionless. Josh is honest about the challenges of growing the business, and the back half of the episode is really a field guide to scaling a video company without losing the plot. It is the same hard-won territory the show distilled in its recap of video production business tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Josh Usheroff?
The guest on this episode, from Black Box Productions, a Montreal and Toronto video production company.
What is Black Box Productions?
A Montreal and Toronto based video production company that creates branded content and marketing videos for advertising agencies and corporate clients. Site: blackboxproductions.tv.
What does internal growth mean for a video business?
Growing from within, through team structure, systems, partnership, and inbound demand, rather than relying only on outbound sales to bring in more clients.
What does this episode cover?
Changes in the industry, how involved a production company gets in client strategy, Josh’s business partnership, SEO and inbound leads, the challenges of growth, The Fun Machine, team structure, and growing the company.
Where is Black Box Productions located?
Montreal and Toronto, Canada.
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 testimonial video. New to commissioning video? Start with our guide to the types of corporate video.
Black Box Productions is a video production company based in Montreal and Toronto that creates branded content and marketing videos for advertising agencies and corporate clients. Co-founded by Josh Usheroff, the studio has grown by investing in its team, systems, and inbound demand. Learn more at blackboxproductions.tv.
