Episode 23
Personal Branding (ft. Corbin Visual)
Corbin Visual is not just a video production company. Founder Jon Corbin runs it as a full-service production company and content lab, one built to help brands figure out what they need and speak ‘social’ in a way that feels culturally relevant. It is a fitting background for a conversation about personal branding.
A returning guest catching up since 2020, Jon joins Dario and Kyrill to talk through where his thinking has landed after the pandemic: why he is cautious about hiring and how he approaches team structure for a production company, and, at the heart of the episode, how creatives can build a personal brand, including The Influencer Project and the discipline of actually making time for it.
Key Takeaways
- Build a personal brand, not just a company brand. The core of the episode is how creatives and production owners can invest in a personal brand alongside the business.
- Be cautious about hiring in uncertain times. Coming out of the pandemic, Jon is wary of adding staff too fast, and the conversation gets into team structure for production companies.
- You have to make time for personal branding. It does not happen by accident. Carving out dedicated time is the thread behind The Influencer Project.
- Help brands speak social. Corbin Visual is a full-service production company and content lab built to help brands convey cultural relevance, a lens that applies to a personal brand too.
Timestamps
Catching Up and Staying Careful About Growth
Jon Corbin is a returning guest, so the episode opens as a catch-up since 2020, tracing how the pandemic reshaped his thinking. One clear shift is caution about growth. Rather than rushing to add staff coming out of covid, he is deliberate about team structure for a production company, weighing when a lean core beats a bigger payroll. That is the same staffing calculus Lapse breaks down in its comparison of a production company versus a solo videographer.
Why Personal Branding Matters for Creatives
The heart of the episode is personal branding. Corbin Visual is built as a full-service production company and content lab that helps brands speak ‘social’ and convey cultural relevance, and Jon turns that same lens on the person behind the work. For a video business, brand is not only the company logo, it is the story and credibility of the people making the work, which is the thread running through Lapse’s take on what a corporate video really is and the ongoing content published on the Lapse Productions blog.
The Influencer Project and Making Time for It
Personal branding fails on one thing more than any other: time. The back half of the conversation gets into The Influencer Project and the discipline of actually carving out time to build a brand rather than always serving clients. It is a slow, compounding, relationship-driven effort, much like the organic approach to growth covered in how to grow organically, and it is one of the clearest ways to stand out, a theme the show returns to in winning on trust in a crowded market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jon Corbin?
The founder of Corbin Visual, a Toronto full-service video production company and content lab. He is a returning guest on Creatives Grab Coffee.
What is Corbin Visual?
A Toronto full-service video production company and content lab that helps brands figure out what they need and speak ‘social’ to convey cultural relevance. Site: corbinvisual.com.
What does this episode cover?
Catching up since 2020, being cautious about hiring and team structure after the pandemic, personal branding for creatives, and The Influencer Project along with making time for personal branding.
Why does personal branding matter for a video business?
It builds visibility and trust for the people behind the company, which the episode argues creatives should deliberately invest time in rather than only serving clients.
Where is Corbin Visual located?
Toronto, Ontario, 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.
Corbin Visual is a Toronto, Ontario full-service video production company and content lab founded by Jon Corbin. It helps brands figure out what they need while providing creative tools to speak ‘social’ and convey cultural relevance. Learn more at corbinvisual.com.
