La Storia Featured on The Story Arc Podcast

Building A Production Company and Creating Identity with La Storia Productions

The Story Arc Podcast | Episode 13

In this episode of the Story Arc podcast, Host Drew Schettler sits down with RC and Molly, husband and wife creative duo behind La Storia Productions, to talk about what it really means to trust the process while building a video production company from the ground up. So sit back and dive into the highs, lows, and lessons they’ve learned along the way—and why it’s so important to find your identity in something deeper than just your creative work. 

You can watch or listen to the full episode, click HERE but for a quick recap, here are some of the key takeaways from the conversation: 

Stewardship Is Required 
Creative stewardship is more than just a principle—it should be a key part of your strategy. It shows maturity and trustworthiness, and is an absolute requirement for Production Companies balancing the pushing creative boundaries while serving clients with the humility and empathy necessary for the pain points they face dailies as agencies and brands.

Collect Your Own Data
As filmmakers sometimes it's hard to understand how our work performs once it's out of our edit bays. But you can collect your own data as a production company or one-man-band that can be immensely helpful.  We spent a few weeks last year auditing every project and client we've ever had over our 14 year history, and the takeaways from that audit have been a game-changer for our new biz approach ever since. This process gave us clarity on where we shine, what industries we really enjoy creating in, what industries we're over-leveraged in, which we need to beef up to be more recession-proof, as well as which clients or agencies we probably should work with anymore because historically our team doesn't enjoy or feel inspired working on their projects.  For an industry that can be relatively emotive, having customized data for your brand helps you feel empowered to say things like "just to be transparent and respectful of your time, we typically have a minimum engagement fee of xyz - we just found we don't shine at projects below this number."

Build Partnerships, Not Just Projects
Success in this industry is a long-term game. As hard as it is to move from a project mentality (especially when you need a project to pay your rent or mortgage) if you can start thinking of work and clients as an investing in relationships, not as transactional opportunities, it builds trust and a deeper understanding of your client’s brand. This then allows for stronger creative collaborations, better work, and a more fair and equitable exchange of services between you and the clients you serve.

Story as a Strategy, Not a Service
Storytelling is still powerful, but only when it’s done with clarity and intent. Brands want emotional engagement, but they need you to connect the dots between story and results. If you focus only on beautiful visuals and what will look nice in your reel, you’ve 100% missed the mark.

Differentiate with Authentic Campaigns
Stop relying on generic claims like "we’re a full-service production company" or "let’s tell your story" as your CTA. Own what makes you unique and what sets you or your team apart. AI can tell stories now too—why should clients hire you?

Be A Team Player
Being dependable and positive—especially when things go wrong—goes a long way in this business. Clients (and production companies for that matter) re-hire creatives who come preloaded with the ability to problem-solve on the fly, maintain a can-do attitude, and hop in to help figure it out when timelines change or budgets are tight.

To check out the full episode, click HERE (or the video below) and to check out more work from beautifully talented filmmaker Drew Schettler and his company, Resonate Films - be sure to follow him on the gram.