Podcast
Scale Your Video Business with Den Lennie
Hosted by Den Lennie · EN
A podcast for production company owners who want a business that runs without them.
Den Lennie has spent 14 years coaching 178 video production companies through the same five stages: Operator, Juggler, Stabiliser, Strategist, Scaler. Each episode covers one move that helps owners climb from where they are to where they want to be.
No hustle theatre. No recycled frameworks. Just the work.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The thing filmmakers tell themselves in June EP#406
1w ago00:10:04Tap to summarizeMost video business owners don't lose money in the quiet months. They lose it in the busy ones, and they just don't know it yet.This episode is for the filmmaker who's busy right now and feels fine about it. Calendar's full, invoices are going out, the phone rings. Nothing feels wrong.That's the problem.In 14 years of coaching 178 video businesses, Den has watched the same pattern repeat every year. Summer feels fine. September gets weird. October goes quiet. By January, the calls come in. And the founders who get hit hardest aren't the ones already struggling. They're the ones who were comfortable through the busy months and stopped sharpening.Inside this episode:Why busy is not the same as buildingThe 90-day lag and what it's already telling you about your autumnThe four sentences filmmakers say to themselves that all mean the same thingWhy comfort is the most expensive position in the market right nowWhat sharpening actually looks like when the work is already thereDen also shares why the London workshop on June 23 and 24 is directly connected to this conversation, who's already in the room, and why the tools being shared are staying private on purpose.If you've been meaning to look at this and haven't, that's data. If you've watched the page three times and not booked, that's also data. Both are telling you something about the position you're in.Listen now.🎟 London workshop, June 23-24: https://denlennie.com/london-ai-workshopMentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →The job you couldn't miss until something better came along EP#405
2w ago00:07:44Tap to summarizeIf you run a video production business and find yourself saying "I have to be there" about almost every job, this episode is for you. Den Lennie tells the story of a video production client who was exhibiting at a major trade show and was adamant he had to leave for a couple of hours on the first day to babysit an important client. When Den checked in later, it turned out the client work had been covered by someone else, because a bigger opportunity had come along. The episode unpacks why so many videographers, freelancers, and video business owners confuse indispensability with importance, and offers a simple coaching framework for testing whether you're actually as essential as you think. Useful listening for any videographer making the shift from operator to business owner.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →Videographers-In Marketing, you're either winning or you're learning. EP#404
3w ago00:12:15Tap to summarizeMost video business owners I work with are scared of marketing. Because when it doesn't work, they take it personally.But you're either winning or you're learning. Marketing is just a series of tests to figure out what doesn't work until you find what does.What makes it harder is the market keeps moving. What worked last year might not work now.In this episode I'm sharing my current approach, confessing where we got it wrong recently, what we learned from it, and how we're moving forward.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →Videographers have the loneliest job, and AI is making it worse EP#403
May 600:14:08Tap to summarizeI'm going to say it: filmmakers have the loneliest job. You already spend hours editing on your own. When you're not stressing about the current project, you're stressing about the next project, and A.I. is making it worse. You're already overwhelmed by how much you have to do and how behind you are on the edit. Now every time you look at YouTube, you feel like you're getting behind on AI, and that just adds to your stress. Today I'm going to share the most important thing you could hear all year.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →Why Video Business Owners Hate Selling and What It’s Really Costing You. EP #402
Apr 3000:06:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Den discusses the psychological barriers that keep video production owners from scaling. By shifting from a "cameraman" identity to a "CEO" mindset, you can turn awkward sales calls into predictable revenue.Here’s what you’ll learn:Why selling feels fake or pushyCameraman vs CEO thinkingHow to approach sales as problem-solvingWhy long-term relationships matterIf you want consistent growth without relying on referrals, this is for you.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →The $100k Editing Trap EP#401
Apr 2800:10:35Tap to summarizeIf you are still opening Premiere Pro every day, you have a $100,000 identity problem. You’re performing $30/hr laboor in a business that needs $500/hr leadership. Today, I’m breaking down the 'Technician’s Ceiling' and the exact moment you must put down the mouse to save your profit margins.First of the "shorties" back on the feed. Straight out of last week's Elite call, where two or three members were wrestling with the same stuck point: they're still in the edit, and it's capping the business.The belief underneath it is the one I want to kill in this episode. The idea that your client hires you because of what you do on the tools. They don't. That's an identity you've attached to yourself, and it's the exact thing keeping you stuck as the operator. Richard Branson doesn't fly the plane. Nobody thinks Virgin is a worse airline for it.I talk through one client with a $160K/year account that nearly walked because the founder over-promised, hit a capacity wall, and the edit became the bottleneck. And another Elite client who just won a $67K government project in a technical area he knew almost nothing about, with four more in the pipeline. Potentially $335K of work, because he built the environment and the team instead of trying to be the one pressing the buttons.Then I walk through the S.C.A.L.E. Staircase from the book: Operator, Juggler, Stabilizer, Strategist, Scaler. Most people think they're further up than they are. Most are still in Operator or Juggler. The move out of Operator isn't more AI agents, more tools, or a more complex stack. It's simplification. Delete first, delegate second, defer third, in that order.Pat grew from $160K to over $2M once he accepted that the creativity was in building the team, building the machine, and buying back his time, not in touching the last 10% of the edit.If you want to know where you actually sit on the staircase, the quiz is at scalemethodbook.com.The question I'll leave you with: are you still the bottleneck in your own business?Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →Episode 400: The ROI of 150,000 Downloads EP#400
Apr 2300:06:48Tap to summarizeEpisode 400. Eight years. 150,000 downloads. Clients doing over $60 million in revenue across that time.This one's off the cuff. I was packing the car for a week's camping with Sam when I realised we'd hit 400 episodes, and I wasn't going to let it slide past without saying something.No guest, no script, just me on the mic. The $60 million number sounds big until you work out it averages around $280K a year in revenue growth per client, which is the figure that actually matters. And the thing I'm most proud of isn't the revenue. It's watching Caleb have three kids, Grant getting married this year, Andres going from $300K to over a million. That's what this work is really about.I also get into why I recorded the audio version of The S.C.A.L.E. Method myself instead of using a voice clone, and why I think the video businesses thriving in an AI world are the ones leaning harder into their humanity, not further from it. AI tools are tools. A great human who can interpret a concept and move someone emotionally is not a tool, and that's where the real opportunity sits.Fourteen weeks straight this year. Time to go camping. Thank you for being here.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →The $10k/Month AI Distraction! EP#399
Apr 2100:09:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Den dives into a trap that many filmmakers and creative entrepreneurs are falling into: the "productivity" of building things you don't actually need. With the rise of AI tools and "vibe coding," it has never been easier to spend hours automating processes or building custom calculators. But Den challenges you to ask: Is this moving the needle, or is it just "Creative Arrogance" the belief that being busy is the same as being productive?Key highlights include:The Decision Avoidance Trap: Why we choose the comfort of building tools over the discomfort of reaching out to clients.The Effective Hourly Rate: A simple calculation to determine if your time spent "tinkering" is actually costing your business thousands.Humanism vs. Automation: Why humans can sense "fake" content and why your unique human perspective remains your most valuable product.The Difference Between $100k and $1M Businesses: Insights from the Ascend and Elite groups on why high-revenue filmmakers prioritise outreach over perfect workflows.Real-World AI Use Cases: A look at how to build tools that actually capture leads—like a non-profit quoting calculator—versus tools that just create more formatting work.Stop using AI as a convenient distraction. Tune in to learn how to filter your daily tasks through one simple lens: Is this actively getting me in front of a customer?Upcoming WorkshopDen is hosting a 2-day deep-dive workshop in Central London on June 23rd & 24th. We’ll be building the assets that actually move the needle for your business. Spaces are moving fast and will likely sell out before going public.Interested? Email Den directly at den@denlennie.com for the details.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →The $123k Comeback: The Power of Compound Content. EP #398
Apr 1800:07:05Tap to summarizeWhat do you do when a high-value client leaves for a cheaper competitor? In this episode, we break down a real-world case study of a $123,000 contract that turned into a five-year deal. The secret wasn't a better pitch; it was a consistent content strategy that kept the relationship warm while the business was on pause.Here is what you’ll discover:Why your pipeline is a mirror of your activity from 90 days ago.The reason high-end clients don't care about your "viral" metrics.How to use "behind the scenes" content to build uncopyable authority.Why "cheaper" competitors are your best marketing tool (if you stay visible).Moving from "Technician" to "Farmer" status in your agency.If you feel you’re "too busy" to create content, this episode is a wake-up call on the true cost of being invisible.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
Transcribe →The Authenticity Moat: Marketing in a Fake World. EP #397
Apr 700:05:16Tap to summarizeIn a world flooded with generative AI "slop," high-end brands are terrified of looking cheap. Trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy. In this episode, Den breaks down why your biggest competitive advantage in 2026 isn't your gear, but your transparency.Here is what you’ll discover:The Era of AI Fatigue: Why consumers are pushing back against "perfect" content.The Glass Box Strategy: How to use your production process to build an "Authenticity Moat."Brand Safety: Why high-ticket clients buy human guarantees, not video files.Organic vs. Processed: How to use luxury positioning to stop price-shopping.The Market Split: Why the creative industry is dividing into "Fast Food" and "Farm-to-Table."If you want to move from the "Technician Trap" to a strategic "Farmer" model, this episode is your blueprint.Mentoring options : www.denlennie.comConnect with Den on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/den_lennie
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