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What’s up Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Evan Tanaka, director, DP, and founder of Naka Studios, a production company working with brands like Panda Express, Google, Marvel, Bud Light, and more. In this episode, we get into what actually separates the videographers who level up from the ones who stay stuck, why relationships and trust matter more than gear or talent, how Evan went from one-man-band creator to running a studio with bigger crews and bigger productions, the unspoken rules of working with brands and agencies, how to build trust before you ever step on set, when to speak up creatively versus when to bite your tongue, why renegotiating your rate during a shoot can ruin a relationship, how social media became one of the best investments in his business, and the real playbook for turning small opportunities into long-term brand relationships.

Check out Evan here:
https://www.instagram.com/evan_naka/

00:00 – Intro
01:08 – One-Handed Crack
02:00 – Welcome Evan Tanaka
02:15 – Going From One-Man Band to Bigger Productions
04:43 – How to Build Trust With Clients
06:08 – Building Trust Before You Get on Set
07:20 – Adding Creative Ideas Without Overstepping
09:00 – When to Speak Up vs. Bite Your Tongue
11:53 – Beehiiv Sponsor
12:54 – How Evan Built His Relationship With Panda Express
18:30 – How to Light Food and Beverage
21:56 – Positioning Yourself Around a Specific Niche
24:38 – What Evan Learned From Bigger Commercial Sets
26:15 – Building a Team You Can Trust
28:56 – How Crew Members Can Get Hired by Production Companies
29:46 – Why Making People’s Lives Easier Gets You Rehired
32:18 – Why Renegotiating Rates During a Shoot Is a Bad Move
33:21 – What Evan Learned From Getting an MBA
36:48 – Why Social Media Was Evan’s Best Business Investment
38:47 – Building Margins and Actually Making Money
41:26 – How to Add Value Without Overcomplicating the Budget
43:19 – Giving Brands More Content Without More Work
45:43 – Shooting 16:9 vs. Vertical for Social
48:12 – Gear Investments That Were Worth It
50:25 – Why the FX6 Wasn’t Evan’s Best Investment
52:00 – Why Evan’s Studio Was One of His Best Investments
53:56 – Thinking About the Next 10 Years of Your Career
55:12 – Growing Into a Bigger “Fishbowl”
56:40 – How AI Could Impact Food and Product Production
58:58 – Which Creative Niches Are Safe From AI
1:01:47 – How AI Could Change Location-Based Shoots
1:03:15 – Why Real Photography Still Matters
1:06:46 – How Licensing Works With Bigger Brands
1:09:32 – When to Get an Agent or Manager
1:11:35 – Why Evan Doesn’t Do Outbound Anymore
1:12:01 – The Right Way to Build Relationships
1:14:36 – Why “Can I Pick Your Brain?” Usually Doesn’t Work
1:17:39 – The Shoot That Made Evan Realize He Had Leveled Up
1:19:47 – Going From Shooter to Director
1:20:08 – Why You Need to Build the Body of Work for the Role You Want
1:21:56 – Stop Taking Jobs for the Role You Don’t Want
1:22:59 – Wrapping the Episode With Evan

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