If I’m Starting a Production Company in 2026, I’d Do This ft. Mitchell Thayne

Try Artlist Flows on Artlist plus get 2 extra months free when you use our code on an annual subscription: https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist\aid=the505podcast\2970&utm\source=affiliate\p&utm\medium=the505podcast\2970&utm\campaign=the505podcast\2970 What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Mitchell Thayne, founder of Film Lab. In this episode, we break down what separates a $3,000 freelance video from a $100,000+ commercial production, how Mitchell built Film Lab into a full-scale production company, what brands are actually paying for at that level, and how to land bigger clients. We also get into hiring, payroll, pricing commercial projects, navigating slow seasons, a shot-by-shot breakdown of one of Film Lab’s campaigns, and how Mitchell is applying everything he’s learned in production to building his running brand, Deadlast. Check Out Mitchell Here: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellthayne/ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:22 – $3K Freelancer vs. $100K+ Production Company 03:00 – What Brands Expect From Six-Figure Productions 04:59 – Turning One Video Into an Entire Campaign 08:00 – How to Land Your First $10K+ Video Job 10:27 – Finding the Right People to Build With 11:35 – Using Your Work to Attract Bigger Clients 14:09 – Artlist 14:45 – Making Your First Full-Time Hire 18:31 – How Do You Make Payroll With a 15-Person Team? 22:03 – What Creatives Should Do During Slow Seasons 25:21 – The Best Investments for a Production Company 28:26 – When Buying Your Own Camera Gear Makes Sense 29:46 – Why Line-Item Pricing Changes Everything 30:41 – How Traveling Commercial Productions Work 31:59 – Breaking Down a Film Lab Commercial 32:35 – How Film Lab Landed the Client 38:08 – Does Mitchell Still Shoot and Direct? 38:57 – Shot-by-Shot Commercial Breakdown 41:34 – Robot Arms, Ice Shots & VFX 44:01 – How They Lit the Final Shot 44:50 – Deliverables Beyond the Hero Video 46:17 – Mitchell’s Biggest Lesson From the Shoot 48:30 – What’s Next for Film Lab? 51:06 – Why Investors Want Into the Creator Economy 52:30 – Why YouTubers Are Moving Into Movies 54:35 – How Do You Get a Documentary Funded? 59:03 – Building Dead Last From Scratch 1:05:14 – Using Content & Paid Ads to Scale a Brand 1:07:41 – Why Dead Last’s Product Actually Stands Out 1:08:42 – Balancing Film Lab and Dead Last 1:11:45 – Can Dead Last Pay Film Lab to Make Its Content? 1:14:13 – The Biggest Lesson From Building a Deadlast If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/  Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/