Just Joel: State of Studios 2025 - The 7 Laws of Thriving Studios
Mon Dec 29 2025
What’s actually happening inside creative studios right now?I work with hundreds of creative studios and production companies across 40+ countries — motion design, VFX, live action, experiential, music, and sound. And toward the end of every year, founders ask me the same question:
“You work across the industry… what are you seeing right now?”
This episode is my answer.
Not pulled from headlines.Not scraped from LinkedIn posts.Not theory.
This is pattern recognition drawn from real conversations inside Forum®, private working sessions, founder dinners, sales calls, boardrooms, and years of building and advising studios at the highest level.
⸻
This isn’t a downturn. It’s a reconfiguration.
In 2025, something surprising happened: • Studios were busy • Revenue went up • Payrolls shrank
Smaller teams.Higher leverage.Clearer positioning.
At the same time, the anxious middle of the industry is being pulled into a race to the bottom — faster than ever.
Ryan Summers and I call this shift The Great Bifurcation.
In this episode of The Fabulist™, I break down the Seven Laws of Thriving Studios — the patterns separating studios that are gaining authority from those losing relevance.
⸻
The Seven Laws Covered in This Episode 1. From Servicing Projects → Solving Problems 2. From Order Taker → Expert 3. From Outsider → Insider (Experts Travel) 4. From Hoping to Win → Pitching to Win 5. From Selling Inputs → Selling Outputs 6. From One of Many → The One & Only (a → the™) 7. From Attention → Trust
We also cover: • Why AI doesn’t replace expertise — it amplifies it • Why pitching (done well) is still the highest-ROI activity for top studios • Why trust will be the rarest asset in the next creative era • Why founders are shrinking teams while increasing revenue • How insiders think differently than vendors
⸻
Referenced Conversations & Contributors
This episode draws from real conversations and sessions with founders and leaders including:
Ryan SummersKevin Rapp (Ultra Friends)Jeremy Dimmock (Polyester Studio)Nuno FerreiraJustin Cone (BUCK)Mitch Monson (Sibling Rivalry)Tony Kadillak (VERSUS)Tim Bradley (Pennant Video)Ed Rhine (Spillt)Dominic DiMariaMartin Schurmann (Váscolo)Radim MalinicMatt Hernandez (Paramount)⸻
About Me
I’m Joel Pilger — former studio founder (20 years at Impossible Pictures), advisor to the world’s top creative studios, host of The Fabulist™ podcast, curator of Fuse private dinners, and founder of Forum™, the private peer community where studio owners master the art of the business.
Most of the conversations you hear on this podcast continue inside Forum — where founders stop being order takers and start leading as experts.
⸻
If this episode made you uncomfortable… good.
That usually means one of these Laws is already at work in your business.
👉 Learn more about Forum™ and how studio founders are navigating this shift together at joelpilger.com
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What’s actually happening inside creative studios right now?I work with hundreds of creative studios and production companies across 40+ countries — motion design, VFX, live action, experiential, music, and sound. And toward the end of every year, founders ask me the same question: “You work across the industry… what are you seeing right now?” This episode is my answer. Not pulled from headlines.Not scraped from LinkedIn posts.Not theory. This is pattern recognition drawn from real conversations inside Forum®, private working sessions, founder dinners, sales calls, boardrooms, and years of building and advising studios at the highest level. ⸻ This isn’t a downturn. It’s a reconfiguration. In 2025, something surprising happened: • Studios were busy • Revenue went up • Payrolls shrank Smaller teams.Higher leverage.Clearer positioning. At the same time, the anxious middle of the industry is being pulled into a race to the bottom — faster than ever. Ryan Summers and I call this shift The Great Bifurcation. In this episode of The Fabulist™, I break down the Seven Laws of Thriving Studios — the patterns separating studios that are gaining authority from those losing relevance. ⸻ The Seven Laws Covered in This Episode 1. From Servicing Projects → Solving Problems 2. From Order Taker → Expert 3. From Outsider → Insider (Experts Travel) 4. From Hoping to Win → Pitching to Win 5. From Selling Inputs → Selling Outputs 6. From One of Many → The One & Only (a → the™) 7. From Attention → Trust We also cover: • Why AI doesn’t replace expertise — it amplifies it • Why pitching (done well) is still the highest-ROI activity for top studios • Why trust will be the rarest asset in the next creative era • Why founders are shrinking teams while increasing revenue • How insiders think differently than vendors ⸻ Referenced Conversations & Contributors This episode draws from real conversations and sessions with founders and leaders including: Ryan SummersKevin Rapp (Ultra Friends)Jeremy Dimmock (Polyester Studio)Nuno FerreiraJustin Cone (BUCK)Mitch Monson (Sibling Rivalry)Tony Kadillak (VERSUS)Tim Bradley (Pennant Video)Ed Rhine (Spillt)Dominic DiMariaMartin Schurmann (Váscolo)Radim MalinicMatt Hernandez (Paramount)⸻ About Me I’m Joel Pilger — former studio founder (20 years at Impossible Pictures), advisor to the world’s top creative studios, host of The Fabulist™ podcast, curator of Fuse private dinners, and founder of Forum™, the private peer community where studio owners master the art of the business. Most of the conversations you hear on this podcast continue inside Forum — where founders stop being order takers and start leading as experts. ⸻ If this episode made you uncomfortable… good. That usually means one of these Laws is already at work in your business. 👉 Learn more about Forum™ and how studio founders are navigating this shift together at joelpilger.com