Dmytro Antonov, 39 years

Not film school, but 15 years of practice — how an independent production company came to be

Today I am a director and video producer, and the owner of Ficus Films. I have been in this profession for a long time, but if we are talking specifically about working at a professional level, that is approximately 15 years in video production.

My path has not been about film school, but about practice: taking on increasingly complex tasks and gradually expanding my roles—from someone who «just shoots» to someone responsible for the result, the team, and quality that meets agency standards. I came into the field gradually. I wanted to become a director, but I started out as a videographer. I did not study at film school; at one point, when I was living in Germany, I applied to film school, but it did not work out. After returning to Ukraine, I continued on my own. When you spend many years «working at this» craft, a skill ’develops, and eventually it becomes a profession.

I worked at various production companies, including as a mechanic at Patriot Rental—an experience that gave me a deep understanding of how high-end shoots are actually put together. Later, I worked as a freelance director and camera operator, and at some point I realized that I was more comfortable building something of my own than fitting into someone else’s assignments and compensation limits.

My own production company grew out of that realization. My partner and I left the job where we had met and founded a video production company; the team came together later. Over the years, I have come to see two parallel paths of growth more and more clearly: the creative one—scale, complexity, and the level of expectations—and the entrepreneurial one—the team, delegation, finances, and finding clients.

Today, my biggest challenge is a sense of hitting a ceiling: I want to take on larger-scale and more complex projects, and that means rethinking how to grow the business. Responsibility and perseverance have been the foundation of that growth.

Responsibility—because in video production, it is not enough to come up with an idea and make a promise: the script has to be brought to life, and that always takes discipline, meeting deadlines, and being accountable to the client.

Perseverance—because in this industry, ups and downs are normal: busy periods give way to slower ones, and it is important not to stop halfway.

I wanted to be a director — left my job and founded a production company

How did you come up with the business idea?

The idea for my own video production company came about naturally: I wanted to be a director, spent many years gaining practical experience in the industry, worked on various video projects, and at some point realized I was more comfortable working «for myself» than under someone else’s assignments and conditions. My partner and I left the job where we had met and founded a production company; the team joined us later.

Responsibility and perseverance — two skills that keep a production company afloat

What key skills helped you launch your business?

Being accountable to the client and meeting deadlines; perseverance (not giving up halfway).

Clients, accounting, and agency standards — three challenges at the outset

What were the 3 most difficult challenges you faced in the first years?

• Finding new clients;
• Bookkeeping and the organizational «grown-up» side of things (sole proprietorship);
• Meeting the high quality standards of agencies.

Covid brought projects to a halt — video stock saved the business

What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?

• Covid-19: projects came to a halt, so I had to look for alternative sources of income—I turned to video stock to sell content online.
• The full-scale war was more of a period of opportunity for me.
• The current challenge is a sense of hitting a ceiling in my creative and business growth: I have clients and projects, but I want to take on more, and I am currently looking for a way to expand.

Delegation and new genres — what really helped Ficus Films grow

What decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

• Delegating and growing the team;
• Being willing to enter new niches and genres and not limit ourselves to a single format.

A lost track and a week’s wages deducted — a lesson in the cost of carelessness

What mistake do you now consider your most valuable experience?

While I was still working at Patriot Rental, I once lost an expensive aluminum dolly track (for the camera operator’s cart). The track was eventually found, but my manager deducted a week’s wages from me. So I remembered the lesson about the cost of carelessness and responsibility for equipment for a long time.’