After 20 years working in video production, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with advertising and marketing agencies, including working at a few myself. I’ve seen a lot of changes in this industry. Some have been exciting. Others have left me wondering how we got here. Lately, I’ve been thinking about traditional advertising agencies and where they’re headed. I think many of them are in trouble. And it’s frustrating because I’ve met some incredibly talented people working at agencies. People who genuinely care about the work. But somewhere along the way, the process became more important than the people and the ideas. Too many layers of management. Too many meetings. Too many people protecting their piece of the process. Budgets inflated by unnecessary markups, and clients promised things that simply can’t be delivered. I’ve seen great ideas get buried under endless rounds of approvals. I’ve seen production companies handed concepts that look fantastic in a presentation but are nearly impossible to execute. And now, with AI entering the picture, I worry that some agencies are outsourcing the very parts of the creative process that deserve the most human attention. I love technology, but I still believe in sitting across from someone, listening to their story, and figuring out how to tell it through film.
That’s one of the reasons I started Rocket House Pictures.
I wanted to build a production company where the people developing the ideas are the same people responsible for making them happen. Where clients can have honest conversations about their budgets, their expectations, and what’s actually possible. No unnecessary layers. No inflated promises. No complicated process designed to justify a bigger invoice. Just good people working together to make great films. Of course, running a production company comes with its own challenges. We have budgets, deadlines, difficult conversations, and plenty of problems to solve. But I never want the business of making films to become more important than the films themselves. And I don’t think every traditional agency is going away. There are great agencies doing excellent work. But I do think clients are getting tired of paying for complexity that doesn’t necessarily produce better results. I still get excited about showing up on set. I love meeting people, hearing their stories, working alongside talented crews, and seeing everything come together in the edit. That’s what keeps me going. I don’t want to spend my days worrying about agency politics, protecting margins, or sitting through another meeting about a meeting. I want to work with people I respect, help clients tell their stories, and create something we’re proud to put our names on.
And that’s why, today and every day, we’re gonna make some beautiful videos.
Gio Toninelo - Founder, Rocket House Pictures
