The Ugly, Unfiltered Truth of Being a Solo Creative Studio
Freedom feels good until you realize it follows you everywhere.
People love to romanticize the solo filmmaker life.
There’s flexibility and autonomy. It’s the “I answer to no one” fantasy…
But nobody tells you the part about being a one-man studio - where your life and your business aren’t two things… they’re one braided rope.
And when life yanks on its end, the business gets dragged right along with it.
Let me show you two moments that slapped that reality across my face.
👶 The Job That Collided With Real Life
I produced a multi-six-figure Embassy Suites rebrand project - multi-state crew, talent, wardrobe, logistics, the whole 9-yards.
And the timing couldn’t have been worse…
My second kid was entering the world. By the time cameras rolled, he was just a few weeks old. Newborn smell still fresh.
So, I built a team, set up remote monitoring, had everything dialed in so I could manage from afar while time team on the ground took the lead.
It should’ve been smooth. Everything was set up to win.
Then, the phone rang.
Long story short, the drama looked like - client lead vs. producer. Wardrobe meltdown. Egos vs. patience. You name it.
And the message I got from the client producer was basically:
“Get on a plane. Now.”
So I kissed my wife goodbye - not the romantic kind, the exhausted “good luck, don’t kill me” kind - left her with a toddler and a newborn, and caught a red-eye to fix grown adults acting like high school theater kids.
Was it as catastrophic as they said? Of course not. Not even close. Some friction between personalities. One unprofessional moment from a local crew member.
But here’s the part that clung to me:
When you are the face of the business, your life doesn’t get to interrupt the work. The work interrupts your life.
And you just… go.
💉 Fast-Forward to This Week
If you’ve been reading along, you know the universe threw a plot twist at me: testicular cancer.
My past couple months have been: Surgery. Recovery. And now, chemo.
The whole trilogy I never wanted to see.
And two days after my first (and only) round of chemo?
I’m in a car driving the team to Scottsdale to oversee a commercial shoot.
Could someone else have handled it? Technically, yes.
Would the client have been cool with that? Probably. They are one of my favorite clients.
But when you run a solo video agency - when you are the product - your presence is part of the package. Your judgment is the deliverable and your brain is the asset they think they’re paying for.
And sometimes… your body is in no mood to cooperate.
🎬 The Truth No One Markets on Instagram
People love to talk about the “freedom” of owning a business like it’s a hammock.
But freedom as a solo creative is more like a thread tied to your ankle.
You move, the business moves. You get sick, the business limps. A baby is born, a crisis arrives, a client panics -
there’s no buffer.
Even when you outsource, systemize, hire editors, assistants, whatever…
There are moments where you ARE the business.
Nobody puts that in their “start your agency” webinar slides.
💡 The Takeaway
Running a solo creative studio is freedom with weight.
A dream that comes with a cost - not devastating, but real.
But here’s the secret most people miss:
The goal isn’t to escape the weight.
It’s to build a life where carrying it feels meaningful.
And even on the hardest days - newborns, chemo, flights, chaos -
I’m still choosing this life on purpose.
Because it’s still worth it to me.
But is it worth it to you? Only you can decide.
Cheers,
Alex