Should Your Brand Build In-House Production?

One of the questions I hear most from brands is whether they should build in-house production.

I've built in-house production infrastructure at agencies and on the brand side. The answer comes down to two things: philosophy and logistics.

The philosophy: do what's best for the work

For a TV spot, streaming or online video with significant media behind it, the budget should buy the best partner to bring that idea to life. A staff director or in-house production team is rarely that partner for every job.

Filmmaking has dozens of genres, and no one person or small team does all of them at the highest level.

Think about renovating a house. You hire an electrician, a plumber, a flooring installer and a painter. Specialists. Commercials work the same way.

The logistics: production runs on speed and cash

A production company is built for speed. It's a lean core team, a roster of signed directors, and freelancers booked for exactly the days a job needs.

Inside a corporation, simple things slow down because of policies designed for other purposes. A few examples:

1. Petty cash. An art department build means buying a lot, fast, often in person. One corporate card passed around gets flagged or blocked. The build day doesn't move.
2. Checks. At a production company, the finance lead or managing director cuts a check immediately. At a corporation, there are forms, lead times and a finance team with other priorities.
3. Insurance. A production company issues a certificate of insurance immediately. Inside a corporation, it takes forms, lead times and a large insurer.

Every delay burns freelance days that were booked to keep the budget tight. It also adds stress for a team that should be focused on the work. These are just a few examples. There are many more.

When in-house production makes sense

In-house production makes sense when the volume justifies it:

• Simple post-production and motion graphics you produce over and over
• High-volume social content, interviews and man-on-the-street videos that don't need big-production polish
• Enough of that work to keep full-time people busy

A simple way to decide

Plot your work on two questions: how often you make it, and how much production quality and specialty it requires.

• High specialty, low volume: hire the specialist. TV, brand spots, media-backed and director-driven work.
• High specialty, high volume: go hybrid. Keep post-production in-house and bring in partners for the big jobs.
• Low specialty, low volume: use freelancers as needed. Occasional shoots, social, interviews and motion graphics.
• Low specialty, high volume: build in-house. Ongoing social, repeatable concepts and simple shoots.

Same work, different answer, depending on volume.

For brands and for agencies

For brands: build in-house for the work you make every week. Hire specialists for the work that has to be remarkable.

For agencies: the same test applies to your own in-house production offering.

This is a general framework, not a rule. Every brand's situation is different, and the right answer depends on your volume, your budget and the work itself.

Start with the work: what it is, how often you make it and how good it has to be. The model follows from that.

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Should a brand build in-house video production?

For high-volume, repeatable work like social content, interviews and motion graphics, often yes. For high-stakes work like TV and media-backed brand spots, specialist production companies usually deliver better results.

Why is in-house production difficult inside a large company?

Production depends on speed and cash. Corporate policies around purchasing, payments and insurance can slow down simple tasks, which wastes booked freelance days and adds cost.

When should a brand hire a production company instead?

When the work requires a high level of craft or a specific genre expertise, such as a TV spot or a director-driven campaign with significant media behind it.

What is a hybrid production model?

A hybrid model keeps steady work like post-production in-house and brings in outside production partners for larger, more complex jobs.