How to land big budget video clients without “connections”

From $500 music videos to six-figure productions, I sat down with up-and-coming photographer Cilantro to break down what it really takes to level up in the creative industry. This is a raw, unfiltered conversation between two filmmakers at different stages of their careers...diving deep into mentorship, ego, gear obsession, and why your personal work might just be your most valuable investment. We talk about navigating plateaus, building an undeniable portfolio, communicating your vision (even with limited budgets), and what it actually takes to build a core team you can trust. Cilantro also opens up about burnout, finding his voice, and the harsh realities of getting noticed in an oversaturated industry. If you’re a creative trying to break through, this episode is your blueprint.   00:40 Hitting a Ceiling in Work 01:54 Exposure to Larger Productions 04:34 Finding Mentorship 05:09 Building Trust with Production Companies 06:00 First Major Label Music Video 06:27 Arrad's Big Break from Working With Tyga 07:03 Creating a Proof of Concept 07:30 Challenges in Photography 08:52 Finding Your Style 09:09 Shadowing Professionals 14:42 Building a Core Team 16:49 Dealing with Low Budgets 17:12 How to Build Your Team 18:04 Best Gear for Filmmakers 18:55 Obsessing Over Gear: Is It Necessary? 19:20 Using iPhones for Professional Shoots 22:41 Owning vs. Renting Gear 26:15 Making Your Offer Undeniable 29:09 Executing Personal Projects 31:36 Creating for Yourself 32:35 Breaking Into Commercials 33:30 Curating Your Portfolio   Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arrad (podcast host)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow ⁠Cilantro   LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SPOTIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠APPLE MUSIC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   CONNECT WITH US: ✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ourselves (production team)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:  ✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook