PMRE 2025 with Todd Kivimaki from Spiro and Josh Mais from AutoEnhance.AI

PropMedia Podcast: Episode 16Matty and Moses from Pixlmob and PropMedia.com are joined at PMRE by Todd Kivimaki, co-founder of WOW Video Tours and Spiro Media.Todd shares the story of how he started his real estate media business 22 years ago, when he was in his second year of college. Being creative and owning a camera, he looked for ways to make money. When his parents were selling their house in 2004, Todd noticed that listings only had about six photos on the internet, which was still dial-up. He decided to put video on the internet for real estate listings, a novelty at the time.The conversation continues with Todd detailing the growth of WOW Video Tours, including his initial idea for a brokerage subscription model in Lima, Ohio. This early model involved agents paying a flat monthly fee for Todd to shoot all their listings.Todd explains how the current brokerage deal structure is a "top-down selling" approach, focusing on the broker-in-charge. This strategy focuses on "speaking broker," emphasizing the benefits of professional media for increasing market share, recruiting agents, and simplifying media buying. Todd also addresses the challenge of scaling a large business, managing high volume, and delegating tasks to avoid the "owner trap".Later in the episode, the hosts speak with Josh Mais, who started as a real estate photo editor before launching his real estate photography business in Kansas City in 2012. Josh discusses the evolution of the real estate media industry from focusing on the "craft of photography" to the "craft of business," largely driven by the growth of teams and automation tools. Josh is also the founder of Show&Tour, a platform built to efficiently deliver media and handle volume.Josh and the hosts discuss the impact of AI on the industry, noting that while AI is great for consistency and scale, there will always be a need for the "human touch" and personal service.Key Topics Covered:Building a Real Estate Media BusinessWOW Video Tours and the Brokerage Subscription ModelThe Strategy of "Speaking Broker" for Brokerage DealsAvoiding the "Owner Trap"Scaling a Media Company and Managing VolumeThe Founding of Show and TourThe Evolution of Real Estate Media IndustryThe Role of AI in Photography and BusinessDiversifying Commercial Real Estate ServicesGuest Information:Todd Kivimaki: Co-founder of WOW Video Tours and Spiro Media (spiro.media)Josh Mais: Founder of Show and Tour (showandtour.com) and works with Autoenhance.AI