#31 - Chris Hocking: Saying Yes, Solving Problems, and Building Tools That Ship

Say yes, solve the real problem, and ship the work. In this conversation, Chris Hocking shares how a childhood around backyard films, touring, live production, and generous mentors led to nearly two decades building LateNite across film, post-production, and software.Sam and Chris talk about impossible briefs, collaborative crews, underwater bars, burning beds, Final Cut Pro tools, CommandPost, Blackmagic RAW, and the kind of practical creative problem-solving that gets useful work over the line. A fun, generous conversation about staying useful, keeping things moving, and building with people who have your back.This episode explores:nearly 20 years of LateNite and why Chris still says yesfamily, grandparents, and early access to film, live production, and backstage workTweenies, animatronics, and growing up fast in touringwhy collaboration and mentorship matter so much in film and TVimpossible projects, small budgets, and making the brief work anywayCommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and solving workflow problems for real editorshow software became both a business line and a creative pressure pointAI, product thinking, and why Chris cares more about shipping than perfectionGuest bio:Chris Hocking is the co-founder of LateNite, a Melbourne production studio he has helped build since 2007. His path has spanned animatronics on the BBC Tweenies, lighting design for live productions, post-production supervision, filmmaking, workflow design, and software development.Alongside production work, Chris created CommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and other tools used by editors and filmmakers, and runs FCP Cafe. His credits include The Wizards of Aus, The Legend of Burnout Barry, Lambs of God, and music videos for artists including Peking Duk, Cosmo’s Midnight, Rufus du Sol, Casey Donovan, and Guy Pearce.Guest links:Chris Hocking - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisatlatenite/LateNite - https://latenitefilms.comLateNite Apps - http://fcp.cafe/latenite/Childhood Films - https://www.youtube.com/hockingstudiosChapters:00:00 Chris introduction01:29 Nineteen years of LateNite and saying yes07:14 Backyard films, family influence, and early making12:11 Tweenies, animatronics, and growing up in touring18:18 Collaboration, impossible projects, and making things happen30:09 From tinkering to CommandPost37:02 BRAW Toolbox, software pressure, and AI49:35 Mentors, communities, and a rolodex of geniusesExplore further:Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.auLearn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.auSubscribe to hear future episodesAbout Natural Genius:Natural Genius is a podcast by Samantha Bell exploring how thoughtful people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are.Across conversations with guests from many walks of life, Natural Genius looks for the live signal beneath the noise, and offers insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom for hearing what matters.Credits:Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 17 March, 2026.Produced at the Violet Town office, 17 March - 3 April, 2026.