Written by Den Lennie, who appears on this list, so read it knowing that. It's a small industry and the overlaps run deep: Ryan Spanger spent two years as a VBA member (his case study is on this site), three of the coaches below have been guests on Den's podcast, and one is a friend. Each is described fairly, from their own published material and from knowing them. If one of them is the better fit for you, hire them.
Why a specialist matters
A generic business coach has never priced a corporate shoot, never lost margin to an undefined revision round, never had the whole company stop because the owner went on holiday. The coaches below have all run video businesses themselves. That's the entry criterion for this list, and it's the first thing to check about anyone selling you coaching in this industry.
The coaches
Den Lennie, Video Business Accelerator
Three decades in production, starting in broadcast TV, then around a decade running his own production company. Author of five books for video business owners since 2014, including The S.C.A.L.E. Method (2026). Coaches production company owners in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada through the VBA Elite Boardroom: weekly group calls, a community with a written code of conduct, and a proprietary AI toolset built for video production companies. Over eight years his clients have generated more than $52M in additional revenue, average growth around $292K in 18 months, average member retention 27 months. Pricing is public, with no application and no lock-in.
Best for: owners doing roughly $100K to $1M a year who want off the tools and a structured, anti-hype path from operator to CEO.
Connor Rickey
Coaches videographers on sales, positioning and lead generation, with a particular strength in paid-ads-driven models for client acquisition and retention, and offers built to be easy for clients to buy. A friend of Den's, and one of the sharper operators in the space on predictable lead flow.
Best for: videographers who want paid ads doing the client-attraction work, with retention built into the model.
Ryan Spanger, Dream Engine
Founder of Dream Engine, a Melbourne production company running since 2002, and twenty-plus years into the industry. Ryan spent two years inside the VBA while running Dream Engine, acquired two businesses in that time, and has been a guest on Den's podcast; the working relationship has run in both directions, and his reasoning for staying coachable at twenty years in is worth reading in his own words: "There's a danger once your business is quite mature to just be doing the same things and getting the same result. But the industry's changing, business is changing, and I knew that I needed to be here to keep sharpening what I'm doing." He now coaches earlier-stage videographers through a group model: weekly calls and a members' chat community.
Best for: early-stage videographers who want a group format led by a working Australian production company founder.
Ryan Koral, Studio Sherpas
Runs Studio Sherpas, one of the longest-standing names in the niche, built around one of its most established podcasts. His coaching focuses on sales, pricing and systems so owners stop doing everything themselves. He's been a guest on Den's podcast.
Best for: US-based owners who want a long-running podcast and community ecosystem around their coaching.
Ben Amos, Engage Video Marketing
Founder of Innovate Media and Engage Video Marketing in Australia. Ben wears more hats than most on this list: he runs his production company, teaches a video strategy course, hosts podcasts, coaches, and is one of the most active community builders in the industry. His through-line is video strategy: producers positioned as strategic partners to their clients, not content suppliers. He's also been a guest on Den's podcast.
Best for: producers who want a course-led route into selling strategy, from someone still running the production company alongside it.
Kris Groom, Creative Method Academy
Business advisor to video producers since 2007. His academy and membership programmes teach pitching, selling and producing commercial video work, drawing on his own production sales track record.
Best for: producers who want structured training courses alongside advisory support.
How to choose
Four questions cut through it. Has the coach run a video production business themselves, and for how long? Is their proof specific and verifiable, or adjectives? Is their pricing public, or does it appear only on a sales call? And does their model match how you learn: community, courses, or one-to-one. Whoever you choose, real change in a video business takes 9 to 18 months. Anyone promising a fundamental reshape in 30 days is selling the hype this industry already has too much of.
If the way this page is written sounds like the kind of straight talk you want in your corner, start with the video business coaching page or go straight to the Elite Boardroom.
See the Elite Boardroom