Summary
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Zak Heald, Owner of Intercut Productions, a full-service video production agency in Bentonville, Arkansas. Zak shares about his early start in entrepreneurship and how he created Intercut Productions with a DBA the day he turned 16. Throughout the episode, Zak discusses how his team utilizes AI to increase productivity, his passion for aviation, and the power of ask.
Show Notes
(0:54) Introducing Zak Heald
(1:19) Zak’s Origin Story
(11:30) Building a Business and Learning on the Fly
(19:44) Zak’s Take on Machine Learning and AI
(30:22) Bentonville Studios
(34:49) Filming in Northwest Arkansas vs. Filming in Other Cities
(39:26) Supporting the Local Economy
(40:51) Incentive to Film in Arkansas
(47:03) Dozen Duzit
(52:46) Advice to the Younger Self | The Power of Ask
(57:00) Closing Thoughts
Links
Quotes
“We realized early on that we could build the business if we just had cash flow. Like, that was going to be the key to building the business was cash flow. And so we started pursuing those jobs that provided that cash flow. For us right out of the gate, that was weddings.” - Zak Heald, (14:54)
“I’ve just learned to set long-term goals, keep people really happy, provide as much value as you can, and it always comes back around.” - Zak Heald, (19:35)
“The more people understand AI, the more they use it, and the better they understand how it comes up with its answers, the more powerful it will become for people…once you understand how it’s being taught and all that, the ideas will come to you. How can I use this to better my business or to start a new business altogether?” - Zak Heald, (28:18)
“Our biggest thing right now is we want to provide that base infrastructure. Provide a place that productions can call home, whether they shoot in our studio, whether they just use it for offices and for building sets and all that kind of stuff. Regardless, we just want it to be a home base, a place that productions can feel like…it is their place.” - Zak Heald, (35:53)