Interview with Victor Galinet (ISTEC 2014), Co-Founder of Mojo Studio

Can you briefly describe your career path?

I graduated from ISTEC in 2014. During my first three years, I completed several internships and missions: I worked part-time in the hospitality industry, managed a Nicolas store, spent two years at Roland Garros, and then did an internship at CBA, a packaging agency. In my fourth and fifth years, I was on an apprenticeship program at Citroën, where I worked as a digital project manager. I was later hired by Citroën and spent two years handling e-reputation, social media performance, and social care strategy. Now, I have been leading Mojo Studio for over 4 years.

What sparked your desire to become an entrepreneur and the idea behind Mojo Studio?

I always wanted to try my hand at entrepreneurship at least once in my life, and the timing seemed right. I had four solid years of experience in a company to reassure me, my personal life was taking shape, and I didn’t have children, so there was little risk involved. I also had a business partner whom I believed would make it work. Mojo Studio emerged as a pivot from our first unsuccessful venture. We wanted to provide video services to companies in the tourism sector, but the business didn’t take off as we had hoped. However, we started receiving more and more requests from companies for video projects. We embraced the opportunity and were ready to meet those demands, with my partner handling the technical aspects of video projects and myself focusing on the business and strategy side.

What does Mojo Studio do?

Mojo Studio is a consulting and creative agency specializing in content creation. We produce video and photo content for all types of businesses, including advertising, corporate content, events, documentaries, interviews, motion design, and even live shopping. We oversee the entire production process. While our strong digital DNA primarily focuses on managing digital and social media campaigns, we also handle television projects. Our key values are expertise, agility, and transparency.

How were the early stages and subsequent development of Mojo Studio?

Even though my business partner and I had some prior experience, we learned a lot on the go as we worked on different projects. Eventually, we developed a distinctive and personalized production approach. Initially, we took on many tasks ourselves. Although this didn’t lead to rapid company growth, it allowed us to master our subjects perfectly and allocate responsibilities more effectively, which enabled us to delegate better later on. Naturally, the projects became more significant, and clients became more loyal. This allowed us to gradually expand our team in project management and post-production to handle a higher volume of projects with greater ambition. Currently, we have 15 employees in the agency, in addition to the numerous freelancers and intermittent workers we collaborate with.

How did Mojo Studio and its teams navigate the COVID-19 crisis?

Like everyone else, it was an entirely unprecedented situation for us. So, once again, we learned by doing! Operationally, we had around thirty shoots canceled, with uncertain rescheduling. For a young company like ours, this had a significant impact on our growth, and we had very little visibility into the future. We had completed a lot of filming before the lockdown was announced, so we had to manage post-production remotely. We reorganized the agency by holding daily team meetings to kick off the day and prioritize different tasks. We also took the opportunity to address deeper issues that were often neglected amidst various urgent matters. Additionally, we used this time to pursue training opportunities.

How many people are currently at Mojo Studio?

We currently have 15 employees and will soon reach 20 by September. Profiles are quite diverse: project management, creation, editing, directing, framing…

What are your ideas for the future of Mojo Studio?

First and foremost, continue to achieve double-digit, or even triple-digit, growth in our current activities. And create a team with the best people in their respective fields! Furthermore, we aim to continue being pioneers in new content production methods, constantly adapting to the ever-evolving platforms of distribution. We also plan to diversify our service offerings even further, starting with content creation and exploring new formats such as podcasts, for example.

Do you have a new desire or idea to create a second company? If so, is it already in the starting blocks?

At the moment, we have a lot to do with Mojo Studio. However, my associate and I discuss this topic regularly, and we have some ideas documented. But for now, we need to continue growing Mojo Studio before dedicating time to a new project.

What were the difficult moments? The successful and happy moments of which you are proud?

The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly challenging period because we had little visibility, and our team felt a significant personal impact. We had to both rally the troops and provide them with visibility while maintaining maximum transparency. Anything related to the human aspect is essential to me, so when I sense someone on the team feeling down, I want to quickly understand and provide solutions to improve the situation. Naturally, losing budgets or competitions can be difficult, but that’s part of the agency game, and we move on quickly. The best moments are also closely tied to the human adventure. Seeing team members fully committed to projects, giving their all for the company and our clients, is the greatest satisfaction for me. Feeling that it’s not just my company or my associate’s, but the entire team’s, and that we are all moving forward together with the same overarching goals. And, of course, the daily expressions of satisfaction from our clients are a small but highly satisfying boost of dopamine for the whole team!

What advice would you give to entrepreneurial ISTEC students embarking on this adventure? Is there a recipe for creating and succeeding with a company?

Unfortunately, I don’t believe there’s a magic recipe for entrepreneurship. It’s a combination of numerous small factors that need to align perfectly. And then you need to have thick skin to cope with the emotional rollercoaster it can be. I would advise students not to be afraid to take the plunge and carefully assess the risks they are taking on both professionally and personally in order to fully commit to their project. Furthermore, they should be mindful of how quickly time flies and set clear objectives to be able to pivot or accelerate the growth of their company as needed.

You are heavily involved in the life of the school and your network. Why this commitment?

I really enjoy the idea of being able to share and impart some experiences that could potentially save students time or help them break free from preconceived notions that may not always align with the reality of the business world.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and best of luck to Mojo Studio and your team!

Contact: Victor Galinet – victor@mojostudio.co