This episode with Michael Cioni is a masterclass in high-level vision, tactical business aggression, and the "brutal truth" about where the film industry is actually heading.

Michael isn't just a tech guy; he’s the architect of change who saw the digital revolution coming a decade before the rest of Hollywood. As an immigrant who came here with nothing but a dream to direct, sitting down with Michael was a full-circle moment for me. We dive deep into the mental frameworks required to thrive when the industry you love is being dismantled and rebuilt in real-time.

Most people are terrified of AI and the changing landscape of film. Michael’s take? The wolves are here, and that’s a good thing.

We discuss the "Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon" (ZIRP) and why the current "cold winter" in Hollywood is necessary to weed out the weak and allow the true innovators to thrive.

In this episode, we cover:

The Jack Cardiff Origin Story: What a 90-year-old cinematographer taught Michael about betting on the future.

Self-Cannibalization: Why you must be willing to "injure" your own business to unlock the next level of innovation.

The Cloud is Dead: Why Strata is betting everything on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology and why the "Cloud" is already legacy tech.

Meta-Performance: Moving beyond "high performance" to a level where you can win even when the world is working against you.

The Price of Passion: Why Michael never married, never had kids, and why "passion" actually means "to suffer." "Pay Your Dues" is a Scam: Why you should run away from anyone who tells you to wait your turn.

Michael is currently taking a "massive swing" with Strata, a peer-to-peer creative network designed to eliminate the clunky, expensive bottlenecks of the cloud.

This isn't just about tech; it’s about sovereignty for creators.