Meet Amanda Aoki | Founder of Ravok Studios

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Aoki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

When people ask about my background, it’s always an interesting story to tell. I started out as an actress, but I quickly realized that waiting for someone else’s approval wasn’t my style. I had this fire inside me, this drive to create and make things happen on my own terms. So, I stepped into producing.

But as I navigated this industry, I kept coming up against the same barriers. Despite all the talk of progress, it’s still a world dominated by men at every level – the money, the decisions, the gatekeepers. And because of that, you see the same patterns play out over and over.

Good scripts gathering dust while bad ones get the green light, all because the people in charge are stuck in an outdated mindset. Projects with real potential getting wasted because of misguided marketing and a failure to understand the audience. And worst of all, creatives – especially women – pouring their hearts into laying the groundwork, only to be pushed aside when things start gaining traction.

It’s a system that rewards control over creation, money over vision. And with every project I worked on, I saw how easy it was for those with the capital to swoop in and take over once the hard work was done.

At some point, you have to make a choice. You either keep playing by those rules, keep shrinking yourself to fit into a box that was never meant for you. Or you decide to say, “enough.” You decide to build something new, something that allows you to stand tall in your truth, no matter how uncomfortable it might make the powers that be.

I was never very good at being digestible, at playing nice just to keep the peace. I’ve always been a bit too much, a bit too intense, a bit too hungry for change. But that’s exactly why I had to forge my own path.

I built RAVOK Studios to be the change I wanted to see. A place where creators own their work from day one, where decisions are driven by data and audience insight, not just gut feelings and old-boys’-club connections. A place where the value you create is the value you keep.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

The old Hollywood model is just completely broken; everyone’s terrified to spend money, but they’re still wasting billions on projects that have zero market validation. In the tech industry, you have Venture Capital firms and angel investors financing pre-seed (development). In film, that becomes almost impossible. They all expect you to be packaged, but who’s paying the line producer? The casting director? Film financiers don’t want to do the dirty work and risk it, and tech investors don’t understand the film model, cause it’s too gatekept. We’re building a bridge.

Ravok Studios is not a production company, but it’s also not a venture capital firm. We’re a Venture Studio with a focus on media-tech, a more recent business model. Besides capital, we help build. On the media side of things, we treat every film like a startup—SPVs, clean cap table and PPUs, the creator retaining ownership of their idea and serving as a “co-founder”. No more work for hire.

Like a portfolio company, we provide the pre-seed R&D, the legal, the entire operational playbook to de-risk the films before they go to market for production financing (seed round in startup language). We validate the hell out of them first. Projects are either produced in-house under our production labels once they’re validated if they fit one of the brands, and raise production financing (seed round) via PE, or we sell our part of the IP to another company, leading to an exit. The creator remains protected and does their own negotiation from inception with the operating agreement. Our current slate is closed and in operation. On the tech side of the business, I can’t announce many details yet, but we have a couple of ventures in development.

Our current flagship feature is raising a PE round, with a strong team and trusted partners already in place. We’ve started growing the company team recently too and did our first hosted event. It was a success, with 70+ attending. All of this reflects exactly the kind of culture and community we’re building towards.

We’re also finalizing our advisory board. It’s not locked yet, but it’s been genuinely rewarding to see how many experienced, smart people—across entertainment, tech, finance—want to be part of this. People who get what we’re doing, aren’t afraid of the new, and want to offer real value.

And how did I get here? Was it easy?

No. God, no. It was a nightmare. This whole business was born from frustration, burnout…It’s a long game we’re playing, and it’s not always easy. I’ve faced my share of doubters, my share of roadblocks. I’ve had moments where my own mind felt like my worst enemy.

But through it all, I’ve learned to embrace the parts of myself that once felt like weaknesses. My intensity, my relentlessness, my stubborn refusal to settle. They’re the reason I’m still standing and still building something I believe in down to my bones.

Ravok is here to stay. and here’s a tip I have for any filmmaker reading this:

1. If someone says they’re your friend but refuses to sign a contract, they’re not your friend. Don’t lose your time. Protect yourself.

2. Don’t settle for ‘net profits.’ Don’t settle for a ‘producer’ credit. Demand founder-level equity in your own work or go home.

3. Your ‘weakness’ is your advantage. This industry will try to beat the authenticity right out of you, but that authenticity is what will set you apart.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of LA, but I’d definitely take them to Santa Monica, The Grove, Little Tokyo, the InterContinental rooftop in DTLA, eat at Pasta Sisters! Maybe go to a farmer’s market, definitely have to try Shake Shack, and obviously, as every tourist, visit Hollywood and be disappointed afterwards.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

First, my family, for giving me the financial privilege to move to the US and for supporting me while I hustle to make my name in this town. That’s a safety net a lot of people don’t have, and it’s made a huge difference. I know how much it takes them.

My friends from Brazil. I’m talking about the ones who’ve been with me for years, through all my different phases, crazy ideas and in every single state, and now country, I’ve moved to. They know who they are. I wouldn’t be who I am without them.

And then, all the mentors and friends who have genuinely shown up for me and believe in what I’m doing with Ravok day after day, especially when I go MIA with meetings and take forever to respond to their messages…sorry guys.

And honestly, also Taylor Swift. My biggest business inspiration—watching her fight for her masters and build an empire on her own terms after the media tried to silence her over and over…she’s the best example I could have. Plus, her music has always been there when I just need to rage out my feelings and get it all out.

Website: ravokstudios.com

Instagram: @aaokirak @ravokstudios

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-a-149127339

Image Credits
Austin Chang