In-house Team vs Outsourced Agency
If you're producing 50+ videos a year, the maths starts to favour an in-house team. Below that, it almost never does.
Build in-house at 50+ videos/year and a £100k+ annual budget. Outsource everything below that, the maths, flexibility and quality all favour an agency.
| Attribute | In-house Team | Outsourced Agency(like FTZ) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost (1 producer + 1 editor) | £90k–£140k salaries + kit + space | £25k–£60k for similar output |
| Cost per video (50/year) | £2k–£3k | £800–£1,500 |
| Cost per video (200/year) | £500–£800 | £800+ (no economy of scale) |
| Speed for urgent turnaround | Same day if they're not on another project | Same week (faster with our 48hr tier) |
| Range of styles & disciplines | Limited to your team's skills | Full crew matched to each brief |
| Equipment refresh cycle | £20k+ every 3–4 years | Always current, included |
| Holiday & sickness cover | Production stops | Backup crew always available |
| Strategic detachment / fresh eyes | Risk of internal echo chamber | External perspective on every brief |
Choose In-house Team when…
- You produce 100+ finished videos per year
- Daily / hourly turnaround is mission-critical
- Highly confidential content (security, legal, M&A)
- You can fund £20k+ in kit and a real edit suite
Choose Outsourced Agency when…
- You produce <100 videos per year
- Most projects are quarterly campaigns, not daily news
- You want variety in style/look across projects
- You don't want HR, payroll and kit-management overhead
Common questions.
What about a hybrid model, one in-house person plus an agency?
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This is what most marketing teams of £200k–£500k revenue settle on. An in-house content lead handles social and quick turnaround, the agency handles tentpole films and complex shoots. We work this way with several clients.
Won't an in-house team understand our brand better?
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Initially yes, but a long-term agency relationship gets to the same place after 6 months. We have clients we've worked with for 5+ years, they've forgotten what 'briefing an agency' even feels like.
What does an in-house setup actually cost in year one?
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Conservative: producer (£45k) + editor (£40k) + camera kit (£15k) + edit suite (£8k) + space (£5k) + software (£3k) = £116k. That buys you 60+ finished films from us with cash to spare.
Let's work on your project together.
Tell us about the project. We'll come back within one working day with honest thoughts on whether we're the right fit, and what it would cost.
- Based in
- Northampton, UK · Working globally