No sponsored placements. No paid-for rankings. These are the tools I reach for on real productions — from BBC commissions to YouTube campaigns to AI-generated cinematic content.
🎵 Music & Audio Licensing
Royalty-free music built for broadcast and YouTube. These libraries have cleared rights globally — essential for any serious production.
"Artlist is what I put in every production contract. One licence, unlimited projects, perpetual rights even if you cancel. BBC, YouTube, Amazon Prime — all cleared. It's non-negotiable."
"The go-to for YouTube creators. Built-in claim protection is a lifesaver if you're monetising."
"When the documentary needs a track that feels like a real album cut — not stock music — Musicbed delivers. Higher price point, but the quality shows."
🎬 Video Editing & Production
Software I've used across BBC commissions, Amazon Prime, and Venice Film Festival productions. Battle-tested on real broadcast work.
"The colour science in Resolve is broadcast-standard. I use it for grading on every project. The free version does everything 99% of editors will ever need."
"For fast-turnaround edits — social, corporate, YouTube — Final Cut's magnetic timeline is the fastest way to a rough cut. 25 years and I still reach for it first."
"I recommend Descript to every client who does podcasts or talking-head content. Deleting filler words by editing text is genuinely magic."
"For remote interviews and podcast productions — Riverside records locally on each participant's machine, so the quality isn't dictated by their broadband."
🤖 AI & Generative Tools
Tools I've integrated into the Production Forge and Luminous Insight pipelines. Tested on real productions, not benchmarks.
"Runway is what I use when the production needs cinematic AI video that actually holds up to broadcast scrutiny. Gen-3 Alpha motion consistency is the best available right now."
"For multilingual content, documentary narration, and explainer videos — ElevenLabs voices hold up at broadcast listening levels. The emotion range is ahead of every competitor."
"For storyboarding, concept art, and promotional stills — Midjourney v6.1 is still the gold standard for aesthetic control. Paired with Production Forge's Character Lock, the results are cinematic."
"I recommend CapCut to every social media client managing their own content between deliveries. The AI captions alone save 30 minutes per video."
📦 Assets, Stock & Templates
Footage, templates, graphics and sound design — the building blocks behind polished productions.
"One subscription covers After Effects templates, Premiere presets, stock footage, music, fonts and graphics. For client work, the ROI is instant."
"For broadcast and corporate productions needing b-roll — Storyblocks' unlimited model makes the maths simple. Broadcast licence is included, no per-clip fees."
"The Premiere Pro plugin library alone is worth the subscription. Their transitions pack shaved two hours off my last corporate edit."
☁️ Hosting, Delivery & Web
Where the work lives and gets delivered. These are the platforms behind leonidagennaro.app and every client web project.
"leonidagennaro.app runs on Netlify. Drag-and-drop deploy, global CDN, free SSL, and form handling out of the box. For client sites it's the default choice."
"For client delivery, Vimeo is non-negotiable. Password-protected uploads, brand-free player embeds, and download control. The pro tools save awkward email threads."
"For clients who want to manage their own content after delivery — Webflow's CMS is the cleanest handoff. They edit without touching code; I sleep peacefully."
🤝 Collaboration & Review
Tools that keep productions on track and clients informed — without the endless email threads.
"Clients leave timecoded comments directly on the video. No more 'the bit at about 1 min 30 where the music is...' — they click on the exact frame. It's transformed revision rounds."
"Every production has a Notion workspace. Brief, script, shot list, delivery spec, revision log — all in one place the client can access. Cuts the back-and-forth by 60%."
"For final file delivery to clients who don't use Vimeo — WeTransfer Pro links are clean, branded, and don't expire after 7 days like the free version."
🏗️ Architecture & 3D Visualisation
A new service line targeting architecture studios and property developers with outdated websites — turning 2D floor plans into cinematic walkthroughs.
"The fastest way to go from a client's sketch or PDF to a usable 3D layout. I use it for first-impression previews before moving into full SketchUp production — clients immediately see the potential of their space."
"The production engine of the pipeline. Fast to learn, clean geometry, and a massive 3D Warehouse of free assets (furniture, trees, fixtures). The go-to for architecture clients."
"This is what clients actually pay for. Import the SketchUp model, set the lighting and camera paths, hit batch render before bed. Wake up to photorealistic interiors and exteriors ready for the walkthrough video."
"The premium upsell: a physical 3D-printed scale model of the building. Import the SketchUp geometry into Blender, clean the mesh with one Python script, export STL. Clients keep it on their desk. Nobody else in the market is offering this."
Once the SketchUp model is approved, everything downstream runs automatically: D5 Render batch processes all camera angles overnight, a DaVinci Python script assembles the timeline from rendered frames, exports the walkthrough + three social cuts (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), and Vimeo API uploads the final files to a client-access link. You wake up with a finished deliverable.
Want this automation pipeline built? Start a brief →