We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miami Steve a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Miami Steve, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Well that is a loaded question but I will try to be as concise as possible. The name of my film production company is AGON Pictures. We are an Indianapolis based TV & Film production company focused on large scale production to help expand the film scene here in the Midwest to become a premier filming destination. Essentially, turning Indianapolis into the Hollywood of the Midwest.

The idea came in October of 2021, shortly after the death of my father. He passed away in 2020 with a rare form of cancer during the Covid pandemic. A lot was happening at that time but I made a promise to my father I was going to do something the night before he transitioned and shortly after the idea for this company came about.
During this time I had a lot of mixed emotions of anger, frustration, uncertainty, etc which was desperately seeking expression through me and I channeled it into a creative endeavor and it manifested itself as the production company along with a concept for a streaming series I came up with called ‘Miami Steve’. When I created that project, I had to copyright it and make sure it was properly structured so I sold the rights to my production company, AGON Pictures.

I knew this was a worth while endeavor because I have full intention on keeping the promise I made to my father.

I feel that this could work because when I came up with the concept for my series, Miami Steve, the concept so was big that I knew if I can make this happen, it would not only allow me to keep the promise I made, but also make ripples in the filmmaking world while also helping people. It checked off a lot of boxes for me personally and professionally and artistically so I went with it. I didnt know how to fully explain it in the beginning but as time went on and I kept working on it, it became more and more clear until now I have taken the last 4 years to develop and build out the concept of the show, the company brand and identity, and direction of what we are doing and where we are going. I took time to get extremely clear on what I wanted.

Q: Was I solving a problem that no one else was solving?

A: Absolutely. Within my own city but also within the filmmaking medium as well. The thing that makes the Miami Steve concept so unique is how we break the 4th wall in the show. We make the real world the world of Miami Steve with 4th wall storytelling of product placement and doing something that has never been done before.
Im sure you’re asking “How so?”
Im glad you asked.
The series is very similar to the show Entourage, a show that came on HBO back in the early 2000s that was very successful. Miami Steve stands on the shoulders of what they did and push it further by implementing product placement as well as doing a movie and a show in one. I can’t give away all the secrets but if you’d like to learn more feel free to reach out to the rights holder, AGON Pictures.

Miami Steve, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So my name is Stephan DeKemper, but im widely known as Miami Steve.
I got started out in my industry in film at a very young age. My family used to watch movies a lot and it was something that always brought us together. I loved it and we always used to talk about what we would’ve done if we made movies, etc
So after high school I went to film school and pursued that desire fully.
I graduated from film school in 2015 and started working in film full time in LA, Atlanta, Nashville, and abroad in South America.
I worked behind the scenes for a long time in the camera department and other departments like locations, grip and electric, wardrobe, photo double, and many more.
Feel free to type my name in google and all my info should pop up.

I was able to make progress in my industry because since a young age I was always a mingler and connected with people. I built out my connections to make things happen for myself with other filmmakers and production companies, and rental houses. I was willing to put in the work to make something happen for myself instead of waiting for the opportunity to come to me.

The majority of my work over the last 15 years has been in the camera department with cinematography and photography but recently I have transitioned to be in front of the camera more because that has always been my true passion since I was a kid watching movies with my family. So now I am able to leverage my camera knowledge in front of the camera because I know what looks good. And when I need to, I can still get behind the camera and shoot.

The production services AGON offers are producing and production consulting. Depending on the project I may step in as the cinematographer as well.

The problem we solve for our clients is using the medium of cinematic storytelling to help convey the idea or desires they have in their minds eye for their business or organization. We are also focused on helping expand the arts scene in our home base of Indianapolis.
The thing that sets us apart from the others around us is our eye and the cinematic edge/quality we bring. It’s not very present in the Indianapolis market so we have full intention on framing Indianapolis in a way that makes it look larger then life which in turn drives more traffic to the city to help it expand. We are also fully invested in fostering local talent and helping to create the next generation of filmmakers and creatives right here in our own back yard.

I would say we are most proud of the vision we have for filmmaking in general, helping the city of Indianapolis expand its filmmaking scene, and helping to foster the next generation of local talent. And keeping the promise I made.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Hone your leadership skills. John C. Maxwell is my mentor from a far on leadership and has countless books, podcast, and seminars/content on how to properly LEAD your team and not manage them.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely.

Leadership: Anything John C. Maxwell

Top books I highly recommend are:
1. Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
2. Psycho Cybernetics – Dr. Maxwell Maltz
3. Power of Awareness – Neville Goddard
4. Power of Suggestion – Dr. Joseph Murphy
5. Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself – Dr. Joe Dispenza

And anything Bob Proctor.

All of these resources are available on youtube for free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.agonpicture.com/miamistevelp
• Instagram: @iamiamisteve
• Linkedin: Stephan DeKemper

Image Credits

IMDB