Zygi Kamasa: How to build a movie business

At first glance, the film industry looks like an unlikely place to build a disciplined, repeatable business.

Budgets are large. Outcomes are uncertain. And success can hinge on taste as much as logic. Yet for Zygi Kamasa, founder of True Brit, the principles are more familiar than they might appear.

“Each film is a startup business,” he says. That framing shapes everything. Rather than chasing one big hit, Kamasa is building a portfolio, investing in multiple British films each year, accepting that some will fail while others deliver outsized returns.

“You have to accept that some will lose money,” he says. The discipline lies in balance. Different genres. Different budgets. Different audiences. Not unlike an investor diversifying across sectors, the aim is to reduce exposure to any single outcome.

“Don’t invest in one, invest in a portfolio,” he says. It is a pragmatic response to an unpredictable industry. Even with experience, Kamasa admits it is “still quite difficult to determine which one’s going to be successful and which one’s not”.

That uncertainty has historically deterred investors. But Kamasa argues the opportunity lies precisely in that gap, applying commercial thinking to a creative industry that has often been viewed as too volatile.

The parallels with venture capital are clear. High failure rates. Occasional outsized wins. And a need for conviction in the face of incomplete information.

“If they hit, they really hit,” he says. His own career reflects that blend of creativity and commercial instinct. Before entering film, Kamasa built a computer business while still at university, growing it to 18 employees before it ultimately failed.

“Failure is part of the history of being an entrepreneur,” he says. That lesson has carried through. In film, failure is not just possible, it is expected. The key is managing its impact.

The approach extends beyond investment strategy into decision-making. Kamasa and his team review hundreds of projects, backing only a small proportion.

“We probably reviewed close to 200 to do only 13,” he says. Even then, success is not guaranteed. Some projects that seem promising fail commercially. Others that appear risky become defining successes.

“There’s always someone who believes and someone who doesn’t,” he says. That tension between instinct and analysis is central. Experience helps, particularly in assessing the team behind a project, but it cannot eliminate uncertainty.

“Director is probably the most important role,” he says. In practice, that means backing people as much as ideas. Strong leadership, proven track records and the ability to execute matter as much as the concept itself.

There is also a broader strategic shift underway. Kamasa believes the opportunity for British film lies not in competing with Hollywood at scale, but in focusing on distinct, locally rooted stories that can travel internationally.

“British movies have always travelled brilliantly,” he says. That focus on clarity, knowing where to compete, is a recurring theme. Rather than spreading efforts too thinly, True Brit is deliberately concentrated on one segment, with the aim of excelling within it.

The same thinking applies to team building. Kamasa has assembled a relatively small but highly experienced group, drawn from across the industry.

“I love to give people autonomy,” he says. Autonomy, paired with accountability, allows individuals to operate at pace while maintaining standards, a balance that becomes increasingly important as organisations grow.

Looking ahead, the industry itself is evolving. Audiences are returning to cinemas, with demand for original stories increasing, even as large studios double down on blockbuster franchises.

“People want to see more original stories,” Kamasa says. That creates space. As major players focus on scale, opportunities open up elsewhere, particularly for businesses willing to operate with discipline in areas others overlook.

For Kamasa, the lesson is not specific to film.

Uncertainty is unavoidable. Taste is unpredictable. Outcomes are uneven. But with the right structure and the willingness to persist, it is possible to build something that works, not despite that uncertainty, but because of how it is managed.