EventMag (EM): Mikhail, Studio 502 has deep experience in video production. What defines your approach to event content, particularly now that you are based in the dynamic business environment of Dubai?
Mikhail Ovchinnikov (MO): Our goal is always to create videos that make events unforgettable. We know how to turn an event into a long-term asset. We have over 20 years of experience filming everything from concerts and exhibitions to global conferences. For the last three years, I’ve been based here in Dubai, the heart of the Middle East’s creative scene. We recognize that here, visual identity is not a luxury; it’s a language. Our team of over 15 professionals – including directors, cinematographers, and marketers – produces a wide range of content, including brand films, commercials, interviews, and event visuals, crafted fully from concept to delivery, before, during, and after a show.
EM: Your personal background is quite remarkable, involving a great deal of documentary work in extreme environments. How does that expertise inform your current work in event videography?
MO: My focus back in Russia was documentary filmmaking. I specialized in difficult industrial and expeditionary filming for TV channels. For example, I’ve parachuted to the North Pole to film a documentary about an ice base and lived in a tent on the ice for two weeks. Now, I see my work with events as an intersection of documentary and events. While we film almost everything in Dubai—corporate videos, YouTube content, and events—my documentary background allows me to pull out a single, useful idea to share. I also try to show respect to Arab culture by wearing kura and hra, which I find comfortable and free, even while filming.
EM: The core idea you shared at EventMania was about leveraging content to transform an event into a long-term asset. Could you elaborate on this key concept?
MO: The central idea is simple, and anybody can use it: you can film your clients, or even the clients of your clients, to increase their loyalty. Traditionally, event video is just something small, perhaps a two-minute reel released after the show. We learned that by applying a documentary approach, you can elevate your clients to be “stars on the screen”. This deep form of recognition generates incredible loyalty.
EM: Your presentation included a fantastic case study involving Kärcher. What exactly did they do, and what were the results of that documentary event?
MO: Kärcher, which produces and sells cleaning equipment, hired a TV production company (with me involved) after the pandemic to film a documentary about their clients-cleaning companies. The idea was to showcase how these companies worked and fought the virus during the pandemic in places like hospitals, metros, and hotels. Later, Kärcher rented a movie theater and invited all their clients to a premiere of the film, which was titled, The fight with pandemia: “The clear truth”.
It was a powerful experience. Cleaning companies don’t usually attend film premieres, and for most of them, this was their first time at such an event. They were shocked to see themselves on the big screen. They were invited on stage for speeches and received presents. They described it as one of the most wonderful events in their lives. Importantly, the film is now on Kärcher Russia’s YouTube channel and has 140,000 views, demonstrating its value as a long-term content asset.
EM: That’s a powerful testament to the value of client recognition. Are you applying this documentary approach to any current projects in the event space?
MO: Yes, Studio 502 is applying this model right now. We are currently making a documentary for the next EventMania about the best events in Dubai and how they are created. We have about half of the film completed, but we are looking for a couple more companies to join. It is a chance for companies to show themselves on the big screen, and it’s absolutely free for them to join, offering us a chance to open the door to future projects. Join us to open new opportunities!
