Direction, Leverage, and Specific Knowledge: The Naval Way

If you’re a director, you aren’t just a "creative"—you are the CEO of a vision. 

Most people in the film industry trade their time for money, but The Almanack of Naval Ravikant teaches us how to build wealth and impact by escaping the "hourly rate" mindset.

For a filmmaker, these three Naval pillars are game-changers:

1. Specific Knowledge: Find Your "Uncopyable" Voice

Naval defines specific knowledge as the thing you do that feels like play to you, but looks like work to others.

• The Director’s Take: Don't just "direct." Find the intersection of your unique obsessions—maybe it’s a specific sub-genre, a technical lighting style, or a way of coaxing performances that no one else can replicate. When you have specific knowledge, you aren't competing; you’re the only one who can do what you do.

2. Leverage: The Force Multiplier

In the "Cine field," we often get stuck in the grind. But Naval talks about three types of leverage: Labor, Capital, and Code/Media.

• The Director’s Take: Media is the ultimate "permissionless" leverage. Every film you finish is a digital asset that works for you while you sleep. It’s a piece of code that broadcasts your talent to the world 24/7 without you needing to be in the room.

3. Judgment over Sweat

Naval says, "In an age of infinite leverage, judgment is the most important skill." As a director, you are paid for your decisions (the "calls"), not just for being the first person on set.

• The Director’s Take: One great decision on a script or a casting choice is worth a thousand hours of "hustle." Protect your mind, stay curious, and focus on the high-leverage choices that move the needle.
  
  

"Build or buy equity in a business [or a project]... if you don’t own a piece of a business, you don’t have a path towards financial freedom." — Naval Ravikant

As a director, you aren't just making a movie; you are building your personal brand as an intellectual property. Use your "specific knowledge" to create "media leverage," and let your "judgment" guide your career.

- Manohar Chimmani