Tofu Productions began from pure passion, but eventually the reality behind keeping it alive became harder to manage. What started as something fun slowly turned into something I couldn’t sustain.
The biggest challenge was the workload after each shoot. I became the entire post-production team. I handled everything: digitizing, editing, creating graphics, designing DVD menus, authoring DVDs, and packaging the final discs. All of this was on top of having a full-time job. Over time, the workload became too heavy, and what used to be exciting started feeling like something I had to grind through.
Money added another layer of difficulty. Keeping Tofu Productions running cost more than I could afford. Blank discs, cases, printing, equipment, gas, and event costs all added up. Selling DVDs for five dollars was not enough to cover anything, and I didn’t have the financial cushion to keep pushing forward. The business side of it was draining me more than I expected.
Looking back, one of the biggest lessons was not realizing the potential of YouTube during that time. I didn’t understand monetization or how online video distribution worked. I was so focused on following the model of Option Video and Best Motoring, physical DVDs, packaged media, and traditional production styles, that I missed the opportunity to upload everything to YouTube. If I had taken the content online instead of trying to sell physical discs, it would have made things easier, more sustainable, and maybe even profitable. But at the time, I didn’t have that knowledge.
Eventually, the burnout, financial strain, and lack of sustainable workflow forced me to stop. Continuing would have put me deeper into a hole. It wasn’t a decision I wanted to make, but it was necessary.
When I ended the video production side, I didn’t completely walk away. Instead, I shifted. I decided to convert Tofu Productions into something more manageable. I shortened the name to Tofu Prod, and eventually to TOFUPROD. Instead of filming and making DVDs, I focused on something simpler: photography and blogging.
Covering events through photos was easier, lighter, and more sustainable. I taught myself photography, practiced consistently, and started documenting events in a way that didn’t burn me out. It still let me be part of the community, still let me create, but without the heavy workload and cost that came with video production.
In the end, Tofu Productions didn’t disappear. It evolved. It shifted into something I could maintain while still enjoying the process. Moving from video production to photography and blogging took me down a different path. I found myself getting closer to the anime community, meeting new people who shared the same interests in collecting figures, photography, and traveling to Japan.
Little did I know that this shift would open large new doors. It connected me not only to the anime community and industry, but also deeper into the drifting world as well. That part of the story deserves its own post, but looking back, that transition shaped a lot of what came next.
What I should’ve done, instead of DVDs… YouTube
Still, there’s something I can share today. I went through my old hard drives and found the contents of every DVD I ever produced under Tofu Productions. These clips are a part of that chapter, and posting them now feels like giving that era a proper place to live.
Do remember this was back in the early to mid 2000s, where the world was different, humor, people, relationships, environment, culture, etc… We tried our best to copy Japanese Option video humor while filming.
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment