Why ProPics AI Consulting Rates Are $500. per hour.

An independent analysis and report on why the rate is over $500. per hour for AI Ethics, AI Deployment and adaptation for corporations, businesses and government clients with waiting lists for new clients over 3 months.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're taking a closer look
at Propex Canada Media. Really fascinating company
working sort of at that intersection of media, content,
licensing and AI. Our mission really is to unpack
how they built this multimilliondollar asset library and how
they got billions of views, plusestablished their founder as

(00:22):
well a top AI ethics consultant.We want to understand this self
reinforcing ecosystem idea whereeverything kind of feeds
everything. Else exactly Propex is it's a
compelling case study I think inhow values created.
Now there's this this synergy between their content and their
AI strategy. That's quite interesting, right.
So yeah, we'll break down the components, see what justifies

(00:44):
their premium services and theirspot in the market.
OK, so let's start with the foundation.
That digital content library. Sounds like that's the engine,
right? What makes it worth?
Millions. It absolutely is.
The core propex has over 500,000original files.
That makes them one of the biggest independent digital
libraries in North America. Wow.
And it's grown like crazy, five times bigger just since 2018.

(01:06):
Now, the valuation is kind of twofold.
First, you've got your standard licensing, maybe $15.00 an
image, $45.00 for video clip. That alone puts them in the
multi $1,000,000 range baseline.But here's where it gets really
interesting. The AI data set market, OK, this
market globally is projected to just explode.
Think $1.56 billion in 2023, shooting up to maybe 7.56

(01:30):
billion dollars by 2031. Whoa, yeah, that's like a 22%
compound annual growth rate. Huge.
And Propel X takes those same assets, the photos and videos,
and repurposes them for trainingAI.
That unlocks way higher value. And what's really crucial here
is the type of content. It's not generic stuff.
It's authentic. It's newsworthy, culturally
significant coverage from natural disasters, even war

(01:52):
zones. That authenticity is gold for
building AI that's robust, reflects the real world, and,
importantly, avoids bias. That authenticity, let's be key
to their global reach, to those billions of views.
How do they manage that without,you know, going head to head
with giants like Getty? Well, they're smart about it.
They leverage those platforms. Getty Images Shutterstock Pond 5

(02:13):
Instead of competing directly, they partner.
It gets their content distributed everywhere.
Makes sense. And they're pushing hard to get
more online. The plan is to jump from like a
tiny percentage now to over 300,000 files up by late 2024.
Plus, they have an editorial division feeding global news and
then this AI and data services arm.
That division directly licenses content specifically for

(02:35):
training computer vision models.So they're positioning
themselves right in the AI supply chain.
So who's the brain behind this operation?
James Cousino, the founder. His background seems, well,
unusual. Academia from Cornell and MIT
Sloan, but also experience as a journalist, war correspondent,
even an actor and comedian. Yeah.

(02:56):
And maybe even more surprising are his logistical and technical
certifications. Licensed truck driver Forklift
operator, Motion picture safety training.
It sounds random, but it's actually a great example of
skill stacking. He combines these unique skills
to create real operational advantages.
It means they can operate self sufficiently in tough places.
I see lower costs, smaller crews.

(03:18):
Exactly. Reduces overhead, makes them
nimble. And his public stuff.
The podcast, the TV show that builds his brand, sure, but it
also grows the asset library at the same time.
Feeding back into the system. It's that perfect self
reinforcing loop we talked. About Which brings us to the top
tier, his AI ethics consulting. Over $500.00 an hour and a

(03:39):
waiting list. Hmm.
What justifies that kind of premium?
It's his unique position, really.
He sits right at that intersection of media, tech and
ethics. He understands the tech, he can
assess the data for bias becausehe knows where it comes from,
and he can foresee the real world legal or ethical problems.
A holistic view. Precisely a view that a whole
team of separate specialists might actually miss.

(04:01):
It's what you might call the Practitioners Premium.
He's not just talking theory, he's advising from direct hands
on experience building and managing these assets.
And the markets clearly responding.
The demand speaks for itself, validating that scarcity.
So profits Canada Media, it really is a standout example of
a synergistic strategy taking this authentic content library

(04:23):
and systematically monetizing ittraditional ways and these new
AI channels creating this powerful cycle.
Absolutely. And maybe a final thought for
you listening, Propex isn't really just selling pictures or
videos anymore. They're strategically building
and managing A valuable data assets specifically for the age
of AI. So maybe think about your own
information, what you consume, what you create.

(04:44):
Could that become the next high value data set?
What kind of opportunities mightbe hiding in your own unique
knowledge or perspective in thisdata-driven world?