Tyler Williams | FrameRate, Motion Array, and Building a Creator-First Video Platform

Today I'm speaking with Tyler Williams, founder of FrameRate and co-founder of Motion Array.

This is a conversation about video platforms from the perspective of someone who has built one before, sold it, and then found his way back to the same problem in a different form. Tyler explains what he thinks Vimeo used to be for the motion community (a daily source of inspiration and discovery), what changed when it drifted toward enterprise, and why he believes there is room for something creator-first again.

We also go deep on the product decisions. Keeping the work front and center, not surrounding it with prompts and clutter. The tension between curation and algorithms. The limits of trying to protect work from AI training. The embed player, and why he is allergic to logos, end screens, and anything that turns your own portfolio into an advert for the host.

Topics Discussed

• The Vimeo decline Tyler noticed (and why it felt like a community problem, not just a product problem)
• Selling Motion Array, the identity shift afterwards, and why other ideas did not stick
• Product market pull versus product market fit
• Failure Inc as a holding company, and the meaning behind the name
• Building the first FrameRate MVP solo, and the early reception
• Creator-first as a product stance: put the work first, remove the distractions
• Vimeo nostalgia: homepage inspiration, following feed, staff picks, and then the drift toward tools and enterprise
• The two-sided goal: not just a gallery for artists, but a place clients can find and hire them
• AI training anxiety: the intent, the limits, and what robots.txt does (and does not) solve
• Curation versus algorithms: hand-picked selects plus simple trending signals
• The Frame.io comparison, and the desire for a simpler review flow
• The first 1,000 users, Discord feedback, and what that loop changes
• Embeds and portfolio use: minimal player, customization, and refusing logos and end screens
• Motion Array's origin story: late nights at a studio in Atlanta, templates on the side, then going all in
• The Premiere Pro templates pivot, posting on Reddit, and why the editor market mattered
• What gets intense as you scale (meetings, hiring too fast), and what Tyler wants to do differently this time

People Mentioned

• Joey Korenman (School of Motion) introduced Tyler to Justin
• Eri Levin (Motion Array) co-founder
• Justin Cone (BUCK) joining FrameRate, focused on community and curation
• MK12 studio whose signup felt like a milestone for Tyler