SmallRig hosted the third Visionary Storytellers Industry Forum in Shenzhen, the company said, drawing imaging and technology brands, creators, investment institutions and academic figures to discuss the industry's next wave of growth. At the event it released the “2025-2026 Top 12 Global Imaging Scenarios Report.”
The report identifies 12 core imaging scenarios: everyday life, unscripted livestreaming, intangible cultural heritage and folk traditions, recreational sports and outdoor activities, extreme sports, interest-based communities, live performances, scripted storytelling, micro-dramas, social impact documentaries, wildlife and macro photography, and specialized imaging. It also names four trends, listing mobile cinematography, the decentralization of professional institutions and resources, the democratization of creators, and AI-powered video generation.
Data cited in the report projects that peripheral equipment will grow at 9.2% over the next five years, ahead of host devices. The report proposes the idea of “AI for efficiency, humans for warmth,” arguing that as algorithms produce more realistic content, real-world experience, on-site judgment and human creator accountability will become the scarcest resources.
Zhou Yang, the company's founder and CEO, said SmallRig has averaged annual growth of about 30% over the past five years and that the professional and consumer imaging markets are merging rapidly. The forum also held three parallel sessions, on technology and new frontiers, covering AI vision, intelligent tracking, robotics and hardware; on product and cultural creativity, on aesthetics and cultural expression in product value; and on talent and the future, on collaboration between academia and industry.
SmallRig said it is building an open ecosystem connecting users, industry partners and creators, giving research teams access to its supply chain from proof of concept and pilot testing through prototyping and mass production, and using its direct-to-consumer platform for product validation, joint marketing and pre-sales. It said it also backs new projects through angel and industrial investment funds. Zhou said that where user needs are fragmented and change quickly, it is very difficult for one company to handle the whole process from identifying a need to launching a product on its own.
