EditShare Boosts Sales Direction With Alumnus Grant Carroll
Long-term leader moves up to head sales in the Americas
Boston, MA, May 29, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, has appointed Grant Carroll as Senior Vice President for Sales for the Americas. He will be familiar to many EditShare users from his previous customer-facing roles in the business.
In the early days of the company Carroll brought valuable experience as an editor, producer, and director, which made him ideal to connect with users and channel partners. He rapidly established himself as the go-to expert for knowledge and insights to design workflows and solve problems.
As EditShare continued to thrive, he took on key roles, including Director of Workflow Design and Director of Sales. After almost 20 years he took a career break, but the industry quickly drew him back, including a year with EditShare’s technology partner Cinedeck. He now returns to EditShare, with responsibility for all sales from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. He reports to Tara Montford, co-founder and EVP Sales.
“Grant has been a central part of EditShare almost as long as I have, and no-one knows more about how to get the best out of our technologies. I am delighted we have been able to bring him back, and look forward to continued success with him.” Montford said.
Grant Carroll added “I tried to get away but the great people and products of EditShare called me back. I know the environment, the technology and the sales channels well, and I am really looking forward to building and delivering winning sales strategies.”
Carroll is a graduate in Communications from Florida State University, where he was captain and president of the Skydiving Club.
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. It offers scalable storage and collaboration for media businesses at every stage of the video production process from storyboarding to screening.
The software is inherently open, encouraging workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. EditShare delivers high performance and high availability, meticulously engineered to meet the specialized demands of media storage, management, and delivery across various industries, including corporate communications, sports broadcasting, and more. The comprehensive offering covers multi-level content storage for production and post, along with innovative asset and workflow management software, plus specialized and highly valued tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customized and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Transforming innovations in workflow, server and delivery from storyboard to screen
Boston, MA, 24 May 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screening, will use its presence at BroadcastAsia 2024 (stand 6G2-10, Singapore Expo, 29 – 31 May) to highlight the creative, economic and productive benefits of its unified approach to content management. The presentation will show EditShare’s scalable and collaborative solutions for media across multiple premises, cloud and hybrid implementations, focusing on ease of operation and security of content.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – EFS NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment, including traditional servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud.
MediaSilo, the video collaboration platform for sharing work in progress, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, and more facilities for making, tracking and acknowledging comments and sign-offs. To provide protection when sharing review material, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic video watermarking as well as image and document watermarking, dynamically inserting customizable viewer information into the file. The result is a secure but effective way of distributing all assets, including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials as well as content.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screening platform widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“From the foundation of EditShare, 20 years ago, our overriding aim has been to give creators the tools they need to make and deliver great content, without tying them up in technology,” said Tara Montford, EVP Sales and Co-Founder at EditShare. “That still drives our thinking today, and we continue to innovate as we strive for those goals. We allow open interworking with the creative tools users really need, providing the platform for truly end-to-end workflows from script to screen; and we protect it all through excellent security.”
Visitors to BroadcastAsia will discover all the latest enhancements to EditShare products, like FLEX Sync which provides powerful tools to sync with services like Amazon S3, Wasabi and Backblaze, and the new EditShare One Organize module, ensuring users can easily identify assets whether they are stored locally, remotely or in the cloud.
Find out more on stand 6G2-10 at BroadcastAsia 2024, or visit www.editshare.com
About EditShare
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Beyond storage with workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen
Stand S1-E20, CABSAT, Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 – 23 May 2024 — EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screening, is celebrating its 20th and CABSAT’s 30th anniversaries by bringing its latest remarkable advances to the MENA region (stand S1-E20, Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 – 23 May). Visitors will see the breadth of coherent solutions from EditShare, bringing benefits beyond storage, from storyboard to screen.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment, including traditional servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud.
MediaSilo, the popular tool for sharing work in progress, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, and more facilities for making, tracking and acknowledging comments and sign-offs. To provide protection when sharing review material, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic watermarking, dynamically inserting customizable viewer information into the file. The result is a secure but effective way of distributing all assets, including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials as well as content.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screener widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“It’s great to be able to share major milestones with CABSAT: our 20th, the event’s 30th,” said Vincent Eade, RVP sales EMEA at EditShare. “Our goal has always been on freeing creators so they can concentrate on making great content, we do this by providing the storage and workflow tools they need along with a secure way of collaborating on projects and sharing material, all the way from ingest to screen.”
“I’ve had the privilege of attending CABSAT many times,” Eade continued, “and I know that it is a great opportunity to have detailed, positive conversations with the industry. That helps us set our own development plans, so we can deliver even better solutions in the future.”
EditShare staff will be on hand at CABSAT to talk about all of the latest enhancements, find out more on stand S1-E20 at CABSAT, or click here to get in touch.
About EditShare
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Workflow, server and delivery solutions from storyboard to screen
Stand D40, London Olympia, May 15-16, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows at every stage from storyboard to screen, is exhibiting at the 2024 Media Production & Technology Show to showcase its unified approach to content management. The demonstration will show EditShare’s scalable and collaborative solutions for media across multiple premises, cloud and hybrid implementations, focusing on ease of operation and security of content.
EFS, the EditShare media storage architecture, has now been boosted with the addition of EFS NVMe, adding the high performance, high bandwidth solid state technology as another building block. For demanding creative applications – like DPX, OpenEXR, 4k, 8k and beyond – EFS NVMe provides throughput three times faster than previous generation SSD servers, while still being integrated with and managed by the overall EFS environment including traditional online servers, nearline storage, archives and the cloud. Attendees at the Media Production & Technology Show will have the exclusive opportunity to experience a live demo of this cutting-edge technology firsthand.
MediaSilo, the premier video collaboration platform trusted by the biggest names in entertainment, sees enhanced review functionality, including side-by-side version comparisons, @ user mentioning, and range-based commenting to provide feedback on entire scenes. To provide protection when sharing videos for review, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic watermarking, dynamically inserting customisable viewer information into the file. Now MediaSilo also offers image and document watermarking, protecting non-video content including scripts, casting shots and marketing materials.
Also, MediaSilo is now seamlessly integrated with Atomos’ pioneering cloud-connected range of camera-mounted monitor-recorders, offering attendees a firsthand view of this innovative collaboration. Camera to Cloud workflows accelerate the creative process by shrinking the capture-to-edit timeframe, enabling editors to begin working on media instantly instead of waiting for hard drives or delayed file transfers. The Atomos MediaSilo integration elegantly unlocks these capabilities. Additionally, MediaSilo creates dynamic review links that automatically update as more footage is shot, providing external collaborators with one destination for feedback.
Improved security, along with more branding customization and in-video logo watermarks are also among the enhancements for Screeners.com, the preferred press screener widely used by major studios and production companies worldwide. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience, with improved content recommendations, watchlists and expiry notifications.
“EditShare was formed 20 years ago now, and from that day to this our sole focus has been on freeing content creators to exercise their craft and not worry about the technology,” said Tara Montford, Co-Founder and EVP of Sales at EditShare. “That still drives our developments today, and we continue to innovate as we strive for those goals. We allow open interworking with the tools users really need such as editing software; we provide the platform for truly end-to-end workflows from ingest to screeners; and we protect it all through excellent security,
“Our direction is set through a deep understanding of our clients and their needs, so events like MPTS are vital in building and maintaining those relationships,” Montford added.
Staff will be on hand on stand D40 at MPTS to talk about all of the latest enhancements to EditShare products, like FLEX Sync which provides powerful tools to sync with services like Amazon S3, Wasabi and Backblaze to create an automated but completely secure, completely reliable backup system.
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Integration between MediaSilo and Atomos Cloud Studio unlocking rapid transfer of content from on-set to editors to be showcased at NAB 2024
Boston, MA – April 11, 2024 – EditShare®, a technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative media workflows, today announced it has partnered with Atomos to bring camera to cloud workflows to MediaSilo, the leading video collaboration platform. MediaSilo will be integrated with Atomos’ pioneering cloud connected range of camera mounted monitor-recorders, which can be attached to virtually any HDMI or SDI camera source. Camera to Cloud workflows accelerate the creative process. By shrinking the capture-to-edit time frame, editors can begin working on media instantly instead of waiting for hard drives or delayed file transfers. The Atomos MediaSilo integration unlocks these capabilities elegantly. Simply connect your camera to your cloud enabled Atomos device via HDMI or SDI. After pairing your device via your Atomos Cloud Studio account and adding MediaSilo as your destination, you can select the target project and folder for media upload. Once you hit record, proxy files will automatically sync to the MediaSilo project or folder you have selected. Team members can then jump in to start reviewing the footage as it arrives. MediaSilo also creates dynamic review links that automatically update as more footage is shot, so external collaborators have one destination for feedback.
Access to your MediaSilo account is included in Atomos Cloud Studio’s Camera to Cloud plan. Anyone purchasing an Atomos Connect (for Ninja V, V+, Ninja or Ninja Ultra), a Shogun, or Shogun Ultra automatically receives a free all-inclusive subscription. Both plans include single/dual recording, 4K upload, and progressive upload, Atomos’ unique progressive file transfer technology that gets content into MediaSilo while you are still shooting.
EditShare CEO Ramu Potarazu said, “We’re extremely excited to start MediaSilo’s camera to cloud journey with Atomos. Our decision was rooted in the EditShare brand ethos of flexibility: we want our customers to work with creative tools of their choice. Integrating MediaSilo to Atomos products such as the Shogun and Ninja lets people choose the right camera product for each project. We look forward to seeing our customers benefit from the speed and flexibility they’ll see with MediaSilo + Atomos camera to cloud.”
“I’m delighted to announce another camera to cloud integration with Atomos Cloud Studio. We’ve always considered ourselves to be a neutral ‘gateway’ to a wide selection of secure destinations for our customers’ content,” said Jeromy Young, CEO of Atomos. “MediaSilo is highly respected in the post production world for accelerating collaboration, and its addition to our online platform offers our DNx-orientated customers in particular a route into Camera to Cloud. It’s very much a win-win scenario for both parties.”
The integration will be on display at NAB 2024 at both the Atomos booth (Central Hall – C4931) and the EditShare booth (South Hall Lower – SL8087), and will be generally available in mid Q2 of 2024.
For more information on all EditShare solutions, please visit the website at www.editshare.com. Information on the Atomos product portfolio can be found at www.atomos.com.
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About EditShare EditShare is a technology leader that enables collaborative media workflows from storyboard to screen on-premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid configuration. With customer and partner success at the heart of EditShare’s core values, our open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration and third-party integrations across the entire production chain, ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none. The high-performance software lineup includes media optimized shared storage management, archiving and backup, and media management, all supported with open APIs for extensible integration. EditShare’s cloud-enabled remote editing and project management technology was recently recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) with a prestigious 2021 Emmy® Award for Technology and Engineering.
About Atomos Atomos is a video technology innovator. When we started just over a decade ago, we combined high-quality touchscreen monitors, removable storage, and Apple ProRes to dramatically improve the quality of video captured by almost any camera. For the first time, video makers could take the uncompressed output from the camera and store it in Apple’s professional, easy-to-edit format.
With Connect, Atomos extends the capabilities of its monitor-recorders with a host of cloud-based tools and services. Content creators now have greater peace of mind as their footage is simultaneously stored on the camera, in the cloud and on the Atomos recorder. Workflows anywhere in the world can access media from a cloud connected Atomos device. Our online services extend our physical products’ capabilities, empowering filmmakers, and video creators with essential tools for camera-to-cloud, collaboration and review, cloud editing, live multi-cam production, wireless timecode, and streaming. It is a flexible ecosystem of subscription-based services that can grow with customers’ needs.
Amy and Drive to Survive producer updates collaborators simply and securely
Boston, MA, March 18, 2024 – Box to Box Films, an Emmy® award winning producer of high end documentaries and factual entertainment, has extended their agreement with EditShare and will continue to leverage MediaSilo for delivering work-in-progress content to collaborators. The software allows clips and completed content to be distributed simply and securely, for viewing on any platform.
Box to Box is the producer behind the acclaimed documentary Diego Maradona, which chronicles the career of celebrated football player Diego Maradona. Its Formula 1: Drive to Survive inside motorsports documentaries reached series six on Netflix in February 2024. The company prides itself on its ability to create dynamic and dramatic narratives for international audiences.
For these and many more one-offs and series, each project is managed independently, with different managements, clients, post facilities and producers. MediaSilo gives Box to Box a ready way to distribute dailies and cuts, just to the team involved in that particular production. It provides a completely flexible storage space, allowing it to serve the requirements of different projects, and to allow multiple users to access it.
“On a typical project we would send a cut to maybe two bosses, three or four executive producers, showrunner and producer, post supervisors and more,” explained Box to Box technical editor Rafael Bettega. “We send the picture lock cut to the composer, and to the creative marketing people so they can plan and start the campaign as early as possible.”
“With MediaSilo we don’t need to worry about technology,” Bettega continued. “The users simply receive a review link with a video which they can access with a password, to play just by pressing the spacebar. No need to download additional software; no need to take up licences in an asset management system. And because of the two-factor security it is acceptable to the networks we’re partnering with, which prioritize secure methods for content transfer”.
Bettega first used MediaSilo on Amy in 2013, at the suggestion of the post house he was working with. It now uses the system for all its productions.
“This is the perfect application for MediaSilo,” said Eric Wynalek, EVP marketing & strategy at EditShare. “As massive fans of Box to Box’s productions like Drive to Survive and 6 Nations: Full Contact, we’re honoured to be an integral part of their workflow. Box to Box has a set of diverse users who need to collaborate on content securely, including protection with custom permissions and receipt of usage analytics. The interface allows groups to be set up for each project, with permissions set by user, so each clip and cut is sent to just the right people and the all-important feedback is received quickly.”
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Major South African production facility uses EFS and FLOW
Boston, MA, March 4, 2024 – Rapid Blue, one of the leading production companies in Africa, is now using the EFS 300 storage system from EditShare for all its in-house shows. Through the use of EditShare FLOW media management and workflow tools, the company has built a very efficient and cost-effective platform which allows multiple users direct access for review and approval, as well as supporting large post production teams. Rapid Blue’s productions encompass a diverse array of content, spanning from drama serials such as Is’thunzi to studio shows like Family Feud South Africa and Last One Laughing South Africa, as well as location-based reality programs including The Bachelor and Come Dine With Me South Africa. Rapid Blue, who is part of BBC Studios’ international family of production companies, is also the South African producer of international hits such as The Great South African Bake Off and Dancing with the Stars. The result is large volumes of content acquisition, often needing very rapid turnaround times.
When its central storage system reached end of life and began to raise serious issues with reliability, Rapid Blue looked for a system that would deliver content security as the top priority. Workflows needed to be fast, intuitive and cost effective. The EFS platform answered all the questions, and the company installed a 280TB storage network, implementing the system in conjunction with Protea Broadcast & Multimedia, EditShare’s South African partner.
“The whole facility runs off it, and it’s been awesome,” said Jacques Wolfaardt, Rapid Blue Head of IT. “It hosts almost all of our productions, and we can connect all our edit suites – as many as 20 – at the same time on the same content, giving us great productivity and fast turnarounds.”
Rapid Blue uses both Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve non-linear editors, and both are tightly integrated into the EditShare FLOW media management functionality. The relevant parts of the shared storage appear as locations within the software, so editors get direct access to the material they need, and can save cuts directly to the storage network.
“We connect many desktops directly to FLOW, and it automatically generates high-quality proxies” Wolfaardt said, “Producers working on their own computers can select the content they need from bulk ingests before it gets to editors – and reality shows generate a massive amount of content. They can also review and approve cuts, all without tying up edit suites just to look at material. That saves us time and resources, and makes us much more efficient.
“We also use the workflow automation in FLOW,” he continued. “It creates all the deliverables in different formats, and delivers them to FTP sites, without tying up staff or facilities.”
James Macpherson of Protea Broadcast & Multimedia said “Reliability was a key deciding factor for Rapid Blue, and we could clearly show that EditShare leads the field. In production, deadlines are often very tight, and a day’s delay can be catastrophic.
“Jacques and his team would certainly let me know if there had been any issues, but EditShare has delivered the performance they need with no downtime.”
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
Expanded lineup includes new EFS NVMe finishing nodes, revolutionary private cloud technology and powerful enhancements to FLOW asset management, MediaSilo and Screeners.com
Boston, MA, February 29, 2024 – EditShare, the technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative workflows, is celebrating 20 years of outstanding innovation at the 2024 NAB Show (booth SL8087, Las Vegas Convention Center, 14 – 17 April). It will mark the milestone by unveiling powerful new tools for producers and post facilities, new software and hardware, and the initial integration between FLOW and MediaSilo.
EditShare has always pushed the boundaries of media engineered storage solutions and will be demonstrating for the first time the new EFS NVMe, which enables creatives to work in demanding media formats such as DPX, OpenEXR, 4K/8K and beyond – all powered by the media aware industry standard file system, EFS. EFS NVMe provides unprecedented throughput, three times greater than the aggregate bandwidth of previous SSD generation servers, making it ideal for users working with VFX and other high bandwidth, high throughput environments.
EditShare completed its merger with Shift Media in September 2023, and at NAB 2024 the company is already unveiling major steps in integration and enhancements. Users of FLOW, the asset and workflow management platform integrated into EditShare’s storage systems, will be able to directly access all of the tools in the MediaSilo video collaboration platform to distribute viewing copies and collate annotations, speeding still further the processes of collaboration and content sign-off.
Within MediaSilo, collaborative creative editorial review improvements will include side-by-side version comparisons, user mentioning and range-based commenting. These advances further the effectiveness of MediaSilo as a review tool during the production and post timeline. To protect content, MediaSilo incorporates visible and forensic watermarking, which dynamically inserts viewer information into the file and is completely customizable including text and images. EditShare also recently released image and document watermarking support in MediaSilo, further bolstering its security capabilities for assets such as scripts, casting shots, and sensitive marketing materials.
Screeners.com, the preferred press screener solution of publicists and content security teams, will see a fresh look unveiled for the reviewer user interface. Publicists will have more branding customization options including in-video logo watermarks, specific color palettes on network pages, and broader options for key art. Reviewers will see an enhanced OTT-style experience with improved content recommendations, watchlists, and expiration notifications.
“From the day, 20 years ago, that EditShare was formed, there has been a tight focus on freeing content creators to exercise their craft, minimizing the need to interact with the technology,” said Tara Montford, Co-Founder and EVP Sales at EditShare. “Thanks to the close relationship we have with our clients, we are able to understand their needs and rapidly develop solutions to meet them.
“I am particularly proud of the way we have integrated the former Shift Media technology into our overall platform and program,” he added. “To be able to unveil really complex interworking just a few months after the merger is impressive. But what is really important is that it makes both EditShare FLOW and MediaSilo even more effective and valuable for our clients.”
Also on display at NAB 2024 will be FLEX Sync, which builds on EditShare FLEX’s cloud storage management layer. FLEX Sync provides powerful tools to sync with services such as Amazon S3, Wasabi and Backblaze. By making it easy to establish sync destinations and pick storage tiers, users will have complete confidence in their backups to the cloud. FLEX Sync also paves the way to use the cloud for specialist processor-intensive tasks like AI, fully integrated into the workflow.
Now available with all new EFS systems, EditShare Connect features new swift link technology, a revolutionary productivity tool turning your on-premise storage into your own private cloud for remote editing workflows. Reliably connect from any location using automatic latency detection and use your favorite NLE software on any OS to work on your media remotely and securely.
Finally, NAB Show will see the launch of expanded EditShare One functionality. EditShare One enhances the experience of FLOW users by providing a single user interface for collaborating across the FLOW feature set. Organize, thelatest EditShare Onemodule, ensures users can easily identify assets, whether they are stored in the cloud, on-premise or in a hybrid network. It means a producer or edit assistant can preview and log assets, view and edit metadata, and prepare content for work from any connected desktop, releasing edit suites for creative work. Organizejoins the Produce module as part of EditShare One’s transformational approach to asset management, organization and collaboration during video production and post-production.
Celebrate the 20th anniversary with EditShare on booth SL8087, book time with us at the show by clicking here.
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader, supporting storytellers through collaborative media workflows across on-premise, cloud and hybrid architectures. The market-leading open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration, third-party integrations and content sharing across the entire production chain. Designed specifically for media applications, the high performance line-up provides shared storage, archiving and backup, and intelligent media asset management.
Through a merger with Shift Media, EditShare now also integrates tools for content review and distribution, the creation of customised and branded pitch reels, and secure preview of high-value pre-release content.
For creative professionals, showreels are a resume, portfolio and calling card all rolled into one. Whether you work at an agency, production company or any of the dozens of other businesses where creativity is at a premium, showing your work in the best possible light can mean the difference between getting the gig and being forgotten.
Creative and marketing agencies of all types use reels for pitching agency services, demonstrating category experience, illustrating case studies and differentiating their creative thinking processes from those of competitors. Meanwhile, companies that represent production, post-production and supporting talent use their reels to show off the past work of their talented creatives, highlight specific skills or technical capabilities, and draw attention to the specific voices of their artisans.
While those two categories of businesses often have very different goals when showing reels, they have even more in common. All of them ultimately are accessing the power of sight, sound and motion to present the best of their creative output.
In this guide, we’ll highlight how creative agencies and the production world can each optimize their reels to get the attention they deserve and win more business. Then we’ll review the most critical considerations in setting up an in-house system for building great reels.
Pain-Free Pitching For Ad Agencies
The traditional agency pitch is a drawn-out, sprawling, cumbersome process that has now spread throughout the creative industry. From pitching on a client’s entire creative business to bidding on a specific project or campaign, creative agencies in advertising, marketing, experiential, PR and digital all dutifully invest time, creative energy and resources into frustratingly rigid dog-and-pony shows.
Most consultants’ pitch templates are older than the internet.
The average agency spent 22.2 days of staff time last year on each pitch they entered (equal to one employee working one entire month per pitch – eleven times a year).
“We’re meant to be in the business of creativity, but the focus has shifted…The average agency now spends around 2,000 hours a year working on pitches, time that’s often tacked on to the end of the working day.”
Lucy Taylor, MullenLowe Group UK
So how can you shift the odds in your favor when preparing for the dreaded pitch? Consider the basic criteria clients use to determine the fit of any agency:
You understand the client’s business, vision and immediate needs.
You have experience in their industry.
You have a recognizable roster of previous clients.
You have the right mix and level of capabilities.
You can personalize your solution to them.
The most important thing to remember is that the best reels reflect the specific client watching it and demonstrate what you can do for their exact needs. Of course, every client is different, meaning the best reel you can use is customized particularly for them. If you’re going to engage with multiple prospects, it makes sense to scale up your reel-building capabilities internally. Doing this will allow you to conduct business development proactively, respond more swiftly to requests, reduce the expense of customizing your reels and, most importantly, increase the “at bats” your agency gets by pitching as many clients as possible.
A Digital Foot In The Door — Reel Building For Prodcos And Post Vendors
When you first approach an agency or client, you often don’t even get the chance to talk to anyone. It’s only after you’ve sent a reel and they like it that you get to have an actual conversation about the talent you represent. Whether you’re an independent rep hoping to get your future star on an agency’s radar or an executive producer with a director or editor who’s ready to tear up the awards circuit, the first step is getting agency producers or creatives to take notice. And that means you need a showreel. But how do you make your showreels work harder and cut through the clutter amidst so much competition? Our guide will help you make the most of your work by making the most of your reels.
Use advertising tactics to cut through the clutter.
You want a combination of reach and frequency, so use a platform that allows you to track viewership metrics and follow-up. You want to keep in touch and maintain an ongoing relationship to ensure viewers engage.
Choose work that demonstrates you’ll take their project to the next level. You want to show them how good their work could be if they hire you.
Specialize your reel for their project.
If you’re really strong in multiple genres or styles, there’s nothing wrong with creating separate reels for each of them, but it’s often a good idea to refrain from putting it all on one showreel (unless specifically requested).
Leave them wanting more.
Especially with new and developing talent, having a short reel is fine, and far preferable to a reel of mixed quality with some flawed pieces that aren’t up to standard. As a guideline, people will assume you’re as good as the worst work they’ve seen from you.
Look the part.
Include company graphics or animation at the head and tail, and make the hosting page or presentation look flawless. If possible, you may even want to include their logo or customize the reel with a mention of the project.
Building a great showreel can be a bit like building a great meal. You want enough courses to make everyone satisfied, but you don’t want to overwhelm with volume.
In the end, what you choose to put on the reel is about reassuring a prospective client that you have the knowledge and skills to make their project great, even if you haven’t done that exact thing before. That connection between your work and the client’s needs is what gives a reel the best chance of getting you in the door. So the more customized you can make the reel, the better your chances of winning the job.
What Matters When You’re Building Reels In-House
So you’ve decided to set up an in-house system for making your reels. There are a few basic parameters to keep in mind when you’re setting up your reel-building system:
Organization: Every additional step it takes to get your work samples onto your finished reel is another obstacle between you and your potential new work. You want to have anything that you might ever use on a reel in one place so that no one has to go hunting for an asset or version. And you want all the pieces well organized and in compatible formats, ensuring your presentations are consistent and reliable.
Simplicity, Speed, and Efficiency: Your system should be straightforward and non-technical enough that anyone on your staff can create a great reel in a pinch, even if you’re out of the office. And it should be efficient enough that it can be done on short notice. Your responsiveness alone—along with your ability to turn around a beautiful presentation quickly—will make a strong impression from the start and potentially get you the chance to compete for projects you might have missed out on otherwise.
Customization: You should be able to make customized reels for any client or project and be able to adjust the look and presentation so that each client feels like it was made just for them. Find a solution with premade templates, customizable design themes and drag-and drop presentation-building features to ensure consistency and deliver presentations quickly.
Security: Unlike showcase websites and traditional asset storage solutions, modern asset management and reel-building systems can also offer higher-tech security features, like watermarking and personal access codes. Some platforms offer more advanced multi-factor security and even integrate it with their analytics so you can keep track of who is seeing your work in real-time. You need to keep your materials safe and ensure that only the right eyes see them. This also shows prospective clients that you understand their security needs and how to keep your future work for them secure.
Analytics: You want to be able to harvest a robust set of data from the reels you send out. Being able to tell who has looked at a reel, which parts they watched, and for how long can be critical in pursuing new business and following up with the presentations you’ve already sent out. Finding this type of solution can help you make better, more profitable new business decisions.
Make Your Next Pitch A Fast One
The arduous process of building reels isn’t going away any time soon. But with tools that let you quickly present the beautiful work you’ve already created, you can get on the shortlist and possibly even short-circuit the process of winning more work.
Wiredrive by EditShare can help you share winning work with the world. Contact us to get started with a demo of the industry gold standard for building and presenting winning showreels.
