COVID has most of the world following ‘shelter-at-home’ and ‘work-from-home’ protocols. And, it certainly looks like we will be observing some form of social distancing for some time as we cautiously step back into what’s to be the new normal. Of course, for many of us, that means endless Zoom meetings (thank goodness for the stability of Zoom) while we attempt to go on with our daily lives. In between those work and school moments, we are seeking some moments of entertainment. All of this has creators of video content working overtime to do what they love – tell us stories – just in a different way.

Our newscasters are collaborating to deliver the news from their homes. Late night and daytime talk shows are getting creative on entertaining us – inclusive of guest celebrity appearances – from their homes. Somewhere out there, someone is creating a reality TV series about life during COVID. Hopefully they will run the gamut of heartbreaking, funny, emotional and informing stories to share with future generations.  

All of this still requires filming, and editing, and producing. Very little of this was done remotely before. We are all learning as we go. While we all step out of our comfort zone a bit, we have the opportunity to take advantage of amazing technologies that are right at hand and turn lemons to lemonade. There is one thing for sure… we are getting good at Zoom.  

Several days ago, I was at the end of a long week and sat back to do my weekly status report. I realized that I spent a good percentage of my day on video calls. Internal meetings, webinars – those we produced and those I attended, happy hour with friends, and catching up with the parents. It made me realize that we aren’t really social distancing as much as we are physical distancing. We are using video more than ever before and have an amazing opportunity to capture these moments and share them with the world.

This got me thinking – could we bring together the world of video conferencing and video production so that anyone can craft stories from all this new material we are capturing. Quickly editing together Zoom recordings of a webinar into bite-sized highlights, creating an education package from a Zoom classroom (removing the five minute chaos half way through when one student spilt drink over their laptop) and helping news agencies quickly pull together different recordings to formulate a heartwarming interview (without the “you are on mute” prompts).  

With this in mind, I started playing around with the combination of Zoom and EditShare’s Flow media management tool. I thought – what if we could give any creator/producer an easy way to ingest all their recordings, index the associated metadata, and easily combine them into a timeline to produce a story – all in the cloud. After all, we know how to do this. We do it all the time. Just usually with different inputs.

The video I’m sharing with you here is the culmination of those efforts. If you want to simplify the process of telling stories with EditShare’s Flow and Zoom recordings, we have an integration ready for you to try. 

So, get in touch. Let us work with you. Let’s create amazing, together.

Spring has finally come to Beijing. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to the feeling of warm sunlight on my face, the happy sound of children playing, and – at last – being able to live my life normally.

I love to go for a run outside. It’s a great start to the day. But for what seems like a long time now, these completely normal things have not been normal at all. 

The Chinese Lunar New Year is a huge event, especially for families, who often travel thousands of miles to be with each other. It’s a country-wide celebration, and probably the biggest movement of the Chinese population each year. So a contagious outbreak like COVID-19 at this particular time, is the worst possible thing that could have happened.

Three days after the outbreak was identified, Wuhan was locked down. Wuhan is more than 1,000 KM from Beijing, but we felt the impact instantly. Within days we were advised not to go out and meet friends, family or colleagues. 

That was January 26th. 

Thanks to modern technology, I did not have to change too much to connect with my friends and family and work from my home. Life could continue by using the internet and the cloud. 

I work for EditShare, a technology company in the Media and Entertainment business. EditShare is headquartered in the USA, with offices in the UK and all over the world including one in Beijing. So, we have a practice of staying close through video and audio conference calls as well as other forms of digital collaboration. Utilizing those tools also helps me be productive in China where our customers are spread over vast distances and we can’t always meet in person. 

Over the last decade there’s been what can only be described as a revolution in production. It used to be that because of the huge files, the low bandwidth and the massive computing power needed, the only way to work was onsite at the production or broadcast facility. 

But now, that’s changed completely. In fact, the whole production and post-production process – logging, editing, transcoding, delivering – is moving into the cloud, with total automation to simplify the workflow. The cloud isn’t “anywhere,” but at the same time it’s everywhere. 

So working at home or remotely is as rich and creative an experience as being in a dedicated facility. And thankfully, my company has set up its own internal business processes to enable the same experiences.

During the shutdown, I was able to work closely with our local channel partner ThinkTone (XinTong) Technology on ways to stay connected to our customers and continue our business activities. We shared best practice information and offered online presentations on how to use the EditShare remote production technology. Our ability to continue collaborating helped our customers. 

As an example, we successfully continued to work on a major customer project. The customer is a Chinese conglomerate and one of the world’s top five technology companies. It has multiple divisions with quite separate functions. The two divisions we worked with are – video and cloud.

The  video division had a major new reality series planned for release in the first half of 2020. The team wanted to be able to distribute the video from the production to all of the many stakeholders for review – without having to be in the same room, building or even city. It was agreed that we would run EditShare software directly on cloud division infrastructure to accomplish this.

The team began the testing of EditShare Flow and EFS running on the cloud at the beginning of 2020 – while we were on lockdown. We held weekly meetings to update the information between each of the interested parties. At times these meetings had up to twenty people across three continents. 

We were able to do this during the lockdown because everyone was able to work remotely – that’s the beauty of the cloud, and I guess it’s the way forward for all of us. 

I was shut inside for nearly two months. I learned to adapt to the current situation, as my business like many others, must move forward during the crisis. And while there have been inconveniences, I am more efficient than ever and better prepared for the unexpected. And the next time a crisis happens, there will be no reason for everything to stop. Because of cloud technology, working at home is now just “working.” 

In China, we have a saying that inspired us during this challenging time: “winter will be over and the spring will come.”  Thank you for reading this. I wish everyone, wherever they are in the world, to stay safe, and I hope spring comes soon to you, too. 

Photo credit: Andy Strong, @astrongphoto

Piper Payne’s got a lot to be stoked on, a phrase she uses often. The new EP Visions from Madame Gandhi, former drummer for M.I.A., that Payne mastered just dropped. She also started a new project for Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe in February, and there’s lots of lacquer cutting ahead. Payne, a mastering engineer with studios in Oakland and Nashville, got her start apprenticing under mastering greats Bob Katz and Michael Romanowski.

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Congrats — you’ve got a killer film, album, product, or event coming out soon. How are you going to let the world know about it?

Back in the day, you would’ve spent lots of time and money printing, packaging, and sending physical press kits with promotional photos, synopses, and media like video tapes or CDs. Look how Star Wars did in 1977.

Luckily, it’s much easier to create robust, multimedia electronic press kits and distribute them quickly and widely in the digital age. Whatever you’re pimping — an indie film or studio album, video games and apps or splashy festival — an electronic press kit (EPK) should be part of your promotions strategy. EPKs are especially handy because they contain in one place all the elements journalists and media outlets need to cover your product, event, or creative work.

EPKs are just one part of a PR push, though. Kirsten Saladow, who spearheaded communications and public relations for Matter Communications, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and ChefStable, explains: “In theory, the press kit should solely be for press, and there should be plenty of other marketing materials (website, social media, email newsletters, print pieces, etc.) that artists can send out to their mailing lists of the audience that they’ve built up over the years, so press kits can just be sent to journalists from a PR person.”

If you don’t have the budget for a PR firm to help market your project, don’t worry; we list resources below for building and deploying your own electronic press kit.

What to include in a successful EPK

“This varies so much by what you’re using a press kit for,” Saladow writes in an email, “but typically, it’s important to have a press release that gives the details around whatever the press kit is for, downloadable photos (with photo credit!), video if applicable (also with credit!), bios of artists and/or key executives (if relevant).”

Neal Block, head of distribution and marketing at Magnolia Pictures, describes the EPKs they create in addition to dedicated websites and social media accounts for each film: “For every film we release, we have press notes, a set of still photos approved by the filmmaking team, and clips pulled from the film. We also like to include Q&As with filmmakers to give additional context.”

Filmmaker Matt McCormick, whose documentary The Deepest Hole premiered at Sundance in January, says EPKs are a must-have: “They are vital if a filmmaker wants their film to receive any press.”

An while EPKs will vary by industry and what you’re promoting, they should include the following to be most effective:

• Press release: This should describe the project you’re promoting and use language that journalists can pull from. As McCormick writes in an email, “It’s amazing how many writers and media outlets simply copy or paraphrase a press kit when writing a story about a film.” If the press kit is for a film, include a synopsis. Some even have both short and long versions so writers can cut and paste as much as they need.
• Bios: Include bios on the principals involved in the project — the band releasing album, the sponsor behind an event, the company that’s recently been acquired, and so on.
• High-resolution images: These can be film stills, a headshot, or poster art. Make sure you include credits so the photographer who took the shots is recognized.
• Media clips: Embed the trailer and video clips for films, audio for albums, and performance clips or interviews for arts, theater, and other events.
• Website and social media links: Include social media accounts, website, and any relevant hashtags.
• Press, awards, or blurbs: Already won an award or received good press? Good for you! List it in your press kit and link to it if it’s available online. If not and you can scan the print version, then you can add the high-res file to your website. Alternatively, if you were given a high-quality PDF of the print version, then you can cut just the relevant pages and use that instead.
• Important dates: Let people know where and when they can see your work, whether it’s at a venue, screening, or launch party.
• Contact info: List your PR firm or whoever is handling media relations
• FAQ sheet: Bonus points if you can include a FAQ sheet for quick reference. “The FAQ sheet should include things like date, time, location, price (which should be covered in the press release), as well as things like how many people attended this event last year, if kids can attend, if venues are appropriate for all abilities, etc., which might not be covered in the press release but would be questions that media would want to ask,” says Saladow. “The less you make people have to hunt and dig for an answer, the easier it is on everybody.”

PDF, online, or both?

With the prevalence of social media and easy-to-build website templates like Wix and Squarespace for promoting your project, are PDF press kits still necessary? Indeed they are. Many journalists still expect them and prefer having all the info about whatever it is you’re promoting in one easy file.

“Many websites will have a press section where press kits are available electronically or can be downloaded as a PDF. Typically, the PDFs wouldn’t be outdated, because a press kit is either for something specific (like an event or a new product), which shouldn’t need to be updated frequently,” writes Saladow. “If you’re creating a more general press kit for an arts org as a whole (for example), it’s smart to have that live on a website that you can update frequently. Even if a downloadable PDF is attached to it, you can update both simultaneously, so everything stays up to date.”

Who should receive your EPK and when

Who you send your EPK depends on what you’re promoting. As the name “press kit” implies, you should send it to members of the press relevant to your project, event, or product. You’ll want to send it to as many media outlets, blogs, and journalists who would potentially want to cover it. At a minimum, compile your mailing list at least three months before you want press coverage. Most outlets have editorial calendars that list when and what will be included in each issue, so research the sites of magazines and other publications you’re targeting to see if there are key dates to keep in mind.

“As a general rule, most print magazines are 3-6 months out, so if you are sending your press kit to Vanity Fair in hopes of getting into their print magazine, you’d need to send it to them at least six months in advance,” Saladow says. “Daily and weekly newspapers and digital publications typically have shorter lead times, so you don’t have to plan that far ahead. However, I’d still aim for at least three months in advance.” If your album drops three months from now, for example, you’ll want to get that press kit out pronto.

“Showing that you’ve done your research will help get your press kit viewed”

A press kit can also be used when you apply to film or music festivals or, if you’re a musician, to booking agents. “I’d also advise sending a press kit with a specific pitch to a writer, which means actually reading what they write about and sending them a brief (3-4 sentences!) note about why you think they’d be interested in your organization and/or event. Give them an angle, tell them why they should care, tell them why you’re sending them this press kit,” Saladow says. “Showing that you’ve done your research will help get your press kit viewed and potentially written about, which is the goal.”

Making and distributing your own EPK

Filmmakers can check out FilmSourcing for free EPK templates available to members or StudioBinder, which offers templates that link to their call-sheet software. Musicians can explore Wix’s free website templates or Sonicbids free to cheap templates for interactive landing pages that list tour dates and stream your social media content. If you need inspiration, check out the websites of music labels, film distributors, PR firms, and events. For filmmakers, Tribeca Film Festival has a great archive of EPKs to peruse.

Not every project can set budget aside for a publicist, but you don’t have to be a publicist to send out your own press kit. Once you have it written, compiled, and designed, create a PDF that you can email or make downloadable from your website. When you’re ready to email your media list, either include the link to your site if you’re hosting the press kit there or attach a PDF of it.

A word about social media

Social media is an integral part of our lives today, and it’s tempting to rely on it alone as a way to get the word out. It’s certainly possible, especially if you’re your own publicist, but “if you’re using press kits as part of your media relations strategy, then they are just as important as social media promotion,” says Saladow. “Your average audience member or customer isn’t going to be interested in your press kit, which is one of the reasons why a strong social media presence is important.”

“A press kit is intended for press, so by creating one, you are putting together information that will make a journalist’s job easier which is important if you want reporters to write about your event or whatever it is that you’re promoting,” she continues. “Journalists should be the intended audience for press kits while social media is for anybody and everybody who’s interested in what you’re doing.”