The easiest rock to turn over and find $1,000,000
It all begins with an idea.
Creating video content at scale presents a set of unique and complex challenges. Visual storytelling is built upon team, technology, and process fundamentals required to bring your story to life. In my 17 years of experience the most often overlooked core element is Asset Management - undervalued, partially implemented, or missing altogether.
Entire consultancies, firms, and careers are devoted to this challenge. I have experience as follows:
Manager - multiple scopes of work developed with large and boutique consultancies related specifically to asset management for the team I was leading at the time
Implementation - Media Asset Management system (MAM) across a team on which I had a leadership role
Development - DIY MAM using cloud database software, implementation
Video Editor - asked to follow a defined workflow, engage with a MAM for the purpose of ingesting and/or retrieving assets, editing, proofing and review, delivery
Our Denver Video Consultants process involves rapid (2 hrs) strategic assessment of video creation fundamentals: Teams, Tools, Technique. During an engagement the following basic information can create a framework for moving forward with Asset Management:
Hardware / data storage
Servers
Encoders
Off-site backup
Cloud services
High speed collaborative storage
High speed local workstation storage
External hard drives (SATA, SSD)
On premises storage locations
Mystery data challenges
“There are drives in this closet and we don’t know what they are.”
Software
MAM / DAM
Encryption
Operating systems
Creative applications
Proofing and review tools
Process
Alignment - internal resources and vendors
Production and post-production workflows
House codec
Proxy workflow
Metadata
In use at all?
Origin of its design and use
Team adoption rate
The absence of Asset Management is what clearly reveals its true value - deliverables or source media lost and misplaced, brand standards adopted a la carte, users unable to work effectively. The value of each asset degrades in direct correlation to the organization’s inability to access and repurpose that asset. Assuming we find there are significant gaps present, here are potential solutions:
Team size: 1 to 7
DIY - start with an online search “DAM vs MAM” to understand the essentials such as:
Asset search
Metadata
Secure storage
Rights management
Version, access, user control
Team members develop process, build basic solution in something like AirTable (cloud database software)
Timeline - 3 to 6 months
ROI - reduced risk, time savings, ability to scale
Team size: 8 to 50
Boutique consultancy
Chris Lacinak
Team size: larger than 50
Accenture Song
Identifying fundamentals that may be missing or dormant is a way to unlock value very quickly. Almost every team I’ve led or been a part of could benefit from an objective 3rd party glance at the essentials and how they’re working.
Book a call with Denver Video Consultants and we’ll help immediately if you’re able to work that quickly. Rather than spend hours developing scopes we’ll jump right in (no scope in place) then at the 2 hr mark ask “How’s it going?”. Not helpful, no invoice. Helpful? We’ll bill the time or write a basic scope for a “bucket of hours” to achieve the next agreed upon milestones.
Thank you,
TJ Daly
Your first hire
If you can only make ONE video-focused hire... what role should that be? I walk through the process I've used before to identify that your video editor is often the "lynchpin" of your video department.