Studio 100 NV

Bringing a brand new generation of family entertainment to a brand new generation—one asset at a time.

Challenge

A thriving business needs to keep its digital files organized. But when success comes at the breakneck pace it did for Belgium’s Studio 100, it’s tough to properly manage files that multiply daily. In time, tracking and leveraging the studio’s physically and financially expanding digital asset portfolio became difficult. A solution for managing the company’s lucrative archives, as well as current and future projects, was needed fast.

Solution

After considering all options, Studio 100 armed itself with Canto Cumulus, a local Canto partner, and a professional image bank manager. Forces joined, and efforts focused on growth, the three staged Studio 100 for the success it enjoys today.

Results and Benefits

• Easy self-service plus no more hunting through DVDs saves time.
• Easy file finding for designers means better choices are made.
• Single-portal file access helps everyone, and makes controlled distributions easier.

Much more than a one-mouse house

Depending on your age, you grew up with Micky and Donald, Woody and Buzz, or Shrek and Donkey. But today’s kids will know a new generation of fantasy friends, thanks to Studio 100.

More than just animated heros, however, actors, singers, feature films, TV, books and more come from these creative quarters. And they’re all represented by scores of digital assets that need to be managed, easy to find, and ROI-ready.

Think of it as freelance work for files

For the purposes of selling ice cream, cereal or other consumer staples, there can be no better spokesperson than a family entertainment icon, so Studio 100 leverages its popular characters through licensing.

To maximize licensing success, Studio 100 sought to more efficiently manage its collections. The company’s existing digital asset management (DAM) system wasn’t keeping pace, and much more power was needed.

Users inside Studio 100, such as sales and marketing, can instantly find anything they need, while external licensees can access the imagery they’ve licensed, all through the same attractive Web based user interface, provided by Canto partner Modula4’s Web Module.

Studio 100’s users can search, browse, preview, download and more, without the need for any special software.

Working behind the scenes, a suite of Cumulus add-ons by Canto partner Amides powers a sophisticated workflow that perfectly fits Studio 100’s complex production and merchandising needs.

The solution search begins

Studio 100 hired Koen Schryvers to act as the studio’s image bank manager, and to find a new DAM system better suited for the company.

Schryvers explains the situation when he arrived.

“Studio 100 had [Extensis] Portfolio, but it lacked a lot of needed functionality. I wanted to find a solution that could grow with our needs.”

Among other DAM systems, Schryvers looked into Cumulus on an art director’s recommendation. The final two candidates were Cumulus and a Belgian system called ADAM.

“Honestly, we were drawn to ADAM because the company was local and we thought it could do things Cumulus couldn’t do.”

But some last minute research swayed Studio 100 back toward the Cumulus camp.

“When we found [Canto partner] Amides, we had the local Cumulus contact we wanted. But even better were the add-ons Amides sells—they more than fill any gap between Cumulus and ADAM.”

There was another very important reason Studio 100 ultimately chose Cumulus.

“ADAM would have cost much more to purchase, and far more to implement and support.”

Fast, high-resolution previews, file information and more are all available from a single menu. Users save time, because it’s easy to instantly get what they need, from anywhere. Working in the background, Amides add-ons help managers control license permissions, real-time access and more.

Workflow automation that works

Cumulus is a powerful workflow manager for Studio 100, thanks to Amides add-ons that create folder structures used for works in progress; control file access for clients; archive completedprojects, and more. And though all this automation increases the system’s power and value, something else matters too, says Schryvers.

“Our Cumulus system is easy for our users, because it works the way they expect.”

Studio 100’s sales and marketing staff can instantly get what they need—from anywhere— so projects and deals are never slowed by access problems or missing files. Cumulus also enables Studio 100 customers, broadcasters and other partners to access what they need. Plus, the studio can now easily handle the multi-lingual requirements of its increasing global reach—all from within a single system.

Koen Schryvers remains confident he made the right decision when he chose Canto Cumulus.

“I can’t think of anything I would change about Cumulus. It does just what we need.”