Commercial production and post company Original has chosen Simian as its media management platform. With production offices in New York and Los Angeles and a roster of more than a dozen directors, motion graphic artists and editors, Original has created work for some of the country’s top advertising agencies and best known brands, including recent work for Casio, Woolite and the National Guard.
Original relies on Simian to house its media assets, build and share reels, pitch custom microsite presentations and administer its website. And with the addition of its new postproduction division, the company is using Simian to help oversee day-to-day production workflow from conception through final delivery.
“Simian helps us keep everything updated and current, both internally and externally,” explained Original creative director Jonathan Del Gatto. “We can send out cuts for agency review by the team, create a director’s reel on the fly and post new spots to our website as soon as they’re ready.”
Original is also taking advantage of the microsite creator function within Simian Projects. A customized microsite, complete with client, agency or company logos, can be built in minutes and used to present spots for review, reels, documents for casting, location scouting, scripts, storyboards and scheduling.
In fact, these microsites are beginning to replace printed “pre-pro” books that Original and other production companies have used for decades. Updates to content are rapid and the online accessibility makes it available to the project team at any time. “With Simian, a microsite can be created in the blink of an eye and the best part is that it doesn’t require knowledge of HTML or Internet protocols,” said Del Gatto. “Anyone on our staff can do it, and we don’t have to rely on a web administrator.”
Original recently unveiled its new website, which was designed by Simian and is powered by Simian’s built-in web content management system. “It’s a great looking site,” Del Gatto observed. “The people at Simian really understand our business in all its particulars, so conversations with them are very easy. I have contacted the development team many times with questions and found them very responsive.”
He added that Simian is playing a critical supporting role in Original’s primary mission. “It allows us to do our core work better. It has eliminated the time wasted on moving information, and enabled us to focus that energy on what we do best: creating great visual stories.”
