Mediapro’s IT department detected a need for the company’s post-production department in Barcelona to have a cloud tool to improve its document management processes.
At that time, the Group’s post-production team assessed how Dropbox could work in the audiovisual environment with large files, so it started using Dropbox Business with the aim of having post-production teams use the storage tool, manage workflows work and could access all the contents from any location.
Dropbox is currently used, for example, to manage content during filming, production and post-production. Thus, it allows to eliminate the traffic of hard drives and the risk of leakage or loss of data, adding a layer of efficiency and security by having all the content located in a flexible tool that has been adapted to the needs of the company. About this process of digital transformation, we have had the opportunity to chat with Lluís López, head of post-production at Grupo Mediapro in Barcelona.
[MCPRO] Where was MediaPro before starting this process of digital transformation? How did you collaborate within the company or develop document management processes?
[Lluís López] In almost any audiovisual production, the sector works with relocated teams at the same time (sets, exteriors, script, graphics, sound…). Until a few years ago, only physical formats were used for storage, forcing companies to make several hard disk copies of the material to make it reach the teams that needed it, with what this implies: duplication and shipping costs, thus risk of data loss.
The group has various document management tools, each with its pros and cons, depending on the area in which it has to work. In the case of the post-production department, at a given moment the MEDIAPRO IT department detected a need for said department to have a cloud tool that would help improve some processes. And that is why Dropbox and Mediapro contacted to study the situation and put into service the tools that best adapted to the needs.
[MCPRO] What are the needs that you had to cover before starting it up?
[Lluís López] We needed to homogenize ways of working through a common tool that would allow all the members of each team to work in a common space in a collaborative and delocalized manner, regardless of the type of file with which they work and to be able to share files and videos easily, in addition to to implement a cloud backup system to avoid having the content in only one location.
[MCPRO] How do you come to the conclusion that Dropbox might be an ideal solution to meet those needs?
[Lluís López] Dropbox collaborated in the study of our needs and offered us a tool that adapts to the improvement of our processes. Among the aspects that we valued, apart from the security provided by Dropbox Business, was the ability to share any type of file, automatic synchronization, unlimited space, traceability, version history, being able to restore a deleted file, being able to share with users without Dropbox …
But, most importantly, that Dropbox was willing to work with us to adapt the tool for the needs of the audiovisual sector.
[MCPRO] How is the migration to Dropbox done? How many users start using it and what new collaboration routines are established?
[Lluís López] We started using Dropbox in new projects to assess the tool. As the result was positive, we began to migrate important jobs that could be used for future projects.
The first year we were about 300 users in basically post-production departments in Barcelona. As of the Covid19 pandemic, we expanded the use of the cloud tool to group teams in other countries, which made it easier for various areas of the group to work off-site without affecting ongoing productions. We are currently almost 1300 users from different countries and business areas.
[MCPRO] How has the productivity of the department improved since the implementation of the solution?
[Lluís López] First of all, it allows the production and post-production departments to be able to work from home or from anywhere on the planet as if they were in the office, and to do so simultaneously on the same file/project.
The level of productivity and creativity has not been compromised, nor has the level of security. In addition, the time required for some processes has been shortened, such as sending copies of material to the teams.
