RyanMedia and entertainment professionals are under immense pressure to do more with less. In 2023, the media sector saw over 21,400 job cuts, marking one of the most significant reductions since the financial crisis of 2008 (Fast Company, 2023). Notable examples include:
- Disney: A reduction in force (RIF) of 7,000 employees in 2023
- Paramount Global: A 15% RIF during 2023-2024
- Warner Bros. Discovery: A RIF of 1,000 employees in 2023
Achieving Efficiency with Technology
In 2016, I joined a small and talented team at Amazon Studios with an ambitious goal: launch the entire catalog of Amazon Studios-produced content on Prime Video in over five languages—both subtitles and dubbed tracks—globally in under a year. With zero existing infrastructure and our content scattered across vendors (and a few titles on external hard drives behind my desk), our three-person team faced a monumental task. How could we collect, quality control (QC), and deliver thousands of assets in time for launch? The answer was workflow and automation.
We built one of the first AWS-deployed instances of Levels Beyond's Reach Engine (now part of Signiant). By integrating with Signiant's accelerated file transfer solutions, we created a global delivery network to collect media assets from our vendors. These assets fed into our automated QC, conform, and human spot-check workflows—utilizing Codemill's Accurate Player—before being delivered directly to Prime Video.
Having started my career at Light Iron—pioneers in RED Camera and file-based workflows—I have always been at the forefront of digital media innovation. Our project's success at Amazon Studios was a further testament to what can be achieved with the right vision and technology. More importantly, it was the first time I witnessed the combined power of cloud scalability with workflow automation.
Automating on AWS
During my four years as a Solutions Architect for Media and Entertainment at AWS, I assisted enterprises worldwide in transforming their media workflows—migrating workloads from on-premises to AWS, adopting new services, and introducing automation to save time and money. Teams varied in technical expertise, but a common challenge emerged: limited resources made migrating to AWS difficult. While AWS offers powerful building blocks, assembling them remains a complex and often costly endeavor. In the 2023 Media Supply Festival report, the DPP found,
“Integrations are critical but also a threat to enterprise transformation, with organizations spending on average $3.5 million on custom integration labor costs.”
For instance, in 2022, I participated in the Cloud Localization Blueprint (CLB), an IBC Accelerator project to create a blueprint for distributing entertainment content globally using cloud technology, best-in-class software-as-a-service (SaaS) products, and loosely coupled automation. The project was well-received, with many attendees asking, “Where can I buy this?” The unfortunate answer was, “Nowhere.” The demo was built by AWS Solutions Architects—including myself—to integrate the SaaS products and automate the workflow.
So, what can organizations with limited technical resources do to optimize their workflows?
Embracing Low-Code and No-Code Solutions
Aligned with the CLB, a 2023 Gartner report encouraged enterprises to
“pick and choose the best-of-breed tools in each functional area, stitching them together in a loosely coupled environment, rather than implementing one massive monolithic and complex solution”
(https://www.thedpp.com/news/making-integration-work-postmodern-erp-media-supply-chain).
Many organizations are already doing this in non-media areas of their business by utilizing Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solutions such as:
- Dell Boomi
- TIBCO
- Salesforce MuleSoft
- Informatica
- SnapLogic
These platforms often require technical integration teams. Alternatively, platforms offering low-code and no-code solutions can be managed with less technical expertise:
- Zapier
- Make
- Workato
While these platforms offer powerful integration and automation capabilities, they lack media-specific out-of-the-box integrations for the tools media operations rely on. A few solutions focus on integration and automation specifically for the media industry:
- Squared Paper Busby
- Qibb
- SDVI Rally
- Flomenco
Choosing the Right Platform
When considering these tools, it's crucial to assess the technical resources available for implementation and maintenance, your project timeline, and the total cost of ownership. Some tools (e.g., SDVI Rally) require development expertise (such as Python) to build workflows.
- Do you have these skills in-house?
- Can your team support the integration and automation platform, or will you need to hire a systems integrator or consulting firm, adding extra costs?
- After the initial launch, who will adapt your integrations and automated workflows as business needs evolve? Will you need a consultant for every change?
One Size Doesn't Fit All
Just as it is advisable to use best-in-class tools for various media functions, organizations should select one or several iPaaS products that are purpose-built for their specific integration and automation tasks. For example, It is common for media organizations to use Zapier or MuleSoft for back-office business integration and automation, SDVI Rally for media ingest workflows, and Flomenco for media distribution workflows.
Introducing Flomenco
At Flomenco, we focus on providing the best low-code and no-code integration and automation platform that is purpose-built for the media and entertainment industry. We believe in bridging the gap between technical and operations teams. Our no-code solution allows you to integrate and automate workflows efficiently, with templates for standard media processes to kick-start your automation journey.
After partnering on the media supply chain showcase at NAB 2023, representatives from AWS remarked,
“With Flomenco, we were able to create a production workflow solution within a week.”
For more complex needs and highly technical customers, Flomenco offers low-code capabilities through our “code node,” providing the flexibility required for unique use cases.
Flomenco simplifies workflow building and maintenance. It allows teams to build and maintain workflows, reducing upfront and long-term maintenance costs.
Improving efficiency in the media supply chain is my passion and Flomenco's mission.