Case Study: The Othrs + Edit Share MediaSilo: Storytelling in the Digital Age

The Othrs, an award-winning full-service media and production company, was looking for a way to unify their post-production workflows and maintain the security of their content.  This case study explains the inherent difficulties in doing that, and why they turned to EditSahre MediaSilo.

The Othrs + Edit Share MediaSilo: Storytelling in the Digital Age

The Othrs, an award-winning full-service media and production company, has steadily earned acclaim with documentaries such as “The Great Hack,” “The Square,” “The Vow,” and the 2023 sequel “The Vow II,” offering audiences narratives of ordinary people traversing through extraordinary moments. These narratives are a testament to The Othrs’ talented and dynamic team, although crafting these compelling stories is accompanied by inherent challenges.

Challenges in Workflow Unification

The Othrs experienced difficulties unifying their post-production workflows while maintaining rigorous content security. With its growing creative teams, The Othrs required a platform that was not only secure and user-friendly but also capable of accommodating its creative personnel scattered across the globe. To navigate these evolving challenges, The Othrs employed MediaSilo by EditShare.

Adoption of MediaSilo

Examining projects like “The Vow 2” and “Flight Risk” illuminates MediaSilo’s crucial role. Dailies were uploaded to the platform from one location in a format that, while compressed, did not compromise on quality, ensuring immediate access for globally distributed producers. Furthermore, MediaSilo became a centralized exchange hub for proxies, graphics, music and other vital assets, functioning as a secure repository and a dynamic exchange platform.

Specifically, MediaSilo’s advanced review and approval features proved indispensable for multiple projects overseen by The Othrs. Sebastian Iturralde, Post Supervisor at The Othrs, highlights the importance of MediaSilo by stating, “Real-time collaboration from people in other time zones wouldn’t be possible for us without MediaSilo.” The platform allowed for timecode-accurate comments and notes, which were essential for use within editing software like Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro. Moreover, MediaSilo’s versioning capabilities facilitated unified change tracking between versions. “It was key to have the ability for everyone to seamlessly watch different versions of cuts while they’re all saved in the same place,” says Sebastian. This approach significantly enhanced communication clarity and efficiency during the review and approval processes.

MediaSilo also served as a repository for pre-production and non-video files. In the event of an emergency, this approach provided a reliable cloud backup for the high-resolution media stored on their on-premises Avid NEXIS storage system.

The Importance of Security and Compliance

Considering the sensitivity of content featuring whistleblowers within their type of documentary filmmaking, security is non-negotiable for The Othrs. MediaSilo, with its advanced permissioning tools and security compliance, stands resilient as a digital fortress. Recognizing the robust security measures provided by MediaSilo, The Othrs began entrusting it with increasingly sensitive content.

With their latest project, “Defiant,” which premieres this fall at DOC NYC and is a TIFF Official Selection, MediaSilo was considered vital in the submission process. “One of the key advantages of using MediaSilo was the ability to share a unique link with a distinct password for each festival, along with the option to set expiration dates,” said Fazïa S’Lika, Producer. These features simplified the submission process, allowing them to share the film with exactly who they needed to, when they needed to, without fear of leaks.

MediaSilo bridges the gap where remote and on-location workflows diverge, providing seamless facilitation of hybrid operational models through its intuitive design and robust functionality. Especially useful is MediaSilo’s “Feed” function, which keeps all team members on the platform up to date on any changes to their workspace and projects since they’ve last logged in. Karim Amer, co-owner at The Othrs, notes, “As the owner, I can get a sense for all of the projects by tracking the MediaSilo feed.”
Offering unmatched flexibility with user seats, storage space and a predictable cost structure, MediaSilo outperforms competitors in these domains. Its economical scaling solutions for enterprise-level usage are not only cost-efficient but also integrate into The Othrs’ existing workflows, accommodating both remote and on-location operations.

An Integral Partnership

For The Othrs, MediaSilo isn’t merely a tool—it’s integral to their digital strategy and workflow. Sebastian points out that without MediaSilo’s capabilities, executing nearly 90% of their groundbreaking work wouldn’t be feasible. MediaSilo not only makes real-time collaboration possible in the fast-paced world of global production but ensures it is efficient and reliable.

Karim echoes these sentiments, emphasizing his daily reliance on MediaSilo as an indispensable operational tool that keeps him connected and informed about the pulse of all projects under The Othrs’ banner. For him and his team, MediaSilo is an integral part of their daily workflow, a silent partner that is as much a part of The Othrs as any producer, editor or artist.

The alliance between The Othrs and MediaSilo transcends transactional interactions; it’s a partnership forged from challenges and triumphs in the heat of production. MediaSilo is more than a technological tool; it embodies a strategy deeply embedded within The Othrs’ operational DNA, enabling them to continue their journey of telling extraordinary human stories. With security, efficiency and collaboration as its cornerstones, MediaSilo is more than a platform; it’s a catalyst for storytelling in the digital age. Karim concludes, “We are on team MediaSilo. I use it every day.”