Client: Marshall – a globally recognised brand renowned for its high-quality audio equipment and commitment to innovative marketing.
Project: A single-day stills production in Birmingham, managed by DogEatDog, featuring three cast talents (two via agents and one direct).
Challenges: Managing contracts, talent coordination, and approvals posed operational complexities. Traditional methods lacked efficiency, transparency, and version control, making production workflows cumbersome.
Solution: KEEP provided a centralised platform for contract management, versioning, and approvals, enabling DogEatDog to streamline processes, improve collaboration, and mitigate operational risks.
Results: KEEP facilitated a more structured production workflow, reduced administrative overhead, and enhanced transparency in contract approvals and talent coordination.
Objective
The aim was to execute a stills production for Marshall, with DogEatDog acting as the production company. The objective is to efficiently manage contracts, talent coordination, and approvals using the KEEP platform to streamline processes and ensure a smooth production workflow.
Quote: As the project was direct to brand, having the KEEP platform help production work in a regimented manner alleviate some of the liabilities usually taken on board by an agency business affairs.
Key Challenges
- Contract Management: Without KEEP, contracts must be created and sent manually, leading to inefficiencies.
- Versioning and Approvals: Traditional methods of sending PDFs and tracking changes lacked transparency and ease.
- Talent Coordination: It could be cumbersome to manage communication and approvals with multiple stakeholders (talent agents and direct talent).
- Data Integration: Ensuring contract options and additions were consistent with previous projects.
- Liability and Compliance: Avoid errors and delays arising from manual processes.
How KEEP Addressed the Challenges
- Centralised Contract Management:
- Contracts for three talents (two via agents and one direct) were created and uploaded to KEEP.
- All contracts are digitally signed on the platform, with notification or counter-signatures.
- Stored contract templates allowed for consistent options and additions.
- Efficient Versioning:
- Talent managers could review, comment, and approve contracts directly in KEEP, reducing back-and-forth communications.
- KEEP’s workflow resembled familiar tools like DocuSign but offered enhanced production-specific features.
- Seamless Collaboration:
- Freelance producers accessed the KEEP ecosystem, ensuring a standardised process even when key personnel transitioned out of the project.
- Integrated Data Storage:
- Options and additions from previous Marshall projects were pulled into contracts effortlessly.
- Notifications for contract-related deadlines (e.g., license expirations) were automatically generated.
- Liability Reduction:
- Centralising contracts and approvals on KEEP minimised risks of misplaced documents and ensured a reliable audit trail.
Results
- Time Saved: Contracting was completed significantly faster compared to manual processes.
- Improved Client Relationships: The automated workflow removed liability concerns, building client trust.
- Streamlined Workflows: Notifications, template integration, and digital signatures made processes more efficient.
- Scalability: The KEEP platform allowed seamless onboarding of freelance producers, ensuring continuity.
Insights and Unexpected Benefits
- Holistic Data Management: Contracts were no longer static documents but actionable data sources.
- Improved Project Handoffs: Standardisation in KEEP ensured that projects could transition smoothly between team members.
- Potential for Expansion: The team identified KEEP’s payments platform as a valuable feature for future projects to further streamline processes.
Recommendations
KEEP proved to be an indispensable tool for managing the complexities of production projects. Its value lies in its ability to:
- Centralise and standardise workflows.
- Enhance collaboration across teams and external stakeholders.
- Provide actionable insights and reduce risks associated with manual processes.
The team plans to adopt additional KEEP features, such as the payments platform, in future projects and recommends the tool to other production teams and agencies looking to modernise their workflows.