Production studio work is a world of its own. Film has its own demands in time, resources and people. However, much of this work can also be done digitally. Production involves a high degree of coordination, so a proper access control system can be vital. The cloud offers solid options in that regard, along with improved security and analytics data, according to Brian Raleigh (pictured), vice president, post-production and production business intelligence for ABC Television Group.

“Most of our production and post-production workflow is in the cloud,” Raleigh said.

Raleigh shared a table with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), cohost of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio, during the NAB Show conference in Las Vegas to talk about how going digital has changed the production business. (*Disclosure below.)

Bringing digital order to production chaos

Before going to the cloud, ABC worked through emails and files saved on the computer desktop. After the move, they found security was much improved and access more controlled. Their email count has also gone down, while the system became much more searchable.

“It’s improved our world in many ways … around security, efficiencies, better distribution, better control over who has access to what,” Raleigh said.

Because of these benefits, ABC has been rolling out its digital system to all of its shows. It is, however, a work in progress. The production team must train with the new technology, and teams come and go as projects do. Fortunately, many of the people on those teams have worked with the studio before, Raleigh explained.

Cloud security, meanwhile, has proved worth more than just protection. Co-production is part of the studio’s workload, and that means dealing with other companies. Many of these partners are very security-conscious. Going through the cloud allows ABC to work hand in hand with these companies.

Working in the cloud also allows the studio to collect data from their projects. Information on directors, editors and the film itself can be very valuable. There’s a payoff in efficiency gains, but also, Raleigh hopes, in delivering great business insights.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial coverage of the NAB Show. (*Disclosure: Western Digital is sponsoring theCUBE’s coverage at the show. Neither Western Digital nor other sponsors have editorial influence on content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE