Challenge: Triptent needed a future-forward file storage infrastructure that supported the benefits—but also lived up to the demands—of hybrid post-production workflows. This included ease of adoption, data security and redundancy, and little-to-no latency performance. "Our core goal was simple,” says Triptent’s Executive Producer, Alex Lose. “Re-engage in a shared storage workflow that could be scaled for growth. We wanted to find a solution that matched the pace and flexibility of our existing project demands. We wanted a partnership not a product.”

Why Suite? Suite provides a unified, cloud-based media hub that Triptent's dispersed team across the country can easily access & activate in real-time. By choosing Suite’s cloud storage, Triptent can accelerate project timelines while securing newfound peace of mind thanks to its shared & redundant storage environment. Suite's no-lag playback, easy setup & onboarding, compatibility with Adobe, and stellar customer service facilitates seamless work for Triptent's hybrid team while they plan further integration of Suite with existing on-premise hardware.

“We've officially adopted Suite Storage as our main vehicle for housing working assets. It’s been phenomenal.”

— Cooper Hardin, Director of Post Production, Triptent

There’s a pivotal point in every production when it’s time to take raw media into the Edit Bay and stitch the story together. With the assets captured and the files organized, it’s up to the editors and the post production staff to craft the story with an artful touch. In this video-driven world, however, post production teams are faced with an increasing expectation for more deliverables than the final cut—like social cut downs, and other promotional & distribution content—and it can be tough to put full confidence in external collaborators to get the job done right.

This moment of inflection was a catalyst that helped form Triptent, a full service agency based in New York City with a reputation for coupling meaningful creative with a top-notch post production experience, servicing household brands like Kohl's, Pandora Jewelry, Athletic Greens, Just For Men, PetSmart and Ashley Homestore. In short, Cooper Hardin, Triptent’s head of post production, and his team of on-premise and remote editors, motion, and finishing artists handle massive promotional pushes on tight deadlines that other agencies simply can’t.

Consider all of the assets that might need to be created for a company’s annual blowout sale; or the different versions of a video that should be created for a big product launch; or a targeted campaign designed to push a last-minute promotion—Triptent thrives on these heavy workloads. Hardin and his team of on-premise & remote editors and artists are some of the best are some of the best in business at transforming terabytes of media into actionable content. “We’ve found a niche,” says Hardin. “We’re production-minded; we think about practicality from the get-go.”

Rising in the ranks over the course of 12 years with Triptent, Hardin has witnessed first-hand how the creative process needs to be supported by smooth, nearly unnoticeable, functionality for projects to succeed on-time, under budget, and with professional quality. However, following the pandemic, storage infrastructure and workflow took a backseat to near-term solutions. For the last three years, Hardin sought the “Holy Grail,” a way for his hybrid team to stay on-track without compromise. Hardin knew a cloud-based media hub would solve his biggest headaches while simultaneously lowering budgets. His search ended when Suite entered the picture.

Working harder, not smarter: Hard drives & clunky hybrid workflows

Triptent’s story is familiar. When the pandemic started everyone was scheduled to go home for just a couple of weeks, then the return back to the office shortly thereafter. “Two years later, we’re all still at home,” Hardin reflects. While a combination of shipping hard drives, on-premise hardware, and web-based sharing & review applications had helped Triptent continue delivering, Hardin noticed there was significant room for improvement.

“As we adopted a hybrid way of working, we were shuttling external hard drives, shipping this, shipping that; uploading it, downloading it. It's just been a super pain,” recalls Hardin. Despite various workflow iterations, Hardin and his team hadn’t found the solution they knew needed to exist. Whether it was file access, security, cost, or ease of adoption, there was always something getting in the way of a truly effortless hybrid workflow.

Choosing cloud storage: How Suite streamlines Triptent’s hybrid workflow

From the onboarding process, to integrating Suite’s powerful pre-caching feature with the team’s existing on-prem hardware, adopting the cloud was the answer for Hardin & his team. “There's been zero pushback—even the ‘old heads’ about tech are all about it,” he says. One of the biggest wins? “The speed that we’re able to get project assets online and workable,” answers Hardin. “It's all housed directly on Suite—that's a big deal. Establishing a shared asset pool while increasing our opportunity to collaborate adds value for us, the project, and ultimately, the client.”

Then there’s the speed at which Suite serves up the media to those individual editors; operating as a cloud-native filesystem streaming data intelligently from the cloud, it ensures every file is accessible for editing instantly. This surprised Hardin’s experienced editing eyes, keen to notice the tiniest hiccup. “It can be hard to believe that you can edit in real-time from a server in the cloud, off of hardware you can’t physically touch… I was surprised by the fluidity and smoothness of [Suite]. Even my most ‘particular’ editor was blown away. He said, ‘I'm trying to max the system out, I'm trying to slow it down, I'm trying to break it, and I can't. Suite actually lets us edit in real-time.”

Even if there's a mistake during the fast-paced, high-volume post process that Hardin oversees, not to worry. “One of the things I love about Suite is the built-in backup & redundancy function, which has already proved incredibly useful. Even if something goes wrong; even if I delete a file, I can go into Time Machine and pull it down from the cloud.”

The simplified billing tied to Suite’s cloud storage also helps Hardin manage project costs and better understand the bigger picture. “It provides a holistic idea of cost for storage and operation. It’s one less thing you have to consider as a variable. It's a constant.” says Hardin. Lastly, and certainly a differentiator for the team at Triptent, Suite’s customer service helps Hardin & co. stay on-track long after onboarding. “We always get an answer back, a quick response. Everybody at Suite is there to help us. We tested a comparable system… [when we had an issue] we wouldn’t hear back for a week. One of the things that really pushed us toward Suite was the hands-on approach of the team.”

Final Thought: The cloud is here to stay

Implementing cloud-based storage at Triptent offers a slew of work benefits for its post production department—like instant access to workable files, easy asset management & added peace of mind thanks to Time Machine backups. But the lifestyle it enables for Hardin and his team might be the biggest payoff. “It’s that ease and openness,” he notes. ”I have team members across the country, working as if we’re all sitting in the same studio. When I look to hire talent, it's a selling point that [remote work] is something I can confidently offer.” Looking ahead, Hardin envisions a successful partnership as Triptent’s high-volume video post production workflow and Suite’s cloud storage continue to intertwine. “I love that you took the time to build the software right. This is something that we have a lot of faith in.”

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