KILLER OPS 3.0

KEVIN GEPFORDBrand Creative @ Comedy Central Studio Operations

20+ years in Network TV (MTV, SyFy, USA)

Creative Operations / Studio Management Creative Content Hub / DAM System / Photography Workflow

PROBLEM SPACE

PROBLEM SPACE

IS THIS THE RIGHT HEADLINE?

WHICH ONE IS THE

LATEST VERSION? HOW DO I DELIVER

THE VIDEO?

WHOS SUPPOSED TO APPROVE THIS?

NEEDED: A ROADMAP

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

for CREATIVE OPS

WHAT IS PRODUCT

MANAGEMENT?

PRODUCT MANAGER DOES

Identifies, coordinates and directs

the arc of activities that take place

in order for the thing being made

whatever it is can become a

viable or marketable product.

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT IS

A planned assault on the problem

DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

CONCEIV

EPLAN

DEVELOP

ITERATE

LAUN

CH

REVIE

W

TODAYS TALK

YOUR HOMEWORK

STEPS FOR PRODUCT MGT

Customer Development

Testing & Validating the Idea

Market Research

Business Model Design

INVESTIGATE:

Current environment and workflows

Process optimization

Legacy team and tool structures

Build model for a better future

BENEFITS Understand your role and opportunities

in the business

Discover and use insights about your team, workflows and technology

Understand and explain tech landscape so you can get what you need

Learn to speak the language of business and IT

Time and patience are called for, many surprises await you.

3 DIMENSIONS

TEC HN OLOGY

PEOPLE

BUSINE SSCreative ops is at this intersection

1st DIMENSION

CREATIVE OPS: the

BUSINESS

DISCOVER: YOUR BUSINESS

YOUR BUSINESS is not

THE CREATIVE

DISCOVER: YOUR BUSINESS

YOUR BUSINESS is

Helping our organization thrive by designing/creating/promoting

its whatever.

SWOT STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

DISCOVER: YOUR BUSINESS

DISCOVER: YOUR BUSINESSB

RA

ND

CR

EA

TIV

E

EXTERNAL INTERNAL HELPFUL

HARMFUL

BUSINESS MODEL DESIGN

Business Model Canvas

A plan or prototype of howthe organization could work.

Great News: Its visual!

BUSINESS MODEL CANVASLEAN Canvas entrepreneurial focus

DESCRIBES: Problem Customer Segments Unique Value Proposition Solution et cetera

BUSINESS MODEL CANVASB

RA

ND

CR

EA

TIV

E

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Opportunity

Photo shoots separately commissioned by Brand Creative vs Press but poorly communicated and shared.

Opportunity

Everyones making animated GIFs. Brand consistency is a challenge.

2nd DIMENSION

CREATIVE OPS: the

HUMAN STACK

DISCOVER: YOUR PEOPLE

GOAL:Understand your team.

Look at what they do, how they

do it, and who they serve .

Interviews

Personas & Empathy Maps

DISCOVER: YOUR PEOPLEINTERVIEWS

HORIZONTALgo wide

MarketingChief

ProjectManager

CreativeDirector

Intern Designer

VERTICALgo deep

CreativeVice Pres

VideoDirector

VideoAnimator

Prod.Asst.

DesignDirector

WebDesigner

JuniorDesigner

INTERVIEWS: THE TEAM

Goals/Needs

Behaviors

Pain Points

Work Bio

User Stories

Project Manager

Creative Director

Business Manager

Marketing Director

AnimatorIT Peep

INTERVIEWS: INSIGHTSAnalyze your findings

Trends & themes

Common goals

Common frustrations

Step-by-step workflows(What happens next?)

Ask about the tech

PERSONAS

Unlike app development, we have broad range of customers

Create personas for both inside and OUTSIDE your core creative and operational teams

PERSONAS: MONEY LADY

Poised above a large team, but doesnt know a lot about the day-to-day.

Favorite Color:Prefers black (NOT red)

Cares About:Staff is well supported. Homeless animals.

Pet Peeves:Budget surprises; lack of planning

Speak Her Language:Our proposals will save time and money.

PERSONAS: VIDEO EDITOR

Technical pro on video editing, sound, codecs, & distribution platforms.

Cares About:Compression quality, balanced sound, smooth transitions

Pet Peeves:Working without a script

Expert In:Hes actively engaged in his professional community and up to date on the latest bleeding edge techniques and technology.

EMPATHY MAP: OPS

PROBLEM STATEMENTHow might we help the Creative team have clear and understandable roles and have appropriate tech to support their needs?

They are anxious and overwhelmed.

PROBLEM STATEMENTHow might we help managers feel more confident that the campaign and brand are consistent, and that were on track time-wise?

They worry were all over the place, and that everything is late.

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Brand Creative silo-killer

What CC Did:

Established early-stage cross-team creative collaborations on concepts, scripts, headlines, and respect everyones production schedules.

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Collaboration Launch Campaigns Cross-Discipline

Planning shoots, themes, scripts, and design together

SOC IA L

A DS CC.C OM

VIDEO

SOC IA L

A DS CC.C OM

VIDEOBRAINSTORM

REFINEPRESENT

CONCEPT

ITERATE

GO!

STORYBOARDS

Illustrate:

Relationships User interaction Hierarchy of tasks Current processes Future workflows

Important because:

Communicate with stakeholders

Idea generation Team collaboration

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Photography Workflows

Problem: Photo workflows were helter-skelter

Sketching the process helps define a solution better than any flowchart

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Photography Workflows: BEFORE

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

Photography Workflows: AFTER

STORYBOARDSOther Places to Use This:

Concept development / ideation Video production workflow Archiving Media management on server Approval process

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPLEXITY

Three common sources of complexity:

Size: Large organizations have more parts

Structure: Matrixed organizations

Specificity: Formal, strictly defined with lots of rules, manuals & process diagrams

3rd DIMENSION

CREATIVE OPS: the

TECH STACK

TECH: MARKET RESEARCH

Based on findings from your team

Whats their workflow like?

What tasks or processes are repetitive, annoying, or rely on human heroics?

Any suggestions from them?

TECH: MARKET RESEARCH

Where else can you get information?

Ask other parts of your business what works for them, that might help you

Conferences like this one!

Industry peers & competitors

FIRST, THERE WAS DAM

Some Stuff Happens

MEDIA

PUBLISH

DAM!

NOW: DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE

MEDIA

INFORMATION

PROCESS PUBLISH

ASSETSCONTENT

PROJECTS DATA

MEDIA

INFORMATION

PROCESS PUBLISH

ASSETSCONTENT

PROJECTS DATA

Manage & distribute digital assets.

Manage media in progress: i.e. versions, centralized, organized; approvals, archive.

Manage projects and tasks: i.e. creative briefs, tasks, comments, status, recording approvals. Pitches & scripts.

Manage & publish information.

THIS IS WHERE THE ACTION IS

TODAY

MEDIA

INFORMATION

PROCESS PUBLISH

ASSETSCONTENT

PROJECTS DATA

TECH: TOUGH QUESTIONSFocus on Benefits over Features Does it actually do what we need? Is it overkill? Will it require organizational change? Do their customers look like us?

TIP: Marketing solutions aredifferent from creative solutions.

COMEDY CENTRAL NOTEBOOK

CC:SHARE

Tech Model helped us explainour systems to stakeholders

developed to unite and manage entire visual creative output in one place

Explains need for multiple systems DAM plus photo management tool

FURTHER THOUGHTS

ROADMAP/TIMELINEQ1 Q2 Q3 Q4

HU

MA

N

RE

SE

AR

CH

MA

RK

ETI

NG

BU

SIN

ES

STE

CH

Stealth Start

Maturity Model

SWOT Analysis

Business Model Canvas

Research new tech & vendorsDevise Tech Model

Strategies for meetings

Deploy MVP

Internal Marketing

Interviews - INTERNAL (marketing opportunity?)

Interviews - EXTERNAL

REVISE Tech Model

Executive Presentation:GroundworkSWOT & Business ModelRoadmap

Executive Presentation:Findings andRecommendations for Maximal Viable Product

DONT WAIT DIVE IN!DO THIS NOWAnything that:Can be done without having to

announce itCould be explained in two sentencesTweaks current processesUses free or existing tech resourcesDoesnt need high-level permissionCan be funded from OPEXDoesnt require hiringDoes help moraleDoesnt make people afraid that

layoffs are coming

Benefits Proves the concept Tests personal ability to implement changeTests our groups capacity learn and evolve

DO THIS LATERAnything thatrequires:Business justificationPermission from ITPermission from director of

financeFunded with CAPEXPermission from SVPsHiring of consultantsHiring new staffNew lines of reportingDeploying new digital toolsChange management

DONT WAIT DIVE IN!

Can be done without having to announce itCould be explained in two sentencesTweaks current processesUses free or existing tech resourcesDoesnt need high-level permissionOPEX not CAPEXDoesnt require hiringDoes help moraleDoesnt make people worry about layoffs

IN GREATER DEPTH

Online blog series

abetterworkflow.com/blog.php linkedin.com/today/author/kevingepford

http://abetterworkflow.com/blog.phphttp://linkedin.com/today/author/kevingepford

THANK YOU