Digitalizing Production Management in Hollywood
Product Strategy and Design | Filmik | 09/18 - Present
Creating a production management and talent discovery platform for Stunt department coordinators and professionals
ABOUT
Filmik is a B2B SaaS startup aiming to become the #1 product and community platform for the media and entertainment industry.
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Responsive Web App
Native iOS App
CONTRIBUTION
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Product Discovery
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User and Stakeholder Interviews
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Defining MVP, Product Strategy
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User Journey, IA, User Experience
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Design System, User Interaction
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Hi-Fidelity Prototypes
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Fundraising support (Product Strategy,
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GTM Strategy, Pitch Deck)
PROGRAMS
Google Drive
Trello/Basecamp
Atlassian Jira
AWS
InVision
Sketch
Abstract
Adobe CS
Overview
Starting Filmik
Creating MVP 1
Let's face it, Hollywood is a tough and complex industry. It's been around for decades and surprisingly it doesn't follow any industry standards when it comes to managing projects and talent, posting and finding work, and creating a professional brand as a performer / actor (let alone getting found in this highly competitive industry). There are numerous agents to bypass, a serious dose of favoritism, a closed networking circle that's difficult to break into and a job market that is like nothing else out there. I call entertainment professionals "freelancers on steroids" because actors can be hired for 1-, 3-, 5-day or several month-long jobs; it all depends on the project (and let's not even talk about how stressful it is to find the next gig).
That's why when I was given the opportunity to join the Filmik team to help create a platform that aims to disrupt the entertainment industry by digitalizing and standardizing it, and help thousands of people either start or grow their entertainment career, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
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Filmik is started by a Hollywood stunt veteran with the vision to become the #1 platform for the entertainment industry, starting with a platform geared towards the stunt community. With 20+ years of experience working in Hollywood and an impressive network of elite talent and professionals, Filmik's founder believes the time to shake things up is now.
The original blue print of the app was focused on four primary user groups and included features such as social networking, project management, talent discovery, online learning for novice and experienced professionals, and budgeting for stunt coordinators (think Trello meshed with Facebook meshed with LinkedIn meshed with YouTube meshed with IMDb meshed with Coursera meshed with...ok you get the point).
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While the goal to create such platform is very ambitious, it would take Filmik years and millions of dollars to make it a reality. With that in mind, we decided to trim the MVP down and create a product that would do two things: 1. Allow us to quickly launch and 2. Provide a product that would help the users (stunt pros and coordinators) work more efficiently and effectively.
After several workshops, user interviews, stakeholder interviews, tech capability sessions, and some more back-and-forths, the team and I came up with a new MVP that focused on production management and talent discovery.
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Below is a process I used and led the Filmik team with to better understand the industry and its needs, uncover insights that would help us come up with the most optimal MVP and several key user experience flows that would differentiate our UX from other platforms. Throughout the page you can find links that will take you to several case studies that dive deeper into that section. Let's start!
THE PROBLEM
There is no simple software solution for film and media production management.
Tim Connolly
CEO and Founder of Filmik, 20+ yrs industry veteran
DISCOVERY
6
Total meetings with stakeholders and industry leaders
9
Stakeholders: CEO, CMO, top industry stunt coordinators and professionals
3
Discovery workshops: Brand Positioning, Vision Triangle and Value Proposition Canvas
Understanding Hollywood
A production set is comprised of 18 unique departments that collaborate together on a production. There are several types of productions ranging from feature (film), TV series (episodic), commercials, online series, to social media production (YouTube), and more.
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Each department has its own project management and operational systems that have not been standardized since the start of the industry, making effective collaboration difficult, resulting in loss of money, talent, and missed deadlines.
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"MovieLabs, Hollywood Studios Publish Report Outlining Tech Needs for Future of Production"
Starting with the
Stunts Community
Project management and talent discovery for the stunt department is a complete chaos. With the founder's 20+ years experience working on A-list productions, a unique business model and go-to-market strategy, Filmik is ready to disrupt Hollywood.
Vision
Goals
Objectives
KPIs
WORKSHOP #1
Vision Triangle
Prioritize feature set
Establish roadmap
Identify business model
Capture 40%+ of the stunt market; Cover 18 departments; Top entertainment community, leading project management and community app
Become the #1 platform for the entertainment industry
Daily active users, Number of paid users, Number of stunt professionals and coordinators (separately), Average time spent in app, Task success rate, Task completion time, App downloads, CAC, MRR, ARPU
WORKSHOP #2
Value Prop Hypothesis
For Stunt Coordinators
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Who hire and manage both projects and talent
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Our product is mobile and web app
That provides project and talent management tools and a hiring database
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WORKSHOP #2
Value Prop Hypothesis
For Stunt Professionals
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Who want to be found and hired
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Our product is mobile and web app
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That connects them with legitimate stunt coordinators and helps them create a personal brand
RESEARCH
7
Interviewees: 4 stunt coordinators and 3 stunt professionals
140
Approx. number of all questions asked during the interviews
9
Main insights uncovered during the interviews
Interview Goal 1
Understand the current workflow of Stunt coordinators
encompassing project management, hiring and communication
Interview Goal 2
Understand current experience of Stunt professionals
encompassing creating personal brand, job search, project management and communication
MAIN INSIGHTS
Stunt Coordinators
1. Stunt coordinators are not able to efficiently track project statuses, and manage schedules and talent due to outdated and inefficient processes
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2. Currently, coordinators use a pinned up calendar with sticky notes to keep track of project status and progress as well as scene details and talent
3. Stunt coordinators don't have an easy way of communicating with other departments, often resulting in resending talent documents, losing information in the process and overall lowering their professional image
4. Discovering and booking talent has become more and more difficult due to constantly changing schedule dates, unavailable talent, lack of talent, and inefficient communication through text, email and social media
5. Breaking down production scripts and tracking versions of scripts is a challenge as stunt coordinators still use pen and paper to make notes on printed scripts, making the entire process difficult and environmentally-unfriendly
MAIN INSIGHTS
Stunt Professionals
1. Stunt professionals are constantly looking for the next job opportunity since typically projects can last anywhere from 1 to 5 days or several months depending on the production - "Freelancers on steroids"
2. Stunt professionals employ different non-traditional ways to market themselves to stay "top of mind" vs "out of sight"
3. Hollywood's circle is based on closed networking, making it difficult for new talent to enter the industry
4. Stunt Pros don't have a standardized way of creating and sharing work documents including portfolios, work and travel forms, hair and make-up, and wardrobe sheets
STRATEGY
7
Known industry
competitors
4
Unique environments for both stunt professionals and coordinators
2
Platforms to address the two user group needs in real life
Competitive Analysis
USER
Stunt
Professionals
CONTEXT
Stunt professionals are heavy mobile phone users, constantly posting works on their Instagram and Facebook profiles, communicating with coordinators and other professionals
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Stunt pros would typically use a laptop or desktop to create resumes and work documents to later share with the stunt coordinator
MVP FEATURE SET
USER
Stunt
Coordinators
CONTEXT
Stunt coordinators heavily rely on using their laptop or desktop to find talent, manage their projects and collaborate with other departments
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However, coordinators use their mobile phone to communicate with talent and other department heads as well as use it as a quick project status reference when on set location
MVP FEATURE SET
IDEATION
7
Major UX flows for
Stunt coordinators
4
Major UX flows for
Stunt professionals
2
Rounds of iteration of entire platform design
MAJOR USER FLOWS​
Stunt Professional
MAJOR USER FLOWS​
Stunt Coordinator
SOLUTION
1
iOS mobile app
1
Responsive web app
2
Network Marketplace for Stunt coordinators and professionals
STUNT COORDINATOR UX FLOW
Create a New Project
STUNT COORDINATOR UX FLOW
Check Availability
USABILITY TESTING​
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User Goals and Task Scenarios
(Sample goals, tasks and metrics)
Goal
Stunt Coordinator
Create a new project and create a scene card​
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Goal
Stunt Coordinator
Browse talent and check availability​
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Goal
Stunt Professional
Create all profile kits including: Work, Hair & Makeup, Wardrobe, and EPK
Goal
Stunt Professional
Check availability requests and respond to request​
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User Task
You have been hired on a new production. You have gone through the movie script and have marked the scenes that have action.
Set up your new project and create scene cards that include action.
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User Task
You have noted that for Scene 12 you need to hire a stunt double for Dwayne Johnson. His height is 6' 5" and weight is 260 lbs.
Find a stunt double that fits Dwayne's profile and check availability.
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User Task
The stunt coordinator has asked for you to share all of your kits with him. He will need your Work, Hair & Makeup, and Wardrobe kits.
Fill out your kits and share with the stunt coordinator.
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User Task
Several stunt coordinators have asked for your availability on projects. One wants your availability information and the other wants you to confirm your project hire.
Check and respond requests from both coordinators.
UX Metric
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User’s success rate to achieve a goal
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The time spent on completing a task
UX Metric
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User’s success rate to achieve a goal
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The time spent on completing a task
UX Metric
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User’s success rate to achieve a goal
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The time spent on completing a task
UX Metric
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User’s success rate to achieve a goal
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The time spent on completing a task