From high-school band mates to business
partners, Brian Atton and Jay Brooks have harnessed the perfect blend of
technical know-how and creative thinking to form a company that has
revolutionized the media sharing landscape. Through their creation, Simian, a
video-sharing and collaboration platform and industry tech toolkit, they’ve
pioneered numerous features so successful that they’ve now been adopted across the industry as standard practice. The
duo reveal the story behind the company’s evolution from service provider to
creative partner.
When Brian Atton and Jay Brooks first met in
high school in 1987, it was to form a heavy metal band. When they reconnected
over a decade later, Brian and Jay’s paths crossed quite unexpectedly with
Brian working as a web-developer in the beauty and fashion sector and Jay as a
programmer for tech companies.
It seemed the duo had been doing so well for high-end brands in their respective fields, they decided to partner up and launch their own boutique web agency, Volta. As part of Volta, Brian and Jay developed a revolutionary piece of e-commerce software with high end design, that later evolved to include a media sharing platform for a high-profile LA modelling agency. The software was so effective that it was in use for over a decade and would be the pre-cursor to their software today - Simian.
“We’re two of the most unlikely people to find working in fashion and
beauty industry,” profess Jay and Brian, “but as a result of the high end
design work, production companies started reaching out to us and we realised
there was a huge gap in the market for intelligent sharing software in the film
industry. That’s when we started building Simian.”
In 2007, Brian and Jay took the big leap into
the creative industry and devoted themselves full-time to developing the
software that would evolve into Simian. It seemed that the industry was crying
out for a platform which would allow you to share, collaborate and present
media easily with internal teams and clients. What’s more, there was nothing
readily available that could provide detailed analytics on the content created.
“Many production companies were stuck in a cycle of having to use
multiple programs and platforms, with limited tools, to create standout
presentations and showreels. It was time-consuming and expensive considering
all of the media and resources were in their laps.”
As part of the Simian launch in 2009, Brian and Jay released one of the first ever tech solutions for analysing the data connected with video and reels. The technology equipped clients with valuable insights into how their media was received. Now, it has become an integral feature for many agencies including McCann Craft New York, NFL Network, Vice and Droga5 amongst others and has forced competitors across the industry to adopt the technology as standard.
Brian comments, “It’s unimaginable today,
with all the buzz around big data and deep data, that we wouldn’t have
analytics for assessing the effectiveness of our work. However, when we first
developed these video analytics, there was nothing to assess how well
work was being received. We had company owners coming back to us amazed that
they could finally see who was engaging and what they were engaging with. This
was not to mention finally having the ability to track the activities of their
staff and sales reps.”
Simian’s analytics service has continued to
lead the way in the field ever since, unlocking the door to previously untapped
insights with pinpoint precision: companies can see what percentage of their
reels are being watched, as well as which shots are being viewed or skipped.
Simian’s analytics even assess the most effective way to reach consumers via
email, with valuable insights into subject line efficacy and drop off rates.
In tech, being ahead of the game is paramount.
Jay and Brian have built up a reputation for continuously creating innovative
features, such as software integrations, transcoding, packaged reels, and
microsites.
“Media sharing has changed so much in the last 10 years - we’ve gone
from burning DVDs to streaming them in no time – and it’s still picking up
steam.” Explains Jay Brooks, Co-Founder and CTO of Simian. “At a recent
conference we attended, we were amazed by the number of people still using
low-quality tech to collaborate and share files.”
One of the features unique to Simian is a
microsite builder. Cheaper and more efficient than outsourcing to developers,
Simian’s microsites empower companies by giving them the means to share their
media in a unique way. No other media sharing platform offers this
multi-presentation tool, and this unique tech has proven to be a lifesaver for
many. The only alternative to the software would be to hire a costly web
developer on a project-by-project basis.
However, you don’t need a degree in UX or
computer science to create presentations and microsites on Simian. “It’s so
straightforward that even a fifth-grader could use it!” comments Jay. “Right from the
get-go, we wanted to create something that would make people’s lives easier.
Many of our agency clients rely on microsites to pitch work or to showcase
directors. Our aim was to create something that you could use in multiple ways,
as a visual accompaniment to face-to-face presentations or to send digitally.”
Working in the creative industries for over 12
years, Jay and Brian feel their expertise lies not just in tech but in
providing personalised, in-depth diagnoses of business problems. They see
Simian as a creative partner and backbone to the industry. The insights that
drive their tech come from real experience and delving into the heart of their
client’s businesses.
“Our solutions are cutting-edge but our approach is actually quite
old-school,” explains Jay. “We spend a lot of time interacting with our clients, listening to
them and observing how their business works. Then we identify the pain points
and come up with software solutions that’ll make their lives easier. I think it
really comes down to experience and research; you have to fully understand the
process you’re replacing and how it fits into the customer’s workflow. It’s
very hands-on and there’s a thorough internal testing and client feedback
process. Every business is unique and requires a custom-made solution, so it’s
a great exercise in creative thinking.”
With their eyes set on the constantly changing
tech landscape, Jay and Brian will soon be announcing an exciting new venture
that will harness a new iteration of creative intelligence. Jay explains, “We’re really
excited about the next launch stage for Simian. Our new tech will look to make
waves in the way we consume and utilise content and information… but that’s all
I can say for now!”
For more information about Simian, visit their
website.