I’ve Spent 25 Years Building Tools for Creatives – This Might Be My Favourite
Building reels should be simple. Sharing great work should not be a faff. That's what our new reel builder is here to do – and why I’m so excited about it.
It’s fast, free, and built straight into the Creative Library. You can build reels, run them on your own site, and get tech support from our archive team, all without paying a penny more.
At LBB, we’ve always tried to build things that give creatives and companies more time to do what they’re great at. That’s been our mission from day one – and it’s helped us grow from humble beginnings to one of the largest platforms in adland, with 850,000 users last month, a global editorial team, a Cannes Lions beach, The Immortal Awards, and The Monthly Cut, our regular showcase of standout work.
I’ve spent much of my career building tools that help the creative industry work smarter. And this is one I’m particularly proud of.
A Brief History of ‘90s Media
Firstly, let’s take it back to The Mill in the late ‘90s, when it was a global digital post house on fire. It was a confusing time for media – tapes were being dumped in favour of the newly launched DVD, but I and a few others worked out a way to share files online instead. Sounds obvious now, but back then, it wasn’t. Our efforts resulted in the creation of BEAM.TV, an early online video approval system for film and advertising, and our first job was using it to approve the shots that The Mill did on Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’.
It spiralled from there. We built out asset management systems for global agencies and for the entry and judging systems of some of the world’s best award shows, like Cannes Lions, LIA, The Clios, The Andys, D&AD, and more. They’d previously had to rely on single tapes mailed around the world and by couriers – bad for the environment and expensive. Our tech, meanwhile, was simple yet groundbreaking, saving people money and time, giving them a real reason to use their assets and library, and transforming the way they worked.
Ever since, I’ve been obsessed with systems, assets, and helping adland run more efficiently – always so companies can put time back into being creative. That’s why LBB was built: to enable companies and people to share and communicate.
Stagnation
But here’s the thing – in the last 25 years, I haven’t seen the systems improve that much. Many people within creative companies don’t have access to their libraries, and businesses are haemorrhaging time and money on overly complex, separate systems for reels and hosting. I know indie post houses who are paying £15,000 a year, and agencies juggling 300 Vimeo accounts that don’t connect.
That’s not efficient. It’s not sustainable. And it’s not helping anyone make better work. I wanted LBB to offer a simple, comprehensive solution at no added cost.
Solution
A few years ago, we made all credits on LBB clickable — turning every piece of work into a discovery engine for creatives, directors, editors, producers and more.
The next step is now ready. For zero extra spend, any standard LBB member can:
- Build pitch reels, house reels, director reels, new business reels and any other sort of reel on LBB;
- Run those videos on their own website;
- Get tech support from the LBB archive team.
The process is simple, whether you’re on desktop or mobile: just find the work you want in the Creative Library (or on your own LBB page), hit the ‘Add to reel’ button, and share it with the world – or just your next pitch.
Your entire archive, now in your pocket.
Save Money for What Matters
I’m more excited than ever. To those who know me, you will know that I care deeply about the business we all work in. I want LBB to be a holistic partner that helps post houses, production companies, agencies, and brands navigate this changing business. With this reel builder, we can help you save an awful lot of money to reinvest in making ace work with the staff you need.
I would love to chat with anyone who wants to know more – reach me at matt@lbbonline.com.
