A smarter, centralized workflow with iconik

Addressing these issues required a bold transformation and a system that could scale with their ambitions. With Bridge Digital’s guidance and iconik’s capabilities, they achieved more than a solution; they built an integrated, automated, and hybrid remote workflow that empowered creativity at every stage.

“Previously, we were using various products that served one purpose, but they weren’t connected to the next product we needed,” says Kelsey. “I thought it would be ideal to have all our products connected."

“Bridge took the time to understand our brand, content, and current and future needs,” says Kelsey. “Working closely with the team, we developed a roadmap that combined iconik with complementary tools to create an optimized tech stack."

This stack included iconik for review, approval, and archiving, LucidLink for hot storage, Backblaze for cold storage, GoodSync for data transfer, and Make.com for automation. The cherry on top was the work Bridge did to connect these post systems to Airtable to turn up the hose on our distribution pipeline and automated publishing abilities.”

“No two media companies have the same workflows, so we always want to tailor the solutions to our clients,” adds Nick Gismondi, Vice President of Production Solutions at Bridge. “At a high level, iconik was a home run for NowThis, but it was important for us to work with Kelsey to dial in all the small things that make these automations effortless for her team. The public APIs in these platforms went a long way to ensuring that."

“One of the first parts of the workflow we put together was with LucidLink,” he continues. “We set it up and rolled it out to the entire team. We had two training sessions to get things set up, and then NowThis just moved their files from hard drives right into LucidLink. That was step one. From there, connecting an ISG to LucidlInk and a server in their studios was easy. That allowed everyone to drop content into LucidLink, which everyone could see and iconik would pick up immediately. The team could then use this setup to orchestrate the workflow.”

The result was a comprehensive system with iconik as the central hub. 

• Powerful asset management: Iconik indexes and transcodes media from LucidLink into a unified, searchable database, giving the NowThis team immediate access to all assets and eliminating delays.
• Streamlined collaboration: Simplified feedback and approvals with review links shared directly from iconik, enabling faster decision-making and removing bottlenecks across teams and stakeholders.
• Easy archival and reuse: Iconik syncs completed content to Backblaze cold storage buckets for distribution and archive purposes. Iconik can search this database, enabling the team to efficiently locate and repurpose assets for remixing or licensing opportunities.
• Automated distribution: Via an integration powered by Make.com, iconik automates publishing workflows to platforms like X, Facebook, and YouTube, freeing the team from repetitive tasks and accelerating content delivery.
• Scalable for growth: Iconik’s hybrid-cloud architecture is set up to scale with NowThis’ growing media library, ensuring uninterrupted operations as storage needs expand.

• Integrated project management: Iconik’s integration with Airtable provides real-time updates for the entire team, keeping everyone aligned on asset availability, status, and next steps.
  
  

“Iconik became an instrumental tool in our updated post tech stack and the go-between of our hot and cold storage providers.”

“Everyone across the organization touches iconik. Editors, producers, and even the sales team from our parent company regularly access iconik to view our assets and share iconik links with clients or our partners. And if they need to review previous content for remix potential or licensing agreements, we can use iconik as a searchable database to find what we need. When it comes time to distribute, iconik is central to the publishing process as we use it to automatically send content from iconik directly to X, Facebook, and YouTube.”

Working faster, not harder, and saving a third of the production budget

Here are some of iconik's impacts on NowThis’ tech stack and team:

• Time savings: Automations ensured that content in multiple locations could be managed through a single system via iconik, saving the team valuable hours every week. “It meant spending less time doing repeat manual tasks!” says Kelsey.

• A third of the budget saved: NowThis previously used Frame.io for its review and approval workflows. Switching to iconik reduced costs while introducing media management functionality Frame.io doesn’t have. “Switching from Frame.io to iconik saved a third of our post-production budget while introducing new functionality!” says Kelsey.
• Improved workflows: With a fully centralized touchpoint for content management, review, archiving, and integrations with tools like Airtable, NowThis is better positioned to keep projects on track. “We can manage assets from one singular tool. No need for change logs! No need for duplicate files! We can work smarter, not harder, and net better results.”

With these improvements, NowThis gained more flexibility to adapt quickly to audience conversations and shifting priorities, maintaining its competitive edge in a fast-paced news environment.

“In an ever-changing media landscape where companies are seeking to find efficiencies and budget savings wherever they can, automating the small things like finding media, cutting down on needless copy and pasting between platforms, and setting up auto-publish flows can be huge game changers,” adds Nick. “It’s all about freeing up creatives to do more creating and less pushing data around.” 

Enable your team with smarter media management

NowThis’ journey with iconik offers valuable takeaways for media organizations aiming to modernize their workflows:

• Start with a vision: Even without a complete plan, having a clear idea of what isn’t working can guide you toward solutions that unlock potential.
• Leverage expertise: Collaborating with teams like iconik and systems integrators like Bridge Digital can ensure you implement a solution tailored to your needs with expert guidance at every step.
• Work smarter, not harder: Centralized, automated systems like Iconik can reduce manual redundancies, improve speed, and deliver cost efficiencies—allowing your team to focus on creative output.

By embracing iconik, NowThis turned its tech stack into a powerful engine for creativity, efficiency, and growth, focusing on what matters most: delivering impactful stories.

“If you have a seedling of a thought about streamlining your post processes and systems, reach out to iconik for an introductory product call,” concluded Kelsey. "Their staff is highly knowledgeable and will happily share quality advice and point you in the right direction through their network of platform inclusions, systems integrators, and more. It’s a pleasure to work with the team.”