Automatic web site updates with Simian's API

Simian was created by software developers and web designers. We knew exactly how we'd want to set up an API to stream media across the web, so we custom built one for Simian ourselves.

We figured, if you're using Simian to store your videos, images, and metadata, then you should be able to use that media on your website as well. With easy to follow RSS/XML documentation and sample code, anyone with web development experience can start implementing immediately. And since it's all dynamic, your web site is automatically updated when new work is finished.

The best part is that you get all the speed and reliability of Simian plus infinite customization. Contact us to see how it can work for you.

Volta Launches American Jihadist Web Site

Director Mark Claywell and his production company, Hype Media, has been using Simian's workflow tool to manage reels and presentations. The result of their most recent effort is a feature-length documentary entitled, American Jihadist, which will be screening at the 16th Annual Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah this month.

Hype Media hired Volta to design the flim's promotional web site to maximize its relationship with Simian. "It makes sense to leverage Volta's web development talent to create a seamless online link with Simian. The film will certainly benefit from social networking and Simian will definitely support those online marketing goals," states Brian Atton, co-founder and creator of Simian.

Watch the trailer now.

SIMIAN 1.5

How do you make something better when it's already so advanced?

At Simian, we ask ourselves this question every day. And our answer is, "Pay attention to our users." Whether it's a minor bug fix or a major enhancement, we always listen to our customers and think about their experience first. This week, we've unveiled Simian 1.5, and it's a direct result of that philosophy. User-driven design means compelling, seamless and pain-free upgrades.

View Simian 1.5 features and enhancements

GET ON BOARD WITH SIMIAN

Simian will be attending the Boards Summit in New York from October 26-27. We know this event is huge for the commercial production business, so make sure to stop by our booth for a special promotion and see why so many production companies are joining the Simian evolution. Schedule your demo today!

GO SOCIAL OR GO HOME

At Simian, we’re enthusiasts and proponents of digital and social media. So this will be the first post among many on the topic. We particularly focused on Twitter as our first sharing feature because if it's immediacy and its strength in delivering social leverage. As the social networking industry continues to evolve, it’s wise to build a community and create relationships beyond your immediate network. Clients want to see that "you get it," that you know how to create buzz and get their product and message in front of the masses.

Much of the work you produce is inherently viral and is garnering views in the millions and unfortunately there is also work that may never get seen but the beauty of social media is that it doesn't discriminate. Whether you're an executive producer or sales rep, it's about maximizing your exposure to fan the flames of popularity while it's hot or set it on fire if it didn't catch. Statistics clearly show that Twitter drives traffic and has impacted how Hollywood does business.

Simian knows how to harness the power of community and social media. We give you the ability to tweet your work directly from your media library without interrupting your workflow. With forthcoming upgrades, you’ll be able to post to additional social networks and media outlets without leaving your Simian page. Please share your ideas on how to promote your work from Simian. Call, email or follow us at twitter.com/goSimian.

VOLTA LAUNCHES SIMIAN

VOLTA LAUNCHES SIMIAN;

INNOVATIVE ONLINE PRESENTATION & WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION COMMUNITY

Los Angeles – (August 10, 2009) – Volta, a leader in custom web applications for the beauty and entertainment industries, today announced the official launch of Simian™ -- an innovative online presentation and workflow management tool for the commercial production community. With the debut of this software application, companies can easily create production presentations, organize workflow and customize reels for their select audiences.

To view a demo of the new software application, go to: www.gosimian.com

According to Brian Atton, co-founder of Volta and a leading developer of Simian, “The marketing and sales teams at production studios have been asking for a more streamlined and intuitive application to create reels and presentations for a long time. As a service provider, we pride ourselves on listening more than we speak. Simian is truly a result of listening to our customers and really hearing what is important to them.”

“We are very excited to introduce Simian as a cost-effective and competitive alternative to some of the other multimedia presentation tools currently available on the market today,” adds Jay Brooks, co-founder of Volta and chief technical architect for Simian. “We absolutely believe it’s a better product, but we also know it is more affordable which is critical in today’s economic environment.”

The Simian client roster includes: Moxie Pictures, Wild Plum, Prettybird, Spotwelders, Radium, KILT Studios, Beacon Street Studios and Rabbit. Head of Production Roger Zorovich at Moxie Pictures declares, “Simian's development team has created a first-rate product that the production community can rely on. Superb customer service and quick on enhancements, Simian takes their clients’ needs seriously.” Wild Plum Creative Director Ben Ross states, “Simian has provided a stunning workflow tool that has all the features we require and ones we hadn’t even thought of! Their commitment to constantly evolve their platform will make them a powerhouse in the production community.”

Simian is made up of two components: “Projects” and  “Reel Creator”

“Projects” allows for Advanced Collaboration between users immediately after a new project is created. With Simian, Reels and Projects are seamlessly integrated allowing users to share media or reels from their media library or past projects and include them in their final presentations. Posting comments and reviewing project reports, all as a cohesive team, is simple and easy. The “Projects” section also provides Beautiful Presentations. With just a few clicks, users can customize web presentations with their logo to keep consistent with their brand’s look and feel. There is no need to build PDFs or manually code web pages.

“Reel Creator” includes easy Portfolio Management, eliminating cumbersome DVDs and/or FTP sites. Simian makes it simple to upload media, assign credits and build a robust inventory of production assets online. Files are automatically iPhone compatible and social-casting spots can be done directly from a user’s library. This section also features Reel Promotion where users can create favorites of reels to use multiple times or build new reels to cater to a specific client. Users control viewer privileges and give clients exactly what they need. Simian’s reel analytics let users track viewing trends as well, so users can see what spots are being viewed (full or partial viewings).

Simian’s intuitive, innovative and intelligent features include:

• Enhanced user interface: Simian requires fewer steps and achieves faster results thanks to standardized data screens and simple file upload (no FTP is needed).
• Innovative media management: RSS feeds allow data to be managed in one place so videos and commercials can be easily pulled from Simian, customized for look and feel and integrated into the studio’s web site.
• Spots are automatically converted to an iPhone format (no need to manage or encode multiple formats).
• Projects/Brand-able Web-Based Presentations (eliminates traditional pre-pro books, and can be used for treatments, basically no more building PDFs).
• Integrated projects & media library provides ability to share data seamlessly back and forth including entire reels.
• Advanced reel tracking.
• Social Casting Features.
• Customizable categories & credits.

Latest Upgrades:

New features this month:

• Ability to send multiple reels in one email.
• Vanity URLs enable users to email presentations in customized links.
• Users will be able to manage their own iPhone-compatible company web site within Simian.
• Users can display spots and categories from Simian on their own company web sites.

Additionally, current users rave about the features that are completely unique to Simian.  Category and credit fields can be filled in with users’ own designations rather than being held to pre-populated fields. Simian also lets users take advantage of reel analytics – clients can track, which spots were watched, how many times, and at a full or partial viewing. “Simian was created based on our users’ input,” concludes Brooks. “Therefore, functionality was determined by the very people who live and breathe commercial production. User feedback will always be a part of our development strategy because that’s what Simian is all about – it’s an ever-growing, ever-expanding, ever-evolving application.”

About Volta:
Founded in 2003, Volta is a close-knit team with over 20 years of combined expertise in web development, software engineering, graphic design and marketing for the beauty and entertainment industries. All of Volta’s solutions are developed in-house, eliminating integration and communication problems caused by outsourcing. The company places strong emphasis on user experience and a proactive approach, putting the client first and effectively understanding their business. Current Volta clients include: Prettybird, Wild Plum, Functionalab, Tria Beauty, Simply Organic, Photogenics, and Melie Blanco. For more information on Volta, visit: www.voltamedia.com

FREE iPHONE WEB SITE

Simian gives you the power to be on location, no matter where or when.

As the iPhone becomes a critical tool for anyone in media production, so does mobile web usage. Is your web site iPhone compatible? Is it optimized for viewing on the go? For a limited time, Simian is making a smart offer for all new clients. Sign up this month and we'll build a complimentary company web site, mobile-compatible and designed for the user on set, in the field or at a meeting. A free web site based on the same principles that makes Simian so effective? Now, that's smart.

Save Time Encoding with the new Final Cut Studio

Today Apple released the greatly anticipated upgrade to Final Cut Pro 7. This update is part of an overall Final Cut Studio refresh that includes over 100 new features including iChat Theater support for real-time collaboration that allows users to watch clips live while chatting with clients. Other features include enhanced tools for Motion 4 to give 3D shadows, reflections and depth of field for professional visual effects. And Soundtrack Pro's 3 tighter integration with Logic Pro makes using Soundtrack Pro's File Editor even easier.

A fantastic upgrade to help you save time uploading to Simian is the new Compressor 3.5. Compressor 3.5 lets you work even more efficiently, with new batch templates, job actions, and enhanced droplets that are like miniature encoding applications. Batch templates are used for automating end-to-end encoding workflows, Droplets allow you to create a standalone Compressor preset that you can use on your desktop and Job Actions makes it easy to automate a variety of post-transcoding tasks. You can view what’s new here http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/whats-new.html

LISTEN FIRST, BUILD SECOND

There was a Twitter post the other day saying, "customers have the best ideas," the same day I read that Best Buy launched their customer idea exchange aptly called Idea X. And it struck me that the simple act of listening to the customer is at the core of Simian's success. We built Simian from the outside-in, meaning our end users were there with us from the beginning. All of the input and direction we've received from clients over the years drove our product development and continues to daily. If it weren't for the invaluable insight from these industry experts, Simian would not have the incredible traction we see today in the market. Instinctively, we stayed true to our "listen first, build second" values. Mixergy has a great interview with Marcus Nelson of UserVoice on this subject, 11 Ways To Build Killer Sites By Listening To Your Users.

This philosophy has helped build an avid client list with heavy-hitter Moxie Pictures leading the pack. We were stoked to get this response from Head of Production, Roger Zorovich, "Simian’s development team has created a user friendly system for both our sales and production teams. I'm especially pleased with how quickly our suggestions and comments are addressed - it shows that Simian takes their client feedback seriously. Updates and enhancements are done quickly and seamlessly. They have a first rate product that the production community can rely on."

Simian is at the convergence of web, production and technology. In the middle of all that is the client. We invite you to join the collaboration (whether you're a Simian user or not) and continue to fuel the ideas to create the best production software to serve your needs. Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook or suggest a feature by contacting us.

PROJECTS PERFECTED

Simian launched its Projects application this week, and it's already become a scene stealer. We've received overwhelming feedback about its streamlined features and ease of use. But most importantly, our clients are telling us that it saves them time. With this economy, there's nothing more valuable than getting an edge over the competition. Do away with unnecessary steps, like uploading files repeatedly or manually coding web presentations, and break away from the pack. Learn more about Simian Projects.

REEL TRACKING IN REAL TIME

The most consistent theme in the feedback we hear from our clients is the urgent need for reel analytics. Just counting the number of click-throughs generated by an email isn’t enough information in today’s market. Our clients longed for data they could actually use to make decisions.

So, we listened.

With Simian, you now have the intelligence to gain insight into viewing behavior and trends. At your fingertips, track all your reel movements - which spots were viewed, when they were viewed, how many times they were viewed, or whether they were forwarded to another user - and see it all immediately. Simian collects, stores and updates this data for each reel.

Simian Goes Ape in Santa Monica

The “Wanted” posters warned you.

Spotted today roaming the streets of Santa Monica … meet Clyde.  Simian’s new goodwill ambassador, stand-up comedian and banana connoisseur.

“My real name is Barnaby P. Farnsworth III. My agent suggested I change it to Clyde Beastwood. I don’t know where he came up with that, but it’s real clever, and then I landed the gig with Simian. So, there you go!”

Clyde commented on the Wanted posters, saying it’s hard for production studios not to want him. His life has changed since becoming the face for Simian. “Everyone wants to get to know me, Simian is just that much cooler than the competition,” he boasts.

About 70 studios were visited, and one of them even asked Clyde to make a cameo in a commercial they were shooting. Talk about Simian in action!

Clyde made a big impact, especially with the ladies. He was invited to lunch by some women, but Clyde was on a mission to promote Simian and didn’t have time to sit down. However, he did leave some bananas behind for them. “A diet rich in potassium is essential for keeping things creative and focused, just like Simian does for your reels. Oh, and the ladies really dig it!” Clyde winked. Uhhh .. ok, anyway, stay tuned for more adventures from Clyde and more news from Simian coming soon!

View Reels on your iPhone

Let's face it mobility is now.  That's why we are working around the clock (literally) to develop cutting edge tools for mobile devices.  Most recently we've added the ability to view reel presentations directly on the iPhone.  With Simian, videos are transcoded automatically to iPhone format.  No work on your part, no need to maintain two sets of files.  We've got more good stuff coming...