One of the largest and most honored production companies in the world is SMUGGLER. Their directors are all at the top of the class, and their work routinely wins top advertising awards at the most discriminating global competitions.

The company has also expanded beyond the production of TV commercials to encompass feature films, shorts, experiential projects (both entertainment and advertising) and live musical theater on Broadway. 

SMUGGLER is also a relatively recent member of the Simian family, having shifted its video sharing and reel building to our platform in 2019. We reached out to Filip Ilic, Post Production Manager and keeper of the SMUGGLER vault, to find out why this world-class production company chose Simian. 

What prompted SMUGGLER to switch?  How is Simian an improvement over what you were using before as your production asset management platform?

We’d been with another platform for about 10 years or so, and noticed that they weren’t getting any better. Their updates were really just slight bug fixes, and their interface felt very dated. So we wanted to look for the next solution, something that was particularly designed for sending reels. And when we looked around, the other platforms out there really didn’t look all that great. We received a few recommendations for Simian, and here we are now. 

You’re one of the leading production companies in our industry. How important is it that Simian reflects the way SMUGGLER operates?

I think the most important thing about SMUGGLER is that we act fast. If we’ve got to get a reel out, we don’t waste time. And we appreciate how Simian has been willing to mold themselves around us like that. If we have suggestions for a feature or to make something new, they work to make it perfect for us. 

How would you describe the experience of working with Simian? What do you like best about using the platform?

So far the experience has been great. We love the fact that we can reach out to the team and discuss more possibilities.

How responsive has Simian been to your needs in terms of video sharing and reel building?

They respond very quickly, which we always appreciate. And we appreciated that they were able to migrate everything over to their platform in just a week.

If one of your peers at another production company asked what you thought of Simian, what would you tell them?

I’ve spoken pretty highly about Simian to some of my friends who have the same position at other companies, and a lot of them say they’re thinking about making the switch. I’d tell them to do it, because Simian is new and modern. The features are there, and it’s only getting better.