Setting up a successful media production company in the cloud
Setting up your own business can be a daunting and sometimes overwhelming challenge. But for Adam Amor, aged just 18, it was something that he had to overcome to do the work he loved. His company, Buffoon Film and Media, is now a four-person business. “Being so young, gaining trust from potential clients was a big barrier,” Adam explains. “I had to work extremely hard to get an opportunity. Once I got one I had to ensure I delivered. Thankfully, I did. And, because of that, the business has grown steadily over the last six years.”
Buffoon Film and Media is a video production company based in South Wales. “We produce promotional videos, training videos, animations, as well as filming events and offering live-streaming for our clients,” says Adam. “Although our clients are predominantly based in Wales we have customers across the UK and Ireland, and continuing to attract these clients is going to help us scale the business.”
As well as growing the business, Adam has been able to stay on top of innovation in an industry that is evolving at break-neck speed. “It was probably the biggest challenge I faced,” says Adam. “Keeping up to speed with innovation and always being able to offer the best quality products and services to clients was critical to success.”
With an increasingly mobile workforce Adam became aware that he needed to rethink the way he and the team worked. New projects took them to various locations around the country and with the added expense of printing and travel they needed to find a more effective and efficient methodology. “We have enough to carry with just our equipment so lugging around reams of paper for scripts, filming briefs and other documents just wasn’t practical. We started using Dropbox as it allowed us to keep all of these documents in the cloud so we could access them on the go. The offline feature has proven great too, just in case we go somewhere with poor signal.”
“I started using Dropbox for personal use in 2011,” explains Adam. “The flexibility it afforded me and the simplicity of it all made it a no-brainer for the business too. It’s surprising how much paperwork is involved with video production. From risk assessments to scripts, location releases to filming briefs, it all adds up. Rather than printing everything, I now have it all on Dropbox. I am sure the money we save on printing pays for our subscription.”
“I upgraded to Dropbox Business pretty quickly as the company started to grow,” says Adam. “It made sense to have everyone functioning as a team rather than individuals. It has also made it far simpler to work with suppliers. If we collaborate with other companies such as recording studios, translators, animators et cetera, shared project folders with different access levels are a great way to coordinate lots of different files.”
The future looks bright for Adam and Buffoon Film and Media, so we asked what advice he has for other entrepreneurs and small businesses. “Two pieces of advice that I would give,” says Adam. “One, be proud of being a small business. We make up a huge percentage of private sector businesses in the UK and help keep money in our local areas. We also offer great customer service and quality products and services. And two, keep up to speed with digital trends and technology. Becoming a more digitally savvy business will improve productivity and efficiency.”
For more stories on how cloud technology is impacting the media industry, check out our media section.
