Case Study
Soaring to new heights: How the Atlanta Hawks revolutionized their content management with IMT + iconik
Their commitment to excellence has earned them a top-five global ranking for ticketed events by Pollstar, underscoring their influence and popularity in the entertainment industry.
The amount of content needed to promote, recap, and make exceptional brand experiences around the excitement at State Farm Arena is a large workload that requires speed and cross-functional collaboration. The Atlanta Hawks produce around 1,000 projects each year, with an average of six assets per project. These include:
The enormous amount of content produced for these events, combined with the need for rapid delivery, presented both a tremendous opportunity and workload for their teams.
Gilbert zeroed in on the absence of an asset management system when he joined the organization several seasons ago. Without this system in place, teams were working in silos, and collaboration and sharing was stifled with the lack of a centralized platform.
He set out to assess their existing setup and workflows, which took six to eight weeks, and encompassed reviewing every business unit and documenting their workflows. Following this, they entered the RFP phase, consulting with several system integrators, including IMT.
About IMT
IMT is a leading media technology systems integrator in North America with more than 20 decades of combined experience and a world-class team of over 50 engineers. IMT is a trusted technology partner for hundreds of businesses across a wide range of industries.
IMT distinguished itself with its meticulous attention to detail and educational approach. This thorough approach helped the Hawks understand how to best marry their workflows and select the right solution.
“IMT’s took an educational approach and submitted multiple proposals and worked to educate the Atlanta Hawks on what our options really were.” Kim Rometo
Within the solution recommended by IMT, iconik stood out as the best option for the Hawks through its handling of both still and video assets, among other capabilities.
“What’s compelling about iconik is that it combines still assets and video. Many of my counterparts across other sports leagues have to manage multiple platforms because the assets are treated differently.” — Kim Rometo
Iconik’s flexible pricing model was also attractive.
“When I think about the SaaS model of iconik versus a long-running implementation that'll take 18 months to two years and cost a half million dollars, it’s nice to know that this credit-based model is at my disposal. Even with the entire suite of products that we've built around iconik, we're talking about a fifth of the cost and double the efficiency, if not more.” — Charles Gilbert
IMT’s recommended workflow also included integrating CloudSoda with iconik for moving the Hawks data around which has been a great fit.
"CloudSoda is now an integral part of our asset management workflows here at the Hawks. It’s integrated into Iconik and serves as a data mover between our primary on-premises server and our near-line archival solution. It’s also our data mover for disaster recovery directly to S3. Once we weaved it into our ecosystem, it’s hard to imagine another product taking its place" - Charles Gilbert
What’s compelling about iconik is that it combines still assets and video. Many of my counterparts across other sports leagues have to manage multiple platforms because the assets are treated differently. - Kim Rometo
Iconik's integration significantly enhanced the Atlanta Hawks' operations by modernizing and streamlining their asset management. Previously, their storage system made asset retrieval difficult due to poor taxonomy. Iconik transformed this by layering on top of their existing storage, creating a searchable database regardless of the taxonomy. This allowed seamless access to both still and video assets on a single platform.
Before implementing iconik, the Atlanta Hawks faced several operational challenges. Without a Media Asset Management (MAM) system, their teams worked in disparate, siloed workflows, leading to slow content delivery. Iconik revolutionized their media management processes, providing a centralized solution that streamlined operations and improved efficiency.
"Leveraging iconik was paramount to improving that speed to content and optimizing workflows." — Kim Rometo
With automatic ingest, broadcast content and winning moments are now available almost in real-time, eliminating delays and making the Hawks more primary in the fan relationship. This advancement places them at the forefront of an industry grappling with taxonomy and workflow issues.
Iconik has also greatly improved efficiency by providing a central hub where all business units can easily locate and access assets.
"The business units within the organization now have a one-stop place to put their files. The efficiency comes in when you know where to find something." — Charles Gilbert
Iconik has revolutionized how the Atlanta Hawks manage and deliver content, making meeting the demands of a diverse, multi-generational fan base easier. By addressing the need for faster content delivery and seamless asset management, iconik has positioned the Hawks to continue providing their fans with top-tier entertainment and unforgettable experiences.
