Boston Ballet Selects Widen Media Collective to Organize, Archive Digital Assets

MADISON, WI--(Marketwired - May 03, 2016) -  Boston Ballet, one of the leading dance companies in the world, has selected the Widen Media Collective for its digital asset management (DAM) needs. The ballet will use Widen's cloud-based DAM solution to store and organize 50 years' worth of photos and videos, along with branding assets used in marketing and communications today.

The ballet's marketing team uses and manages assets that come from and are used to promote a variety of artistic endeavors across the organization, from rehearsals and performances, to philanthropy and education.

Boston Ballet's web content administrator Michaela Donnelly says without a DAM system, she and her colleagues lacked a centralized storage system that would give them easy access to their digital assets. They had created a folder structure on a shared network drive, but Donnelly says that was becoming confusing and overwhelming; it wasn't easy to know which photos or videos were the high-resolution originals, when and where they were created, and what they were approved for. And, as digital marketing and social media continue to grow, so does the number of people who need access to these assets.

"It was just becoming too complex to manage," says Donnelly. "We have so many different types of assets we need to lay our hands on, and without a DAM, we did not have a cohesive or centralized way to do that."

Stakeholders from the web, public relations, and design teams developed a wish list to use when searching for the right DAM solution. Donnelly says while she was pleased by many of the products she saw, Widen was the best fit for Boston Ballet because they "provided us all the basic features I need every day. Some of the platforms I reviewed were heavy on the bells and whistles, but not nearly as strong on the simple, basic things, like unlimited bandwidth. As someone coming from a website perspective, I need that!"

The ballet's marketing team, which consists of the creative/design, PR, social media, and web teams, will be the primary users of the Widen DAM system. Staff involved with education, and the artistic and production teams will also be users. "This really will touch all aspects of our organization," Donnelly says. The DAM will store images, video, and audio files -- many of which date back as far as 1963 -- along with branding assets, like logos, letterhead, style guides, and design files.

"The DAM will streamline our processes and help us work much more efficiently," Donnelly says. "And in the long run, it will preserve the legacy of the ballet, the historical record of the ballet, and who we are, as told in photos and videos."

"The Boston Ballet sought a system to make them more efficient internally and become source of truth for the Ballet and its messaging through user adoption," said Craig Bollig, senior advisor at Widen. "The team focused their efforts through a hands-on approach by getting into the Media Collective and performing extensive testing to ensure the intuitivity leading to user adoption. It was a great proof source that new technology doesn't mean a new challenge."

About Boston Ballet

Since 1963, Boston Ballet's internationally acclaimed performances of classical, neo-classical, and contemporary ballets, combined with a dedication to world class dance education and community initiative programs, have made the institution a leader in its field, with a 52-year history of promoting excellence and access to dance.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Max Hodges, the Company maintains a diverse repertoire, ranging from full-length ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers. Boston Ballet's second company, Boston Ballet II, is comprised of dancers who gain experience by performing with the Company and independently, presenting special programs to audiences throughout the Northeast.

Boston Ballet School, the official school of Boston Ballet, has a long-standing dedication to excellence and access. Led by Director Margaret Tracey, the School reaches more than 5,000 students (toddler to adult) each year through Boston Ballet School classes, the Summer Dance Workshop, Pre-professional Summer Dance Program and the Pre-Professional Training held at three studio locations in Boston, Newton, and Marblehead.

Boston Ballet's nationally-acclaimed education programs include Citydance, Adaptive Dance, and ECI On Location. The programs are offered in partnership with the Boston Public Schools and in communities throughout the city and region

About Widen Enterprises, Inc.

Widen is a marketing technology company that powers the content that builds your brand. Leveraging cloud-based resources, Widen delivers configurable, scalable, and cost-effective digital asset management solutions to help you easily store, search and share your digital content. Organizations of all sizes use Widen's SaaS DAM solution, the Media Collective, to streamline their marketing and creative workflows and make their content work harder. Widen is trusted by hundreds of thousands of users around the world at organizations like LG, Roche, Trek, Cornell University, New Orleans Tourism Marketing, The Atlanta Falcons, Red Gold Tomatoes, Electrolux, and Yankee Candle. To learn more about Widen, go to http://www.widen.com.