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Grow Audience Loyalty with Accessible Video

CMMA Blog

For today’s creators, video accessibility has become much more than a checklist item for regulation and compliance.
With diverse audiences of varying abilities, languages, and viewing environments, delivering accessible videos is a clear indicator of your respect and commitment to your viewers. It demonstrates that you are dedicated to championing inclusivity, embracing non-native speakers, and providing the best possible user experience (UX).
Content producers understand that these experiences are the core of building a strong sense of loyalty and appreciation among viewers, customers, and the public at large. When viewers feel valued and included, they are more likely to become dedicated fans, engage with the content, and share it with others.
What Makes a Great User Experience?
But what creates an engaging, yet accessible UX? In Peter Morville’s user experience honeycomb , he outlines seven qualities:

Useful
Usable
Desirable
Findable
Accessible
Credible
Valuable

While he intended it for website experiences, many have used his framework for a variety of user experiences. For example, a number of these qualities can be applied to premium video platforms like Brightcove. Our ad monetization solution is useful, our Player V7 update makes our product more usable, and our industry-vetted ROI makes our platform valuable.
In the same way, Brightcove’s partnership with 3Play Media helps our customers make their content more accessible, furthering our commitment to providing the best user experience. In fact, Brightcove customers can achieve true, accessible equivalency by ordering accessible video services from 3Play directly within our platform.
Serving over 10,000 existing customers, 3Play Media is the premier media accessibility provider in North America, delivering services with 99% accuracy and SLA-guaranteed turnaround. Content creators with a global audience can also receive localization support through 3Play’s translation and subtitling services in over 45 languages.
What are the Key Components of Video Accessibility?
Digging a bit deeper into the services you now have at your fingertips, let’s look at four ways you can start today to enhance your videos accessibility.
Closed Captioning
A key feature that improves accessibility for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, closed captions provide an on-screen transcript of the audio content. Additionally, it increases engagement by allowing viewers in noisy environments, or those watching with the sound off, a way to still experience the video.
Closed Captions File Example
Example of a Web.VTT Closed Captions File
Live Captioning
Depending on your use case, you can consider two different types of live captioning: Automatic and Professional.

Live Automatic Captioning. This can be a practical approach for providing baseline accessibility when professional captions aren’t feasible. For example, internal video meetings or informal presentations and webinars don’t necessarily require human captioning. Live automatic captioning can also be beneficial for social media livestreams to make the content more accessible to a wider and more diverse audience.
Live Professional Captioning. This is an ideal approach for important and high-profile live event streams where quality and compliance are priorities. These could include academic videos where accuracy is crucial to ensure students with hearing impairments and non-native speakers can access and comprehend the content. Similarly, Live Professional Captioning can ensure all viewers of large events and conferences or investor and customer presentations can have a high-quality experience.

Translating and Subtitles
This accessibility feature is important for reaching a global audience of non-native speakers. It not only fosters inclusivity but also expands the potential audience to viewers from various backgrounds.
Audio Descriptions
For visually impaired audiences, audio descriptions are a valuable tool for making video content accessible. By providing verbal depictions of key visual elements, any viewer can understand the context and follow the narrative effectively. It not only showcases the creator’s commitment to inclusivity, it enhances the overall user experience for those who rely on alternative ways to consume visual media.
How Great UX Grows Audience Loyalty
In a digital landscape with so many content options, generating loyalty is an investment. And if one thing is clear in the creator ecosystem, it’s that audiences will invest in brands when brands invest in them. This means they are more likely to engage with your brand, share your videos, and become devoted fans or customers.
By prioritizing accessibility features, such as captions, audio descriptions, and multi-language subtitles, content creators ensure that their content caters to a diverse range of viewers. And offering them the tools and features they need to fully experience your videos is perhaps one of the most effective demonstrations of your investment in them.

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SXSW: A Celebration of Tech and the Convergence of All Things Creative

CMMA Blog

I knew South-by-Southwest (SXSW) was going to be different. The schedule revealed the normal offerings you’d expect: keynotes by such people as the humanitarian chef Jose Andres, Ryan Gellert of Patagonia, and the actor Tilda Swinton, panel discussions about technology and filmmaking, and networking happy hours sponsored by companies such as Edelman, Vimeo, and L’oreal (among hundreds of others). But a deeper exploration revealed that this is not your standard conference. Signs on the convention center floor heralded panel discussions on “tracks” such as Workplace Revolution, Psychedelics, Energy, and the Media Industry. There were fascinating talks on topics ranging from corporate diversity and culture (at the German House) to virtual production on LED-wall sound stages (at the Australia House.)

At the Creative Industries Expo on the main convention center floor, a twenty-five foot holographic dancer lorded over us all, standing next to a booth touting a development service for screenwriters, which was next to a booth designed to showcase new technologies and recruit for the CIA.

A five-minute walk from the Expo led you to a huge 3D Dorito which infused your nostrils with Cool Ranch (really), and another ten-minute walk from that led to a warehouse with a full-on immersive experience based on Showtime’s hit show Yellowjackets, complete with hors d’oeuvres that were definitely not made from people.

 

The Convergence of Tech with All Things Creative

Officially, South-by (as the cool kids call it) is a festival that celebrates the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture – and I can tell you firsthand that it delivers on that celebration. I’ve been to film festivals and film markets and business events and trade shows and tech conferences, but I’ve never experienced all of them in one city with one pass within 5 days.

It was, quite literally, overwhelming. Seeing and hearing and experiencing everything proved to be an impossible task, and my only suggestion for next year is that they incorporate a cloning booth so one can attend everything simultaneously. (Although I hear that might be on the slate…)

What I was able to see, however, was informative and inspiring. The Expo, especially, proved to be much more engaging than a standard industry floor, due to the sheer breadth of products and services and technologies on display from every industry. The panels were – as you would expect from presenters of this level – well worth the time.

 

This is how we roll

One panel in particular sticks out, because I actually ended up being one of the camera operators at the last minute. This panel was being presented by a potential client with whom I was chatting, and – after describing our services – they mentioned that one of their camera operators had backed out at the last minute for a panel that day, so they could have used us. Given that I have spent years working for TeamPeople as a camera operator filming panels and conferences, I volunteered to fill in and run his 2nd camera (at no charge…) – and their relief was palpable. They were also pleasantly surprised to see that even the people we have on the ground at a festival and conference are able to operate cameras on a moment’s notice…which is just how we roll over here.

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It All Comes Down to Storytelling

I found myself engaged in some fascinating conversations – about technology, media, finance, or just life in general – with some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I met brilliant filmmakers, ingenious designers, savvy financiers, and entrepreneurs who are re-inventing drone taxis or redefining the travel industry or creating new products for immersive virtual meetings.

One of those entrepreneurs with a fascinating story is Alexandra Schrecengost, friend of TeamPeople and Founder and CEO of Culture With Us , a relatively young company which offers virtual and hybrid team experiences for business. Alex was named as a 40 under 40 Tastemaker by Wine Spectator in 2021, and she was invited to be a private mentor for people who were interested in learning more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as it applies to Entrepreneurship. As a diverse business owner and accomplished entrepreneur, there are few people more suitable to mentor on that topic. The opportunity to meet with people like Alex was yet another interesting offer from the festival, and also stands as a testament to the wonderful diversity on hand at SXSW.

Given TeamPeople’s focus as a service for companies needing creative roles and production, it was interesting to be exposed to so many other types of companies and ventures, and I found myself pleasantly surprised by just how much there is to celebrate in the convergence of all of these industries. By the end of my time at SXSW, I came to understand why this is the case, and why SXSW works:

It’s because – at the end of the day – the entire conference is about storytelling. Everyone in attendance has a story to tell, whether it’s about a new trend or a revolutionary product or (in the case of filmmakers) a literal story. A festival like this just drives home the point that the singular thing that makes us human is our need to tell and hear these stories. I was thrilled to be at an event that celebrates this in such a fun and delightful way, and I got the sense that many of my fellow storytellers and story-lovers shared that same sense of joy.

 

A Celebration of Humanity

I also found myself incredibly grateful to be part of an industry, and a company in TeamPeople, whose purpose is to celebrate this part of our humanity. It’s easy to fall into cynicism, and to only see the business and capital and competition at a festival like this, but a bit of digging and some late-night conversations will reveal a diverse, thoughtful community of people who all just want to tell and share each other’s stories.

It was enlightening, empowering, and fun, and I’m very much looking forward to returning next year.

 

Are you looking to share your story? Whether you are sharing entertainment, news, documentaries, educational or corporate video content, we know the people and the processes to get the job done right. We have talented teams deeply ingrained in the storytelling community who can help convey your message, and rosters of production vendors to bring your story to life. Contact us – we’d love to hear about your story!

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Pop Quiz: Is Your Industry The Latest to Make Misclassification News?

CMMA Blog

Accurate worker classification is important in every industry and for every company–large or small. That said, any business that relies on a contingent workforce is especially vulnerable. The Biden administration’s decision to rescind the Worker Classification Rule  made it easier for workers to argue for minimum wage and overtime protections/compensation. We’ve all seen headlines for the big companies, but companies without recognizable names are facing the same challenges. Smaller companies may try to take the “blissful ignorance” route and face costly consequences later. Ride share companies frequently make headlines, but lately, we’ve seen multiple companies in the healthcare industry end up in hot water.  

Why is it so Easy to Make Mistakes?

The gray area between W-2 employees and independent contractors is getting increased attention from the Department of Labor. Every time a new piece of legislation passes in this area, it seems to make the distinction between workers less clear. But one aspect of the trend is clear: It’s getting harder and harder to accurately and safely classify workers as independent contractors. With the big headlines, you’ll find big fines. They’ve cost Uber over $100 million in settlements, with some cases still pending. Still, while it may be tempting to think of this as a big company problem, it’s not true.

Between increasingly-savvy workers and a Democratic-led administration, smaller companies are vulnerable to big problems, too. For example, this at-home healthcare services provider was recently found responsible for over $358K in back wages and this therapy firm’s $9 million bill packed a big punch.

The Bottom Line

It just isn’t worth it to try to avoid the rules or get away with not knowing them. Ignorance doesn’t hold up in a court of law. Paying close attention to accuracy pays dividends. At PayReel , compliance comes first. We classify your employees properly, and we also pay them properly so that you can hire who you want exactly when you want them. If gray areas aren’t your thing and the term “lawsuit” makes your heart skip a beat—relax, we got it. Contact us around the clock at 303-526-4900 or email us here.

The post Pop Quiz: Is Your Industry The Latest to Make Misclassification News? appeared first on PayReel .

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IDC Perspective: Why Today’s Unstructured Data Needs a Modern, Flexible Software Solution

CMMA Blog

Over the last few years, enterprises have seen a dramatic growth in the amount of data generated, and the pace of this growth has been accelerating. Not only is the amount of data growing, but the type of the data is changing as well. A decade ago, most of the data generated came from databases, often referred to as ‘structured’ data. 

Now, a majority of data is coming from ‘unstructured’ sources, such as video data, files, rich imaging, and artificial intelligence applications. These new types of applications require a modern, high-performance storage platform to manage the data and to extract maximum business value from it. These new storage platforms will need to leverage the latest technologies, such as containers and NVMe storage, for the highest performance, simplicity, and flexibility both on-premises and in the cloud and will need to be much easier to operate. Previous generations of storage systems are cumbersome and complex—never intended to run today’s unstructured data applications– and often require advanced IT skills to manage the system.

Here’s a video from IDC to hear their perspective on the challenges of managing unstructured data and the need for a new type of storage solution. At Quantum, we’re listening to our customers and ready to meet the new era of data and help solve those challenges with modern, flexible software solutions purpose built for unstructured data.

The post IDC Perspective: Why Today’s Unstructured Data Needs a Modern, Flexible Software Solution appeared first on Quantum Blog .

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