Lights, Camera, Connectivity: Bringing Fiber to a Canadian Film Studio

091026-APX-Case Study-Creative-Film Studio_vIR WEB

A major film and television studio operator with production facilities across the United States and Canada needed a more consistent approach to high-capacity connectivity across its locations.

Connectivity is critical to the company’s business. Production teams regularly need to upload and transfer massive media files, while the studio operator commits specific levels of bandwidth to customers filming at its facilities. Bandwidth requirements can also fluctuate significantly depending on the number and size of productions underway at any given time.

The company’s existing connectivity environment included circuits from multiple providers with varying bandwidth levels. When service issues arose, working across different carriers sometimes resulted in finger-pointing and made it more difficult to quickly identify and resolve problems.

Through its trusted technology advisor, the company began consolidating connectivity with APX Net, seeking high-capacity circuits coupled with a simpler, more responsive support experience across both the U.S. and Canada.

Situation

The company operates multiple production facilities across North America, with each location requiring substantial bandwidth to support the demands of modern film and television production.

As existing contracts came up for renewal, the technology advisor saw an opportunity to consolidate more of the company’s connectivity with APX Net. Instead of requiring the customer’s IT team to maintain relationships with multiple underlying carriers, APX Net could provide a single point of contact for connectivity, project management and support.

The latest project involved deploying a new 10Gbps circuit at a Canadian production facility. The project called for:

A high-capacity 10Gbps connection capable of supporting demanding production workflows
Connectivity capable of accommodating changing bandwidth requirements as production activity fluctuated
Construction to extend service to the Canadian facility
Coordination between the customer, technology advisor and underlying carrier
Responsive project management throughout a potentially lengthy installation process

The project was particularly important because the company’s IT leadership operates remotely. The organization needed a connectivity partner capable of simplifying management across geographically dispersed studio locations while providing the responsiveness required to support production teams and their customers.

Solution

APX Net worked closely with the technology advisor and studio operator to deploy the new 10Gbps circuit at the company’s Canadian facility.

The Canadian installation required construction, with the underlying carrier initially projecting a deployment timeline of approximately 90 to 100 days. APX Net managed communication and coordination throughout the process, providing the customer and partner with a single point of contact rather than requiring them to navigate the underlying carrier directly.

Ultimately, APX Net completed the deployment ahead of the anticipated carrier timeline.

The new circuit also builds on a broader strategy to consolidate the studio operator’s connectivity under APX Net as existing contracts become eligible for renewal. Through APX Net, the organization can access different underlying providers while maintaining one relationship for project management and support.

APX Net is also working with the organization to provide greater visibility into circuit performance and bandwidth utilization. This will help the IT team understand usage at individual studio locations, adjust capacity as production requirements change and identify potential connectivity issues before they affect customers.

Results

The successful Canadian deployment expanded a relationship that already encompasses high-capacity connectivity at studio locations in the United States, demonstrating APX Net’s ability to support customers with connectivity requirements spanning North America:

10Gbps Connectivity for Demanding Production Workloads – The new Canadian circuit provides the capacity needed to support large media transfers and other bandwidth-intensive production activities while helping the studio deliver the connectivity its customers expect.
Earlier-Than-Expected Deployment – Despite construction requirements and an initial carrier estimate of approximately 90 to 100 days, APX Net delivered the circuit ahead of the anticipated timeline.
Simplified Carrier Management – Consolidating circuits through APX Net gives the company a single point of contact for project management and support, reducing the complexity associated with managing multiple underlying providers.
A Better Support Experience – Rather than navigating carrier finger-pointing when problems occur, the company’s IT team can turn to APX Net for responsive support and accountability across its connectivity environment.
Greater Network Visibility – Enhanced monitoring will give the IT team greater insight into circuit status and bandwidth utilization, helping it respond proactively to potential issues and adapt capacity as production requirements change.
Scalable Connectivity Across the U.S. and Canada – The Canadian deployment demonstrates how APX Net can help technology advisors support multi-location customers on both sides of the border, providing consistent connectivity management even when different underlying carriers are required.