Technicolor [Parent: Thompson | NYSE: TMS] is one of the most recognizable brands in the entertainment industry. They are the leading provider of film production, home entertainment, broadcast network and theatrical services.
During a two-year onsite engagement with a new business unit, I consulted on business continuity, engineering, IT support and account services for Universal, DreamWorks, MGM, Disney and Warner Bros. The group eventually acquired their largest competitor before being bought by Thompson.
The company provides marketing distribution for film studios, including Warner Bros, DreamWorks, Universal, Miramax and Disney. They manage the entire supply chain of trailers, ad slicks, one sheets and promotional items from studio suppliers to nearly every film exhibitor in North America. Technicolor maintains a commitment to its secure client communication infrastructure so clients can easily place orders and check status. Their custom distribution software saves their customers money while distinguishing themselves from competitors.
Reverse Engineering
Technicolor hired me to bring stability to their custom order management platform. Like many custom in-house systems, the application originally meant to meet a specific need grew to support critical business operations including batch order processing, fulfillment, tracking and reporting. It interfaced with supplier, client and other internal systems and supported internal and external users alike. I began by deconstructing the system’s codebase, interviewing developers and documenting the system’s specifications in order to remove the company’s dependency on a few individuals responsible for the system’s upkeep.
Shipping Supplier API Integration
Once the system’s technical specs were complete, we could explore enhancements. FedEX, UPS, Airborne Express (DHL) & USPS each published APIs for custom application integration. I worked with each shipper hook into their systems for automatic fulfillment, including bar-code technologies, pick sheets, label printing, zip code tables and batch order processing.
SOPs, Sales, Service & Support
I expanded documentation to include business rules and procedures after interviewing staff and management and conducting operations analysis. I oversaw maintenance and evolution on several build revisions, trained users and installed components on studio client sites. Eventually, I led software demonstrations during business development efforts that led to new studio business for Technicolor.
Business Continuity & Disaster Planning
Technicolor engaged me to develop a system disaster recovery plan inline with the IT strategy. I designed and implemented a system of automatic and manual backups on and offsite. I also performed a system security analysis, determined areas of weakness and released new builds to protect the data integrity. On two occasions, nearby construction projects jeopardized communications and power supply. The plan I developed and carried through minimized downtime and financial loss.
Gap Analysis
Aligning Technicolor’s custom IT infrastructure with it’s business operations gave me access to virtually everyone on the company. When the company acquired their largest competitor, they asked me to perform a gap analysis between current systems and an ideal undetermined platform. I continued this work with a team of developers to design the foundation of the Oracle ERP system used today.
I almost forgot…
Technicolor is a very special account for me because I made life-long friends and professional associates. One friend in particular, April, became my wife.