We’ve never been big fans of putting our name on cocktail napkins or trade show lanyards. When approached to sponsor industry events or organizations and offered things like this in return, we’ve kind of shrugged. Do they matter? Can they trigger any calls to action? Would they help change perceptions of what we’re all about as a brand, or make people think of us in a different way? We’re not entirely sure.

But when AICP came to us – or rather, when we came to them – with a plan for not only raising our visibility but providing some real value in exchange, both for us and for the industry in general, we were interested.

Regular readers of our blog (we know you’re out there!) can attest to what Simian’s been up to for the past couple of years, having conducted almost a dozen Heads of Production roundtables around the country. Most of them have been in-person events where busy agency production leaders took the time to connect with their peers and share insights, trade secrets, resources and best practices.

We’ve also been working constantly to update Simian and offer new features and improvements, and that hasn’t slowed down one bit. (Hint: we’ll have pretty big news in this area later this summer!) We’ve got our ear to the ground and are in frequent touch with users, listening to what they need and finding ways to solve their problems.

Teaming up with AICP will give us a wider range of insights on trends in the industry, so we can continue to find ways to share knowledge and help people be more efficient, and that lets them focus on what they do best. Our Supporting Partnership relationship is part of a larger plan to hold informational seminars and panels in different parts of the country this year – a plan that’s being pushed back, for obvious reasons, to when it’s safe to gather in large groups again.

“When you think of AICP, you think of all the things they’ve done to help production companies and post houses stay competitive, profitable and on the cutting edge of media, technology and technique,” says Simian’s Brian Atton. “Partnering with them to help support their mission is not just a smart move, but a reflection of our values, too. We’re proud to be a part of their team.”

Here’s what AICP President and CEO Matt Miller had to say: “There’s never been a more important time for independent production and post companies to connect with and demonstrate their range of talent to their agency and brand partners, and with the help of our partners like Simian, AICP will continue to be able to fulfill its mission of service, advocacy and education.”

This isn’t our first go-round in a supporting role, by the way; previously we were a Corporate Partner of AICE, the post production trade association that merged with AICP in 2018. And over the years we’ve been holding informal lunches and dinners for Simian users in production and post, gaining valuable intelligence not just on our product, but on how to make it even better. (We find the presence of wine helps with this process.)

“The feedback we get from our friends and users has been the inspiration for so many of our most popular features and updates,” adds Simian’s Jay Brooks. “But engaging with them has also allowed us to build relationships that helped us evolve from a video sharing service to being a real marketing and production partner. So signing on as a Supporting Partner of AICP fits right in with this approach. It’s a natural for us.”