Interactive Digital Media and Video Production Company Browntown Turned to Small Tree

Small Tree Communications LLC shared storage was chosen by Browntown, an interactive digital media and video production company located in Saint Paul, MN, to improve the workflow by optimizing their file storage needs.

Browntown switched to Small Tree to create a more efficient working procedure for its growing team of creatives.

With a nearly 10-year history, Browntown focuses on video production, video assets, photography and various forms of creative media. The company’s work ranges from interactive digital and video campaigns to 3D visual effects, and includes big such as 3M, Scotch Tape, NASCAR, and Harley Davidson as clients.

Browntown currently utilizes six Mac workstations connected to the Small Tree TitaniumZ-8 system, with two more stations ready to go as they continue to grow. There are currently four editing stations and two design stations that are set up utilizing the Adobe Suite. Browntown maintains a constant stream of hi-res, HD video content, so their storage needs had to support heavy lifting. Prior to moving over to Small Tree’s shared storage unit, Browntown relied on using a series of external drives that would be passed around the office to support their efforts.

Samuel Brown, CEO and senior producer, Browntown, said that there were several factors they considered when switching to Small Tree. They had been considering shared storage for a period of time, but knowing it was an investment the company waited until there was sustained growth. Browntown was also looking for a system that could improve their efficiency and remove the need for using multiple external drives.

“Small Tree’s solution has changed our whole process and it’s been great,” said Brown. “It’s changed the way we work; it’s prompted us to see processes differently and actually create new ones. The shared storage has been critical in helping us from an efficiency standpoint and also from a worker satisfaction perspective. As any small business owner knows, a happy employee is a productive employee.“

TitaniumZ-8 is an Ethernet-based shared storage system with file sharing capabilities. Offering the precise levels of capacity and storage software to keep users working efficiently, it is built on an open source OS that was customized to be easy to use, feature-rich, reliable and perform at a high level. Supporting all popular multimedia applications, TitaniumZ-8 is available from an eight-drive system with 2TB drives up to a 40-drive system with 8TB drives.

Brown said that another advantage to working with Small Tree is that although they have yet to meet face-to-face, it’s an added benefit that they come from the same region.

“While they’ve been amazing to work with remotely, providing exceptional customer service, it’s great to work with a company that is in our own backyard,” Brown shared.