How Creative Studios Become TPN Certified
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) certification is increasingly required by major studios and streaming platforms. Here's what creative agencies and post-production studios need to know.
What Is TPN Certification?
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) is a joint venture between the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA). It exists to help Hollywood studios and streaming platforms vet the security practices of their vendors: post-production houses, VFX studios, sound facilities, and creative agencies handling pre-release content.
If you're a creative agency or production company that works with major studios, broadcasters, or platforms like Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime, TPN certification is no longer optional. It's table stakes.
Why Does TPN Exist?
Historically, each major studio ran its own content security audits, sending their own teams to vendors' facilities. This was expensive, redundant, and inconsistent. TPN standardizes the process: one framework, one audit, accepted by all major buyers.
The MPA Content Security Best Practices (previously called the MPA Best Practices Guide) form the technical foundation. TPN maps these controls to a practical audit framework with two tiers:
The TPN Assessment Process
Step 1: Engage a TPN-Approved Assessor
TPN certification is managed through the MPA and CDSA, not a self-service portal. The first step is contacting a TPN-approved assessor from the official approved assessor list (available at the MPA website). These are vetted third-party security firms qualified to conduct MPA content security audits.
Before the formal assessment, most studios commission a gap assessment - an informal review of your current practices against the MPA Content Security Best Practices v5.1. This gives you a realistic picture of what remediation work is required before you pay for a formal audit.
The cost of a third-party assessment typically ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 or more, depending on facility size and complexity. Blue Shield (self-assessment) costs less but provides less market credibility.
Step 2: Choose Your Shield Level
Decide between Blue Shield and Gold Shield based on your client requirements:
Step 3: Remediation
Most studios are not fully compliant on their first gap assessment. The gap report becomes your remediation roadmap. Common gaps include:
Step 4: Formal Assessment and Certification
Once remediation is complete, your assessor validates the fixes and submits their findings to TPN. Certification is issued and published in the TPN registry, where studios can find and vet you.
Key Technical Controls
The MPA framework covers five domains:
Physical Security: Visitor logs, access badge systems, surveillance cameras, clean desk policies for rooms where pre-release content is accessed.
Network Security: Segmented networks for content handling, firewall rules, VPN requirements for remote access, prohibition on wireless in content zones.
Endpoint Security: Encrypted drives, screen locks, anti-malware, automatic updates, remote wipe capability.
Application Security: Role-based access to editing systems, watermarking workflows, DRM on deliveries.
People and Process: Security awareness training, incident response plan, NDA management, background check policies.
How Long Does It Take?
Plan for 3 to 6 months from starting the gap assessment to receiving certification. Organizations with mature IT practices and experienced IT partners can compress this timeline significantly.
Working With a Consulting Partner
Most creative studios don't have dedicated IT security staff. A production IT consulting partner experienced in TPN can accelerate the process substantially: leading the gap assessment, implementing missing controls, managing the assessor relationship, and preparing documentation.
The Business Case
TPN certification opens doors. Once certified, you're listed in the TPN registry and can bid on projects that require it. For agencies aspiring to work with Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., or Peacock, it's increasingly a prerequisite.
The investment in TPN certification pays back quickly in the form of larger, better-protected client relationships and higher project fees that come with enterprise-grade security credibility.
Clouds Agency provides production consulting services including TPN readiness assessments, network design, and infrastructure implementation for creative studios in Los Angeles. Learn more about our production consulting services.
Written by the team at Clouds Agency, a Los Angeles creative and production consulting agency.