IT for small creative studios.
A handful of editors, a pile of drives and nobody whose job is IT. We set up remote editing, shared storage, backups, security and onboarding, on site in Los Angeles or remotely anywhere in the US.
Quick answer
Clouds Agency is a Los Angeles team that sets up and looks after IT for small creative studios of about 2 to 25 people. We cover remote editing, shared storage and NAS, backups, security and onboarding, on site in Los Angeles and remotely anywhere in the United States. A real person on our team reads every request.
Where small studios usually get stuck.
- 01
The media lives on a drive in someone's bag
Footage, project files and exports sit on whichever drive was nearest. Nobody is sure which copy is current, and one dropped drive can take a project with it.
- 02
Remote editing works until it does not
An editor at home needs the media, the studio connection has a slow upload, and the fix of the week is a courier with a drive. It gets repeated every project.
- 03
The backup exists on paper
There is a second drive somewhere, or a cloud account nobody has opened since it was set up. Nobody has restored a project from it to see what happens.
- 04
Freelancers come and go with the keys
Shared logins, review links that never expire and access that stays after the job ends. It is easy to add a person and easy to forget to remove one.
Who it is for
Studios of roughly 2 to 25 people.
Video editing studios, 3D and animation studios, small post houses, motion design and VFX boutiques, podcast and YouTube production teams, and collectives of freelance editors. The common thread is a team that does creative work for a living and has no full time IT person.
If you have an IT person already, we work alongside them. If you have a friend who set things up once, we can take it over, write down how it works and keep it running.
What we set up
Three areas, one person to call.
Remote editing setup
Proxy workflows, remote access to your storage or workstations, and review tools, so editors can work away from the studio without couriering drives. We test it with your editing app and your connection first.
Shared storage and NAS
Network storage sized from your footage and your team, wired properly, with folders and permissions that match how you work. We also move you off loose drives in stages.
Backups, security and onboarding
A second and third copy that has been restored at least once, basic security that fits a small team, and a clear way to add and remove freelancers and devices.
How an engagement starts
It starts with a conversation.
- 01
You plug us in
Use the form below. Say what you edit in, where the media lives and what is going wrong. A few lines are enough.
- 02
A person replies
A real person on our team reads your request and replies within one business day. They ask about your editing app, storage and connection.
- 03
We look at what you have
We review your setup, remotely where we can. Anything physical, such as cabling or a rack, needs someone on site, which we do in Los Angeles.
- 04
You get a written list
The list says what we found, in the order we would fix it. You decide what we do and what you handle yourself.
- 05
We set it up and write it down
Equipment is bought in your name and accounts are created in your name. We document how it works so the studio is not dependent on one person.
For your kind of studio
Each page covers the problems that kind of team actually has with remote work and storage.
- Video editing studiosShared storage, remote editors and tested backups for a small editing studio.Read more
- 3D and animation studiosRemote artist access, asset storage, backups and onboarding for small 3D and animation teams.Read more
- Small post-production housesPer-client access, shared storage, remote review and backups for a small post house.Read more
- Motion design and VFX boutiquesStorage for image sequences, remote access, review and onboarding for motion and VFX boutiques.Read more
- Podcast and YouTube production teamsRaw recordings, shared channel access, remote editors and backups for podcast and YouTube teams.Read more
- Freelance editor collectivesShared storage, access and backups for groups of freelance editors working as one team.Read more
Jobs we take on
The three areas, split into the questions people ask us most.
- Remote editing setupProxy workflows, remote access and review so editors can work away from the studio.Read more
- Shared storage for small teamsNAS, direct-attached and cloud storage compared for small creative teams, with the sizing arithmetic.Read more
- Remote access and VPN for editorsHow editors reach studio storage and machines securely, and where a VPN helps and where it does not.Read more
- Backups for creative teamsThe 3-2-1 rule for footage and projects, off site copies, immutability and restore tests.Read more
- Onboarding and offboarding freelancersA checklist for adding and removing freelancers, accounts and devices without leaving access behind.Read more
- Security basics for small studiosThe short list of security steps a small creative studio can finish, mapped to CISA and NIST guidance.Read more
- Moving from drives to shared storageHow a small studio moves from loose drives to a NAS in stages, without losing a project.Read more
- Remote review and approvalsReview links, comments, versions and approvals for clients, without emailing downloads.Read more
More from Studio IT
Remote setup for studios outside Los Angeles, a quick playback check, and the security pages.
- Remote setup anywhere in the USHow remote setup works for studios outside Los Angeles: what we need access to and what stays on you.Read more
- Playback troubleshooterSix short questions to find the likeliest cause of a choppy timeline.Read more
- Free Studio IT toolsA storage calculator, an upload time calculator, a remote editing readiness checker and a 3-2-1 backup planner.Read more
- TPN hubPlain-English guides to the Trusted Partner Network and getting ready for an assessment.Read more
- Content securityHow we handle client footage and what we put in place.Read more
- Studio IT hubFixes and guides for film and post studios.Read more
- Los Angeles locationsOn-site support in the neighborhoods and cities we serve.Read more
Questions people ask
Who is this for?
Creative studios of roughly 2 to 25 people that edit, animate, produce or post video and audio and have no full time IT person. That covers editing studios, small post houses, motion and VFX boutiques, 3D and animation studios, podcast and YouTube teams and freelance collectives.
Do you work outside Los Angeles?
Yes, for remote setup. We can review and configure networks, storage settings, accounts, backups and remote access for studios anywhere in the United States. Anything physical, such as cabling or installing a rack, needs someone on site, and our on-site work is in Los Angeles.
What do you set up?
Three areas: remote editing setup, shared storage and NAS, and backups with security and onboarding. Each has its own page below with the questions we ask and what the work involves.
What happens when I plug you in?
A real person on our team reads your request and replies within one business day. They ask about your editing app, storage, connection and what you are seeing, then tell you what they would check first.
Do you replace our IT person?
No. We can work with the person you have, or cover the gap if you do not have one. Either way you get a written list of what we found, in the order we would fix it.
Which tools and hardware do you work with?
Synology, QNAP, Blackmagic Design, Frame.io and LucidLink, plus the editing apps your team already uses. If your gear is something else, tell us and we will say plainly whether it is outside what we do.
Who owns the equipment and the accounts?
You do. Hardware is bought in your name, cloud and admin accounts are created in your name, and we give you the configuration and a written note on how it all works.
Do you publish prices?
No. Cost depends on the size of the studio, the storage and what is already in place. We send a written quote after we learn what you need, and it lists what is included.
Plug us in. Tell us about your studio.
Tell us what you see on screen. A person on our production consulting team reads it and replies, usually with the first thing to check.
Keep reading
Fixes and guides for film and post studios.
Six short questions to find the likeliest cause of a choppy timeline.
Plain-English guides to the Trusted Partner Network and getting ready for an assessment.
How we handle client footage.
A small post-production studio doesn't need enterprise complexity, but it does need enterprise-grade fundamentals. Here's the network setup that serves 2 to 10 person creative teams.
Ten signs that portable drives are holding your edit team back, what shared storage fixes, and when a single fast drive with backups is still the right answer.
Drive failures, ransomware, and accidental deletion destroy projects every day. The 3-2-1 backup rule is the industry standard for protecting your work. Here's how to implement it.
Tell us what your studio runs on.
Describe the team, the editing app and where the media lives. A real person on our team replies within one business day.