DEAR DR. DAM:  I’m Marcia, the Creative Director for an advertising / media agency.  I’m in search of a digital asset management system that can help us manage a rapid influx of photography and videos to be produced in the very near future.  I need something that can go live in 30 days.  Can you recommend a DAM system with strong video handling capabilities?  We have about 20,000 images that we’re currently storing locally with a file folder and tagging convention, but we basically have little organization.  We’re anticipating a rapid increase in photo and video production and need a globally accessible media management solution to match our clients growing needs as they currently have no way to manage the growth.  Our requirements include: global access via web browser, robust security, functionally fit (easy to use), simple uploads, Mac and PC compatible, and strong collaboration engine. 

DEAR MARCIA-MARCIA-MARCIA:  No sweat, the Widen system has you covered.  Because it’s SaaS, your client will have no problem with the scalability demands.  That will save you the need for more capital expenditures on hardware internally and you will only pay for what you use when you need it.  Photography and video handling is Widen’s forte.  Widen’s project collaboration application will allow you to route project media for comment and approval tracking before releasing to the digital asset library.  If you’re working with PDF documents, you can take advantage of the Adobe Acrobat Pro Shared Review and markup tools.  If your client is in need of a more robust photography workflow management application, Backdrop is a photography routing and approval application that has the ability to configure the automated routing actions and notifications according to custom workflows.  As for video handling, the Widen VAM system will allow you to ingest your highest definition video files, offer you full file previewing and then transcode to any desired format on-the-fly.  Your client may take interest in the newly released digital asset embed links for publishing videos and photography to online channels.  Embed links offers several repurposing benefits without chewing up bandwidth for downloads.  Nonetheless, Widen will have you up and running with a fully functional DAM system in less than 30 days that will help with the video management needs.

Do you work for a marketing / creative / advertising agency?

Are you on the lookout for ways of adding new profit centers without adding staff?

How quickly and easily are you able to respond to client demands for digital files?

In our experience of working with agencies, we can guarantee that some of your clients want web-based access to the digital assets you’re producing for them.  You are the resource to make this happen… aren’t you? 

Think strategic. Work light.  Produce more. On-demand Digital Asset Management systems can do just that.

Give clients the ability to offer their sales channels and affiliates controlled access to download photography, catalog pages, logos and line art.  Help them make the creation of localized advertising and promotional materials a breeze.  Get out in front of the competition and help your clients be on the cutting edge of marketing and creative software technology. 

Internally, get art directors, account managers and production staff on the same level — giving everyone connected to a project limited or unlimited access to files, whichever you choose.

View a short video snippet from the owner of ZDO, a creative agency using Widen's DAM system, about the impact of DAM. 

In this video, Bryon Zimmerman discusses how they are faster, more efficient with their jobs by shortening file retrieval time.  The Widen on-demand DAM system helps them move on to the next project faster and realize more profits by reducing individual project time. 

DEAR DR. DAM:  I’m Herald, the IT Director for a state-of-the-art video content distribution company for advertisers and program creators.  We offer full post production services with expertise in both standard definition and HD. We provide broadcast distribution to all national and international outlets for television and radio.  We have in-house post production capabilities, multiple electronic distribution networks, satellite delivery and tape dubs.  We offer all formats and international standards in HD, NTSC, PAL and SECAM.  We have same day HD spot dub and shipping available at no extra cost.  We have offices both east coast and west coast.  We operate our facilities 24 hours a day, six days a week.  We have clients from around the world including major networks and studios, cable programmers, television producers, advertising agencies, commercial production companies, and corporate communication organizations, among many others.  That’s enough about us.
 
We want to provide a digital media distribution service for various clients.  We’re looking at a hosted digital asset management system entirely for video at this time, although there may be some additional images and documents added later.  Our use could easily surpass 10-15 TB of storage or more and want to verify over the coming three months that a hosted DAM system will serve our purposes. 

DEAR HI-DEMAND HD HERALD:  I can tell you that your volume of data with video would in most cases give a hosted digital asset management system a heck of a work-out.  Luckily, Widen can handle your current needs and offer you on-demand scalability for your infrastructure needs based on exactly that—only what you need, when you need it.  Leveraging the power of the cloud, Widen is one of the few DAM vendors that allow you to take advantage of true software-as-a-service in terms of technology and service.  Your video distribution demands are in good hands with Widen.  Plus, you’re senior management will appreciate the pay for what you use model to meet the peaks and valleys of the demand.  Your internal resources will also be used more efficiently.  Top it off with the flexibility you have to “try it out.”  Go big or go home as they like to say…

Here's the winning entry for the first week of Dr. DAM Madlibs. 

Be sure to stay on the lookout for the Week 2 Dr. DAM Madlibs to enter into the contest for the $50 Amazon.com gift card.   

WINNING CONTENT:

CLIENT:  I’m Amy, the Creative Director for an Agency. I’m responsible for managing and creating brand approved media for our clients. As for digital asset management, my role is to dig through stacks and stacks of CD's to find an image I need to work with. We have images and videos and they’re used by our clients to drive their marketing efforts.

CLIENT:  However, I have issues with finding everything I'm looking for. It makes me feel like a rat in a maze. All I want is to have organization in my life!

DR. DAM:  I know what you’re going through and I can help you solve your problem. Here’s what I recommend you do, get a DAM solution from Widen to give you a competitive edge and new revenue streams. Once you’ve implemented a more effective digital asset management solution, what are you going to do?

CLIENT:  Now I can focus on business related activities. I feel so relieved! I’m going to go to the mall for a new pair of shoes with the raise I'm going to get!

DEAR DR. DAM:  I’m Kristi… pardon me, but I think it’s funny I’m calling you doctor because I work for one of the largest children’s hospitals and pediatric research centers in America.  As the Creative Services Manager, I’ve worked with various digital asset management systems and creative software solutions before.  I’m unhappy with the current hosted vendor largely because of the lack of segmentation and control, in addition to a tremendous lack of support.  We’re looking to make a switch to a hosted DAM provider that offers greater customer support.  Also, we do multiple photo shoots per week with two full-time on-site photographers and an outside agency.  We’ve struggled to pass along photos to the different people who need to review them.  It would be nice to have an online photography approval system.  We’re under contract with our current vendor until Q1 of next year, but hoping you can shine some light on a better solution.

DEAR CREATIVE KRISTY:  There’s no ignominy in the doctor reference.  We can all be masters of our own domain and subject matter experts.  I’m happy to assist in your evaluation of digital asset management solutions, particularly a DAM SaaS solution that can offer varying degrees of user segmentation based on roles and controllable permissions.  The Widen solution can of course offer you robust user management capabilities and backs their product with industry-renowned customer support.  If at any point you need help, you and your users are just a phone call, email or instant chat away.  As for the photography workflow management portion of your needs, Widen’s Backdrop can serve the as front-end to your DAM system offering collaboration between your creative team, photographers and agencies.  Last, don’t fuss about the contracts because Widen will not lock you into a long-term contract, their pricing options are flexible and they promise to earn your business every month.  Cheers!

How equipped are you to handle client demands for managing and sharing digital files?

Watch the video interview with Bryon Zimmerman, CEO of ZDO (www.zeedio.com) – Widen’s newest creative design firm client, talk about how the Widen on-demand digital asset management solution has helped:

• Give clients the files and creative elements they want to see to speed up collaboration processes
• Reduce production time and hold file retrieval time to a minimum
• Allow internal staff more time for creative ideas and concepts
• Make a greater impact on clients to increase chances of winning the project

Software-as-a-service is now the most fashionable method of using software technologies.  “It used to be fashionable to purchase software independent from the infrastructure and service needed to run the software,” communicates a hypothetical former I.T. fan of installed software.  “It meant job security, new challenges, and a chance to work with different departments that I did not understand.” 

The former I.T. fan of installed software (FITFOIS – see side note regarding JABOT in previous blog regarding acronym use) revealed that he really did not understand the demands of the business unit and really didn’t care.  Mr. FITFOIS goes on, “I admit that working with other departments was like working blind, especially with marketing and creative teams.  Those people had weird demands that I just didn’t understand so I wasn’t really interested in the software installation projects from the marketing and creative teams.”

“The process for purchasing installed software was entertaining,” Mr. FITFOIS comments, “these installed software salespeople commit to doing everything and under deliver every time, it is truly an amazing spectacle – a disaster really.”

This is typical of installed software providers which is one of the key reasons they are no longer the fashionable choice for deploying software technologies.  The other key reason why software-as-a-service providers are more fashionable is the service levels.  Service levels are non-existent in the installed software world and business units are fed up.

Mr. FITFOIS divulges, “you don’t really know how important service is until you actually receive it and I would never go back to installed software given my recent software-as-a-service experience.”  Evidence of this can be seen with an installed software provider in the digital asset management industry.  The research organization CMS Watch identified less than favorable customer experiences with a specific installed DAM software provider AND as a result also uncovered an integrity / lack of factual data issue.  This example can be found at the following blog: DAM vendors engage in analyst payola, then dissemble about it, too.

Full disclosure is what software-as-a-service providers embrace and what installed software providers fear.  It is this reason that SaaS is the new black and the most fashionable choice for maximizing the use of software technologies.

Did you know that approximately 80% of women in the workforce fall into only 20% of the industry categories tracked by the federal government?  That means that there are MASSIVE amount of industries out there that are underrepresented by women – including the prepress / premedia sector.  What is Widen Enterprises (an industry leader in software as a service and prepress) doing to change this?

Widen has partnered with Madison Area Technical College (MATC) in assisting in the education of non-traditional female students in prepress technical careers. As part of MATC’s Tools for Tomorrow: Women in Trades and Technology Program, Widen has welcomed three women to its Madison facility to learn about career opportunities within the prepress industry.  I spoke with Nancy Nakkoul, Program Coordinator at MATC and she offered a great perspective of why this type of experience is important.  She said, “This type of opportunity gets students thinking beyond the classroom and allows them to envision themselves working in a particular industry. Thanks to companies like Widen, these women get an up-close and personal look at the variety of jobs available in the prepress industry.”

The Tools for Tomorrow Program encourages women to consider a vocation in the fields of high-skill construction, or industrial and technical fields, and then offers a network of services and education related to those industries. Widen’s more than sixty years as a leader in software technology, prepress and color industries provides an invaluable glimpse at technical careers in this sector. By offering a full day of job shadowing, Widen’s prepress professionals provide a first-hand perspective of the industry and help women to network with people already working in the field.  Nikkie Keck, a Widen Digital Sampling Specialist, was one of the prepress employees who met with the MATC students.  She offers a fantastic perspective as she went through a similar program at MATC several years earlier.

Students enrolled in the program got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Widen facility and spent several hours rotating between three distinct production and prepress areas, learning about the specific responsibilities of each operation.

• In the Production Art department, students learned about reviewing paperwork, project requirements, creating templates, marketing and design implications, and quality control processes.

• In the Digital Sampling department, students were shown Widen’s involvement and responsibilities to clients like Reebok, and learned about workflow from initial capture to neutralization and team-specific colorization and graphic application.

• Finally, in the Color department, students saw a demonstration of high-end color retouching and color correction, and saw a variety of ways images are manipulated for web and print.

Thanks MATC for offering this program!  We here at Widen are more than happy to help.  To learn more about Tools for Tommorrow - click here!  To learn more about Widen's premedia world - click here!

We had our big splash “60 Years of Service” celebration and announcement back in September, but I just had to blog about it again after some dialogue we had at the Henry Stewart Digital Asset Management Symposium in LA earlier this week.  The guys from Kaiser-Permanente stopped by our booth to find out more about the Widen digital media management solution and they first asked “Where is Widen?”… Response being… “Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. “ Next, they asked “How long have you been around?”  Answer being quite firmly “60 Years…” the confused looks on their faces automatically triggered the question, “Did you say 6 or 16?”  I had to clarify with my Wisconsin accent “6-T or 6-D (depending on how you want to say it meaning 6-0)” … 60 years.  Like many others that ask about our age, the response is “Wow, a 60 year old DAM company!”  

I’d love to make the claim… that yeah “we invented digital… we invented digital assets… and we invented the term ‘digital asset management.’  We didn’t invent any of that, but we were there as they all evolved.  We were managing large amounts of large files for clients before DAM was an industry and DAM solutions were commercialized.  You can take a look at our history and see how we’ve evolved from a photographic engraving shop 3 generations of Widen’s ago to learn more about how we’ve evolved.  Keyword being:  “we’ve evolved.”  There’s a lot behind evolution… and the evolution of a technology company.  However, to keep it simple, two things remain constant in a continuously changing world of marketing operations and creative workflows from a Widen point of view.  First, Widen is committed to ‘interpreting the unarticulated demand of the marketplace’  through client interaction and providing technology solutions to make their everyday lives easier, save money and bring more value to each customer and their customers.  Secondly, we value our reputation, culture and commitment to ‘customer service.’  Whether you need Widen for premedia production help or for marketing software solutions, you’re going to find ‘service’ in the title of each division because that’s what it’s all about.  We will earn your business every month because of the service – Software as a Service or Premedia Services.  There’s not many other companies in the content management space that can say they’re 60-years-old. 

Widen’s expo and technology track presentation at the Henry Stewart LA Digital Asset Management Conference will feature a sneak peak at the new digital asset Embed Links technology.  If you’re planning to go to the LA show, be sure to check out a live demo of embed links in action at Widen’s booth #117. 

Embed links enable Widen Digital Asset Management users and online marketers to tie image and video assets to online mediums via unique web address, without placing the file in another location.  Every time a page loads that contains the embed link, data is transferred from the Widen DAM system to the online channel.  Embed links allow content consumers to instantly connect with rich media objects and ensures the latest content updates are always on display.


Marketing benefits of digital asset embed links include:

• One master repository for all images and videos used online
• All asset updates made in the Widen DAM system are dynamically published to an infinite number of online channels
• On-demand infrastructure scalability and “pay for what you use” services
• Consistent and accurate use of assets across all online channels

I'll be presenting "What's new in DAM SaaS" covering DAM as the foundation for online media publishing with embed links and the concept of “One Internet – One File” during the Technology Track at 2:15 on Monday, November 10.  My presentation will also include a look at DAM SaaS 2.0 with managed services on the client site using the Widen Appliance to accommodate internal creative workflows and will include an inside look at what “service” really means to a SaaS client using several customer case studies.  I'll be sitting in on the panel for the Brand&Marketing Asset Management Vendor Shootout at 1:15 on Tuesday, November 11. 

Widen has two customers presenting case studies at the DAM Conference:

Manny Cuevas, Director of Sales & Marketing for Level III Services, Inc. will talk about how the Widen hosted DAM system is used to deliver value-added services at 2:15 on Tuesday, November 11.

Stephanie Ruff, Marketing Specialist for Motorola, Inc., will present "What We Achieved with Enterprise DAM," addressing the challenges, business objectives and solutions to an enterprise-wide deployment of a DAM solution at 3:15 on Tuesday, November 11.

I hope to see you at the conference.

View the full conference program for Henry Stewart LA 2008

Bryon Zimmerman googled himself the other day and saw his name and face all over the web courtesy of Widen.  We said to Bryon, “You know, Bryon, you volunteered to be a video case study to express the value of digital asset management solutions for agencies, marketing organizations and creative groups.”  With that said, of course his face, name and video segments are everywhere because we (the Widen marketing team) use our own web based DAM technologies to publish our digital assets to the web.  

That’s digital asset optimization (DAO) – Widen style.  With the help of our DAM SaaS platform, our marketing team is able to repurpose the videos with just a few clicks to our own website, our blog hosted by Compendium Blogware, YouTube and other online destination sites.  Within the Widen hosted digital media management system, we manage all our videos in one location – both the file and metadata (keywords, descriptions, file details, etc.), repurpose the file in multiple formats on-demand and deliver the file to multiple people and destinations in just a few simple clicks.

What’s even more impressive is the use of digital asset embed links to display images and videos across multiple websites, blogs, press releases, campaign landing pages, e-commerce sites and many other online locations.  Anytime we need update the file in our DAM system, the videos and images are dynamically updated across all the channels in which they are published.  There’s no need to create separate libraries or locations for assets to be published elsewhere.  Updates are simple, painless and one time – one internet, one file.  

Keep your eyes and ears open for more video segments from Bryon Zimmerman talking about Widen and digital asset management for agencies and marketing organizations.  Thanks Mr. Zimmerman and ZDO for helping us show the power of DAO.

Day one is done with the Photo Plus Expo, the leading event in photography.   Kristina Lee – Backdrop Product Manager, Chris Norris – Lead Developer and I are in New York representing Widen at booth #1848 showcasing Backdrop.

What’s in the name Backdrop?  I can’t tell you how many times today people came up to us and asked “Do you sell Backdrops?”  If we did and that’s what people were looking for, we all would have left the show thinking we sold gold.  Also, no we don’t digitally superimpose you on top of 30 Rock, getting chased by a Rhinoceros on an African Safari or of your children sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall.  (We could… we do have the premedia services expertise to do so.)  That’s not the purpose of Backdrop.  Backdrop by Widen is “behind the scenes” for photography workflow management just as Widen’s other solutions are considered “back office” marketing and creative software.  (Much of the software for content management and structure of digital content is categorized as “back office.”  We’ll accept that.) 

What is meant by “behind the scenes"…you ask?  Basically, we like to think of it like this:  Photographers take photographs, creative people design – and everything in between should be held to minimal duty by automating many of the manual tasks and communication procedures.  The automated workflow takes place courtesy of Backdrop by Widen - a photography approval system working “behind the scenes.”  We understand that everyone has a different workflow and photographers have different ways of doing things with different clients.  That’s why Backdrop is both intelligent and flexible.  The configurable Photoscript is designed to follow your workflow (photographers and commercial clients) all while making things more efficient.  We don’t aim to add any steps to your photography review cycles, but we do help to remove more than a few and make other steps faster. 

So what is Backdrop?  Here’s a few of our rehearsed elevator pitches… Backdrop is a web-based photography routing and approval system… photo asset management and collaboration software… but not software as in “Oh no, I can’t buy anymore software.”  It’s SaaS – which means no installs, no licensing fees, no complicated functionality to learn, no upgrades and nobody gets left out or left alone.  Backdrop allows clients to review photo shoots online.  Can’t make it to the shoot?  Need to review and approve photos in real time?  Backdrop by Widen is there.  Trying to eliminate unnecessary travel?  Backdrop will have you at the shoot without physically being at the shoot. 

Lastly, there’s much to be said about accountability.  Backdrop is intended to let people see and interact with only the files they are supposed to see.  All comments, approvals, requests for reshoots, denials and every other major action is automatically stamped with who did it and when. 

So there’s a little ditty on Backdrop by Widen.  If you’re in the Javits Center area in New York City this Friday or Saturday, feel free to stop by Widen’s booth #1848 for a closer look at Backdrop. 

Are you planning on attending the premier briefing and networking event in digital media management and marketing operations? 

Make sure to stop by the Widen booth #117 to catch the latest in DAM SaaS technology featuring an interactive presentation of the new digital asset Embed Links.  

The event features over 75 talks, case studies, panel sessions and interactive presentations. 

Digital Asset Management Los Angeles 2008
Monday, November 10 and Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel

Sponsored by Henry Stewart, the event is for everyone involved in production, use or management of rich media and covers:

Digital Entertainment and New Media • Film Production • Exploiting Multimedia Platforms • Brand Management • Marketing (and Advertising) • Digital Rights Management • Ensuring Security • Optimizing Creative Workflows and Empowering Supply Chains • Metadata and Taxonomy Solutions • Latest Developments in Search Strategies • Structuring the Architecture of Systems for Maximum Performance

This is an event that will deliver exactly what it promises – briefings on all the important issues supported by case studies of real world performance.  Digital content management for increased revenue, profits and shareholder value.  Digital asset solutions for cost reduction, more effective marketing, brand management and new product development.

View the Full Program Details

Register Here

Contact Widen to receive $100 off the rate card price.

Watch the video interview with Bryon Zimmerman, CEO of ZDO (www.zeedio.com) – Widen’s newest creative design firm DAM user, talk about how the Widen on-demand digital asset management solution enhances client relationships.  The Widen digital media management platform helps ZDO clients find images and artwork on their own by logging into the web-based DAM system whenever they want to browse jobs or download assets.  Widen digital asset solutions help ZDO project a cutting edge image, which is important to both ZDO and their clients.

Watch the video interview with Bryon Zimmerman, CEO of ZDO (www.zeedio.com) – Widen’s newest creative design firm DAM user, talk about how the Widen on-demand digital asset management solution helps differentiate ZDO from other agencies by providing more value to clients.  Widen helps ZDO provide a highly organized library of everything pertaining to the jobs they are responsible for in working with their clients.  Widen DAM technology helps ZDO reduce project time and increase profit margins by the efficiencies the DAM SaaS solution creates.  The high level service is used internally by ZDO creative and design staff as well as in collaboration with clients. 

If you're an advertising agency or creative design firm...

Are you looking for ways to stand out from other agencies?  I’m sure you have plenty of reasons, but Widen would like to help you add at least one more.

Are you looking for ways to add value to client relationships?  Widen can make it very easy for you with a hosted digital asset management system.

Are you looking to add more revenue streams?  That’s simple… (A little extra coin is always a good thing!)

Are you looking for more time for creative and design and less time spent on tedious tasks? (Of course you are…)

If your clients are asking for global web access to the “brand assets” you’re responsible for, Widen will help you.  If you’re looking for a tool to help you become more organized and efficient while enhancing client relationships and adding revenue, Widen will help you.  Visit www.widen.com/agency to learn more.

View our video testimonials from ZDO about how they were able to differentiate from the competition, add value to client relationships and add new revenue streams with the help of Widen's creative software technology.

Guest Blog Post from Tim Vial, Widen Sales Representative

In the wake of my defeat in Widen’s weekly football game, I found myself wondering what went wrong.  Many of you may be feeling like this in a much more important game. Like in a backyard football game, the team with the most talent doesn’t always win, but rather the team with the best system.  Attacking today’s global market is a lot like this backyard football game.  There are three pieces to the ultimate victory, score points (get your sales team the ball), don’t give up any points (manage all the new “looks” creative is giving you), and last but not least appeal to your fans (marketing).  How the team with the best system (DAM) will always prevail:

As the quarterback (head of your department) you are the decision maker, and the one who needs to start the production.  Each down (selling situation) is different and has certain routes that will yield better results.  You need to get your receivers (sales reps) the ball quickly, efficiently, and with the best chance of success.  Just like with your business, you need to get your sales reps the most up to date information, with the opportunity to be able to tweak it for each specific opportunity without losing brand integrity.  In the mist of all this action, you have blitzing linebackers (deadlines) closing in on you fast.  You need to play like a veteran.

Offense puts fans in the stands but defense wins championships.  On the other side of the ball, you need to keep track of all those other receivers (assets).  The offense is constantly changing their formations, and bringing in fresh, new players.  The key is managing where those receivers are, who is being used the most, and for what purpose.  That will keep you from falling behind.

Like every team in any sport, you’ve got to pay the bills.  Would a fan come and watch your game and spend their hard earned money if you showed them pictures and told stories of the “glory years” that are long and gone?  Getting your team’s fresh, new image out to the public has to be efficient and effective as well.

In the business world you face the same challenges, which can be solved with Widen’s Digital Asset Management’s Software as a Service technology.  Get your branded material out to Sales teams quickly, with the ability to change some specifics for each target audience, but maintaining brand integrity.  Manage all the new materials creative is busy producing, all the while knowing you are using the most up-to-date image, video, or document with version control.  Find the digital material you are looking for quickly with self service access complete with advanced search options, in an organized central repository, with roles and permissions allowing you to decide who uses what.  In addition, full reporting that makes it easy to find out what images are being used, what’s most popular, etc.

Competing against a business with no DAM is like playing a football game against a quarterback that throws back across the field… Easy pickings.  Let a hosted digital asset management system from Widen Enterprises give you all the tools needed for victory, while always having a “coach” there to guide you, and a “trainer” for all the “bumps and bruises”.

DAM Pros 100, DAM Joes 0

Danielle Strosin, Production Art/Digital Graphic Support

WOW!  I was 23 when I started working at Widen.  I still remember the phone call I received telling me I got the job. And of course the coffee I spilled all over myself on the way to work my first week.

I remember the fast paced integration of mac computers and workflows replacing scitex machines and workflows.  So many things have changed over the years… as have I.  A recently graduated Commercial Art student, I moved quickly from Project Prep into Data Management.  After my year in Data Management I moved onto Account Management and working with customers and their packaging files.

Eventually, I made it to the then Creative department and now the Production Art department where I have been ever since.  Over the years I have worked with customers, internal marketing and communications in a variety of ways.

My responsibilities at Widen have been invigorating, evolving and challenging every day. The experiences that I am now excited to say I have under my belt, the connections I’ve made, and the endless possibilities for professional improvement have proven to be priceless.

Widen employs so many talented and innovative people.  I believe the success of this company is largely due to the fact that the people here are truly amazing.

I’ve come a long way from the scared little turtle of a student that I was, largely due to working here.  I’ve worked at Widen for almost 12 years (and now that I’ve said that, I’m feeling a little old).  In a nutshell, working for Widen is an amazing experience.  Here’s to another 60 years of service!

Alex Byrne, Sales Representative

To be honest, Widen was foreign to me before January of 2008.  I was at an event in Madison for St. Norbert College, and it was there I was introduced to the company known as Widen.  Matthew Gonnering, Vice President of Sales and Marketing explained to me that Widen was involved in the Information and Technology service industry.  Software-as-a-service (SaaS), digital asset management (DAM), marketing operations management, sales enablement, creative workflow applications, marketing consultation were all aspects of Widens vast services.  Today, I spend my days at work trying to sell to companies on the idea that Matthew sold to me; a Digital Asset Management system that allows organizations the ability to establish a process in which everyone in need of digital media is granted self-service access to one central source, allowing for repurposing and distribution.  He showed me that we can help companies reduce costs associated with searching computers and servers for known assets, as well as help them stop wasting time rebuilding media that cannot be found.  It hasn’t taken long for me to realize why Widen has been around for 60 years

Tom Schmidt, Executive Vice President

This all started when Mark Widen and his dad Arthur started a company to create copper and zinc engravings 60 years ago.  This has emerged to one of the leading hosted providers in a global market plus one of the top prepress services providers in the US.  I can only speak to the last 25 years.  There are a few with longer exposures, Reed, Terry Vial and more that have witnessed a transition of seeing Wacho in a rubber apron, goggles and brush… dot etching film, to being one of the first installs of Scitex, on to Visionary, Widen Collective DAM SaaS, to ???

In those 60 years one element that has always been strong is the quality of the people who comprise the company.  Remember the day when our production supervisor announced that he was going to start his own company and take six other employees with him. The crew that was left stepped to the plate and compensated.  Today, if you examine the biography of current employees, they have varied experiences always stepping to the plate to meet the new technology, being creative in its implementation.

After 25 years, the most significant thing I remember is it has always been “FUN”, wouldn’t trade it for any other vocation.  There are not a lot of people that can’t say that about their vocation, glad that I am one who can.  For those in the pipeline, everyone should be excited on what’s going to happen next!

…What is going to happen next?