draftLine, in-house creative agency for Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), used Evercast to connect three teams across four countries, significantly saving time and effort on one of their most ambitious campaigns to date.

“With a total of 62 hours logged on Evercast, the software significantly reduced our project timelines. Typically, we would export a film, send it off using Frame.io and patiently await feedback, while trying to stay proactive on other project tasks. Evercast transformed this dynamic, allowing us to communicate in real time within our room.”
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- Jack Dawkins, editor

The project

Beloved Dutch beer brand Hertog Jan, owned by ABI, sought to promote its latest limited-edition line of Vatgerijpt beer, aged in casks traditionally used for cachaça, rum, mezcal, and tequila reposado. The campaign aimed to capture the precision and dedication of the Latin American makers with whom they had partnered as well as the spirit of the brand itself.

The team

• Ramon Ricard, producer - draftLine (UK)
• Anna Colbourn, producer - draftLine (UK)
• Christopher Reed, executive producer - draftLine (UK)
• Jack Dawkins, editor - draftLine (UK)
• Sheldon Bont, creative director - The Valley (Netherlands)
• Michele Quekel, creative - The Valley (Netherlands)
• Wouter Koot, account manager - The Valley ( Netherlands)
• Britt Verbaenen - brand manager - Hertog Jan - (Belgium)
• Paul Cheung, executive producer - Fight Gravity (London)
• Dilan Mistry, producer/founder - NativeFour (USA)
• Cameron Thuman, director - NativeFour (USA)

Unique challenges

Lofty goals and high expectations

This was one of Hertog Jan’s most ambitious content campaigns so far, as it was produced outside of Europe and had four very different variants to promote over a five-day shoot, with a new location on the call sheet every day. When it came to post-production, it was vital to maintain a seamless virtual environment where they could collaborate effectively as well as earn trust among production partners, creatives, and brands. 

Dispersed teams

The project was a global collaborative effort among multiple teams: UK-based draftLine, in-house creative agency for Anheuser Busch InBev; Netherlands-based creative agency The Valley; and UK-based production company Fight Gravity. draftLine oversaw the decoupled production, with The Valley acting as the creative agency for Hertog Jan. The shoot took place in Latin America. With brand, agency, and production teams spread across many different time zones, and shoot locations changing daily, the team relied on technology, tight organization, and team flexibility to stay on track.

Bandwidth limitations

Collaborating globally among office setups and home offices around the world, the post team initially experienced challenges with sync and intermittent lag when reviewing footage in real time. They needed a collaboration tool that would allow them to tweak bandwidth settings to ensure smooth playback for all participants.

Strong emphasis on reducing the carbon footprint

Inspired by the very content they were capturing, ancient methods of growing, harvesting, and processing of natural resources, the team leveraged technology to reduce the environmental impact of the production as well.

The setup

The team used Evercast for production meetings and real-time reviews, bringing together creatives from around the world. They supplemented the review process with Frame.io for more minor asynchronous notes and WhatsApp for scheduling, quick exchanges, and updates between sessions.

“Evercast emerged as our primary platform for all creative meetings, including directorial calls and internal discussions within the draftLine team. Its features facilitated real-time collaboration, enabling seamless interactions crucial for the creative process.”
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- Jack Dawkins, editor

The workflow

Producers Ramon Ricard and Anna Colbourn worked with editor Jack Dawkins together at their London office, leaving their Evercast room open for the rest of the team to drop in organically as schedules allowed. They held an editorial briefing with director Cameron Thuman, recording their sessions to ensure all notes were properly logged. Then they met daily on Evercast with the larger team to craft the edit together in real time. From there, Dawkins broke off to work through notes independently, and they would reconvene later, either synchronously on Evercast or asynchronously on Frame.io, to exchange feedback.

With the team scattered globally among many different locations, juggling internet connections of varying speed and reliability, they adapted by optimizing stream bandwidths on Evercast, adjusting bandwidth settings to facilitate smooth playback. For the occasionally persistent connection issue, Dawkins created a watch folder on Frame.io, exported proxy edits, and shared them into the Evercast room via Frame.io links. Upon finishing their review, the participants who watched links could chime in on Evercast to discuss a fix or approval in real time with the rest of the team.

“We began to leverage Evercast to record our editor and directors' briefing. This enabled me to focus on what we were discussing, without having to slow the call down to make notes, as the recording would be available to revisit and reference crucial details throughout the project. This recording became an invaluable resource amid discussions and numerous content selects, providing clear directives and preserving key decisions made during the shoot, where my physical presence was absent.”
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- Jack Dawkins, editor

“The virtual edit sessions allowed us to have moments of strong focus with real-time Evercast sessions. If there was anything that needed discussion again we would set up a call and have full focus on the challenge or the situation at hand. Technology actually allowed us to work more efficiently and selecting the right application for its need helped us to either be open and conversational or direct and responsive.”
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- Christopher Reed, executive producer at draftLine

The results

With a full 62 hours logged on the platform, Evercast played a pivotal role for draftLine as they navigated complex workflows on the Hertog Jan Vatgerijpt campaign. Using Evercast for production meetings, real-time reviews, and collaborative editing sessions resulted in significant reductions in project timelines, breaking away from the onerous process of repeatedly exporting files and awaiting feedback. It also addressed their challenges related to global collaboration, bandwidth limitations, and the desire for a reduced carbon footprint. 

Whether facilitating remote shoots or managing post-production needs, Evercast has become an integral part of the draftLine team’s process, enabling them to work seamlessly with global brands without the constraints of physical locations.

“We have since started using Evercast for on-shoot as well as in post-production. Most recently, it helped facilitate a remote shoot for another brand in the ABI portfolio. We had our production team shooting in our London studio, creatives overseeing from Spain and brand directors dialling in from Belgium. All of this was hosted through Evercast. By using Evercast extensively on this shoot, we knew that all parties were able to truly experience what was on camera in real-time with no disruption, lag or colour discrepancies. We logged a 14-hour day of streaming, with no interruption, allowing both client and creative to jump into the room at key moments throughout the shoot.”
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- Jack Dawkins, editor

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