ETC Intranet — streamlining workflows and governance across three film production companies
Creating a central hub for collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing in an audiovisual ecosystem.
at Mixer Films | circa 2010 | Contributors Plimx, Hardcuore
Type
Enterprise Software
Duration
6 months
My Roles
UX Designer, Project Manager
Challenge
Creating an audiovisual production involves many disciplines—research, writing, production, post-production, marketing, and more. At ETC, a holding group of three companies (Mixer Films, CB Films, and Coffee), over 200 employees and a broad network of freelancers relied on disparate tools and siloed workflows. This fragmentation led to inefficiencies, redundant communication, and a lack of visibility into what each company was working on.
To address these challenges, I was tasked with leading the design and development of an intranet platform that could streamline workflows, foster collaboration, and give employees and contractors a stronger sense of unity, despite being early in my UX career and only two years out of journalism school.
Customer profile
The platform served the entire film development lifecycle, including:
- Full-time staff (producers, editors, marketers, coordinators)
- Freelancers and collaborators
- Executive leadership
- Administrative and operations teams
My approach
As a journalism graduate new to UX, I leaned into my research and storytelling skills. I conducted contextual interviews with stakeholders across all disciplines—from the CEO to editors in the post-production suite—to understand their daily challenges and expectations.
Using those insights, I:
- Created low-fidelity clickable prototypes to test early concepts and gather feedback
- Iterated on functionality and structure based on real-world use cases
- Recruited and managed freelance developers and visual designers to bring the platform to life
- Launched internal communication efforts to encourage adoption and long-term engagement
Outcome
Improved cross-company collaboration
Staff could now discover ongoing projects, reach out to collaborators, and access shared resources—breaking down silos across the organization.
Streamlined knowledge access
The Wiki and Pessoas sections supported faster onboarding and reduced reliance on institutional memory.
Consolidated project operations
The Jobs hub unified assets, communication, and task tracking, enhancing alignment across production phases.
Fostered a sense of culture and pride
Poltrona helped connect employees to the broader creative work being done across all three companies.
On this page
Homepage - tracking messages, tasks and shortcuts to relevant projects
The homepage surfaced recent internal messages, active tasks, and shortcuts to “jobs” (projects) the user was involved in—ranging from TV commercials to feature films.
Pessoas - the people directory
The people directory allowed employees to discover colleagues and collaborators. Profiles included recent activity, promoting cross-team awareness and easier outreach.
Wiki - fostering knowledge sharing
A collaborative space for governance, best practices, and key documentation. Any employee could contribute, helping democratize institutional knowledge.
Jobs- collaboration and governance tailored for film projects
The most essential section—serving as the hub for each audiovisual project. Project pages consolidated tasks, briefs, stills, synopses, production assets, and even live-streamed shoots. Privacy settings ensured sensitive content remained restricted when needed.
Agenda - facilitating contractor management
A shared directory of trusted freelance professionals. Staff could access contact info, availability, and reputations—reducing talent bottlenecks and making hiring more efficient.
Poltrona - an internal streaming channel
An internal “streaming” portal where employees could watch final versions of the company’s productions. Designed to boost awareness and pride in the collective output of the three companies.
Takeaways
Reflecting on this project, I realize it was ahead of its time. It addressed the challenges of knowledge management, collaboration, and culture within a creative organization—issues that remain highly relevant today. As a young, self-taught UX designer at the time, I didn't yet know how to measure impact in terms of cost savings or productivity gains. However, I am confident that this intranet created lasting value.
What went well
- Early leadership experience - I successfully pitched the vision to executives, secured buy-in, led cross-functional teams, and managed external contributors, demonstrating initiative and product ownership early in my UX career.
What I would do differently
- Build stronger mechanisms for tracking impact and adoption metrics
- Ensure there was a clear ownership model in place to sustain the platform after my departure
Screen recording illustrating the key features of the intranet designed to facilitate employee onboarding during the launch phase.
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