Global Collaboration in Animation: Scaling Bardel Entertainment’s Creative Infrastructure with Qumulo and Clutch Solutions Media Team
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The Challenge
For over 30 years, Bardel Entertainment has been a driving force in the animation industry. Originally founded as an ink-and-paint “mom-and-pop” shop, the studio evolved into a leader in digital animation, partnering with global giants like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon.
With a strategic expansion into Montreal to tap into a rich talent pool both locally and from Europe, Bardel set its sights on moving from television production into feature film-level storytelling. However, this next phase of growth required more than creative vision, it demanded a scalable, global-ready technology backbone.
The challenge was clear: connect multiple studio locations into a single, seamless workflow, enabling artists from anywhere in the world to collaborate on the same projects without being restricted by geography. Bardel needed a solution that would:
- Centralize massive volumes of creative data while ensuring fast, real-time access across locations.
- Enable global collaboration without compromising production timelines.
- Support future expansion, including virtual studios and flexible, cloud-based operations
The Solution
Bardel partnered with Clutch Media, an entity of Clutch Solutions, to redesign its infrastructure for scale and agility. Clutch Solutions brought in Qumulo, a leader in modern data storage solutions, recognized in the top right of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for its innovation.
At the heart of the solution was Qumulo’s Global Namespace (GNS), a game-changing technology that allowed Bardel to store its production data in a central location while instantly replicating it to Montreal. This meant artists could work on the same assets in real time, regardless of where they were located, without performance bottlenecks.
Key capabilities included:
- Centralized Data Master: One primary data hub with synchronized replicas in other geographic locations
- Seamless Multi-Location Collaboration: Artists across studios could access and edit the same files instantly
- Cloud-Enabled Scalability: Ability to set up virtual studios and smaller satellite hubs without investing in permanent infrastructure
- Talent-First Flexibility: Bardel could now pursue top creative talent anywhere in the world and instantly integrate them into production workflows
The Impact
The implementation of Qumulo’s GNS through Clutch Solutions transformed Bardel’s production capabilities:
- Global Agility: Projects once bound to a single region can now be shared and worked on by artists worldwide
- Accelerated Creativity: With real-time access to shared assets, production teams can adapt faster and explore more creative options for clients
- Strategic Growth Enablement: Bardel now has the technology foundation to enter new markets, scale operations globally, and shift into feature film production
- Long-Term Partnership: Bardel anticipates working with Qumulo and Clutch Media as key technology partners for future expansion
By eliminating the boundaries of physical studios, Bardel can now scale its creative force anywhere the talent resides, whether that’s in established hubs like Montreal or new, untapped creative markets around the globe.
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