Huncwot

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, also known as the New American Cinema Group, is a film-making organization created in the early 1960s. We are a nonprofit that distributes, archives, and promotes non-commercial artists to the film community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Huncwot?

The website we had before working with Huncwot was drastically outdated. It was essentially just a list of films and the names of film-makers. The pages were difficult to update, so we were always around six months behind. We also could not display any images or video, which is important for users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We put Huncwot in charge of redesigning and implementing new features into the site. Lukasz (CEO, Huncwot) had complete design control over the website. They created a new design and built out descriptions for the entire film archive. If there were any bugs or errors with the site, Lukasz fixed them immediately.

There’s a constant flow of films that are digitized, archived, and uploaded to the website. They create GIFs to summarize the film and publicize the work. They organized those and built a calendar showing our events and releases. There were a number of other online tools that he implemented. There are audio and written pieces on the site that are also constantly evolving. He was able to integrate all of that. We have a digital manager that worked in conjunction with Huncwot to supply content.

What is the team composition?

There were three or four members who worked with us. Lukasz was our main point person.

How did you come to work with Huncwot?

We met Lukasz while he was organizing a film event at a museum in Warsaw. After being introduced, the Huncwot team came in and met with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested between $10,000–$50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first contacted him in December 2016. The project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The website is beautiful and functions well. It fully encapsulates what the New American Cinema Group wants to present. The innovative design captures the essence of the films. The site was nominated for a Webby Award for Best Web Design in the Arts category. It’s helped bring visibility and recognition to many film-makers.

Lukasz has an extensive background in independent film and cinematic art. He knows the work of artists like Andy Warhol, Ron Rice, etc. He’s able to synthesize that information and artistic vision while also creating an appealing and modern website. Their team has stressed the importance of digitizing our archive, and we’ve been able to do that with a website that is aesthetically pleasing.

How did Huncwot perform from a project management standpoint?

Huncwot is very trustworthy and focused. Their communication is very clear and he is always online. There’s a consistent back-and-forth in regard to managing the project. Lukasz is well-organized and reliable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design abilities were very impressive. Our board didn’t want to give him design control, but they’ve been eternally grateful after they saw what they did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing.