Case Studies
Hand Talent Identification - Deployed and Working in the Media Supply-Chain - Today
WHO IS HAND?
HAND (Human & Digital) brings simplicity and scale to talent identity in a human and digital world. As a B2B SaaS company, Identity Intelligence – our interoperable talent ID framework – enables reliable verification of quantifiably notable real (legal & natural) persons, their virtual counterparts, and fictional entities. As “Digital Replica” usage grows, trusted tools providing vectors of authenticity for talent’s unique NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) are essential. Authorized by the ISO-level DOI Foundation, HAND’s ID registry meets emerging needs for talent
provenance automation in the digital age.
Our four case studies include Sony Pictures Entertainment, AFI (American Film Institute), Fabric – Xytech, and Opus Data / The Numbers.
Case Study: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Streamlining Talent Identity Management with HAND’s Talent Identifier Framework
Snapshot: Sony Pictures Entertainment faced ongoing challenges in managing and curating talent identities, ensuring that accurate and up-to-date information is maintained to prevent misidentification. Recognizing the need for a future-facing, comprehensive solution in the form of a standards-based, unified talent master, they explored HAND (Human & Digital)’s Talent Identifier framework. There was significant interest in working with HAND due to disparate hierarchies for both human talent and fictional characters.
The Problem
The studio’s existing processes involve manual extraction of talent information from cast lists, underscoring the need for a more reliable system. The studio discussed the specifics of HAND ID eligibility focusing on Citation-Backed Notability™ and the potential for matching existing Sony talent records against the HAND Talent database. We addressed the unique challenges of fictional characters and explored API capabilities.
The studio shared tens of thousands of talent records, including talent AKAs and alternative IDs. This extensive dataset underscored the complexity and scale of the challenge. Their current labor-intensive, manual processes highlighted the need for machine-readable, verified talent identification to reduce the potential for errors.
The Solution
Successful Matching: HAND successfully matched thousands of Sony records against HAND’s database, demonstrating the framework’s effectiveness in disambiguating and managing talent identities. This addresses a critical pain point, as the studio faces challenges with validation, frequently encountering and dealing with outdated or incorrect information during multi-party transactions.
Implementation: The first wave HAND IDs have now been ingested into the database, moving in the direction of persistent identification, attribution, and greater automation.
“The new system provides a reliable way to confirm the correct talent, reducing errors and ensuring accurate business transactions”
The Results
Outcome: The collaboration resulted in streamlined talent identity management. HAND’s framework provides robust systems for provenance, and interoperability with industry partners – ensuring that talent identity is accurately managed and optimized throughout the media supply chain.
Case Study: AFI (American Film Institute)
Snapshot: The prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) faced challenges in managing and leveraging its vast actor database. HAND’s data transformation solution assigned persistent, unique, interoperable identifiers to thousands of actors, improving data accuracy, efficiency, and the overall value of the archive.
The Client: Our beta partner, AFI, houses a monumental collection of American cinematic history – stretching back to 1893. With a vast database of actors, they sought a robust solution to accurately identify and manage talent records.
The Problem
The archive’s existing actor data was unstructured and inconsistent, hindering efficient search, analysis, and integration with other datasets. Lacking a standards-based, machine-readable unique identifier, it was difficult to accurately attribute roles and generate reliable insights. As the archive expanded, these challenges grew – impeding research, preservation, and cataloging efforts.
The Solution
HAND’s data transformation expertise was the key to unraveling the archive’s actor data. We employed advanced algorithms and multiple data sources to create a standardized, accurate, and interoperable actor dataset. By assigning HAND’s unique and resolvable talent identifiers to each actor, we established a solid foundation for future data enrichment and analysis.
The Results
HAND’s solution dramatically improved the accuracy and consistency of the archive’s actor data, enabling faster and more reliable searches. By corroborating the actor identities and resolving ambiguities, we enhanced data quality and increased the value of the archive’s collection. The unique identifiers facilitated data integration with external sources, providing richer insights and supporting new research avenues.
Conclusion HAND’s data transformation project has empowered the film archive to unlock the full potential of its actor data. By establishing a solid foundation of accurate and consistent information, the archive is better equipped to preserve cinematic heritage, support research, and engage with audiences.
Case Study: Fabric
Enhancing Content Data with Interoperable Talent Identifiers
Snapshot: Fabric (now Fabric-Xytech), a leader in media data management, matches HAND Talent IDs in their industry leading Fabric Origin database.
Client Introduction: Fabric is a cloud platform trusted by Hollywood studios and independent content creators alike, offering solutions for managing editorial, technical, and other content metadata. They have consistently supported interoperable unique IDs, are were one of the earliest adopters of the Entertainment ID Registry’s EIDR Content ID in their workflows / tooling. (EIDR is a peer-level registration agency of HAND’s; and both operate under the registration authority of the DOI Foundation).
The Problem
Managing talent data across productions and platforms can be a challenge. Traditional methods lacked standardization, leading to inaccuracies and inefficiencies. Fabric, aiming to offer its customers the best contextual talent metadata, sought a solution.
Here’s what Rob Delf, CEO of Fabric, had to say: “We’re big believers in offering our customers the best contextual title and talent metadata… the value of persistent, standards-based IDs in our workflows is tremendously valuable.”
The Solution
Fabric partnered with HAND (Human & Digital), the first global Talent ID registry based on the interoperable, ISO-level DOI (Digital Object Identifier) technology. HAND Talent IDs provide unique identifiers for legal entities (actors, musicians), their digital replicas, and fictional characters.
“We’re delighted to be working with Fabric to roll-out the interoperable, ISO-level HAND Talent ID to Fabric’s stellar customers,” said Will Kreth, CEO & Founder of HAND. “Resolvable HAND Talent IDs are based on the same unique DOI technology… we’re looking forward to seeing HAND Talent IDs used for critical production and distribution workflows across the media industry.”
Implementation
Fabric not only integrated HAND Talent IDs into their platform, but also they created a “HAND MATCHED” icon in the web UI of their Fabric Origin talent record search results. This allows their customers to search and match for HAND Talent IDs in Fabric today and include them in their workflows, and will eventually allow their customers to create, update, and modify their own resolvable HAND Talent IDs directly from within the Fabric interface.
The Results
This integration streamlines content workflows by providing accurate and consistent talent data. Fabric users can now easily discover talent, track royalties, and manage licensing rights – all within a single platform.
Looking ahead, Fabric plans to offer an increasing number of HAND Talent IDs to its customers. As Delf highlights, “We’re excited to take this next important step with them… We look forward to offering an increasing number of HAND Talent IDs to our customers in the months to come.”
Conclusion
The collaboration between Fabric and HAND demonstrates the value of standardized talent identifiers for the entertainment industry. By integrating HAND Talent IDs, Fabric empowers content creators and managers with a more efficient and reliable way to handle talent data.
This case study showcases the potential of HAND Talent IDs for content providers of all sizes. By adopting this technology, other organizations can unlock similar benefits – streamlined workflows, improved data accuracy, and a more efficient talent management system.
Case Study: Opus Data / The Numbers
Snapshot: OpusData and The Numbers (both part of Nash Info Services), are two leading data analytics sources for the media industry. In May of 2024, they partnered with HAND to create a new ‘person_identifier data’ for OpusData and their customers.
Client Introduction: OpusData and The Numbers (which includes the Hollywood Bankability Index) are trusted data analytics platforms that provide valuable insights and tools for the entertainment industry. With a focus on delivering accurate and reliable data, OpusData has established itself as a trusted partner for studios, producers, and distributors.
The Problem
The rapid advancements in AI technology have raised concerns about the unauthorized use and exploitation of digital identities. Actors and actresses sought to protect their likenesses and ensure that they had control over how they were portrayed. Producers also faced challenges in verifying the authenticity and usage rights of digital replicas.
“For example, an actor or actress who wants to license their digital replica. It’s natural that they will want control over how that replica is used—for [instance], they might want to avoid being associated with certain types of content for moral or religious reasons, or simply because they want to protect their brand,” said Bruce Nash, founder and CEO of Nash Info Services.
He continued: “While that might have been relatively easy when acting in person, having control when your persona is a file in someone else’s cloud becomes a matter of trusting the many people and companies involved in the production cycle, and then being able to verify that your standards have been met. Likewise, film producers want to know that the digital replicas they are working with have been approved for use by the actors and actresses they are based on.”
The Solution
OpusData partnered with HAND to develop a comprehensive solution that addresses these challenges. By integrating person_identifier data into OpusData, the platform provides a standardized and reliable way to track and manage digital identities. This enables actors, actresses, and producers to:
- Verify authenticity: Ensure that digital replicas are based on authorized and approved likenesses.
- Enforce usage rights: Establish clear guidelines for how digital identities can be used, preventing unauthorized or inappropriate applications.
The Results
The partnership between OpusData and HAND has delivered significant benefits to the entertainment industry:
- Enhanced trust: By providing transparency and accountability, the solution has fostered trust among actors, actresses, producers, and studios.
- Increased control: Actors and actresses now have greater control over their digital likenesses, ensuring that they are used in ways that align with their values and preferences.
- Improved efficiency: Producers can streamline their workflows by verifying the authenticity and usage rights of digital replicas more efficiently.
Conclusion
“Every day brings more headlines of the surprising, and sometimes disturbing, ways that AI technology is being used,” said Nash. “These developments are making it more important than ever to know what you can trust when you watch a video, or listen to a sound recording. Actors and actresses want to know that their digital likeness is only used in ways that they approve of (including not being used at all). More broadly, control over one’s digital identity is going to be key not only to the entertainment business, but to society as a whole. Our partnership with HAND is a first step in expanding what we offer here via Opus Data and The Numbers, and expands the ways we can work with the most creative companies in the industry.”
HAND FACTS
IDENTITY INTELLIGENCE
HAND (a B2B SaaS platform) provides persistent, interoperable, and unique ID resolution for notable human talent, their connected virtual identities, and fictional characters in sports and entertainment.
A GLOBAL STANDARD
Like a bar-code, HAND brings global standardization to the media supply-chain – tracking residuals, royalties, and participations – via talent provenance automation.
A PROVEN REGISTRY
HAND’s talent ID registry was designed to help tackle emerging NIL-rights challenges – both in the prevention of unlicensed AI-based talent – and in monetizing legitimate virtual talent representations.
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