From a pioneering photography studio to a global digital production powerhouse, .monks, formerly known as STAUD STUDIOS, has always stayed ahead of the curve. Founded by renowned photographer René Staud, the company made its mark on the automotive world by innovating behind the lens. Today, it’s shaping the future of content production for some of the most iconic car brands in the world.
Behind the scenes of this evolution is a powerful workflow engine: DALIM ES.
Innovating for the Future of Automotive Content
Starting with groundbreaking innovations like the Magic Flash (a technique that allowed for studio photography of large vehicles), STAUD STUDIOS became synonymous with cutting-edge automotive visuals. As the studio evolved and merged into the Media.Monks network, the scope of its work expanded—from photography and CGI to full-scale global content automation.
One of their recent projects for the BMW Group involved the personalization of marketing assets using a combination of product and user data. Color, location, demographics, even time of day and weather conditions—all became variables in content generation. The result? A massive increase in the volume of assets produced.
To manage it all, they needed a system that could scale—and that’s where DALIM ES came in.
Managing Complexity at Scale with DALIM ES
With so many asset variations and metadata dependencies, .monks required a platform that could not only store files, but also connect them to the right data. DALIM ES provided that backbone, handling everything from metadata tracking to rights management.
The demands grew even more complex after STAUD STUDIOS merged with Media.Monks. As the user base expanded to include large marketing teams, expectations changed. Interfaces needed to be more intuitive, and workflows more accessible, not just to technical staff, but to creatives and managers alike.
DALIM SOFTWARE and implementation partner schwabe+braun responded with key upgrades:
• Single sign-on (SSO) integration
• Custom workflows adapted for new user types
• UI improvements that simplified navigation and asset tagging
• Advanced metadata filtering and comparison features
Supporting High-Security Workflows in a Regulated Industry
With clients like BMW and others in the automotive space, data security is non-negotiable. The pandemic added another layer of complexity, pushing the team to shift to High Availability (HA) environments to support remote collaboration.
DALIM ES, supported by schwabe+braun’s nearly 30 years of experience, was tailored to meet these high standards, especially in managing strict image rights, license metadata, and approval cycles. Assets could be reviewed by legal teams using dedicated QA workflows, all integrated within the platform.
When video review became a new challenge—especially given security restrictions that prevent cloud uploads—DALIM delivered an answer: the ES Video Viewer. Built with security in mind, it offered advanced review features like:
• Timecoded annotations
• Side-by-side comparisons of color-graded versions
• Dual playback for detailed evaluations
From Production to Compliance: One Workflow Platform
Today, DALIM ES plays a crucial role in how .monks operates globally. Whether it’s handling thousands of visual variations, ensuring legal compliance, or keeping complex campaigns on track, ES brings structure and speed to an otherwise overwhelming production landscape.
Thanks to ongoing support from DALIM SOFTWARE and local partner schwabe+braun—whose offices are just across the street from .monks’ headquarters—the platform continues to adapt and evolve as the team’s needs grow.
Want to see how DALIM ES can help your creative teams manage high-volume, high-security content production?
Reach out for a personalized demo and learn how to transform your asset workflows with confidence.
To learn more about the fascinating evolution of .monks, their creative breakthroughs, and the future of automotive advertising, check out the full interview in our 27th edition of THE MAGAZINE.