As the time draws near for the very first Digital Process Workflow Lab, which makes its debut at Createasphere’s Entertainment Technology Expo on November 7th and 8th, we’re speaking with partners in the Lab to describe how it works and what information visitors can gain.

This week we spoke to Steve Cronan, CEO of 5th Kind, who gave us some background on how his company became involved in the Lab as well as the role it plays.

PVC: What circumstances resulted in the genesis of the Digital Process Workflow Lab?

As the studios and production companies have evolved some really complex digital pipelines, it is difficult for the community to keep up to speed on the best of breed products, their latest features and how they all fit together. Outmoded methods of email and ftp-ing files around are still heavily used, so we saw an opportunity to bring together a great group of companies to show attendees what can now be achieved in a modern digital world.

PVC: What do you hope attendees will glean from taking a tour of the Lab?

Digital workflows now cover everything from the first draft of a script to the final piece of marketing. There are some great opportunities for efficiency in the existing process while new opportunities are being created for reuse and monetization. I hope attendees see how these products are coming together to create efficient, highly productive workflows that can save time and money and maximize your investment.

PVC: What is 5th Kind’s involvement? What solutions do you provide to the digital process workflow?

5th Kind is a digital asset system that allows you to ingest any type of digital file and collect large amounts of metadata while providing features for collaboration, distribution, shot tracking and archive.

For the DPW, we will be providing the core hub for ingesting and distributing metadata and digital assets from the initial creative elements of script and storyboards to technical elements like footage and camera data and feeding post pipelines such as editorial and marketing.

PVC:Which types of industries would benefit from incorporating this workflow into their business structure? What would these benefits include?

Any industry that works with digital files can benefit from asset and workflow management systems, but the range of products on display at DPW have been bred within the film, TV, advertising, gaming and vfx world, so we have a few specific features to solve many unique needs.

The Digital Process Workflow Lab can be toured at Createasphere’s Entertainment Technology Expo Wednesday and Thursday, November 7th and 8th, 2012. Click here for free registration.