Background

For over 100 years, the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) has provided financial aid, healthcare, and housing for entertainment industry workers. Whether it’s supporting actors between projects, helping behind-the-scenes crews cover expenses, or running its annual telethon, MPTF’s mission is clear: see a need, fill it.

Challenge: chaotic, unreliable file-sharing

But keeping that mission moving means working fast. The small but mighty MPTF marketing team juggles everything from fundraising campaigns to collecting videos from celebrity advocates. From event footage to social media graphics, MPTF shares files constantly—internally, with vendors, and with high-profile supporters. But their old system wasn’t built for the way they worked. 

• File links often failed, making it hard for partners to access content.
• Gathering assets was chaotic, with contributors using different methods to send files.
• Approvals dragged on, slowing down campaigns and live event production.

When it came to their biggest fundraising event—the annual telethon — these issues were even more pressing. MPTF needed a way to quickly collect, share, and review assets from a range of collaborators, from editors to celebrities.

Solution: gathering, sending, reviewing files seamlessly

To simplify file sharing and work more efficiently, MPTF transitioned to using Dropbox. “The Dropbox team was incredibly supportive and keen to meet our needs,” shares Clymer. “They introduced various solutions, gave us early access to some features, and made sure we had everything we needed. We felt well taken care of.”

Some employees were also excited about the switch to Dropbox, having experienced its ease of use in the past. LaRosa adds, “I knew how smooth it was to work with Dropbox, because when you have everything online, you can access it quickly and at any time, even if you’ve not opened that file for more than two years.”

MPTF quickly set up a new workflow for gathering assets. Now, employees simply share a public link, letting collaborators upload files directly to the right folders—even without a Dropbox account.

LaRosa now collaborates more easily on projects like the MPTF newsletter. Previously, she managed newsletter feedback through documents and emails, where edits could easily get lost. Now, she tracks edits and comments directly in Dropbox Paper, tagging editors for input and linking to relevant assets, all stored and organized in Dropbox.

The MPTF team also uses Dropbox Replay for reviewing footage.

Previously, Clymer would stream videos online, jot down notes and timecodes in a document, and email them to the editor. Without exact markers, the editor had to do a lot of guesswork. With Replay, Clymer can just click a link, watch the video, and leave frame-specific comments. “It feels like being back in an edit suite together, even when we’re working remotely,” adds Clymer.

Results: simpler, faster collaboration

Dropbox didn’t just streamline MPTF’s workflow—it gave them back time to focus on their mission.

• 20% faster content approvals
• More assets from celebrity supporters, thanks to easy uploads
• Smoother event production, with instant access to critical files

At the last telethon, a celebrity sent a last-minute video just before airtime. With Dropbox, the team downloaded it instantly—seamlessly integrating it into the show.

And when it came to MPTF’s Instant Film Festival, Dropbox ensured that teams could collaborate without missing a beat—keeping assets organized and projects moving at the speed of production.

For Clymer, the real win is how Dropbox makes life easier for everyone—from MPTF’s team to the celebrities and partners who support them. “Celebrities are constantly being asked for favors, so you have to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes. With Dropbox, we just say, ‘Shoot this on your phone, click this link, upload it.’ That’s it,” Clymer adds.

For Clymer, the biggest benefit is how effortless it is for the company and collaborators to send and receive assets with links. “I have a lot of compassion for people who just want to open a file without going through multiple steps. They’d say, ‘I don’t understand. I just want to look at it. Why isn’t this easy?’ With Dropbox, it finally is,” she shares.