Production Agency and Tech Startup Combine Forces to Create Premiere COVID Compliance Offering for Film and TV Productions
As the ailing film and television industry attempts to resume production this fall, The Bench offers Certified COVID-19 Compliance Officers to safeguard sets against viral outbreaks. Tapple's contactless data capture technology is a key service integration for health screening, contact tracing and data security.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The production industry has faced an uphill battle during the pandemic as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in media strongholds like Los Angeles and San Francisco. LA county's reopening protocol for music, television and film production, otherwise known as Appendix J, serves as a 10-page checklist of the detailed precautions required for productions to take place. Failure to adhere to the guidelines can result in a shutdown of the entire set, or worse, a viral outbreak.
As a result, the COVID-19 Compliance Officer has become an essential role for the survival of the film and television industry.
COVID-19 Compliance Officers, or CCO's, are trained and certified by health education companies to manage the safety and compliance of all COVID-19 protocols throughout the entire production process. The CCO's are brought on to ensure scouted locations are compliant for physical distancing and are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of the virus, how to safely screen people for symptoms, what to do if someone tests positive, ensure proper social distancing and facial covering protocols, and how to effectively disinfect high-touch areas. In a nutshell, the CCO's duty is to create a compliant and comfortable environment on set.
But formal training often lacks resources for on-site implementation.
Sophia Patten, Regional Director of The Bench, was frustrated by the lack of resources available for health screening and contact tracing during COVID Compliance Officer training.
"There was little out there on how to safely collect information on-site. Passing paper and pens back and forth at check-in every day just wasn't going to work, especially when you have a crew of 200 people walking in in a matter of hours. It makes both parties feel uncomfortable, it increases the risk of viral spread, and requires manual work to transfer that data online, not to mention ensuring the privacy of the data. It was a lot of paper chasing that I didn't really have time for or feel comfortable physically handling."
In an effort to create an out of the box solution to address the intensive industry mandates, The Bench teamed up with tech startup Tapple to offer production companies the ability to hire a completely contactless COVID Compliance service.
"We're thrilled to team up with Tapple to help the industry build and maintain momentum during the pandemic. Tapple was the missing link for our offering," said Sophia Patten, Regional Director, The Bench.
Tapple's Touchless Health Screener is a mobile health waiver accessed instantly through QR codes with end to end data encryption. A unique identity verification system ensures contact tracing can be done quickly and easily should someone become ill from being on set.
CCO's from The Bench are involved with the shoot from start to finish, and take responsibility for critical tasks such as:
- Performing daily health screening
- Wiping down high touch surfaces throughout the day
- Planning one directional foot traffic
- Sanitizing gear
- Providing new face masks every three hours
- Assuring proper site ventilation
- Marking safe distancing between talent, directors, and cameras
- Establishing proper hand washing/sanitizing stations
- Data management for contact tracing
- Proactively communicating safety guidelines
"The Bench provided first-class Covid-19 compliance services for my production company during a high-profile docuseries co-produced for REVOLT & AT&T. Sophia, who led the operation with an easy contactless check-in, made our shoot feel safe and secure with a streamlined, user-friendly approach that ensured everyone followed proper protocols. I'll continue to recommend and hire The Bench for these services. We're very grateful!"
- Dana Richie, Founder, Backlot Productions
While the pandemic has forced brands, production companies, and studios to skinny up the number of positions on set, this essential position offered by The Bench is critical in ensuring the film and television industry can keep creating content safely and successfully.
Need a COVID-19 Compliance Officer for your set? Contact The Bench to hire a certified CCO, currently available in every region of the U.S.
About The Bench – The Future is Freelance
In 2018, Jennifer Houston and Sarah Musgrove founded The Bench to optimize the marketing, production, and advertising agency model by providing agencies, production companies and in-house marketing departments the ability to leverage fractional talent effectively. The philosophy behind this model is to help agency's keep overhead low while leveraging the right fractional talent specific to each opportunity.
About Tapple, Inc.
Tapple is a mobile technology platform that allows marketers to easily collect first-party data at live and virtual events without the use of apps. The platform leverages QR, NFC and Geolocation to deliver contextually-relevant experiences that drive engagement and instant conversions. Tapple was named a "50 on Fire" winner by BostInno in 2019 and was recently featured by Martech Today and Built in Boston for its positioning shift during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can learn more about their product and team at tapple.io.
Media Contact
Tapple, Inc.
Karen Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer
400 TradeCenter, Suite 5900
Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: (917) 886-3173
[email protected]
SOURCE Tapple, Inc.
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