Despite its industry leadership, SkillShow faced significant operational hurdles due to its reliance on manual video editing. The company had over 700 outsourced contractors to do player recording, video editing and setting up events and as a result the majority of their budget was tied up obtaining and editing clips instead of scaling the business.

Additionally, SkillShow managed approximately 230 TB of video data annually, complicating its operations and forcing the company to halt pursuing new events mid-2023. The demand for high-quality recruiting videos in the post-COVID era further emphasized the need for a scalable, automated solution to support business growth and operational efficiency.

To address these challenges, SkillShow collaborated with SnapSoft and AWS to design and implement an automated video processing pipeline. Initially, facial recognition and text-based detection approaches were explored, but an audio logging and automated clip generation solution proved to be the most cost-effective and scalable option.

After SnapSoft successfully delivered the audio-logging solution, SkillShow defined another priority to split long videos based on which player was on the field. Once those videos were edited automatically, the next goal was to then “stitch” those videos together, such that one player could view a compilation of their highlights.

There were several hurdles identified and tackled during the build, including memory limitations of AWS Lambda, matching video formats between cameras, and identifying more than one player in a given clip using audio callouts.

Key elements of the solution included:

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service):

• Used for storing input and output video files.
• Provided scalable, durable storage to handle 230 TB of video data annually.
• Enabled seamless integration with other AWS services.

AWS Lambda:

• Serverless compute service orchestrating automated video processing workflows.
• Triggered transcription and clip generation processes.
• Allowed for event-driven, cost-effective processing without infrastructure management.
• Amazon Transcribe:
• Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) service converting video audio into text transcripts.
• Enabled accurate speech-to-text conversion in noisy sports environments.
• Provided a foundation for identifying players and structuring content.
• AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK):
• Deployed infrastructure as code, ensuring a consistent and repeatable setup.
• By integrating these AWS services, SkillShow successfully transformed its manual workflow into an automated, scalable process.

The implementation of this AWS-powered solution resulted in significant operational improvements for SkillShow:

• Reduced Turnaround Time: Editing and producing video content now takes 24 hours instead of three weeks.
• Cost Savings: A large decrease in editing costs reducing reliance on outsourced contractors.
• Scalability: The ability to handle more events, allowing for business expansion.
• Improved Accuracy: Enhanced player identification and standardized video output format, improving service quality for clients.

These results have solidified SkillShow’s position as an industry leader in youth sports video production, enabling them to meet the growing demand for high-quality sports content.

This case study demonstrates how AWS services can transform manual video processing workflows into automated, scalable solutions. SkillShow can now focus on expanding its business rather than managing complex video editing operations.

Moving forward, SkillShow is exploring additional AI/ML capabilities for automated highlight generation, real-time processing for live events, and deeper integration with sports leagues and organizations. This initiative highlights the power of AWS in modernizing video production processes and positioning companies for long-term success.

*Note: This success story was co-authored in partnership with Ragib Ahsan, Partner Solutions Architect at AWS and Tommy Wilbur, Principal Solutions Architect at SnapSoft.

Learn how SnapSoft can streamline your AWS integrations and drive strategic success for your business. For more information, visit SnapSoft.