The spreadsheet-to-folder gap
Large-format TV productions generate enormous amounts of structured data — episode numbers, titles, guest names, timecodes, delivery IDs. That data lives in spreadsheets.
Then someone manually types it into folder names, file names, cue sheets, and delivery forms. Every time. For every episode.
Building the same folder tree, 80 times
Every episode needs an identical subfolder structure — Audio, Script, Recording, Exports, Delivery, Documents. For a large variety show with 80+ episodes, that’s hundreds of folders created by hand, each following a strict naming convention.
RX numbers today, TX numbers tomorrow
Episodes are recorded in one order (RX) but broadcast in another (TX). When the TX schedule is confirmed, someone renames hundreds of folders and files by hand — hoping nothing breaks, no path gets missed, and no link goes stale.
The same metadata, entered five times
Show title, episode number, segment timecodes, MID, delivery number — all needed in folder names, file names, programme cue sheets, music reports and delivery checklists. It lives in different Excel files, and each time it’s re-typed, errors compound.
“What’s the TX number for RX61?”
A production coordinator shouldn’t need to open three spreadsheets to answer a basic question. Without a centralised data source, every lookup is a manual search through files that may or may not be up to date.
One database, every downstream artifact
EPS Finder puts a lightweight production database at the centre of the workflow. Import the episode data once, then generate every folder, filename and document from that single source.
- Import the episode data. Drop in a CSV or Excel file with the episode list. EPS Finder maps columns to its data model — RX number, TX number, title, guest, recording date, and any custom fields the production uses.
- Define the templates. Folder-structure templates with variables that pull from the database, naming rules for files, and document templates for cue sheets and delivery forms.
- Generate in one operation. Select a range of episodes and hit generate. Every folder, correctly named, in seconds — no copy-paste errors, no missing directories, no inconsistent naming.
- Update once, propagate everywhere. When TX numbers are confirmed, update them in the database and run a batch rename with full preview — see exactly what will change before anything moves, and roll back if needed.
{show}_{season}_{rx}_{title}/├── Audio/├── Script/├── Recording/├── Exports/├── Delivery/└── Documents/Rename preview (23 files)- ShowName_S14_RX003_TeamChallenge+ ShowName_S14_TX001_TeamChallenge- ShowName_S14_RX017_Finals+ ShowName_S14_TX012_FinalsWhat changes
EPS Finder is still in development, so the figures below are what the build is being measured against rather than numbers from a finished deployment.
Targets for the current build. EPS Finder is in development and not yet in production.
Built for a specific gap
EPS Finder is not a media asset manager, and it isn’t trying to replace an NLE, a traffic system or an enterprise MAM. It fills the operational gap between production spreadsheets and the filesystem.
What it handles
- Centralised episode and season metadata
- RX / TX number mapping and lifecycle
- Template-driven batch folder generation
- Metadata-driven batch renaming, with preview
- Programme cue sheet and delivery document generation
- Fast lookups across episodes, guests and deliveries
What it doesn’t
- Media ingest, transcoding or playout automation
- Music rights tracking or music cue sheet generation
- Video editing or NLE project management
- Enterprise-scale multi-site facility management