We Are Covert

In 2023, creative studio We Are Covert had a bit of a problem.

It was a nice problem to have, but still a problem that needed solving. It had grown organically since 2017, creating 2D and 3D animation and VFX that were proving so successful, demand for new and more complex work kept increasing.

A Better Way to Work

Covert’s founders, Simon Dewey and Toby Wheeler, had always believed in doing things differently. Their remote-first model wasn’t a pandemic reaction—it was a proactive response to long commutes and a desire for a better work-life balance.

That head start gave Covert an edge. While other studios scrambled to adapt to remote workflows in 2020, Covert had already nailed it. And that forward-thinking culture helped earn them a spot in Televisual’s Top 10 Facilities of 2025.

With artists spread across the UK and Europe - from Spain and the Czech Republic to Romania and Bulgaria - smooth collaboration became critical.

“As our portfolio grew and we started working on bigger and more complex jobs, Dropbox was beginning to show its limitations to a remote team like ourselves. Whereas a complete project a few years before could be 100-200GB, we were now working in Terabytes and that just wasn’t practical when artists were needing to sync down that much data just to get started on a shot.”

The team needed more than storage. They needed speed, flexibility, and power.

Enter Escape Technology

There was some early awareness of LucidLink internally. During that research, Simon discovered Escape Technology - initially as a reseller, but soon as a strategic partner helping to reshape the entire studio pipeline.

“We suddenly had someone to talk to about our future,” Simon says. “There were so many calls where we’d just sit and bounce around ideas. Escape gave us access to knowledge we didn’t have - and helped steer us where we needed to go.”

Streaming Files, Not Delays

The first win came with LucidLink, a cloud-native file-streaming platform. It eliminated slow downloads and gave artists instant access to files wherever they were.

But that was just the start.

Sherpa: Scaling on Demand

Next came Sherpa, Escape Technology’s AWS-powered cloud solution - ideal for managing project surges and onboarding freelancers quickly.

“Sherpa is great for surge usage,” says Simon. “If we bring on 10 people Monday morning, I can spin up 10 Nuke machines with zero drama. It’s simple, scalable, and fast.”

But as Covert’s reputation grew, so did the complexity - and computing demands - of their work. The next evolution needed something even more robust.

Levelling Up: Private Cloud Power

With 4K and 8K resolution projects becoming standard, Covert began transitioning to high-end VFX tools like Nuke and Flame - demanding heavy-duty hardware that didn’t play nicely with traditional remote setups.

“We knew we needed more power. But long-term, running a business purely on AWS gets expensive,” Simon explains. “After talking it through with Escape, the best move was to invest in our own kit and run it in their data centre”, alongside Escape Technology Private Cloud.

Hardware Ownership, Hosted by Escape

Covert’s first big step? Buying a Flame box - then quickly adding another.

“It was a landmark moment. Before that, we had a bring-your-own-device setup. This was our first real hardware investment, the performance difference was huge.”

Why Private Cloud Works for Covert

With Escape’s Private Cloud, Covert gets:

• Dedicated access to high-performance machines
  
  
• Scalable growth with no hefty upfront costs and predictable pricing model
  
  
• Bespoke rentals for specialist equipment on short notice

“If you're shifting two terabytes of data to seven artists, that’s seven different connections,” says Simon. “But if everyone dials into one central location, it's way easier - and faster.”

That setup now powers Covert’s distributed team, enabling seamless, global collaboration without friction.

Trusted Support, Tailored to the Studio

Throughout this journey, Escape has worked closely with Covert to evolve their setup - from day-to-day support to longer-term strategic planning.

“You guys have been great - not just with the hardware setup, but with general pipeline questions, application support, everything really,” Simon says. “I’d bring you an idea, and you’d come back with a way to actually make it happen.”

Escape’s team of engineers - many of whom come from the VFX and gaming industries - bring practical, real-world expertise to every conversation.

The Last Word

“You’ve been really good to us. If someone emails us because they’re just starting out and don’t know where to begin, I always recommend Escape.”