How to Create Your First Project in ScreenKey

Use this guide if you need to set up a place in ScreenKey to upload media, organize files, and share content with other people. If your goal is, “I need to create a secure workspace for screeners, dailies, editorial, approvals, or media review,” you are in the right place.

In ScreenKey, a Project is the main workspace where media is uploaded, organized, reviewed, approved, and shared. Projects can be used for workflows like screener distribution, post-production collaboration, dailies review, media approvals, sales review, awards campaigns, and more.

Before you start

Before creating a Project, it helps to know a few things:

What the Project is for
Who needs access
Whether people need to watch, review, approve, download, or upload media
Whether the content needs extra security, such as DRM
Whether the Project should feel like a polished screener experience or a workspace for collaboration

Do not worry if you do not know every setting yet. This article will walk you through the main choices.

Step 1: Understand what a Project is

A Project is the central place where your media and access settings live.

A Project can contain:

Uploaded media
Folders or Galleries
Sharing settings
Reviewer access
Contributor upload access
Approval workflows
Feedback settings
Analytics
Security settings

A Project often represents a film, episode, campaign, or production workflow. But it does not have to match a title exactly. For example, the same film might have separate Projects for dailies, editorial review, awards screeners, media approvals, and regional distribution.

Step 2: Make sure you are in the right Organization

Before creating a Project, check that you are working in the correct Organization.

An Organization is the administrative workspace that owns Projects. Organizations are where teams manage Projects, users, permissions, settings, and billing.

If you belong to more than one Organization, use the Organization Menu to switch to the correct one before creating your Project.

This matters because a Project belongs to the Organization where it was created. It does not belong only to your individual user account.

If this is your first time creating a Project, ScreenKey may create a new Organization for you automatically unless you are already working inside an existing Organization.

Step 3: Go to My Projects

Open My Projects.

This is where you create and manage Projects connected to your active Organization.

From My Projects, you can usually:

Create a new Project
Open an existing Project
Search or filter Projects
Upload and organize media
Edit Project details
Share content with viewers
Give upload access to collaborators
Create or manage Screening Rooms

The exact actions available to you depend on your permissions.

Step 4: Create a new Project

To start a new Project, select New Project.

You will be asked to enter basic Project information and choose the type of Project you want to create.

Think of this as choosing the workflow that best matches what you need to do.

Project type	Best for
Theater Mode	Secure screeners, polished viewing experiences, sales review, awards review, executive review, compliance review
Workspace Mode	Dailies, editorial review, VFX, color, sound, post-production collaboration, internal or vendor review
Media Approval Mode	Image or media approval workflows where people approve, reject, or select media from Galleries

Most users can create Theater Mode and Workspace Mode Projects from the new Project screen.

Media Approval Mode Projects are currently created by the ScreenKey Team on request.

Step 5: Choose your Project settings

When creating the Project, review the settings carefully.

Some settings can be changed later. Others may need to be selected when the Project is created.

Before you finish creating the Project, consider:

What should the Project be called?
Which Project type or mode should it use?
What security settings are required?
Should DRM encryption be enabled?
Should viewers be able to leave feedback?
Should feedback be private or visible to others?
Should viewers be notified when new media is added?
Should Project tags be added for organization?

Important: enable DRM during Project creation if you need it

Digital Rights Management, or DRM, can only be selected when the Project is created.

If this Project needs DRM protection, make sure to enable it before completing Project creation.

Step 6: Add Project details

After the Project is created, you can use Edit Project to update its details.

Depending on your settings, some Project details may be visible to the people you share the Project with.

You may be able to update:

Project name
Project description
Poster image
Banner image
Presentation mode, when available
Other editable Project settings

Poster and banner images are especially useful for screener-style Projects because they help make the viewing experience feel polished and easy to recognize.

Step 7: Upload media

After creating or opening your Project, go to the Assets area to add media.

You may be able to upload files by:

Dragging and dropping files into the Assets area
Right-clicking in the Assets area and selecting the upload option
Selecting the + New menu in the top-right of the Assets area

After an upload begins, keep the page open until the files finish uploading and processing.

Once uploaded, your media can be organized, reviewed, shared, and managed inside the Project.

Step 8: Organize your media

Folders help keep your Project organized.

You can use folders for things like:

Dailies
Editorial cuts
VFX
Color
Sound
Marketing assets
Episodes
Versions
Delivery packages
Vendor uploads

How folders appear to viewers depends on the Project mode.

In Theater Mode, folders may appear as categories, creating a more polished streaming-style experience.

In Workspace Mode, folders appear as part of a workspace-style layout where users can browse media in grid or list views.

In Media Approval Mode, teams usually work with Galleries instead of standard folders. A Gallery is where media is grouped for approval.

When your Project is ready, open the Sharing tab.

ScreenKey supports several ways to share or provide access.

Sharing method	Use it when you need to
Secure Sharing	Invite specific people to view or review content
Share Links	Give easy viewing access to anyone with the link
Upload Access	Allow collaborators to upload media into the Project

Use Secure Sharing when you want to invite specific people to view or review content.

This is the best option when access should be tied to a person’s email address.

Secure Sharing is commonly used for:

Screeners
Sales review
Executive review
Compliance review
Awards campaigns
Feedback workflows
Sensitive content review

With Secure Sharing, the invited person may need to sign in with the same email address where they received the invitation.

Use Share Links when you want the easiest possible viewing access.

A Share Link can be opened by anyone who has the link. Because of that, Share Links are less secure than person-specific invitations.

Share Links are useful when convenience is more important than strict, individual access control.

Use caution when sharing or forwarding Share Links, especially for sensitive content.

Upload Access

Use Upload Access when someone needs to add media to your Project.

For example, you might give Upload Access to a vendor, editor, production partner, agency, or collaborator who needs to deliver files.

Upload Access always requires sign-in. A person with Upload Access must use the email address where the invitation was sent. Depending on the settings you choose, they may be able to upload to the whole Project or only to specific folders.

People with Upload Access may only be able to see the media they uploaded. They do not automatically get access to review or download everything else in the Project.

Step 10: Manage access over time

After you share a Project, you may need to update access as the workflow changes.

Depending on the sharing method, you may be able to:

Add more viewers
Revoke access
Adjust viewing windows
Update download permissions
Limit access to specific content
Copy or disable Share Links
Revoke Upload Access
Add tags to organize invited users

Review access regularly, especially for sensitive content, high-profile screeners, or time-limited review workflows.

You may not need a Screening Room for your first Project, but it is helpful to understand what it is.

A Screening Room is a curated viewing experience that can include media from more than one Project.

Use a Screening Room when you want to create a package of content across multiple Projects, such as:

A buyer package
A sales catalogue
An awards package
A curated group of screeners
A collection of titles for one recipient group

Projects are best when you are managing media, settings, and access for a specific workflow.

Screening Rooms are best when you need to present selected media from multiple Projects in one shared viewing experience.

What you may be able to do as a Project manager

The options you see depend on your Organization role and permissions.

You may be able to:

Create Projects
Edit Project details
Upload and organize media
Create folders
Configure security settings
Configure feedback settings
Share Projects with viewers
Give upload access to collaborators
Create and manage Screening Rooms
View activity or analytics
Manage users or Organization settings

If you do not see an option, your Organization permissions may not include that action.

Quick setup checklist

Use this checklist when creating your first Project:

Select the correct Organization
Go to My Projects
Select New Project
Choose the right Project mode
Name the Project clearly
Confirm security settings
Enable DRM during creation if needed
Add Project tags, if helpful
Upload media
Organize media into folders or Galleries
Add a poster and banner image, if helpful
Choose the right sharing method
Invite viewers, create a Share Link, or give Upload Access
Review access settings before sending invitations

Troubleshooting

If you cannot create or manage a Project, check these common issues.

Are you in the correct Organization?

Projects are created inside the active Organization. If you belong to more than one Organization, switch to the correct one before creating the Project.

Do you have permission to create Projects?

Your Organization role may not allow Project creation. Contact your Organization Owner or admin if you need additional permissions.

Are you trying to create a Media Approval Mode Project?

Media Approval Mode Projects must be created by the ScreenKey Team on request.

Did you forget to enable DRM?

DRM must be enabled when the Project is created. If you need DRM and did not select it during creation, contact the ScreenKey Team or your Organization admin for next steps.

Can’t find a Project after creating it?

Make sure you are viewing the same Organization where the Project was created.

Can’t share with someone?

Check the Project’s sharing settings, the recipient’s email address, and your own permissions.

Summary

To create your first Project in ScreenKey, start in the correct Organization, then go to My Projects and select New Project.

Choose the Project mode that matches your workflow. Use Theater Mode for secure screener-style viewing, Workspace Mode for production or post-production collaboration, and Media Approval Mode for approval workflows created with the ScreenKey Team.

After the Project is created, upload and organize your media, edit the Project details, and use the Sharing tab to invite viewers, create Share Links, or give collaborators Upload Access.

Remember: Upload Access always requires sign-in, and DRM must be enabled when the Project is created.