HXMV is a custom-built digital asset management platform I created as a replacement for Canto, shaped around how Holiday Extras and Oak actually store, search, share and manage creative assets. Rather than bending the business around a third-party tool, the platform was designed around existing workflows — then taken beyond launch into sustained performance work.
Replacing a third-party platform
Canto was expensive and poorly matched to how teams worked. HXMV was built from the ground up around real usage patterns — asset structure, search behaviour, approval flows and sharing — removing reliance on an external vendor entirely.
Designed around real workflows
The platform covers upload, smart tagging, approvals, bulk operations and role-based access across admins, editors, contributors and viewers — reflecting how Brand, Design and the wider business actually collaborate on assets.
Performance beyond launch
Taking ownership past the launch date, I reduced live load time from 5.9 seconds to 0.4 seconds — a 93% reduction. Asset discovery went from sluggish to immediate, which is the difference between a tool people tolerate and one they reach for.
Adoption
The platform is in active use across the business, including by the CEO, who uses it regularly to find assets more quickly. Saving roughly £20,000 a year while improving the experience made the case for building rather than buying.
Outcome
Around £20,000 saved per year, load time reduced from 5.9 seconds to 0.4 seconds — a 93% improvement — and a platform the CEO uses regularly to find assets.