Connecting Story Planning and Content Discovery with huGO and Kordiam

When an editor needs to plan a story and search for the right images or background materials, they shouldn’t have to bounce between systems. At Editorial Days 2025, Bastian Metz of Sternwald Systems showed how tighter integration between Kordiam and huGO helps editorial teams bring story planning and content discovery into one seamless flow.
The Context
Sternwald Systems has supported publishers and newsrooms for over 25 years. Their platform, huGO, acts as a central hub for digital asset management. It stores both raw materials like photos, videos and agency feeds, and finished assets ready for reuse or monetization. Many of Sternwald's clients also rely on Kordiam for editorial planning.
The common question from users was clear. How can we connect the story planning in Kordiam with the assets in huGO to avoid duplication, simplify research and work more efficiently?
The Use Cases
Three key workflows shaped the integration:
Start with a Story
Editors plan a story in Kordiam. They want to see if there are related assets already in huGO. The integration allows them to search huGO directly from the Kordiam interface using the story title or summary. huGO responds with relevant content using both keyword and semantic search.
Start with Content
Sometimes the idea begins in huGO. Reporters upload photos or agency articles into huGO DAM. With one click, editors can convert an asset into a Kordiam story. The system creates a new editorial task, links it to a dedicated huGO DAM collection and starts the planning workflow.
Upload and Sync Content
When external contributors upload assets into Kordiam, huGO captures them too. Every asset is automatically saved in the matching huGO collection. Editors no longer need to transfer files manually between systems.
How It Works
The integration includes:
- Custom fields in Kordiam to store links to huGO collections
- Automatic creation of huGO collections when a new Kordiam story begins
- Two-way linked navigation between the systems for easy reference
- Asset uploads in Kordiam that automatically appear in huGO
- Support for multiple sub-collections per story to keep materials organized by task
Why It Matters
This integration keeps editors working in one connected workflow instead of jumping between tools.
- It eliminates manual transfers, so files land in the right place automatically.
- Assets stay organized and easy to access, reducing content sprawl and cutting down on time wasted searching.
- Editorial teams gain clarity, speed, and more time to focus on creating meaningful stories.
Looking Ahead
Sternwald Systems plans to release this integration in the future. Updates will explore AI-powered asset recommendations based on the content of the story. Editors could soon receive image or article suggestions as they write, powered by huGO’s semantic capabilities.
By connecting planning and asset management, this integration has made content workflows smoother and more intelligent. The result is less busywork for editorial teams and more time for quality storytelling.