Idea Catalog overview
Learn what the Idea Catalog is, why it matters, and how to use it as your Channel's home base for ideas.
The Idea Catalog is the main database for a Channel's content ideas. It is where you capture rough concepts, organize production details, scan what is moving, and open each Idea's full editor when it is time to work.
Think of it like a creator-focused Airtable base for one Channel: every row or card is an Idea, and the layout changes depending on how you want to work.
What the Idea Catalog is for
Use the Idea Catalog when you need to:
- Capture new video, episode, post, or campaign ideas.
- Track each Idea's title, status, priority, categories, assignee, platforms, filming dates, and release date.
- Add custom fields for Channel-specific details.
- Switch between table, grid, and kanban layouts.
- Filter, sort, and save views for repeat workflows.
- Find a specific Idea in the current view by title.
- Select multiple Ideas and take bulk action.
How it is used
Most workflows start with a simple loop:
- Add an Idea
Create an Idea from the catalog or the global Create menu.
- Fill in the important fields
Add enough information that the Idea is useful later: title, status, priority, categories, assignee, release platform, and any custom fields your Channel uses.
- Choose the best layout
Use Table for dense editing, Grid for thumbnail-first scanning, or Kanban for moving Ideas through production statuses.
- Narrow the list
Apply filters and sorting when you need to focus on a subset, like high-priority Ideas, scheduled releases, or Ideas recently updated by one teammate.
- Find an Idea in the current view
Use Find in view when you know part of an Idea title and want to jump to it without changing your filters, sort, grouping, or layout. Bluprint scrolls to the matching row or card and highlights the matching title text.
- Open an Idea when it is time to work
Open the Idea window to edit the full details, tasks, linked scripts, calendar events, thumbnails, and custom field values.
Bulk actions
Bulk actions help you clean up or move multiple Ideas at once.
In table view, use the checkbox on each row to select specific Ideas, or the checkbox in the header to select all visible Ideas. Once one or more Ideas are selected, the toolbar shows the selection count and an Actions menu.
Available bulk actions include:
- Delete Ideas
- Archive Ideas
Preferences
The preferences panel controls personal catalog behavior.
Open the Preferences button in the toolbar to adjust:
- Auto re-sort on change: automatically re-sort the catalog after a short delay when Ideas change.
- Row height: choose the table row height that fits your editing style.
Common mistakes
Treating every Idea like a finished video
The catalog is for rough ideas too. Capture early, then use status, priority, and filters to separate rough concepts from ready-to-produce work.
Using one layout for every task
Table, grid, and kanban are different ways to work with the same Ideas. Switch layouts instead of forcing one layout to do everything.
Forgetting that custom fields are Channel-specific
If one Channel needs sponsor fields and another needs guest fields, create those fields in the relevant Channel.
Next step
After you understand the catalog, learn how each layout works in Idea Catalog layouts.