A method, comprising: receiving, by a first media device of a population of media devices, a media content item; defining, by the first media device, two or more segments within the media content item by defining boundaries of the two or more segments; based on the boundaries of the two or more segments, selecting, by the first media device, the two or more segments to upload to a cloud storage system; the first media device transmitting segment identification values for the selected segments to the cloud storage system; the first media device determining one or more upload efficiency measurements associated with the first media device, the upload efficiency measurements including one or more of: a signal strength of the first media device, a type of network to which the first media device is connected, a current network speed, and a type of the first media device; the first media device sending the upload efficiency measurements to a media content management server; the cloud storage system receiving the segment identification values for the selected segments from at least one other media device in the population of media devices within a given window of time of receiving the segment identification values from the first media device; based on the upload efficiency measurements received from the first media device and upload efficiency measurements received from the at least one other media device, the cloud storage system selecting the first media device to upload the selected segments; the cloud storage system instructing the first media device to upload the selected segments; the first media device uploading the selected segments to the cloud storage system; prior to the entire media asset being received from the first media device, the cloud storage system sending the at least one of the selected segments of the media content item, wherein the at least one selected segment has been stored at the cloud storage system, to yet another media device of the population of media devices concurrently with the cloud storage system receiving at least one other segment of the selected segments uploaded by the first media device. receiving, by a first media device of a population of media devices, a media content item; defining, by the first media device, two or more segments within the media content item by defining boundaries of the two or more segments; based on the boundaries of the two or more segments, selecting, by the first media device, the two or more segments to upload to a cloud storage system; the first media device transmitting segment identification values for the selected segments to the cloud storage system; the first media device determining one or more upload efficiency measurements associated with the first media device, the upload efficiency measurements including one or more of: a signal strength of the first media device, a type of network to which the first media device is connected, a current network speed, and a type of the first media device; the first media device sending the upload efficiency measurements to a media content management server; the cloud storage system receiving the segment identification values for the selected segments from at least one other media device in the population of media devices within a given window of time of receiving the segment identification values from the first media device; based on the upload efficiency measurements received from the first media device and upload efficiency measurements received from the at least one other media device, the cloud storage system selecting the first media device to upload the selected segments; the cloud storage system instructing the first media device to upload the selected segments; the first media device uploading the selected segments to the cloud storage system; prior to the entire media asset being received from the first media device, the cloud storage system sending the at least one of the selected segments of the media content item, wherein the at least one selected segment has been stored at the cloud storage system, to yet another media device of the population of media devices concurrently with the cloud storage system receiving at least one other segment of the selected segments uploaded by the first media device.