Making the Media

S5E05: Post Problems More needs to be done to help people struggling to find work in the post-production market in the UK by offering new training or opportunities in other roles. That’s the view of sound mixer, editor, and industry mentor Emma Butt, who says that the sector is under enormous pressure now due to a downturn in commissions and program production. She says more opportunities need to be given to people already working in the industry in order for them to remain in the business. Our Guest this Episode: Emma Butt    Emma is a freelance dubbing mixer, dialogue and SFX editor with over 16 years of experience in post-production sound in both the UK and Irish industry. She works across multiple genres, from documentaries (both TV and feature), HETV, entertainment shows, and animations.   In her spare time, she is a mentor, helping to support the next generation of filmmakers and creative talent. She is an advocate for diversity in film and TV and completed a report on "Diversity in Post-Production Sound'' through the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, which highlighted the lack of diversity in post-production sound and offered solutions as to how this can be changed and improved. She has worked as a consultant and helped design Channel 4’s 4PP (4 Post Production) program, which is a development program designed to accelerate the careers of mid-senior talent from underrepresented backgrounds working in post-production roles. She has also worked as a consultant with Audible UK on their “Off Mic” workshops which aim to improve diversity and inclusion.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Staffing the Future – How are post facilities and the education sector working together Mental Health Matters – Discover the work of the Headlines Network Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S5E04: The Story-Centric, Digital-First Future of News The planned combination of Avid and Wolftech will transform news, sports and live production workflows, according to the leaders of both companies after announcing plans to acquire the Norwegian-based story-centric planning and publication specialist.  ·       The tight integration of Avid MediaCentral and Wolftech News into a unified toolset will enable customers to increase efficiency by optimizing collaboration between digital-first and traditional TV with a streamlined, end-to-end workflow. ·       Newsrooms will benefit from an industry-leading, digital-first, AI framework and an open API approach to integrations to power workflows today and tomorrow, on-premises, hybrid or in the cloud.  In this special edition of the podcast, we hear from those behind the deal, and from other leaders in the business about the benefits it will bring to customers.    Episode Guests ·       Wellford Dillard, Avid Chief Executive Officer ·       Arne Berven, Wolftech Chief Executive Officer ·       Tim Claman, Avid Chief Product Officer ·       Régis André, Avid Senior Director of Product Management ·       Tom Evetts, Avid Chief Sales Officer   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid and Wolftech combine – Get the latest information  Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S5E03: Efficiency and Avatars A leading technologist discusses the efficiency gains which news broadcasters are seeking to make using AI, including experimenting with AI-generated news readers. Miro Ambra is the chief technology officer of the Slovakian-based system integrator and software developer, Traco Systems. Traco have developed AI tools that integrate with Avid MediaCentral | Cloud UX. Miro says this heralds a new era in journalism, with AI assisting reporters and helping them verify sources. He says they have also begun preliminary work to create an AI-generated presenter for one customer, looking at options for reading short bulletins overnight.  Our Guest This Episode Miro Ambra Miro Ambra is the chief technology officer (CTO) at Traco Systems a.s., a position he has held since 2017. He began his journey with Traco Systems in 1998 as a technical engineer and quickly advanced to project manager. Under his leadership, Traco Systems has successfully executed numerous significant projects.   Miro played a key role in Traco Systems' expansion into the Czech market, overseeing projects for major broadcasters such as Prima CNN News, Česká televize, Nova TV (CME group), and Barrandov TV. He has been instrumental in building strong partnerships with industry leaders like Avid Technology, Vizrt, Telestream, and Ikegami.    As CTO, Miro has driven the company's research and development efforts leading to the creation of innovative solutions under the TracoApps brand. These include applications for Avid MediaCentral | Cloud UX such as Traco GFX, Traco MediaDistributor, and the Octopus plugin, as well as the AI-driven Traco AI platform.    More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid’s Role in News in India – Discover how Avid’s solutions are powering newsrooms across India. Avid at IBC 2024 – Get all the updates from the show floor from Amsterdam about what is new for Avid. Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S5E02: AI and Archives – the Human Touch The role of the archivist may be changing with the advent of AI-enabled services to enrich metadata, but there must be human oversight to ensure the accuracy of data. That’s the view of leading library and media management expert, Kathey Battrick. In the episode, she also outlines the importance of identifying use cases where AI-enhanced metadata can help users find what they need, and her desire for more work to be done in the field of large language models (LLMs) to support the Arabic language. Our Guest This Episode Kathey Battrick Kathey Battrick joined Asharq News in 2019 as a senior manager in the library and media management department. She is responsible for setting up and leading the media library at Asharq, overseeing the management, cataloguing, AI indexing, and preservation of the organization's valuable production assets and archive.   She has a wealth of experience in media and archive management and previously worked as the director of operations for ITN Source, the archive and clips sales arm of ITN News in London, where she led projects such as the digitization of ITN's archive and managed the archive operations team.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid Guidelines on Responsible AI – Avid CTO Kevin Riley sets out the company’s approach to AI Avid White Paper on Responsible AI for Creative Professionals – How can AI be applied to assist creative teams? Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S5E01: Avid at IBC 2024 Preview The IBC Trade Show in Amsterdam is a showcase for the latest innovation in the media world, and this year, Avid will be at the forefront once more with new advances in AI, news workflows, remote video collaboration, video and audio interop, and much more. In this episode of the Making the Media Podcast, we get a sneak preview of some of the latest developments which Avid will be demonstrating at the booth and reflect on some of the key customer workflow challenges which these solutions address. Our Guests This Episode Matt Feury Matt is the senior director of market solutions in charge of Media Composer and video post-production. Derk Hagedorn Derk is the director of market solutions for audio, looking after all of our audio solutions. Daliah Naor Daliah is the director of market solutions at Avid, looking after newsroom and video servers. Ray Thompson Ray is the senior director of alliances and partnerships, working with our wide range of partners in the industry. Danny Hollingsworth  Danny Hollingsworth is business development manager for cloud and SaaS. Luke Strent  Luke Strent is the lead product owner for Avid NEXIS shared storage.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid Ada Solutions – Discover what AI solutions Avid is offering today Avid White Paper on Responsible AI for Creative Professionals – How can AI be applied to assist creative teams? Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S4E12: The European Exchange The majority of European broadcasters want to be “fast followers” when it comes to the adoption of AI technologies in their workflows, but few want to be on the “bleeding edge.” That’s one of the conclusions of a recent European media summit, which brought together major broadcasters and industry vendors, and is the subject of the latest Making the Media podcast. Our Guest This Episode Rowan de Pomerai Rowan de Pomerai is the chief executive officer of the DPP. He brings a highly rounded understanding of the media and technology industries, with experience working in broadcast, production, streaming, and software companies .He joined the DPP in 2018, spending a number of years as the CTO. In 2024 he became CEO, leading the DPP team to deliver against its strategy to be the leading media association, delivering more value to more members around the world. Rowan also leads many of the DPP's outputs, from authoring insight reports to programming and hosting major events.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid at NAB 2024 – Check out the Avid website for the latest updates on what was shown at NAB24 DPP Insights – Download the DPP Report European Broadcasters Summit – Read the blog Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S4E11: The Innovation Advantage Innovation in the media business is key, but only where it makes business sense and can drive tangible benefits. That’s the advice from the head of innovation of one of the UK’s largest media systems integrators. In the new episode of the Making the Media Podcast, Chris Bailey, head of innovation at Jigsaw24 Media, tells host Craig Wilson of the importance of staying grounded around new technologies, such as AI, avoiding so-called “hype cycles.” Our Guest This Episode Chris Bailey Chris Bailey is the head of innovation at Jigsaw24 Media, the UK's leading media solutions provider. Chris has spent 24 years in the post-production industry, starting as a runner at root6 and working his way through the engineering ranks, providing technical support for editorial, storage, and media management systems. Chris was head of support at root6 for nearly five years, managing the delivery of support for multi-vendor solutions across the post-production and broadcast sectors. In 2017, Jigsaw24 acquired root6 and Chris moved into pre-sales, where he led the team over the next four years as they designed cutting-edge on-prem and cloud-based solutions for future-focused workflows and deployments. With one eye always on emerging technology, Chris then began his current role as head of innovation, where he focuses on developing customers’ future technology roadmaps as well as assessing and aligning Jigsaw24 Media’s current and future solutions portfolio.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out: Avid @ NAB 2024 – Check out the Avid website for the latest updates on what was shown at NAB Jigsaw24 Media–Find out more about the services which Jigsaw24 Media offer. Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

The NAB Trade Show in Las Vegas is a showcase for the latest innovation in the media world, and this year Avid will be at the forefront once more with new advances in AI, news workflows, video and audio interop, immersive mixing and more. In this episode of the Making the Media Podcast, we get a sneak preview of some of the latest developments which Avid will be demonstrating on the booth and reflect on some of the key customer workflow challenges which these solutions address. Our Guests This Episode Daliah Naor Daliah is the Director of Market Solutions at Avid looking after newsroom and video servers. Matt Feury Matt is the Senior Director of Market Solutions in charge of Media Composer and video post production Derk Hagedorn Derk is the Product Marketing Director for audio, looking after all of our audio solutions Ray Thompson Ray is the Senior Director of Alliances and Partnerships, working with our wide range of partners in the industry.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out Avid at NAB 2024 – Check out the Avid website for the latest updates on our plans for NAB Ingest and Playout White Paper – Where is the industry headed in the transition to IP for ingest and playout and what are the challenges involved? Download the White paper. Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S4E09: Change Is Constant The one constant in the media business is change, and the approach to change within an organization needs to be systematic, rather than reactive. In this episode of the Making the Media Podcast, Dina Nimer, head of media operations for Al Arabiya, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, outlines her approach to working with teams across the editorial and technical parts of the organization. She discusses the use of AI in the media, championing women, and the challenges of working effectively with multiple sites of operations. Our Guest This Episode Dina Nimer Dina is head of media operations for Al Arabiya TV network, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Since graduating in computer science and mass communication broadcasting, she has worked in various roles at the network since 2005, starting as a researcher then going on to report and produce on key stories in the region. Following her time on the editorial side, she completed her engineering path MBA which paved the way for her to move into the new roles related to media management and project management before moving into the organization’s international operations and then into her current role working with cross functional teams on media workflows, projects, trainings, and with international suppliers and commercial contracts.   More Resources For more on this topic, check out: Avid, AI, and the EBU – A senior leader from Avid outlines the approach to AI and ongoing developments to the European Broadcasting Union’s Production Technology Summit Frame the Future: The Customer at the Forefront – Discover more about the Avid Community Association and how to get involved MediaCentral Top Tips Video Series – Check out these short videos on how to get the best out of Avid MediaCentral Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid. Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S4E08: Distinctly Different A leading news producer has said that the news industry will need to deliver distinctive, original coverage tailored to the needs of their audiences if they are to combat the potential threat from AI-powered online disinformation. In this episode of the Making the Media Podcast, Duncan Hooper, who has worked across the media business and is currently head of content for CGTN Europe, highlights his fears, but also outlines strategies for how this could be combatted and where opportunities for growth exist in the news market. Our Guest This Episode Duncan Hooper Duncan Hooper has worked on a newswire, magazine, newspapers, digital media platform, and at three television channels. His work has been focused on organizing the production, distribution, and monetization of content across digital platforms. In 2019, he helped launch CGTN's European operations in London and now leads television and digital output as head of content, overseeing social, messaging, audio, website, and linear broadcast.  More Resources For more on this topic, check out Ros Atkins – Let Me Explain – The BBC presenter outlines strategies to deliver clear and concise information AI – Threat or Opportunity? – A leading academic assesses the use of AI within the news business MediaCentral Top Tips Video Series – Check out these short videos on how to get the best out of Avid MediaCentral Contact Us Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: makingthemedia@avid.com or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid Credits Host: Craig Wilson Producer: Matt Diggs Social: Wim Van den Broeck Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin