Making the Media

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

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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: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid

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S4E07: Predictive Text

2024 will be the year that broadcasters focus on driving greater revenues from their audiences on all platforms and seek to deliver more efficient workflows throughout their organization.

That is the view of Rob Ambrose, co-founder of one of the leading industry analysts, Caretta Research, and detailed in the first episode of the Making the Media Podcast of the new year.

This episode looks back on the major developments and trends of 2023 and assesses what are going to be the key developments in 2024 across the media landscape, including in general production and news.

Our Guest This Episode

Rob Ambrose

Rob is a consultant, industry analyst, writer, and technologist advising international broadcast and media companies, technology vendors, and industry associations.

In his consulting work, Rob has advised dozens of technology vendors and media/telco companies on go-to-market strategy, account planning, addressable markets, buyer cohorts, product and competitor information, as well as producing reports and advising investors. 

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How Real is the Move to the Cloud? – Avid’s VP of strategy, development, and alliances, Craig Dwyer, answers the big questions.

What’s New in Avid | Stream IO – Get the latest updates on Avid’s innovative ingest and playout software solution.

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

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S4E06: Navigating the Media Maze

Leading media technologist, Roberto Raponi, discusses the challenges with cloud developments, the move to more software-based applications, and artificial intelligence are posing to the industry.

An industry veteran from the Italian Public Broadcaster, RAI, he says that this is an exciting time for the industry, with a rapid pace of developments, but it is also impacting the skills required among the technical teams to address the challenges. Cloud workflows are a case in point, highlighting the need for highly-skilled local teams to support new workflow opportunities.

Our Guest This Episode

Roberto Raponi

Roberto is a broadcast industry veteran and workflow specialist. Working within RAI CTO-Technology department, he advises their news and production areas on digital workflow, training, and project implementation.

He oversees and provides technical support for suppliers and technology partners on RAI-Technology major projects. He is also responsible for assessing new trends and tools within the broadcast industry, gathering and analyzing product solutions, and delivering proofs of concept within RAI and using them to identify new workflows.

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Create, Collaborate, and Deliver with AI and Avid MediaCentral – watch the virtual event to get the latest news of Avid and AI

AI – The Human in The Loop - Discover the view of the BBC’s Laure Ellis in this podcast episode on AI

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

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S4E05: Community Service

New approaches to journalism are required to engage with audiences, restore trust, and connect with communities turned off by the traditional news agenda.

In this episode, we explore the view of a US-based journalist and academic who is the co-author of a report calling for the establishment of more community-centered journalism as a way of turning the tide against news avoidance.

Damian Radcliffe was one of the authors of the report, “Redefining

Our Guest This Episode

Damian

Journalist, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon with over 25 years of experience in the media industry, Damian has worked in editorial, strategic, research, policy, and teaching roles in the USA, Middle East, and UK.

His work focuses on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, and the evolution—and practice—of journalism. 

As an analyst, researcher, and trainer, he has worked with a wide range of additional industry and academic organizations including the BBC World Service, Facebook, FIPP, INMA, Thomson Reuters Foundation, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), and the United Nations. He has been quoted on issues relating to digital media and journalism by major outlets such as AFP, BBC

As a freelance journalist, his work has also been published by leading publications and trade outlets such as the BBC, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), Harvard’s Nieman Lab, HuffPost, PBS MediaShift, Poynter, TheMediaBriefing, and ZDNet. 

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A Manifesto for Community-Centred Journalism  – Read the paper

MediaCentral virtual event  – Watch the webinar to find out more about news collaboration

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

S4E04: Challenging the Norm

Overcoming challenges which many companies in the Western world would not even contemplate has been a hallmark of the Rudaw Media Network in Kurdistan. But now, twelve years after launch, they are continuing to expand.

In this episode of the Making the Media Podcast, Hejar Berenji, the CTO of the Rudaw Media Network, which is based in Irbil in Iraq, has spoken of how they stayed on air in the face of power cuts, the fight against ISIS, recruiting and training staff to deliver high-quality news, and remaining fiercely independent.

Our Guest This Episode

Hejar Berenji

Chief Technical Officer at Rudaw Media Network,

With over eleven years of experience, Hejar excels in managing technical departments, specializing in broadcast technology, project management, and business development. He is dedicated to enhancing news and media production and delivery while ensuring network security and reliability. Hejar fosters a creative work environment, empowers his team, and forges strategic partnerships with other media outlets and stakeholders. 

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Avid MediaCentral and AI webinar – Watch a demonstration of Avid Ada AI tech previews 

Fosterning Creativity through the use of AI – Read about AI innovations

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

Credits

Host: Craig Wilson

Producer: Matt Diggs

Social: Wim Van den Broeck

Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S4E03: The State of Media Tech

Media technology companies are increasingly looking beyond their traditional markets for new revenue streams, and the use

In the new episode of the Making the Media Podcast, the IABM’s head of knowledge, Lorenzo Zanni, discusses the findings of their recently released report, The State of Media Tech, published at the IBC Trade Show.

Our Guest This Episode

Lorenzo Zanni 

IABM

A graduate of Pisa, Durham, Swansea, and Glasgow Universities, Lorenzo Zanni holds a BSc in economics and management, an MSc in business economics, and an MSc in data analytics. Lorenzo is the head of knowledge at IABM, and he has been responsible for growing IABM’s Business Intelligence portfolio into the authoritative resource it is today. Lorenzo’s research is widely quoted in international industry publications, and he has presented at shows around the world, including IBC and NAB Show. 

More Resources

For more on this topic, check out

Avid MediaCentral and AI Virtual Event – Watch a demonstration and discussion of Avid Ada AI tech previews

Fosterning Creativity Through the Use of AI – Read about AI innovations

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

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S4E01: AI: The Human in the Loop

Decisions being made today about the use of artificial intelligence in journalism may have enormous consequences for future generations, according to the head of technology forecasting at the UK broadcaster, BBC.

In the first episode of season four of the Making the Media Podcast, host Craig Wilson talks with Laura Ellis about her role within the organization and how they are assessing the impact of AI and machine learning on a whole raft of content creation areas.

Our Guest This Episode

Laura Ellis

Head of Technology Forecasting

BBC R&D

Laura Ellis is a technologist and journalist with a focus on emerging technology, machine learning, disinformation, and data. She has worked on news teams in radio, TV, and online, and led two regional news and current affairs teams through significant technology change, establishing the BBC’s first end-to-end digital newsroom. In her current role she focuses on ensuring the BBC is best placed to take advantage of emerging technology and takes a particular interest in ethics, personalized and automated journalism, machine learning, generative AI, AI in content production, and analysis. 

More Resources

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AI – Threat or Opportunity? – The head of a major research body into the use of AI in journalism shares their views

Avid and AI. Past, Present and Future - Find out the work which Avid is doing to assist the creative community with the responsible implementation of AI.

MediaCentral – Fostering Creativity through AI – Get the latest technology previews which Avid showcased at the IBC show in Amsterdam

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

Credits

Host: Craig Wilson

Producer: Matt Diggs

Social: Wim Van den Broeck

Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin

S3E20:

The value of mentoring and encouraging staff to continually learn and develop their skills cannot be underestimated, particularly with the advent of remote working in the post-production industry.

In the final episode of season three of the podcast, host Craig Wilson talks with Ed Bengoa, director of post production at ITN in the UK, about the challenges and benefits posed by the advent of remote working procedures.

Our Guest This Episode

Ed Bengoa

Director of Post Production

ITN

Ed is currently the Director of Post Production at the UK-based news and content producer ITN, where she has worked since 2021.

Prior to this Ed was the Head of Post Production at MSV Post, part of the Tinopolis group of companies and also has experience working as the Facilities Manager with Directors Cut Films.

Audio was her first love, and she spent nine years working with BBC Studioworks in a variety of audio-related roles. Prior to this, she worked as a dubbing editor at the leading post-production house, Molinare.

More Resources

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Avid | Edit On Demand – Discover the benefits of a fully cloud-deployed

Avid NEXIS | EDGE – Open up new possibilities for remote post-production working, connecting to your on premises Avid NEXIS storage

Making the Media Season Three – Catch up on all 20 episodes of Season Three

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

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S3E19: 

Post production, like many industries, is facing recruitment challenges, and not just at entry levels. There is a recognition that hiring and retaining staff is now tougher than ever post-pandemic, and that greater competition from other content creators is posing challenges to the sector.

In the latest episode, host Craig Wilson speaks to Jai Cave, technical operations director at the UK-based post house ENVY and Caroline Orme, associate professor at Ravensbourne University in England about the current situation and the work they are doing to address the challenge.

Our Guests This Episode

Jai Cave

ENVY Post Production

Technical Operations Director

Jai has over 17 years of experience in the broadcast industry and holds the position of technical operations director at ENVY.

He is involved in all aspects of the business, from client liaison and business development, through to workflow design and project management. He designs and manages operational change throughout the company and researches and implements new technology, from system design through to the implementation of new services. 

His previously held roles include head of operations, where he managed a multi-level team of 70 through the move to fully file-based acquisition and delivery. More recently he has designed and delivered the company’s new ENVY Remote platform, a full suite of remote editing and collaboration tools available across web and mobile apps.

Caroline Orme

Associate Professor

Ravensbourne University

Caroline is an interdisciplinary artist, international director, editor, and post-production expert, specializing in 3D stereoscopic and color grading. Caroline’s work has featured in 30 film festivals throughout the UK, Europe, and internationally. 

Following an MSc in 3D stereoscopic media, her research has been presented at conferences, and her paper, titled Do 3Ds and VR Share the Same Visual Grammar? was presented at the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) in Amsterdam.

She also has experience in broadcasting and worked as an audio commentary systems operator at the London Olympics in 2012. She has done live projects at Ravensbourne with the Museum of London, The Queens House, The Science Museum, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sharpshooters, Tag Rugby Trust, and UNESCO, that led to exhibitions and screenings at the Science Museum, Imperial War Museum, BBC Rugby Union Online, and Sky. 

Caroline specializes in teaching asset management (Avid NEXIS), the art of editing, Avid (as an Avid-certified trainer), online (working to a digital production partnership high-definition specification) and color grading (Nucoda). 

More Resources

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Media Composer for Students  – Discover Avid’s new program giving students free access to the industry-leading editing software

The Skills Crisis – Listen to this podcast to discover how one high school is innovating to help students, and the importance of diversifying the workforce in post production.

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Cool ideas? Get in touch: [email protected] or @craigaw1969. Follow Avid at @avid.

Credits

Host: Craig Wilson

Producer: Matt Diggs

Social: Wim Van den Broeck

Theme Music: Greg “Stryke” Chin