Speakers
Glenn Adamo, Ivanhoe Media & Entertainment, President
With over thirty-seven years of experience in new media, technology, broadcasting and entertainment, Glenn Adamo, former VP of Media Operations, NFL Films & Broadcasting, is now president of Ivanhoe Media & Entertainment, an independent consulting business focused on all aspects of media creation, production and delivery. Adamo has been in the industry for more than 35 years and was at the NFL since 2003, where he played an integral role in the network’s launch of its production in Culver City, CA, and left his imprint on the creation of developing its Thursday Night Football package. He helped shepherd the network from a fledgling football channel to its current state as a cable sports powerhouse available in nearly 70+ million U.S. homes.
Adamo also spearheaded development of the league’s flexible scheduling system, which was implemented in 2006 and allows the league to move marquee matchups to NBC’s Sunday Night Football without damaging the Sunday-afternoon offerings on CBS and Fox. Until recently, he oversaw day-to- day operations for the league’s vast media portfolio, including NFL Films, NFL Network, and DIRECTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket and remote operations. Adamo began his career with NBC Sports, where he was hired as a news receptionist and production assistant in 1978. In 1982, Adamo was elevated to associate producer, and, in 1984, received his first producer contract. In 1988, Adamo was promoted to coordinating producer on a variety of shows, including SportsWorld, Wimbledon, French Open tennis, Olympics and anthology programming.
Adamo left NBC Sports in 1993, taking on the role of Group Vice President, Broadcasting for the NHL. After holding this position from 1978 to 1993, Adamo then moved on to become Group VP of Broadcasting and Scheduling and founder of NHL Productions, NHL Video and NHL Radio. He was SVP of Axient Communications, a content distribution network, where he was responsible for the production and streaming of the Sydney Olympics to both Quokka and NBCOlympics.com. He worked as VP, Broadcasting and Community Development for the Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils from 2000 through 2003. Adamo was Coordinating Producer for the Emmy Award winning production of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City for NBC Sports where he was responsible for staffing, production, and creative execution of more than 140 hours of Olympic hockey coverage on CNBC, MSNBC and NBC networks. A winner of six Sports Emmys, Adamo splits his time between Manalapan, NJ and Naples, FL with his wife, Valerie. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Adamo completed his education with majors in sports physiology and physical education.
Michael Bergeron, Panasonic Broadcast, Cinema and Professional Video Systems, Business Development Manager – Systems & Networking
Michael Bergeron is currently Panasonic’s Senior Business Development Manager for Systems & Networking, having served many roles at Panasonic including four years as camera product engineer and four years as Chief Technologist for Pro Video. He manages co-development projects with other US based technology companies and is currently focused on leveraging IP and streaming media technologies. Bergeron has been involved with the production equipment business since joining Abel Cine in 1991, progressing from camera technician, to director of engineering. He has been developing and supporting production gear from 16mm film to the Panasonic VariCam. He has also authored white papers and many technical presentations including co-authoring the camera chapter for the NAB engineering manual. Bergeron holds a BS in Physics, an MS in EE and is a member of the ATSC, HPA and SMPTE.
Thom Calabro, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division, Director of Marketing and Product Development
Thom Calabro holds the Director Marketing & Product Development title at Fujifilm’s Optical Devices Division, makers of Fujinon lens products. Calabro formerly was National Sales Manager overseeing sales operations in North, Central, and South America. He is based at company headquarters in Valhalla, NY.
Prior to his position at Fujifilm, Thom was Marketing Manager of Acquisition Products for Philips Digital Video Systems. Previously he was Executive Vice President and Director of Engineering at Ikegami Electronics USA, Inc. He held various other positions at Ikegami, including Vice President of Professional Products and HDTV Engineering, Director of Engineering, and Manager of Field Sales Engineering & Professional Products.
Dale Canino, Mobile TV Group, Director of Systems Technology
Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, Director, Technical Operations
Brad Cheney is the Director of Engineering & Technical Operations for FOX Sports Media Group managing their Golf, Baseball and Advanced Technology Projects. He is a leader in new technology approaches including highly reliable and resilient long haul fiber optic live and post production centers, advanced networking workflows in 10/40 Gigabit, and UAS systems.
As a part of FSMG, Cheney manages the technical and operational planning for all of their golf events including the 2016 US Open at Oakmont which was one of the largest and most technologically advanced productions to date. The 2015 US Open also debuted the first live legal drone use for broadcast which was preceded by the first airing of legal recorded drone footage just after the FAA’s COA 333 exemptions were enacted in 2014.
He’s a six-time Emmy winner and previously worked for MLB Network, Late Show with David Letterman, Game Creek Video and COX Sports. Brad lives in New Jersey with his wife and two boys.
Brandon Costa, SVG, Senior Editor
Brandon Costa is senior editor for the Sports Video Group, where he covers the college sports broadcasting and technology. He also writes on various sports production topics ranging from mobile live production trends to future technologies, including 4K. As program director of the SVG College Sports Summit, Costa assists in the design and execution of the summit’s itinerary.
Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years hosting programs, producing voiceovers, and writing editorial content for MLB Advanced Media in New York City. He has also served as Community Sports Editor at the Asbury Park Press in Neptune, New Jersey. He began his career at WRHU Radio in Hempstead, NY as a sportscaster. A native of Hazlet, NJ, Costa is a graduate of Hofstra University. He currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.
Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor
As Chief Editor, Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as Program Director for SVG’s Sports Asset Management & Storage (SAMS) Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and spent two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a BA in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Jason currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Hugo Gaggioni, Sony Electronics, CTO, Broadcast and Production Systems Division
Hugo Gaggioni, who joined Sony in 1988, holds six patents and has authored 32 technical publications in the areas of video compression, digital filter banks, and HDTV devices and systems.
With research interests ranging from digital video, image processing, and information theory to video/audio compression and multidimensional signal processing, Gaggioni has served as session-chairman of thirteen international conferences in the areas of HDTV and bandwidth compression systems. He has also given numerous presentations and tutorial courses on signal processing and advanced video technologies at international events sponsored by SMPTE, IEEE, and Eurasip organizations.
Gaggioni was a member of the Advanced Television Advisory group to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from 1987 to 1994. He is a Fellow of SMPTE and the recipient of the 2004 Leitch Gold Medal award for technology leadership. Gaggioni was chairman of the SMPTE technical groups on digital representation of the 1125/60 high definition TV standard (SMPTE 260M, 88-92) and digital HDTV serial interfaces (SMPTE 292M, 93-96). He was also chairman for a SMPTE group on editing of MPEG bit-streams for TV studio usage.
Gaggioni represented Sony Corporation of America to the ANSI X3-L3 committee and the ISO/IEC MPEG coding group from 1988 to 1996.
He holds degrees in telecommunications, systems engineering, and electronic engineering from the University of Essex in Colchester, England, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University, respectively.
Patrick Griffis, Dolby Laboratories, Technology Vice President, Office of the CTO
As Technology Vice President in the CTO Office at Dolby Laboratories, Patrick Griffis is charged with helping define future technology strategy for the company which includes identifying and tracking key technical trends, performing technical due diligence, and supporting advanced technology initiatives for the company. He has been an active company spokesperson on the topic of next generation imaging and in particular, “better pixels” – a term he coined for High Dynamic Range plus Wide Color Gamut.
Before joining Dolby, Griffis spent 10 years at Microsoft leading global digital media standards strategy, including adoption of the Digital Living Network Alliance as a baseline media sharing standard in Windows 7 and standardization of Windows Media Video technology as an international SMPTE standard.
Prior to Microsoft, Griffis spent 15 years at Panasonic in senior management positions, including Vice President of Strategic Product Development at Panasonic Broadcast.
Griffis started his career at RCA, earning eight patents in TV product design.
He has served two terms as President of the IEEE Consumer Electronics Society. A SMPTE Fellow, Griffis serves on the SMPTE Executive Committee as Vice President, Education. He serves on the Board of the Ultra-HD Forum and is Dolby’s Board alternate in the UHD Alliance as well as Chair of the Compliance and Certification Working Group. Griffis is also a member of the IBC Council, an industry executive advisory group, and the Academy of Digital TV Pioneers. He holds a BSEE degree from Tufts University and an MSEE from Purdue University.
Karen Hogan, SVG, Senior Editor
Joining the SVG team in 2011, Karen Hogan focuses on the venue industry while also reporting on a variety of sports-production and -technology topics as senior editor. She oversees SVG’s print publications and drives the company’s Venue Initiative, coordinating the program for the Sports Venue Production Summit and Venue Production Seminars and serving as editor for SVG’s annual Venue Production Journal. In addition, Hogan is the director of the Women’s Sports Media Initiative.
Hogan began her career in sports at Fordham University with WFUV Sports, serving as Supervising Producer of “One on One,” WFUV Sports’ weekly call-in show. After graduating in 2009, Hogan spent the 2009-10 season in the public relations department of the Trenton Devils (ECHL) before taking on a freelance copy editor assignment with Professional Sports Publications. A New Jersey native, she currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
George Hoover, NEP Group, CTO
As NEP’s Chief Technology Officer, George Hoover provides both NEP and its clients with long-term strategic technology planning and guidance. Over the past twenty plus years, George has led the modernization and diversification of NEP’s fleet and studios from SD to HD to 4K and has made sure that, as NEP’s involvement in sports and entertainment events across the United States and around the world grows, so does its reputation for excellence.
Hoover has been with NEP since 1993, and has risen through the ranks from Director of Engineering to SVP of Engineering, assuming his current senior leadership role in 2007. Immediately prior to joining NEP, Hoover was General Manager of the Public Broadcasting Authority of the State of New Jersey for twelve years.
Hoover’s extensive experience, exacting standards, and unparalleled technical engineering and design expertise have influenced virtually all areas of sports and entertainments broadcasting. Hoover earned two Sports Emmys as Technical Supervisor for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, one as a Technical Supervisor for ESPN NASCAR and a third as Producer of Phillip Morris Super Bands for PBS. In recognition of his achievements and contributions, Broadcasting & Cable recognized him as a visionary at their 2009 Technology Leadership Awards, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In 2013 Hoover was elected a Fellow in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Hoover, along with Jim Boston, is the co-author of TV on Wheels, the Story of Remote Television.
Hoover is the founding Chairman of the SMPTE Pittsburgh section, Chairman of the NAB Exhibitors Council and member of the board of Steeltown Entertainment.
Alan Keil, Ikegami, VP and Director of Engineering
Alan Keil first embarked on a career in broadcast with Philips, specializing in television cameras after he graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University. His first project was working on design of the triax system for the Norelco PC-100, followed by field engineering for early triax cameras. He was subsequently promoted to product management at Philips, providing demo support and liaison between US customers and design department on camera technologies including SMD based portable, computer setup studio, and first generation CCD.
Keil joined Ikegami in 1990 as Product Engineering Manager, and was subsequently promoted to Director of Engineering, supporting emerging camera technologies which include full digital processing, digital HD, CMOS imaging, and most recently 4K and 8K resolution.
Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services
Marcel Koutstaal, Grass Valley, Vice President and General Manager
Marcel Koutstaal is the Vice President and General Manager for the Grass Valley Camera Systems business division, which provides leading camera products and solutions to the broadcasters, content creators, and those in the professional video markets. Koustaal is responsible for the entire camera product line including the Telecast fiber transmission division, at Grass Valley. He is based in Breda, the Netherlands which is the primary location for the development and manufacturing of Grass Valley cameras. Koustaal is member of the Grass Valley Strategic Marketing Team.
Koustaal has a strong passion for the broadcast industry and especially for live content. As teenager active in Live Broadcast Radio, he added pictures when he started in the 90’s for the camera division of Philips Broadcast. Koustaal’s mission became to provide the broadcast industry the right imaging tools to show the beauty of the action. In his current role Koustaal values highly the business ethics and became a trusted advisor in the industry.
Koustaal contributed on many multi-award winning product initiatives. These include products from the LDK 100 series and the LDK 23HS mkII (which became the de facto standard for Super Slow Motion that time), up to the recent LDX series, including the LDX 86 Series. Recognition by the industry has been presented by multiple industry awards like the LDK 8300 HD Multi format Super Slow Motion camera which was honored in 2010 with a Technical Emmy Award. In the beginning of 2015, Koustaal accepted the Technical Emmy Award for the LDK 6000HD camera, which was the essential live broadcast camera in the HDTV transition.
Prior to his current role as VP/GM, Koustaal was leading the Product Management team of the Camera Product Group. In that role he has been responsible for many multi-award winning product initiatives.
Prior to joining the camera division of Grass Valley (Philips in that time) in 1998, Koustaal worked for Tulip Computers International for ten years in various positions. He started his career in 1988 in the service division. The last five years at Tulip, Koustaal worked as a Product Manager.
Koustaal has a Technical and Marketing educational background and holds a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Advanced Technology in Eindhoven, with a specialty in Radio and Television Technology. he graduated from Regional Brabant Broadcast Corporation (SROB) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in the area of automated audio measurements.
Peter Larsson, BSI, General Manager
Peter Larsson co-founded Broadcast Sports International in 1983, which designs, constructs, and operates the in car camera systems for NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Trucks, IRL, NHRA and GRC. The company also supplies RF and communication systems for CBS and The Golf Channel for their coverage of professional golf tournaments.
BSI has provided cameras for six Americas Cup regattas; Olympic sailing competition in 1996, 2000, and 2012; Summer and Winter X Games; political conventions; and presidential inaugurations. The company also built the Pylon Cams currently being used to coverMonday Night Football.
Prior to founding BSI, Larsson worked as a special projects engineer for ATN7 in Sydney, Australia, where his responsibilities included development of the first on-board camera systems for racing cars, camera systems for deployment on ocean racing yachts, and ENG microwave systems.
He graduated from the University of New South Wales (Australia) with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1979.
Josh Limor, Technicolor, Vice President, Technology and Ecosystem Development
Based in Los Angeles, Josh Limor is in charge of developing the portfolio of next-generation immersive video solutions for Technicolor’s Technology Licensing Group. Limor has spent over a decade in business and product development for the video industry. He possesses a deep understanding of technology and has a track record for defining market opportunities and creating successful product portfolios. Limor played a key role in Technicolor’s participation as a founding member of the UHD Alliance. As the organization evolved, he facilitated important cooperation to develop specifications for higher dynamic range and wider color gamut that the UHD Alliance would eventually define and publish for home delivery. One of his initiatives recently received the Lumière Award from the Advanced Imaging Society for technology that drives the industry forward. Prior to Technicolor, Limor worked at Panavision, where he designed, developed and implemented a successful range of digital workflow solutions that helped to transition the market from film, to digital, to higher dynamic range.
Stan Moote, IABM, CTO
Jonathan Rupprecht, Esq., Society of Aerial Cinematography, East Coast Representative and Flight Instructor
Drone Analyst, Newsweek, Politico, NPR, Marketwatch, The Independent, Motherboard, and many other sources have cited or quoted Jonathan B. Rupprecht, who is a drone lawyer and a commercial pilot with single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. He is also an airplane flight instructor and instrument flight instructor. Rupprecht obtained a B.S. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Magna Cum Laude, and a J.D. from Florida International University School of Law. He authored a drone textbook being used at multiple universities around the U.S. In addition, Rupprecht co-authored a legal treatise on unmanned aircraft that is being published by the American Bar Association and co-authored another book on drone flight instruction that will be published by the highly respected aviation publisher, ASA. He is now currently working on the three Taylor v. FAA cases in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the FAA’s drone registration regulations. Rupprecht is currently practicing drone law in South Florida at his firm Rupprecht Law, P.A. (www.jrupprechtlaw.com).
Tarif Sayed, Nokia Technologies, Director of VR Delivery and Playback
Tarif Sayed is Director of Delivery and playback at Nokia Technologies and is responsible for the market development of Nokia’s VR Live VR content creation and playback product, as well as the solutions deployment strategy. Prior to joining Nokia, Sayed was at Dolby leading the next generation live audio experiences market roll-out. Earlier, Sayed spent more than 15 years in the TV content creation industry, where he established a reputable name as executive producer-director particularly in documentary films and live events. He held the position of Managing Director of The Frame, a TV and film production house based in Dubai.
Mark Schubin, SchubinCafe.com, Chief Information Server
Multiple-Emmy-award-winning SMPTE Life Fellow, Mark Schubin, has been working professionally in television since 1967 and writing about its technology since 1972. He panned his first HDTV camera in 1973 and began working on HDR-to-SDR conversion in 1975. Schubin’s blog at SchubinCafe.com is archived by the Library of Congress.
Jeff Silverman, Inertia Unlimited, President
Jeff Silverman has lent his innovative and creative ideas to the sports broadcast world for more than 25 years. He is the brains behind many specialty POV cameras, including the Poker Hole-Card Cam, the NASCAR Gopher Cam, the Ref Cam, and the MLB Dirtcam. Silverman and his team developed the X-Mo High Speed Camera System, which has been the leading high-speed camera system in sports broadcast since 2003. He has worked on nearly every major sporting event in the world, including the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the Open Championship, the Daytona 500, the World Series, and the USGA U.S. Open, and many others.
Michel Suissa, The Studio-B&H, Manager, Professional Solutions
For over his 25 year career, Michel Suissa has been recognized for his creative vision and innovative approach. An early adopter of emerging technologies, Suissa pioneered visual style and image treatment techniques that have been widely adopted as industry standards. He has forged very strong relationships with technology manufacturers and still acts as an R&D consultant for a number of leading companies. Suissa’s creative and technical excellence has matched him with top talent across the industry. His work has been internationally acclaimed and he is the recipient of multiple BDA/PROMAX, MTV, ITS and CLIO awards and other prestigious industry awards.
As the head of The Studio division of B&H for the past six years, Suissa has spearheaded the development of high-end solutions for professional media markets through his extensive experience in merging the worlds of production and post. He has expanded the nature of services offered to the professional communities and in the process, forged long term alliances with the most influential media organizations in the diverse landscape of content creation.
Under his management, The Studio-B&H has steadily grown as a valuable and trusted resource for the sports broadcasting community, forging special relationships with HBO Sports, ESPN, ABC, NBC, and The NFL amongst others. Suissa also continues his career as a DGA director and is a SMPTE member since 2008.
Jason Taubman, Game Creek Video, Vice President of Design and New Technology
Jason Taubman spearheads Game Creek Video’s innovative efforts in truck design and helps service the company’s vast profile of high-profile sports clients, including ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX, HBO, NBC, MLB, NBA, YES Network, the USA Network, NFL Network, and Winnercomm. Prior to joining Game Creek in 1999, Taubman was an engineer-in-charge for National Mobile Television and VTE Mobile Television Productions.
Larry Thorpe, Canon U.S.A., Senior Fellow, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Professional Engineering & Solutions Division
Larry Thorpe joined Canon U.S.A. in Feb 2004. In January 2015, he was awarded the 2014 Engineering Emmy Charles F. Jenkins Award for lifetime achievement by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In October 2015, Thorpe was a recipient of Honorary Membership in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
Prior to joining 2004, Thorpe worked for Sony Broadcast Company. From 1984 to 2003, he was responsible for HDTV market development. From 2001 to 2004, he was senior vice president of content creation systems. He received the NAB 2000 Television Engineering Achievement Award and the Montreux 2000 Gold Medal Award for Digital Cinematography.
Thorpe also worked for RCA’s Broadcast Division from 1966 to 1982, where he developed a range of color television cameras and telecine products. In 1981, he won the David Sarnoff Award for his innovations in automatic studio color cameras. He holds ten patents based upon his work at RCA. From 1961 to 1966, Thorpe worked in the Designs Department of the BBC in London, England.
Thorpe is an IEE Graduate (1961) of the College of Technology in Dublin, Ireland and received his Chartered Engineer (C. Eng.) and MIEE distinction in 1965.
Rob Willox, Sony Electronics, Marketing Manager for Content Creation
In his current role as marketing manager of the Media Solutions business, Rob Willox is responsible for marketing and development of Broadcast, Sports and Production systems and solutions. Willox has been deeply involved in Sony’s studio and ENG efforts for over 20 years, working closely with customers and industry partners to advance imaging technologies.
Craig Yanagi, JVC Kenwood USA Corporation, Product Marketing Manager, Professional Video Division
As manager of product marketing, Craig Yanagi is responsible for JVC’s 4KCAM and ProHD camcorders and studio systems, professional video monitors, and Blu-Ray/HDD combination deck product lines for JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation’s Professional Video Division. Yanagi is also responsible for market analysis, business planning and development, new product concepts and product launches, as well as the establishment of key third-party relationships including non-linear editing and accessory companies.
Prior to joining JVCKENWOOD in 2005, Yanagi was a 19-year veteran of Sony where he had created award-winning marketing programs and fostered extensive operations experience with Broadcast and Professional, Media and Consumer products. He served as a system integration account manager for the Broadcast and Production Systems Division where he was responsible for account management of the largest broadcast and professional system integrators in the U.S. Yanagi has also held the positions of senior business analyst and market development manager as well as national marketing manager for Betacam, DVCAM, Hi-8, S-VHS and U-matic product lines.
Yanagi holds a BA with emphasis in English and Communications from the University of San Diego, as well as an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.