Exclusives

MESA Members to Take Intelligent Content Stage at NAB Show

During the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas, an “Intelligent Content” stage in the West Hall will feature presentations every day on the latest industry trends, and all week, MESA and its members will be front and center.

On Sunday, April 24, attendees will hear from cybersecurity experts, beginning with the 10:30 a.m. discussion “The Platform Approach to Securing a Remote Workforce.” M&E moved entirely to native digital workflows during the global pandemic that have interdependencies between networks, devices, and users that were impossible to predict (nor utilize!) just over a year ago.

Attend this session to learn how this ecosystem helps propel our industry into new workflows that leverage AI and ML with a focus on the size and scope of software providers engaged with global content creators who are driving international content delivery.

Moderator Guy Finley, executive director of the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA) and president and CEO of MESA, leads the discussion with CDSA president Richard Atkinson, Chris Taylor, director of ME-ISAC and director of content security for Skydance, and Ben Schofield, technical director of CDSA.

At 11 a.m., “Can the Robots Really Promise Better Security?” will see Atkinson take the stage with David Wurgler, senior director of NAGRA anti-piracy and NexGuard. Industry dynamics that were thought to be years away happened in the blink of an eye, with new business, production, and distribution models appearing. How are platforms and their interconnectivity leading a new way of thinking with the M&E enterprise? What is their value proposition to broadcast and studios at the local, regional, and national level and how can we leverage the collective power of these software applications to focus our efforts across production & distribution? This session will discuss just how close we are to the next phase.

Then at 3:45 p.m., “The Future of Content Security: What’s Next for the Trusted Partner Network (TPN)” will feature Bill Baggelaar, CTO if Sony Pictures, Terri Davies, TPN president, Scott Rose, CTO of Iyuno-SDI, and Michael Wise, CTO of NBCUniversal, as they discuss TPN’s plan and why a common solution for content security is essential in a world where workflows are growing more complex and content creation spans every corner of the globe.

Digital asset management advances

Monday, April 25 will see a pair of digital asset management (DAM) discussions, beginning with “Intelligent ‘Standards’ Across the M+E Supply Chain.” The digital transformation that our industry is experiencing is driving investment in end-to-end efficiencies inside our supply chain. But with the increased investment there is a growing expectation from every link in the chain to provide better insight in the process, that ultimately culminates in the end-user of the platform. As data and processes become more efficient, more reliable, and more transparent, the opportunities to expand insight into our partner activities increases the bottom line.

Different standards groups have been working behind the scenes to simplify and align with one another to standardize themselves, to benefit the industry. These experts discuss our renewed investments in evolving our supply chain into a software development-driven environment that keeps up with the increasing demand across business units for access to critical data that drives well informed decisions.

Mary Yurkovic, director of Smart Conten for MESA, moderates the discussion with Yonah Levenson, founder and tri-chair of the Language Metadata Table (LMT) Working Group at MESA, and Hollie Choi, executive director of the Entertainment ID Registry (EIDR).

Then at 11 a.m. is “Scaling Production Services in the Cloud,” with David Goldman, founder and CEO of the Cornax Cloud Alliance moderating Buzz Hays, global lead of entertainment industry solutions for Google Cloud, Ted Schilowitz, futurist for Paramount, and Tom Taylor, head of technology for Gunpowder.

In a fast-paced, 24/7 production environment, the industry is embracing cloud by leveraging their platform to collaborate with creators and distributors in unprecedented ways. This session looks at how a major cloud provider is innovating workflows by infusing built-in AI and ML products to ensure a secure, seamless experience for production teams.

Virtual production techniques

Tuesday April 26 and Wednesday, April 27 will see virtual production discussions dominate the stage.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, “Intelligent Content Production Requires a ‘Smart Stage’” kicks things off with Sean Tajkowski, technical director of MEDCA moderating Bradley Greenberg, senior director of Coresite, Lisa Gerber, director of media and entertainment for PacketFabric, and Robbie Yates, sales engineer for PacketFabric.

Production technology over the last three years has fundamentally changed the way we work and collaborate with each other. Smart stages and motion picture/broadcast campuses are now a reality, as the IoT finally has entered the production process. Join this session to learn how to take full advantage of smart stages and campus technologies to prepare your facilities for these critical offerings and long-term evolution of growth.

At 11 a.m., “Evolving Entertainment Workflows to Mirror Game Development” will see a discussion with Ihar Heneralau, co-founder and CEO of ICVR, and Eric Iverson, director of products for Amazon Studios.

After making news during the pandemic with revolutionary production techniques utilizing game engine backbone, virtual production is being hailed as the next “big thing” that will impact our entire, global industry. But before your company can make investments in hardware, software and talent, everyone needs to understand the big “why” and why it matters so you.

This session showcases an Unreal Engine pixel streaming tool for managing 3D assets and environments from preproduction and throughout postproduction allowing non-technical talent to share, review, and iterate on assets in an interactive cloud-based experience in real-time.

This technology will become available and impact every category of content creation. It is not a matter of “if” rather “when” so start your journey by joining this truly innovative session.

On Wednesday, the virtual production discussions continue, starting at 10:30 a.m. with How AI and Other Advanced Computing Integrate into Production,” featuring MEDCA’s Tajkowski and Jason Bautista, solutions architect for enterprise strategy and technology at CommScope.

Corporations are making considerable investments in machine learning and artificial intelligence. How well these systems will work and integrate within business units across the organization and with service provider partners begins with the design and installation of proper data center infrastructure, meeting data industry standards.

Workflows in the age of UHD/4K require more connectivity and throughput. Your facility’s design, on-prem storage/compute and connectivity all lead directly to your ability to leverage AI/ML across your business.

This session discusses the similarities that a remote or virtual production facility has with multi-tenant data centers and edge data centers.

When it comes to high speed, low latency connectivity, the design and planning approach, can take inspiration from these concepts and this is fast becoming a foundational requirement for any business plan that addresses growth or expansion in our industry.

At 11 a.m. its “Many Verticals, One ‘Intelligent’ Foundation” with Eric Rigney, EVP of MEDCA, Jeff Sengpiehl, chief technologist for Key Code Media, and Chrissy Olsen, global director of data centers for Belden.

Smart stages, broadcast, previz, editorial, VFX, advanced compute (AI/ML), all data-centric workflows are at its core supported by a broadcast and studio operation’s data center infrastructure. Appreciating how M&E equipment rooms and workstations built outside of data industry standards risk failure, why it’s important to the M&E industry to appreciate, learn, and implement existing data industry standards.