In an industry where content is king, the people behind the camera responsible for creating and delivering the content are often the “unsung heroes” of the show. As most viewers know, it takes an army of people to produce and deliver the best in television today. 

This year, we were reminded of their vital roles when COVID-19 forced media companies to adapt and improvise to the new normal of social distancing. “The show must go on” took on a whole new meaning.

Fortunately our industry was already well on the road to IP and cloud, and these capabilities have vastly improved the flexibility and efficiency required to produce by remote. This year provided the “trial by fire” that validated these tools that will impact the direction of our industry for years to come. 

Below, TV Technology focuses on the people who are making a difference in media technology, from acquisition to delivery and everywhere in between. These are the “ones to watch.”

1. Madeleine Noland, President, Advanced Television Systems Committee

2. David Mazza, Senior VP and Chief Technical Officer, NBC Sports Group and NBC Olympics

3. Aaron LaBerge, Executive VP & Chief Technology Officer, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution

4. Grant Petty, Founder and CEO, Blackmagic Design

5. Werner Vogels, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Amazon Web Services

6. Poppy Crum, PhD, Chief Scientist, Dolby Laboratories, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University

7. Joe Inzerillo, CTO, Direct-to-Consumer Group, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, The Walt Disney Co.

8. Brinton Miller, Executive Vice President-Technology Strategy & Architecture, Discovery Inc.

9. Lisa Pedrogo, VP, N.Y. Engineering and Strategic Initiatives, WarnerMedia Global Broadcast Technology Services

10. John Mailhot, CTO & Director of Product Management, Infrastructure & Networking, Imagine Communications

11. Mark A. Aitken

SVP of Advanced Technology, Sinclair Broadcast Group, President, ONE Media 3.0

Aitken joined SBG in 1999 and is responsible for development and deployment of next-gen technologies such as ATSC 3.0. He leads Sinclair’s ONE Media 3.0 and is a board member of Saankhya Labs. Aitken also is a member of the AFCCE, IEEE and SMPTE and active participant in NAB, ATSC and other industry organizations. He is a recipient of multiple awards from Broadcasting & Cable, ATSC, TV Technology and NAB.

Read more at TV Technology.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR