THIS MONTH’S FEED ROUND TABLE GUESTS ARE:
In this month’s round table our experts discuss how a changing business landscape is redefining their industry roles and responsibilities
MARK HARRISON, DPP: The context for organisations that represent or work with the professional media industry supply chain has changed quite dramatically, and that’s because the way that companies are working in media has changed. We’ve moved from a time when you could have major proprietary and bespoke solutions to a complex ecosystem of suppliers who have a huge dependency on each other. With the emergence of that interdependency you could argue that there is a greater need for customers and suppliers to come together to exchange knowledge and ideas than ever before. PETER WHITE, IABM: The role of a trade association has not changed greatly over the decades. The need to provide a unified voice, the pooling of a wealth of knowledge and experience, and the technical support and guidance required remains as strong as ever. At IABM our role remains essentially the same – to support our members in helping them do better business in every way we can. What’s changed is how we do that – and this is partly because the rate of technology change in the broadcast and media industry has hugely accelerated, and continues to do so. This has led to a change in business models with our members’ customers, which also requires change from our members. As a result, our role has become much more about tracking and reporting on the industry in terms of end-user business performance and the way their operating models are having to alter, what this means in terms of technology requirements and their business priorities, as well as the performance of the supply sector in response. Much of this is driven by emerging technologies. The internet is the underlying driver behind rapid market changes and how we communicate with members. The challenge is to stand out whilst ensuring the information we provide is of the highest quality and is always actionable and relevant.
MARKHARRISON,DPP Mark Harrison is Managing Director of the DPP (Digital Production Partnership). After a career including controller at the BBC, Harrison helped found the Digital Production Partnership. Kicked off in 2011, the DPP is a membership-based, not-for- profit company, originally established by UK broadcasters ITV, BBC and Channel 4. The membership aims to represent the whole media supply chain – production companies, manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, post production facilities, consultancies, broadcasters, distributors and not-for-profit organisations.
t’s a dark time for institutions. The refrain that an unfettered market, armed to the teeth with new technology, will fix all our problems
threatens to push careful, long-range thinking into the background. Professional organisations are the meeting hubs where ideas get exchanged, roadmaps are drawn up, and best practice and standards can be debated and eventually agreed on. In this month’s FEED round table we talk to the leaders of three of the media industries’ top professional organisations. What place do these bodies have in our atomised, digitally saturated world and how can they serve the media industries going forward? FEED: How has the role of professional organisations and trade bodies changed over the decades? Do they serve the same functions as they did before the arrival of digital communication tools? BARBARA LANGE, SMPTE: Leading a professional association that has survived over 100 years, I certainly believe there is a role for these types of organisations in our industry. Even with the communications tools we have, there is a need for people to connect with one another, so whether you are interested in the latest technology in a passive way or you wish to dive in to get involved with standards development processes or educational initiatives, SMPTE offers the human connection, and that is critically important. There are many organizations in our industry, some with overlapping memberships. I think professional associations need to collaborate with one another to avoid redundancies in future.
BARBARALANGE,SMPTE Barbara Lange is Executive Director of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers). Founded in 1916, SMPTE is one of the motion imaging industry’s oldest and most respected trade bodies. Over the years it has developed industry standards, recommended practices and guidelines, and offered educational activities to advance engineering and moving imagery. Based in New York, SMPTE comprises engineers, IT and new media professionals, filmmakers, manufacturers, educators and consultants in more than 65 countries.
PETERWHITE, IABM Peter White has been Chief Executive of IABM since 2009. IABM (International Association for Broadcast and Media Technology Suppliers – formerly International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers) facilitates the networking and interaction of broadcast technology suppliers by supporting over 500 members with a comprehensive range of services across market intelligence, training, technology, exhibitions and best practices.
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