33 GENIUS INTERVIEW Renard Jenkins
FEED: How have the lockdowns affected how media companies operate and how do you think it might affect the industry going forward? RENARD JENKINS: I like to look for the silver lining. This has forced the media industry to accelerate long-standing cloud, SaaS, automation and remote functionality projects that were either shelved or reprioritised because they felt they had time. Now that they’ve proved to themselves they can work in a distributed environment, I believe we will see more media companies functioning more efficiently in the near future. I also believe this makes media companies more flexible, agile and relevant. A by-product of these discoveries is that companies have proven they can work from anywhere in the world. This will help attract and retain top talent. FEED: How have you been working with cloud technology and how do you think cloud will affect media creation in the future? RENARD JENKINS: Cloud technology has been crucial to our success in moving the
staff to fully remote functionality. The use of cloud tech helped us create a multiviewer experience that provided ease of use and confidence for our staffers, operators and peers all over the world. As for the future of media creation and the cloud, I think we are already here. Sure, tools need to continue to evolve and there is much further we can take it, but I feel things are moving in the right direction. I don’t think there are any media creation companies out there today that do not at least have a small cloud presence by now. FEED: You have had a successful career as an African American working at the top end of media technology, which is rarer than it should be. What is your assessment of the opportunities available for black people in technology? RENARD JENKINS: You know, like everyone, I would like to be judged simply for my work. However, and unfortunately, that is not the world we live in today – but it does remain my hope for the very near future. I feel as an industry, we can do better and I say “we” because I
am passionately invested in creating a pathway to leadership for people of colour in this industry. Too often, in my career, I have been the first or in many cases the only. I want to see that change and I am committed to being a part of that change. The technology gap for people of colour around the globe has been documented and widely communicated. I want to work with my peers in media and tech companies to close that gap. By creating a base layer of knowledge and interest at the elementary and secondary grade levels in underserved areas, you create a future foundation for an intelligent and diverse workforce. That’s where a part of the change starts, but this isn’t an issue that can be solved from the bottom up. It has to be addressed bi-directionally. Therefore, in regards to positions of authority, companies have to be willing to cast a wider net externally and internally. There is so much untapped talent in companies today. Companies have to invest in educating its current workforce across the board through programmes and courses that challenge status quo thinking and comfort-based selections. There are so many individuals of colour
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