I want to be a Broadcast Engineer! Get me into here! Welcome Peter Weitzel Hon Secretary SMPTE UK 1
SMPTE A worldwide Members Society founded in 1916 Based on Three Pillars Membership 6600+ in over 64 countries Education through MIJ, webinars conferences and section meetings Standards We set the Standards for Motion Imaging 28 sections 10 outside the USA SMPTE UK Reformed in 2012 Has 450+ members from 112 Holds Meetings in London 12/year 4 Clusters across the UK 2 or 3 /year/cluster Including 5 of 16 Standards Gp Chairs A Microcosm of all that SMPTE serves 2
SMPTE UK For Students First year membership free And only ~ 23 ($35) a year after that Meeting others working in our industries -Section meetings Receiving the Motion Imaging Journal - -find out more Participating the Technology relevant webcasts FREE Access our archive -SMPTEs work over the past 99 years Able to webmail any SMPTE member Just being anactive member of the world s largest Members society for those working with the moving image, its audio and metadata- on any platform - Film, Television, Digital media SMPTE Graduate Initiative Student members on Graduating join the Graduate Initiative Full SMPTE membership (at a discount) Plus members supporting them to give you at good start and getting connected into our industries 3
I am a Broadcast Engineer Bruce Kruger Sky Richard Bailey Techex Russell Trafford Jones V-Nova Abigail Seager BBC Mark Jeavons ATOS Purpose of Today To give a current view of the industries to those who are at or just a few years out of University so that they are aware and prepared of their career challenges. Also to point out to those more established that the world has changed since they started. 4
Agenda What is a Broadcast Engineer? How do people become Broadcast Engineers - The panel How Students (or other recent graduates) can become Broadcast Engineers - You and the panel @SMPTEUK???? Some???? How to get into the broadcast industry? What skills are needed? How to get industry experience and opportunities available? What businesses look for in candidates? The transition from University to work what to expect as a broadcast engineer? The evolving role of the broadcast engineer Start thinking about your Questions NOW!! 5
The Industries Broadcasting/ Film / Digital Media Broadcasters Sky BBC itv... Discovery...Majan Bauer, Netflix Service providers MPC, The Farm, Framestore Red Bee, Ericsson, SBS, Easel.tv Dock 10, NEP, CTV... Bowtie, Adlib BT... Arqiva... WTN ViewSat ATOS... Accenture Manufacturers/ Suppliers & Systems Integrators... Just look around here! And more!!!!! The Rest Universities, Production Companies... Yourself go freelance! Or start your own company What makes a Broadcast engineer different? Understands Content (& content makers) Content = essence and metadata Understands Availability (& Audience) Planning, Timeliness, Prioritisation Takes care of the (essential) detail Aware of everything end to end Basics / Fundamentals --Analyse / Reason Document / Note -- Remember/ Recall Inspired Logical Thought -- Communicate 6
Getting experience Your Hobbies/ Interests etc Music/ Photography/ Dramatics/ Games/ Programming /NASTA Your Studies What have / How have you learnt, inside& outside the course Your Work Intern/ related areas Something very different / International Your Contacts... SMPTE Remember CONTENT/AVAILABLITY / DETAIL/ E2E What businesses look for Passion/Persistence/Planning Awareness/Knowledge Ability to learn and explain Remember CONTENT/AVAILABLITY / DETAIL/ E2E Written CV etc, Emails + Linked in FBook Face to Face - Interviews / References + Open days /SMPTE meetings 7
From University to work Where do you start? Bigger Broadcasters Broadcasters Systems Service Providers integrators Manufacturers (IABM) Support IT Ops Tech Ops Maint PM Projects Sys Design Support Design Development B B R&D The Rest And Work... Your first job is Opportunity to find out more & experiment Where you can establish yourself in Industry A Place to move from......as you find out more about yourself and what the industries can offer you...... Non technical as much as technical To help you your Colleagues SMPTE UK & its graduate initiative 8
The evolving role of the broadcast engineer Broadcasting is close to the bleeding edge of Technology so you are always learning But equipment lasts many years and technology can take many years from lab demonstrator to being in everyone s home... And it is speeding up! (but not as fast as you may think) You will change job direction in first few years People make it happen 9
I am a Broadcast Engineer Bruce Kruger Sky Richard Bailey Techex Russell Trafford Jones V-Nova Abigail Seager BBC Mark Jeavons ATOS Introducing... Bruce tell us - How you see Broadcasting is developing...? How Broadcast Engineers and other techies Make/Shape/Share? 10
Introducing... Mark and Abigail tell us - About what you have done- Introducing... Richard and Russell tell us - About your Company/ Career What you look for in Students/Interns Graduates Second & third job applicants 11
Panel Tell us One thing to get the audience to think and ask valuable questions? A few rules Over to you! Wait for Microphone Speak clearly Say who you are and where you are Keep to the Point Established people- I may get you to answer... 12
What do you need to find out? @SMPTEUK What do you need to find out? How did you decide to get your first job and why did you change direction? I find that I need IT skills but my course did not cover this. How important is it to change job/ work specialty I am an Electronics Graduate but not working in the media how do I get a job in Broadcasting?? I am an Law (or some other non STEM) Graduate Can I become a Broadcast Engineer? @SMPTEUK 13
What do you need to find out? Are Film and Television merging? What about new media? Is there a Difference between IP and IT? Is working for a large firm better? How many women are there in your industry? What will make my CV stand out? Is there work outside the UK? @SMPTEUK Summing up The Industries are not just broadcasters CONTENT/AVAILABILITY / DETAIL/ E2E Experience from many places Passion/Persistence/Planning Awareness/Knowledge Ability to continue to learn and explain Take an active part in the Industries. IT S FUN 14
What are you going to do? Its all up to you! Find us at and SMPTE supports IBC Rising Stars. www.ibc.org Peter Weitzel Peter Weitzel has had a long career in Broadcasting mainly in the Projects area of the BBC /Siemens, in TV studios, OB, Central areas and connectivity. He set the international Standards for DVB subtitles and the first EPG. He has worked in Strategic planning including going digital for major world broadcasters and designed the USA s largest Audio over IP (over satellite) system some 12 year ago. All the way though his career he has mentored the graduate trainees guiding them to find out about the media industries and sharing his encyclopaedic knowledge about broadcasting from before the camera to the home and of strategic and business issues. Since 2012 been the Hon secretary of newly reformed SMPTE UK section - which organises meetings events and Initiatives for all those interested in the technology moving image and its sound and metadata. He sits on the Advisory Panel of BVE. 15
Bruce Kruger Bruce Kruger is a veteran professional Engineer who has spent a life time working in Commercial Broadcasting. He is currently Head of Broadcast Engineering for Sky U.K. and is responsible for managing the engineering design and support teams associated with television content and associated DTH platforms. Prior to joining Sky U.K. he spent almost 3 years at TVB in Hong Kong as Engineering Controller responsible for the introduction of HD services and DTTB. Bruce commenced his professional career in Australia as a trainee radio and television broadcast engineer and has held senior engineering and management positions in Nine Network Australia and subsidiary companies. Richard Bailey Richard Bailey is Technical Director at Techex, a leading provider of video transport over IP solutions. Richard has spent 10 years driving Techex's technical competence to build a team (including Interns) with unrivalled experience at delivering solutions across broadcast, military, medical and corporate industries. In 2013 Techex announced that in partnership with Comux and it designed and launched a national terrestrial multiplex in 10 months without the use of ASI. Techex has worked in collaboration with design teams at some of the world s most progressive organisations to shape how IP is used at the core of their critical services including BSkyB, BBC, BT Sports, Arqiva, The Houses of Parliament and Easynet. 16
Russell Trafford- Jones Russell Trafford-Jones hasover 15 years of broadcast experience. From commercial and public radio, Russell moved to managing and fixing the BBC's video, audio and data circuits throughout the UK and abroad. After working for a systems integrator where he designed systems involving all parts of the broadcast chain and put commercial bids together for broadcasters internationally, Russell now manages support and post-sale services in the broadcast manufacturing sector. Russell has a strong passion for all parts of Broadcast and is a SMPTE UK comittee member. Mark Jeavons Mark Jeavons is a Broadcast Engineer on the ATOS graduate scheme after graduating from Birmingham City University with a BEng Telecommunications and Networks degree in 2012. After spending a year working for GE Healthcare on connectivity of hospital equipment he joined the ATOS graduate scheme. Currently working in CCA on the BBC account which includes several areas, satellite operations which involves uplinking, downlinking and routing of bookings for news and sport events. CAR which includes the basic MCR work of lining up vision, sound & commsfor outdoor broadcasts ( and is the remote control of Glasgow CTA which is the hub for Scotland ), ICR is the control of incoming and outgoing international feeds via EBU lease space.. During the graduate scheme he has had training focused on both business and technical skills to improve upon the knowledge gained from university 17
Abigail Seager Abigail Seager is a Broadcast Trainee currently working with BBC World Service Distribution. She graduated with a degree in Physics from The University of Nottingham in 2014. While at university, Abigail worked for a studentrun events group, providing sound and lighting for student events and worked part time as a technician in a local theatre. In September Abigail joined the BBC Technology Trainee scheme which involves working in the BBC whilst gaining an MSc from Birmingham City University Some short films from SMPTE Membership https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa2sz2rnxm0 Education https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a98wnfe8lni Standards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9skvnr5guk8 IBC13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucbqyntepfs UHD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qprnhwcjw4c 18