Will Greenwald

Audacy in the blast zone of deregulation bombshell • How anyone unhappy with George Soros owning a large share of Audacy can now block it or fatally delay it by filing one piece of paper. • If the FCC fails to act in favor of the pending waiver Soros needs, then what? • How Audacy is quickly losing control of a critical timeline out of bankruptcy. • The prognosis of a fresh start promised by Audacy to advertisers and employees in light of recent developments. https://lnkd.in/eFrPBP35

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TDious Experiences volume I: Engineers In the live remote production world my best friends are that show’s ENGINEERS. The people assigned to make your TV Truck or OB work to our mutual client’s specs are, without fail, among the smartest people in any room they enter. In turn, their best friend is correct information. There’s an adage in the industry that the only thing worse than NO information is WRONG information. Correct information, including hardware and / or software that are to be installed on the TV Truck for that show, is critical to the success of your setup and show. Next in their priority list is the show’s technical setup schedule & the communication of timelines for milestones. If your goal as the show’s TD, for example, is to perform a tape facilities check (FAX / FACs) at 3p, followed by the camera fax at 4p, the engineer will know to prioritize EVS issues over, say, a camera that isn’t seeing Viewfinder Return 3. Communicating the schedule & timeline of milestones early will allow everyone to self budget their time and keep all moving along the same timeline. Engineering Prioritization: This goes hand-in-hand with milestone expectations. Department heads should always communicate their needs to engineering as early (and, most importantly, correctly) as possible, but with the understanding that there will always be other elements that take priority. Some areas of the remote world, however, typically require more attention from engineering during setup than others. With the advent of UIs such as NEP’s Total Facility Control (or “TFC”) this process is becoming better than it has been since the days of self patching. But the closer a show is to its first outbound transmission (be it a TX check or a hit into another show), the priority then clearly shifts to any unresolved transmission issues. I know that’s a “Well no DUH, JoHo!” kind of statement, but that first outbound transmission time shouldn’t ever come as a surprise to your engineers. Surprises always = a log jam for some or ALL later. Clear, accurate communication is always the key to resolving any issue before it ever becomes an issue. The ever evolving roles of our engineers in 2024 is quite fascinating to think about, actually: in less than one generation we have gone from a patch & solder analogue world of hardware minded engineering, to an IP and a code writing / programming base with some hardware components almost existing as an afterthought, but still needing the occasional solder nonetheless. Talk about shifts in the paradigm? Now the programming requirements of new OB engineers is in line with year 2 expectations of a broker at Morgan Stanley (HEY! Don’t you get any ideas! We’ll find you…and they don’t have anything for you to SOLDER!). Let’s all continue to encourage honing those the physical skills - like soldering - FIRST. Those are the skills that require the most physical finesse the *first* time whereas, in programming, there’s always a way to “UNDO LAST!”

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It’s a common frustration for game and animation producers: Your voice production vendor pulls talent from just one location. Sure, there are great actors there—but what about the vast pool of talent across the country that’s going unheard? The result? → Limited diversity → Missed opportunities for authentic casting → A sameness that falls short of your creative vision. You want fresh voices, true representation, and more creativity in your casting. That’s why we developed Multi Location Voice Production. At Bigmouth Audio, we’re the only UK voice production vendor with studios in both Glasgow and London. This setup allows us to audition and cast talent from all over the UK, bringing more diversity, creativity, and authenticity to your project. It’s video game and animation voice casting… just done better. Ready to level up your casting? Let’s talk about how our multi-location approach can transform your project. → DM me 👍

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🎬 Here’s a quick look from a recent Zoom session, diving into DaVinci Resolve Collaboration! We covered essentials like bin, timeline, and clip locking, plus workflows for backing up and generating proxies on location – allowing remote team members to start editing collaboratively while a shoot is still in progress. In a challenging market, making budgets work can be done with smarter tools. The added efficiencies are undeniable, and if you’re looking for guidance, The Finish Line is here to help! 😋

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Cumulus Expense Cuts Coming • What cuts Cumulus had to promise to re-fi their debt. • What about selling existing assets? • The Cumulus employees most directly caught in the crosshairs of this deal. • How it affects executive pay. • The unusual timeframe of these promised cutbacks.

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Calling all Avid users! Check out this article I wrote for FrameIO Insider on avid keyboard shortcuts. You never know, may find a shortcut that is just what you've been looking for to improve your post workflows!! https://lnkd.in/ee3Y2pSa

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Part 2. / What happens to your script once it's submitted to film and streaming companies? How do they decide which scripts are accepted or "Passed" on. Part 1. / How can writers that don’t have an agent submit a script to film & streaming companies? https://lnkd.in/gy9ur5sN How the process works once your script is submitted to a studio, streaming, or broadcast company. All projects submitted by Independents or well-known producers go through a company's process, for review and evaluation of their script. And yes, even well-known actors, writers and producers get rejected. All projects will first be reviewed by a company’s legal division. Once it is determined you meet the requirements to submit scripts. The process continues. A script release form will be issued to you or the production company of record, for review and your signature. Once received, your Development Package is released to their development division. Streaming, film studios, cable, and broadcast companies have complete control over what projects they will accept, and when or if a project will be reviewed. Note: All companies do not produce all types of genres. Therefore, your project will not be submitted to all companies. Review Part 1. for what they want you to send them, and key factors about your project that will determine why your project is accepted or "Passed" on. If a project is "Passed" on, it does not mean the script does not have entertainment value. Most times, it means they don't have a need for it that time. In some cases, it may be sent to their inventory. Once your script has been submitted, there are no guarantees your project will be accepted for review or get produced. Companies that accept scripts for review and consideration do not send out emails or notices on the status of a script. The only time a company will notify a producer about a script that's been submitted, is when they have questions or wish to have a meeting and discuss a possible deal for licensing, option, or purchase. Sophie Marcelle, Producer, BSI Films & Media LLC #pitchingscripts #contentwriters #film #streaming#writing #writers #publishing #books #scriptwriting #adaptationofscripttobook #adaptation #marketingscript

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Adobe Premiere Pro's latest update introduces a game-changing color management system, perfect for editors who aren't professional colorists. Now, raw and log footage can be transformed into HDR and SDR automatically, without needing LUTs. This new approach simplifies color grading, making it more intuitive for creators at all levels. In addition, Premiere Pro has improved usability with a new context-sensitive Properties panel and updates to the UI, streamlining workflows for both beginners and pros alike. Expect even more from Adobe’s future generative AI tools. For more details, visit the article [here](https://lnkd.in/eSg4nH7d). #VideoEditing #AdobePremierePro #ColorGrading #PostProduction #FilmmakingTips #VideoEditingSoftware #PremiereProTips #CreativeEditing #FilmIndustry #ContentCreation #DigitalEditing #bjorr #bcreativemedia

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TDious Experiences volume II: The Remote Broadcast Production Technical Director [Part 1: Mobile Unit Setup] Ask any 5 Technical Directors (TDs) to describe their role leading up to a live broadcast production and you’ll get anywhere from 5 to 50 different answers. That’s because the role has a number of seemingly dissimilar responsibilities that, in any other occupation, might be split among several different people. For example, a concert pianist generally doesn’t have to tune their own piano, assign the notes to the keys, build the conductor’s podium, compose the transitions from movement to movement, then ultimately play a three hour concerto on that piano nonstop, simultaneously monitoring each note on the piano offline to ensure tonal quality while performing LIVE before an audience of millions! Actually, that’s probably not the best analogy; a piano only has 88 keys. The world’s most popular Video Production Switcher, the Grass Valley Kayenne panel & K-Frame, has 1,326 buttons (or “keys”), 6 knobs, 4 fader bars and a joystick. The pianist in this scenario has the luxury of concerning themselves only with their ultimate performance. Everything else is taken care of for them. Not so for a remote TD. If it’s going to be a visual element within the show, it ultimately passes through the TD in one way or another. Video that will be mixed into the production itself must pass through the TD’s video switcher, while other signals, such as video going to monitors in the control room, can pass directly via the router. The router of a television mobile unit is the signal distribution core for any production. Any video or audio source that is going to be part of the production must exist within the mobile unit’s router. The TD is responsible for ensuring the correct video lands in the appropriate place in production monitor wall, its layout determined by the producer & director, as well as video switcher and all router control points in the control room. This is the part of the engineering setup that takes the most time to accomplish. The Engineer in Charge (EIC) is the sole manager of the router grid. It is critical that all inputs to the router and outputs from the router be managed by one individual. From there, especially in the IP world of media transport, every department has the ability to manage their own routing needs. It’s at this point that the TD can finally begin to focus on building out their “piano.” This begins with switcher input & output (I/O) documentation. Traditionally this is generated by the EIC, but with the increased flexibility offered in the IP world, this becomes a joint effort between the EIC, the TD and a dynamic document, such as a shared Google Sheet. In Part II I’ll delve into the mindset of the TD as they begin laying out sources for the production on the video switcher’s panel, as well as some important things to keep in mind when doing so. If you have Qs, thoughts or ideas for future TDious posts, drop a DM!

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In case you missed it - the award-winning Future of You podcast is back for season four! In today's episode Tracey Follows talks to linguist and tech entrepreneur Jack Connor. Jack is about to travel to the Arctic Circle to store data on more than 500 languages in a vault so they'll be preserved for all time. How cool is that! Link to listen in the comments... #digitalidentity #languagepreservation #identity

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I thought it was important, to wrap up our discussion of the Audio Mixer, by talking about the concept of "Ganging". Ganging gives the editor the ability to quick and easily adjust their audio uniformly across all channel, with the simply drag of one fader, as opposed to having to adjust each audio level separately. Once you understand this concept, you'll be adjusting the audio in your timeline faster than you ever have before. Enjoy!

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I just found and deleted 200GB across 4 different cache folders... PSA: Run this excellent free app on your system and see how much junk is clogging up your hard drive... https://lnkd.in/eb2QetxY

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Like many at Gfinity and in this industry, I have been impacted by the recent flurry of layoffs that continue to rip through games media. My last day will be the 26th of July, meaning I need to figure out what's next, and as I'm sure many others have, I've considered whether or not this is really for me. I was lucky to avoid layoffs at GGRecon, one of the best places I've enjoyed working, and it caught up with me a few months later - it's hard not to feel like it was always inevitable. I loved my job; I love what I do; it's what I was desperate to do when finishing my studies, and I am lucky to have achieved it. Yet, I also love the idea of being secure, going out for dinner when I fancy it, or an impromptu trip to the pictures without considering if I have a job next month. Then there is the grown-up stuff like saving, building up a pension, or the pipedream that haunts my generation of home ownership. All of the above feels elusive, unlikely, but sometimes even impossible. It's something I need to consider. Since hearing the gutting news my team and I would be let go due to restructuring, I've been sad, lost, disappointed, and even ashamed. The fear of telling my friends and family what's happened has been all-encompassing.  Maybe that's an overreaction; it's certainly not very LinkedIn, but as all things do, these feelings have begun to subside, and now a sense of pride is creeping in. I'm proud because I made a massive step up to Managing Editor at RealSport101, a role I wasn't even sure I was equipped for. Yet, I actually did well. The team took on my ideas, I was there for everyone when needed, and most importantly, it was fun despite the added responsibility and pressures. This has all been a long-winded way of saying I'm looking for work, I'm open to all sorts of opportunities, and maybe it won't be what I was doing before, but that's okay. I'd, of course, love to continue what I was doing, and if there are any opportunities, I'd love to be considered, but the industry is dead competitive, and I'm aware of that. Yet, I have realised I'd take the aforementioned insecurity so long as I get to wake up every morning looking forward to the day. This post probably isn't the only one you've seen today; with layoffs happening all around, I'm merely the most recent person impacted. I will keep an eye out for what's next, and hopefully, I won't have to wait too long. Until then, I will enjoy some time with my wonderfully supportive partner, friends, and my wonderfully strange dog; all I ask is that if you see anything, keep me in mind. 

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Stepping up to (or already in) a senior role in production management or editorial and feel confused / overwhelmed by post. What are workflows? How do you keep post on schedule? How do you manage viewing notes? What happens in final post? What costs more in post? For answers to these questions and more join the ScreenSkills course I'm running - Post Production for Senior Roles on 22nd October - details below. https://lnkd.in/eUGmnGNA Or if you're a coordinator or PM wondering how on earth to manage costs in post (when the budget's often at its tightest) check out the course below on 25th October. https://lnkd.in/eRCuBkPZ

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This is because Media Composer SUCKS! 😂🗑️ You can build entire broadcast television shows with Premiere without ever OPENING After Effects. 🥱 Except the people in charge of creating these "job offers" don't know that. They think EVERYBODY uses AE when they don't. What exactly are you going to need to make in AE? 🤔😂 How come whoever you're working for didn't hire an actual Graphic Artist? How come whoever you're working for didn't hire someone SKILLED in creating intros? 🤔 Because they're trying to get some Jack-of-all-trades to sit there and struggle forever to make their deadline so they can save money. If you're an Editor, 🧙‍♂️ Edit.

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