Industry Leaders Will Share Insights and Expertise at SMPTE 2014 Conference Opening and During Industry Luncheon and SMPTE Fellows Luncheon
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Aug. 19, 2014 -- The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), the worldwide leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, today revealed the three keynote speakers for the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2014), Oct. 21-23 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California.
Chris Fetner, director of global content partners operations at Netflix, will present the opening keynote. Later in the day, ticketholders for the SMPTE Industry Luncheon will have the opportunity to hear a keynote presentation by Mark Aitken, vice president of advanced technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group. On Wednesday, Vubiquity CEO Darcy Antonellis will address SMPTE Fellows, including those newly inducted for 2014, at the SMPTE Fellows Luncheon.
"The keynotes presented by Chris, Mark, and Darcy will punctuate a strong conference program that advances the industry through shared knowledge and experience," said Wendy Aylsworth, SMPTE president and senior vice president of technology at Warner Bros. Technical Operations. "The real-world experiences of these industry leaders in leveraging advanced media delivery technologies will serve both to complement and enrich the diverse array of SMPTE 2014 technical sessions."
Fetner, a SMPTE member, began his career as an operations manager at a local Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS) affiliate in Washington, D.C., and went on to serve as a producer for television programs including the award-winning show "Frontiers of Medicine." He later served as a postproduction and operations executive at Discovery Communications, guiding the company's migration to an all-digital workflow, and as vice president of postproduction and technical services at the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) Worldwide in New York, where he oversaw all technical operations supporting both the cable network BBC America and its distribution to electronic sell-through (EST), video-on-demand (VOD), and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) customers. At Netflix he and his team deploy tools, processes, and knowledge that allow content owners and service vendors to deliver high-quality content to Netflix simply and with efficiency.
In addition to representing Sinclair Broadcast interests in industry technical and standards issues, Aitken is chairman of the Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) TSG/S4 codec working group and a member of both the Mobile 500 Alliance executive committee and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) TV Technology Committee. Since 1987, he also has been involved in the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Services. Prior to joining Sinclair, Aitken held various positions with Comark Communications, where he was part of the Emmy(R) Award-winning team that brought Internet of Things (IoT) technology to the marketplace. He is currently a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, the IEEE, and SMPTE. He has authored numerous papers on innovative radio-frequency (RF) product developments, advanced digital television system design, and related implementation strategies, and holds patents for various RF devices. Aitken is a recipient of the 2008 Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership Award and the 2013 ATSC Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award.
Prior to becoming CEO at Vubiquity, Antonellis served as president of technical operations and CTO at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., where she directed technology strategy and the company's use of media and entertainment-related product and service innovations to drive growth and business opportunity. Earlier, during her tenure at CBS, she held lead management roles with responsibility for the network's New York and Washington, D.C., operations. Antonellis is a three-time Emmy Award-winner for technical production and engineering. She serves on numerous advisory boards and has been named on the Video Business "Women Elite" and The Hollywood Reporter's Digital Power 50 List. She has also earned Broadcasting and Cable's Technology Leadership Award and India's NASSCOM Innovator Leader Award, and was presented with the inaugural NAB TVNewsCheck Women in Technology Leadership Award. Antonellis is a SMPTE Fellow.
Further information about SMPTE 2014 is available at www.smpte2014.org.
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About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
The Oscar(R) and Emmy(R) Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), a professional membership association, is the preeminent leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, worldwide. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
The Society is sustained by more than 6,000 members -- motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students -- who meet in Sections throughout the world. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance(R) (HPA(R)), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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