The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), the worldwide leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, today announced that the organization has elected new officers and governors for 2015-16. Robert Seidel, vice president of engineering and advanced technology at CBS, will take office as the Society's new president on Jan. 1, 2015.
Seidel, who previously held SMPTE board roles including executive vice president and finance vice president, will serve a two-year term as SMPTE president. He succeeds outgoing president Wendy Aylsworth, senior vice president of technology at Warner Bros. Technical Operations, who will now become the Society's past president.
"Bob Seidel has been a tremendous asset to the Society in several key positions, and we are confident that he will continue and build on the good work done by Wendy during her successful tenure as president," said SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange. "Bob and Wendy are among the many SMPTE members who have contributed a great deal to the Society's growth. The officers and governors elected for 2015-16 — and those who continue on in their existing roles — bring extraordinary knowledge, experience, and energy to the Society and its advancement of the motion-imaging industry."
"Going forward in this new role with the Society, I look forward to embracing adjacent market industries, such as over-the-top television, that use motion-imaging and file-based workflows," said Seidel. "I will also work to drive ongoing efforts to expand the number of student chapters, infuse the Society with young members, and help to ensure the long-term growth of the Society. Increasing the Society's online educational course offerings to include basic audio/video technologies for young engineers is a high priority, as is offering advanced courses in new file-based and IP technologies to the seasoned professional engineer."
Other incoming SMPTE officers elected for the two-year 2015-2016 term include Matthew S. Goldman, senior vice president of TV compression technology at Ericsson, who will serve as executive vice president; Patrick Griffis, executive director of the technology strategy in the office of the CTO at Dolby Laboratories, will continue his service as education vice president; and Peter Wharton, vice president of technology and business development at BroadStream Solutions Inc., who will continue to serve as secretary/treasurer. In January 2015, the board will elect an officer to fill the post vacated by Goldman.
Ten governors, eight of which are incumbents, were elected to serve in SMPTE posts around the world. The re-elected governors include Angelo D'Alessio, general manager at the Center for Accessible Media (CAM), who will again serve as governor for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. William T. Hayes, director of engineering and technology at Iowa Public Television, will again serve as governor for the central region, and Sara J. Kudrle, product marketing manager of monitoring and control at Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, will serve again as governor for the western region. KL Lam, past vice president of broadcasting and engineering operations at Hong Kong Cable TV, will serve again as governor for the Asia-Australia region.
Pierre Marion, director of media engineering for French networks at CBC/Radio-Canada, will again serve as governor for the Canadian region. John McCoskey, executive vice president and chief technology officer at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), will serve again as governor for the Eastern U.S. region. William C. Miller, president at Miltag Media Technology LLC, will again serve as governor for the New York region. Clyde Smith, senior vice president of new technology at FOX Networks Engineering and Operations, will again serve as a governor for the Hollywood region.
Newly elected are Stephen M. Beres, vice president of media and technology operations at Home Box Office Inc. (HBO), who will serve as a governor for the Hollywood region, and Merrick Ackermans, engineering director of global technology and operations for U.S. network operations at Turner, who will serve as a governor for the Southern U.S. region.
The Society's officers and governors elected for the 2015-2016 term will serve on the SMPTE Board of Governors along with other board officers, regional governors, and directors of specific areas, including standards, education, and membership. Officers who were not up for re-election and who continue to serve on the SMPTE Board of Governors Executive Committee include SMPTE Standards Vice President Alan Lambshead, retired from Evertz, and SMPTE Membership Vice President Paul Stechly of Applied Electronics Ltd.
Governors who were not up for re-election and who continue on the SMPTE Board of Governors include Dan Burnett of Ericsson Television Inc. (Southern U.S. region); Paul Chapman of FotoKem Industries Inc. (Hollywood region); Randy Conrad of Imagine Communications (Canadian region); John Ferder of CBS Inc. (New York region); Karl Kuhn of Tektronix Inc. (Eastern U.S. region); John Maizels of Entropy Enterprises and Productions (Asia/Australia region); Mark Narveson of Patterson & Sheridan LLP (Western U.S. region); T.J. Scott Jr. of Grass Valley, a Belden Brand (Southern U.S. region); Leon D. Silverman of The Walt Disney Studios (Hollywood region); and Richard Welsh of Sundog Media Toolkit (Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America region).
Newly elected officers and governors will be further introduced to the SMPTE membership at the Society's Annual Membership Meeting, which takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in conjunction with the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood.
Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®)
The Oscar® and Emmy® Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), 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® (HPA®), 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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