Tom Harmon, president of Utah Scientific, has announced his retirement after 15 highly successful years at the helm of the company. Dave Burland, current chief operating officer and executive vice president of finance, will assume the role of president, and Harmon will remain active with Utah Scientific as chairman of the board. The changeover will be effective Jan. 1, 2018.
Under Harmon’s leadership, Utah Scientific has expanded its global leadership in video routers, master control switchers, and related control software and built on its reputation as the thought leader in those areas. Harmon oversaw many technology milestones as president, including the latest advance in SDI/IP hybrid routing, the recent launch of the industry’s first enterprise-scale, single-link 12G routing switcher, and the first no-fee, 10-year product warranty in the broadcast industry. Also, during his tenure, Utah Scientific was a three-year winner of Frost & Sullivan’s Global Customer Service Leadership Award in the video switcher category. Today, with its line of hybrid IP routing solutions, Harmon has positioned Utah Scientific to help broadcasters make a smooth transition to IP-based operations.
“It’s been a fantastic ride, with the best team in the industry,” said Harmon. “And I can’t think of a better professional to take over the reins than Dave. After more than 20 years of working closely with Dave, he really understands what makes our company tick, and I’m completely confident he’ll be able to take Utah Scientific to new levels of success in the coming years. I look forward to working with Dave, the board, and the rest of our executive team to ensure a smooth transition.”
“Tom needs no introduction in the broadcast technology community. Over his 40-year career, he has not only earned the admiration and loyalty of his team members, but he’s respected by chief engineers and key industry influencers across the country,” said Burland. “During his tenure here, Tom has shepherded Utah Scientific through plenty of changes in the broadcast landscape — from analog to digital media and now the migration to all-IP workflows. We’re delighted that he’s agreed to stay on as chairman and continue to serve as a valuable consulting resource for our team.”
Burland is a 28-year veteran of the broadcast industry, having served in senior management roles for Quanta Corporation, Dynatech Video Group, and Vela Corporation prior to his 16-year tenure at Utah Scientific.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More