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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, revealed that Chris Fetner, director of global content partners operations at Netflix, will present the opening keynote at the biennial SMPTE Australia Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE15). This year's event, Persistence of Vision — Defining the Future, will be held 14-17 July at the Entertainment Precinct at Moore Park in Sydney.

"Chris delivered the opening keynote at the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition in Hollywood to a standing-room-only crowd and earned rave reviews, and we expect no less at the SMPTE15 in Australia," said Pat Griffis, SMPTE education vice president and executive director of technology strategy in the office of the CTO at Dolby Laboratories. "With its expansion into new markets over the past several years, Netflix has become an industry disrupter on an international scale. Chris is positioned to shed light on the company's international activities, as well as the factors shaping the company's technology decision-making."

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, Fetner 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. 

Further information about SMPTE15, including details on submitting a paper proposal, is available at www.smpte.org.au. The deadline for proposal submissions is 15 February. More 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.

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 sustain the Society. 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 the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.

About SMPTE Australia Section
The Australia Section was founded in 1971. Today, it is part of the SMPTE Asia Pacific Region that includes more than 750 members. SMPTE in Australia has been a leader in building ties between like-minded and guild organisations serving the media and content industry. Further information about SMPTE Australia is available at smpte.org.au.

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