
By Debra Kaufman
One month into 2023, HPA is already fully engaged in evolving its programs and initiatives to meet the community's interests and needs. President Seth Hallen points to unprecedented growth in 2022 as foundational to HPA's current dynamism. Last year's growth would have been hard to predict in 2021 when the world was in the grip of COVID-19 and most face-to-face activity was on hold. We looked for a way to keep the HPA community together in a dark time and the community responded with tremendous support for what we were trying to do, says Hallen. In retrospect, one of the most important things we did was to create and deliver the virtual Tech Retreat Event in 2021. It really kept the community together during a time when that was most needed.
That led to last year, when the HPA community's pent-up demand to meet in person resulted in the biggest attendance ever at the Tech Retreat and the 17th HPA Awards. We didn't spare any effort, money or energy to make sure that people were going to be as safe as possible at these events, Hallen says. At the HPA Tech Retreat, we created the bubble to make sure everyone was tested and masked. At the Awards, testing and masking was mandatory. Secondly, we wanted to make sure that people felt safe. We recognized those two factors had to work together. The result, he adds, was no known COVID exposures at either event. Growth at the 2022 HPA Awards also included the number of submissions. In previous years, we would typically receive about 300 submissions, and in 2022, we broke 400 for the first time, says Hallen. We had the most engineering excellence and creative submissions, ever. That's a testament to the value of this award.
Throughout 2022, HPA programs Women in Post (WIP), Networking Education Technology (NET) and the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) were busy. There was a slate of events that included NET conversations with the post teams from Ted Lasso and a joint WIP-SMPTE event featuring the Woman King cinematographer Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC and its director, Gina Prince-Bythewood. The events were all very successful, says Hallen. The committees behind these initiatives are active and passionate and they bring incomparable value to our audience. He added that there is still conversation on the balance of in-person and remote events and what best serves the HPA community going forward.
HPA Tech Retreat 2023 is set to be another groundbreaking event. The 500 rooms at the Westin sold out months before we normally do, says Hallen. We had more submissions for Mark Schubin's main program than ever before. Mark called it an embarrassment of riches. We're thrilled that the community understands the value in the event. He hints that more exciting announcements are coming.
Hallen reveals that the NET program in 2023 is also on track to be powerful. Pointing to the 2022 case study on popular Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, he adds that, we're going to continue to do these case study luncheons that focus on unique and interesting workflows.
HPA's Young Entertainment Professional identifies, nurtures and supports a talented group of the up and coming professionals. YEP is about to unveil its 2023 class. We're heartened by the caliber of every group of new YEPs, says Hallen. This year, there's another group of truly impressive future leaders. He noted that the YEP program leadership, which started off in the hands of board members, has now shifted to graduates of the YEP program. It's been taken over by the people it's intended for, he says. And they are full of great ideas.
HPA is intent on deepening the value of the organization to its members with highly engaging events, non-marketing-centric education (which is a very rare commodity) and mentorship, says Hallen. The HPA Board has always been deeply involved in the vision for HPA and, in 2023, new members will be added. Most recently announced is new Board member Bettina Fisher, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' senior director of early career talent development.
HPA will always be focused on powerful networking, Hallen says. The Board and HPA staff are reviewing every committee, event and membership offering to make sure we are powering value. Another focus in 2023 will be strengthening the committees and the dedicated group of active volunteers. We continue to enroll volunteer leaders, says Hallen. It's always been run by people with terrible cases of volunteer-itis. He jokes that, Leon [Silverman] infected me years ago, and stressed that, we still need new, fresh and diverse voices with numerous interests in our community. HPA participation is not exclusive at all, he added. You don't have to be invited to participate - just raise your hand and join.
Hallen continues, with regard to diversity, there will also be more to come from HPA in 2023, and that focus will be woven into everything we do. Our board members are focused on continuing to foster and support diversity, equity and inclusion across the organization, its events and its community, he says.
The overall goal for the new year, says Hallen is, continuing to remain relevant and focusing on what the community needs.
As the industry and HPA continues to evolve so rapidly, we're examining how HPA can continue to play a leading role in bringing value to the community, he concludes. We want to make sure everyone has a seat at the table.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026
New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions
Shotoku US...
14/04/2026
Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...
14/04/2026
Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion
New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...
14/04/2026
Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...
14/04/2026
Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound.
April 14, ...
14/04/2026
Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...
14/04/2026
Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...
14/04/2026
Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...
14/04/2026
LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...
14/04/2026
Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21
Brie Clayton April 14, 2026
0 Comments
Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...