
Welcome to the first Meet Your Maker Q&A! Meet Your Maker is a series of behind-the-scenes videos and blogs that explores the amazing people behind Calrec, illustrating the wide range of in-house skillsets we use to design and manufacture our market-leading broadcast technology.
This week we had the pleasure of speaking with one of Calrec's Product Managers, Gareth Frimston, about the importance of collaborating with customers and never shying away from a challenge!
1. What is your role with Calrec and what does it entail?
I'm a Product Manager. The role is, essentially, to discuss product ideas, document the details and to help guide Calrec through development. Doing that involves things like researching features, writing requirements and discussing them with developers. We also help Sales Managers and Support Engineers with their product enquiries and their feedback.
2. How does the wider broadcast environment influence development?
The wider broadcast environment has a direct influence on product development. As consumer habits evolve, the demands and requirements of broadcasters do too. New types of content like eSports and adapting workflows like remote production bring new challenges that require new solutions. The market pull this creates - combined with the push of improving technology - forms trends toward new solutions that standards bodies and manufacturers like Calrec seek to develop products to provide for.
3. What does Calrec do to keep across upcoming broadcast trends? What are the good sources of information?
There are lots of sources online that can provide a good insight into ongoing and upcoming trends in broadcast and broadcast technology; however, our most valuable sources of information are the people who work with our products and who work in broadcast environments every day. Across the company, we have regular conversations with broadcasters, audio operators, distributors, sales managers and support engineers from all over the world about new requirements, new solutions and new ideas. We also have constant involvement with other solutions providers, other manufacturers, and established industry bodies.
4. Which industry bodies are Calrec an active part of? How does Calrec keep across industry standards (AES, SMPTE, NMOS, AIMS etc.)
Calrec has been around in some form or other for over 50 years so membership of industry bodies and engaging with industry standards is not new to us. We are sustaining member of the Audio Engineering Society and of SMPTE and we are an associate member of AMWA, which is working on NMOS specifications, and the Alliance for IP Media Solutions, better known as AIMS. Membership of these groups is important to keep up with standards, but just as with all broadcast trends, so is regular conversation with our customers.
5. How important are relationships with customers in product development, and how does Calrec build those relationships?
Speaking personally, before I became a Product Manager, I was a Customer Support Engineer. During that time, I was really lucky to work with distributors, engineers and operators all over the world. Really I learned everything I know about broadcast from working closely with them, so I have a great appreciation of how important those relationships are, and I'm not alone; we work from a knowledge base across the company that is built on decades of experience of working closely with our customers. Building those relationships, from my perspective, is really just about good communication. Via email or over a beer, it doesn't really matter as long as we're talking to and learning from, each other.
6. How does the Product Management team feed into R&D? What is the relationship and dynamic?
We work closely with all the other teams within the R&D department. Our role as Product Managers is to provide them with product descriptions, requirements and design ideas, and they provide us with all sorts of technical details anything from materials, component selections and thermal analyses through to system architectures, data models and DSP. We have an incredibly talented group of people and it's very much a two-way conversation every step of the way.
7. As a manufacturer, how far ahead does Calrec need to plan?
Our customers' requirements are always changing and keeping up to date with them is essential, so we always have one eye on the trends in broadcast and on the developing technologies that relate to it. Inevitably, it takes time to develop new solutions from ideation to production, so we have to plan well ahead in order to deliver the right products at the right time.
8. How important is dialogue with other manufacturers?
We all serve the same ecosystem so it's important to keep up-to-date on each other's capabilities, products and projects. Our customers need equipment and software from different manufacturers to work together seamlessly, so we're always happy to get in touch with other manufacturers to discuss these things and to collaborate.
9. What are the important considerations when looking at designing new equipment?
There are thousands of considerations to make when designing new equipment and the software to control it, but broadly speaking it's important to remain focussed on the problems you're trying to solve and how you're going to solve them. It's no good for anyone if we deliver products that don't solve our customers' problems.
One constant focus for us, in particular, is usability. We want our products to be flexible so that users can configure them to fit into their specific installations and workflows, but we also want the user interfaces and system behaviours to be as simple and as intuitive as possible. To achieve that balance inherently leads to additional work in the backend of the systems. But we understand
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
04/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...
04/07/2025
The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...
04/07/2025
WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
04/07/2025
Friday 4 July 2025
Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8
Further...
04/07/2025
The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...
03/07/2025
For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...
03/07/2025
One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit!
Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit!
Our i...
03/07/2025
The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...
03/07/2025
What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London!
We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography.
A huge thank ...
03/07/2025
ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode
Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...
03/07/2025
To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...
03/07/2025
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....
03/07/2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...
03/07/2025
As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...
03/07/2025
Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...
03/07/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....
03/07/2025
WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...
03/07/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....
03/07/2025
Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...
03/07/2025
For Los Angeles-based photographer Scout Pruski, documenting the annual Dyke Day LA is a way to honor and give back to the city's legacy queer community and...
03/07/2025
Modular, Travel-Ready Solution Matthews Studio Equipment launches the new Chimera V-Flat Panel Frame Kit, the lightweight and modular, ultra-durable alternativ...
03/07/2025
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the release of Dalet Flex 2025.6 LTS (long-term support), introdu...
03/07/2025
Lightware's LARA Wizard makes it quicker and easier than ever to set up audio-visual (AV) room automation and control configurations, ensuring anyone, from ...
03/07/2025
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has obtained both the NCAGE Code (NATO Commercial and Government Entity) and TAA (Trade Agreements Act)...
03/07/2025
nxtedition is implementing a new solution for WIN Network, based in its headquarters in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The nxtedition integrated platfo...
03/07/2025
ORS Group and Insys Video Technologies today announce the launch of a new joint brand identity: Big Blue Marble. The move reflects the evolution of a long-stand...
03/07/2025
Evergent, a global leader in customer lifecycle management and monetization solutions for subscription-based businesses, today announced the successful results ...
03/07/2025
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions today announces an executive leadership transition, effective July 1, 2025. Markus Motzko has been...
03/07/2025
Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Production-Proven Renderer V-Ray Arrives Natively in Blender for the First Time;...
03/07/2025
Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Replay workflow joins 14 Blackmagic Design cam...
03/07/2025
Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Al...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get Ready for Even More Action! Netflix Has Confirmed the Thir...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get ready for even more action! Netflix has confirmed the thir...
03/07/2025
In today's fragmented media landscape, advertisers expect more than just reach - they want seamless cross-platform campaigns that deliver measurable results...
03/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT ** Shonen Jump Store Hosting Los Angeles Pop-up During Anime Exp...
03/07/2025
Thursday 3 July 2025
David Harewood and Matthew Broome in Mozart: Genius for Hi...
03/07/2025
The Sky WNT Fund supports Womens National Team players with a 30,000 bursaryThursday 3 July 2025
Sky Ireland has announced the four recipients of the 2025 Sky...
03/07/2025
The forecast this month is showing a 100% chance of epic gaming. Catch the scorching lineup of 20 titles coming to the cloud, which gamers can play whether indo...
02/07/2025
Hege Wik and Odin appear in FOLKTALES by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institut...