Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Meet Your Maker: Gareth Frimston

02/06/2020

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
LINK: https://calrec.com/blog/meet-your-maker-gareth-frimston/...
See more stories from calrec

Most recent headlines

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

28/03/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...

28/03/2024

The Best Shared Storage For Video Production

alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...

28/03/2024

Future-Proofing the B-52

L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....

28/03/2024

Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series

L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....

28/03/2024

ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set

NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....

28/03/2024

Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas

MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....

28/03/2024

Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network

NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...

28/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...

28/03/2024

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...

28/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...

28/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...

28/03/2024

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...

28/03/2024

The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth

TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...

28/03/2024

2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...

28/03/2024

JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies

With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...

28/03/2024

Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers

The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....

28/03/2024

GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....

28/03/2024

Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....

28/03/2024

Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus

Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...

28/03/2024

Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative

Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...

28/03/2024

Circle City Broadcasting Renews Nielsen Ratings Deal

Nielsen said that Circle City Broadcasting, owner of WISH-TV in Indianapolis, has renewed its local TV measurement deal....

28/03/2024

Lionsgate Extends Deal With Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures

Lionsgate Television said it extended its deal with Point Grey Pictures, the production company led by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver....

28/03/2024

Ariana DeBose Back as Tonys Host

Ariana DeBose returns as host of the Tony Awards Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount Plus. It is her third consecutive time hosting, and it will be the 77th T...

28/03/2024

The Steve Wilkos Show' Renewed for Season 18

The Steve Wilkos Show has been renewed for its 18th season in national syndication, Tracie Wilson, executive VP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News, sai...

28/03/2024

Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine

PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...

28/03/2024

Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal

NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...

28/03/2024

JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show

LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....

28/03/2024

Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0

BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...

28/03/2024

NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast

The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....

28/03/2024

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...

28/03/2024

TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio

TNT Sports Gets Its College Game On for March Madness Audio Marching bands, crowds make up for lack of court FX and wired players By Dan Daley, Audio Editor ...

28/03/2024

Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Shared Reality' Venues

Cosm/ESPN Deal Will Bring NBA, NHL, Tennis, College Football, and More to Share...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2024 Home Games

MLB 2024: The Famous Group, Miami Marlins Team Up for AI-Powered Intro for All 2...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: MLB Network Showcase Opts for Secaucus-Based Remote Production

MLB 2024: MLB Network Showcase Opts for Secaucus-Based Remote Production The league's production arm marks 15th-anniversary season with packed schedule By ...

28/03/2024

MLB Opening Day: ESPN Brings Sunday Night Baseball Into Analytic Age With Volumetric Replays, Win Probability' in Scorebug

MLB Opening Day: ESPN Brings Sunday Night Baseball Into Analytic Age With Volume...

28/03/2024

MLB 2024: FOX Sports Steps Up to the Plate With Big Audio Plans

MLB 2024: FOX Sports Steps Up to the Plate With Big Audio Plans More player and field sound will be on tap By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Thursday, March 28, 202...

28/03/2024

Rohde & Schwarz first to show measurements on novel Bluetooth Channel Sounding signals for positioning accuracy

Rohde & Schwarz first to show measurements on novel Bluetooth Channel Sounding ...

28/03/2024

Julia Rodgers Joins Riedel Communications as Southeast Regional Sales Manager, Bringing Decades of Industry Expertise

Wuppertal March 28, 2024 Julia Rodgers Joins Riedel Communications as Southeas...

28/03/2024

Netflix Announces Agatha Christie Series 'The Seven Dials Mystery' by 'Broadchurch' Writer Chris Chibnall

Back to All News Netflix Announces Agatha Christie Series The Seven Dials Myste...

28/03/2024

Haivision Showcases World-Leading Live Video Contribution Ecosystem at the 2024 NAB Show

Makito X4 video encoders, Haivision Pro mobile transmitters, StreamHub receiver,...

28/03/2024

FOR-A shows production flexibility for entertainment and sports at CABSAT

Compressed and uncompressed IP solutions alongside SDI...

28/03/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zanele informs Zola of her pregnancy

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zanele informs Zola of her pregnancyDon't miss Thursday, 28 March's riveting episode of South African soapie House of Zwide o...

28/03/2024

Tonight on Umkhokha: MaMzobe outsmarts Gabisile but Difa's suspicion rises

Tonight on Umkhokha: MaMzobe outsmarts Gabisile but Difa's suspicion risesDon't miss Thursday, 28 March's riveting episode of South African soapie U...

28/03/2024

Tonight on Uzalo: Mbatha wins Linda Sibiya over

Tonight on Uzalo: Mbatha wins Linda Sibiya overDon't miss Wednesday, 27 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Uzalo on SABC 1 on DStv channel...

28/03/2024

Greater Scope: Doctors Get Inside Look at Gut Health With AI-Powered Endoscopy

From humble beginnings as a university spinoff to an acquisition by the leading global medtech company in its field, Odin Vision has been on an accelerated jour...

28/03/2024

Generations: The Legacy - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Generations: The Legacy - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The S...

28/03/2024

Prison Journalism: Witness the Cycle from the Streets

Prison Journalism: Witness the Cycle from the StreetsWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore...

28/03/2024

Prison Journalism: Inmate pre-release and release processes

Prison Journalism: Inmate pre-release and release processesDean Mashimbwe, a Zimbabwean migrant residing in Cape Town, was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctiona...