Live Media Enters New Era With Rebrand, Refresh of Production-Truck Fleet President Michael Sullivan offers a look at the changes and growth for the renamed Lyon Video By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 2:32 pm
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The production-facilities business is undergoing a transformation. With the rise of technologies like at-home production and strategic implementations of the cloud, the mobile-production-facilities business continues to evolve substantially. Now a newly rebranded player is striving to realign its position as a trusted partner for live production.
Following the renaming of Lyon Video in January, Live Media is reintroducing itself to the industry with an eye toward growing its already sizable contributions to the sports and entertainment market. So far this year, the company has bolstered its staff, invested in upgrades to its fleet of 30 mobile production units, rolled out two new trucks, opened a centralized control room for at-home production in Nashville, and strengthened its team with commitments to 1080p, HDR, IP, cloud production, and more.
Live Media Group has updated its fleet of mobile production facilities and introduced MU-16 (pictured here) and other trucks to the mix. (All photos: Live Media Group)
Our industry is, now more than ever, incredibly diverse, says Live Media President Michael Sullivan, who took the helm in February following a run in remote operations at ESPN. We are seeing more people interested in the field of production. From the advancement of remote-production solutions to the unique size needs of mobile technology, our fleet is uniquely positioned to provide solutions while maintaining a premier level of quality. Whether [clients] need a 53-ft. double-expando integrated A/B unit or a 20- to 40-ft. production truck with hybrid uplink, we have those solutions for the evolving world.
Live Media's priority is to offer a greater variety of truck sizes and capabilities to better serve clients of different scale and needs. We love the diversity of our fleet, says Sullivan. Our industry looks very different now than it did 10 years ago, in terms of technology and production principles. Our growth will match that evolution and change.
He describes the past six months as an exciting whirlwind as the company underwent a period of evaluation and developed a three-year revitalization plan for its existing fleet and the introduction of new trucks. The company is currently in Phase 1 of that plan, under which trucks have been upgraded and two new trucks rolled out.
Live Media Group MU-22 mobile production facility is a 48-ft. 3G double expando with uplink.
When we looked at these Phase 1 upgrades, he explains, we focused on taking a technician's and tech manager's approach. How do we make our trucks easier to work in? What limitations do technicians have when doing their job? Our focus on reinvestment followed those principles. We work with a lot of fantastic tech/ops producers and technicians, and our trucks should work for them and the way they like to work. On a fundamental level, our improvements have been to enhance the technology of our trucks, create consistency of tech across our trucks, while making the trucks more nimble to operate in.
One of the most important things for me, he continues, is flexibility in the trucks. Each of our partners has extremely specific needs, so our trucks must be able to succeed for them. A lot of that comes back to technician-focused engineering as well as making sure the truck's infrastructure allows that agility. Making sure that each position within a mobile unit is as self-sufficient as possible is critical and something that will be key for us going forward.
Another win this year has been the introduction of IP- and ST 2110-capable mobile facilities currently used by partner Broadcast Service Group (BSG) to cover All Elite Wrestling (AEW). That truck is the first in North America to house an EVS MediaInfra Strata router as well as a Calrec Argo audio mixer.
Being able to lead the industry in some of these production firsts has been an exciting experience, says Sullivan. Partnering with some industry staples to do so has created a strong foundation for future innovation and growth.
Like the truck fleet, the overall Live Media Group family is expanding.
Multiple remote-production control rooms have been built in the company's Nashville office, which houses its TNDV entertainment division. In addition to the remote-production solutions, Sullivan says, we've also launched a cloud solution for some of our clients. This allows increased flexibility for our clients no matter where and what their needs and resources are.
The MU-11 mobile production facility is a 53-ft. 3G single expando.
Last fall, Live Media Group opened a packaging division, GameTime Productions, and added longtime ESPN productions executive Pat Lowry to lead it. She has assembled a team hyper-focused on working with clients on production expertise for live broadcasts, whether sports or otherwise.
More growth is expected in 2025 and beyond, and a commitment to that future made this opportunity to be a part of Live Media Group an attractive one for Sullivan. Ultimately, I saw a tremendous opportunity for growth with dedicated professionals at the core, he says. As a tech manager and remote-operations professional, I had first-hand knowledge and experience in how mobile units could work effectively and efficiently to best serve the client's needs. Throughout the process, in every conversation I had, I saw a company uniquely positioned to succeed in the industry. With the other additions the company has made over the previous couple of years, it was a place that clearly could have a prosperous future.
