SMPTE Introduces New Strategic Plan at Annual Conference

SMPTE held its Annual General Membership meeting at the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2018). In addition to introducing new officers and members of the SMPTE Board of Governors for 2019-2020, the Society’s leadership announced the completion of a strategic business plan that will guide the Society in becoming an even more valuable resource for individuals and organizations within the media and entertainment industry.

“The strategic business plan officially released today reflects the initiative championed by SMPTE president Matthew Goldman to examine the Society and to establish our guiding principles, vision, mission, and value propositions resulting in this new three-year strategic plan,” says SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange. “I look forward to working with current and newly elected SMPTE Board of Governors leadership to achieve the ambitious objectives set out in this plan.”

The plan was introduced by SMPTE President-Elect Patrick Griffis. As put forth in the plan, SMPTE’s guiding principles emphasize the Society’s role as a global organization and stress its ongoing commitment to being both inclusive and objective.

A refreshed SMPTE mission statement focuses on facilitating industry interoperability by setting industry standards, providing relevant education, and fostering an engaged membership community. The strategic plan further includes the Society’s first formal vision statement: SMPTE enables the technical framework and global professional community that makes motion-picture, television, and professional media available for all humanity to enjoy for artistic, educational, and social purposes.

SMPTE has tied its goals to the Society’s three pillars: standards, education, and membership. Moving forward, SMPTE will apply these values, vision, and mission statements to specific goals to better serve the global motion-picture, television, and professional media industry.

Within its standards work, the Society will create a Knowledge Network environment that enables standards-development processes while improving how content is discovered, accessed, and monetized.

Within its education work, the Society will continue to enhance its offerings to become the comprehensive resource for industry-relevant professional development. SMPTE will continue providing education on emerging technologies that professionals must understand for continued career success.

In continuing to build SMPTE membership around the world, the Society will focus on extending its presence at the local Section level and on ensuring high levels of volunteer engagement, including recognition of service, to create a more robust and diverse global community for its members.

The SMPTE Board of Governors will be responsible for overseeing the Society’s new strategic business plan. Following recent elections for 2019-2020, the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors will include Griffis, vice president of technology at Dolby Laboratories; Executive Vice President Hans Hoffmann, senior manager, media production technologies, for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Technology and Innovation department; Education Vice President Sara Kudrle, product marketing manager at Imagine Communications; Secretary/Treasurer John E. Ferder; and Past President Matthew Goldman, senior vice president of technology at MediaKind. Officers continuing in their current terms include SMPTE Standards Vice President Bruce Devlin of Mr MXF; and SMPTE Membership Vice President Peter Wharton, president of Happy Robotz.

In addition to the officers and governors that were previously elected by the membership and announced earlier this month, Lange announced that the Board of Governors has appointed Patricia Keighley of IMAX as Finance Vice President, Thomas Mauro of Arvato as New York Regional Governor, as well as two governors-at-large: HPA President Seth Hallen and Brian Claypool of Christie Digital System.

Among the other topics covered at the Annual General Membership meeting, Lange provided updates on the status of membership and recent standards developments.

SMPTE Past President Wendy Aylsworth, the Society’s first woman president, was recognized during the meeting for earning the prestigious Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award, handed out by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which will be presented to her tomorrow at the Television Academy’s Engineering Emmy Awards ceremony.