Brandon Baker, Sencore, Strategic Account Manager

Brandon Baker is a strategic account manager for Sencore, an engineering leader in the development of reliable, cost-effective video distribution solutions for the broadcast, cable, satellite, IPTV, and OTT markets. While serving in this role, he has enabled the largest media companies in the U.S. with the right encoding, decoding, transmission, and monitoring tools in today’s evolving content consumption landscape.

Prior to Sencore, Baker held key positions in sales, business development, and product management throughout the industry. He has a B.A. in electronic media from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.B.A from Colorado State University.

Lionel Bentolila, Aldea Solutions, CEO

Lionel Bentolila is a founder of Aldea Solutions and has been its CEO since 2001. Aldea is a leading provider of high-quality, ultra-low latency, and reliable video services and solutions for the television and media industries.

Prior to Aldea, Bentolila held senior management positions in sales, marketing, and engineering at ABL Canada, a provider of broadcast video compression and networking equipment. His technology career began at Nortel Networks research and development labs.

Bentolila holds an engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris in France and studied at McGill University in Montreal, Canada where he completed his M.B.A.

Andre Carrington, Lumen Technologies, Senior Solutions Engineer, Strategic Content Division

Andre Carrington is responsible for creating custom, complex media-solution designs for the largest names in broadcasting, sports, and media entertainment. He has been supporting this customer base for over 12 years and has a robust technical background that encompasses traditional video transport, CDN, IP, security, DWDM, and Ethernet.

Carrington has been instrumental in tailoring Lumen Technologies’ service portfolio for various use cases including the design of new OTT video-acquisition networks, multicast-enabled VPNs supporting live-video backhaul, and private high-capacity long-haul DWDM networks. He holds a BSCS from the New York Institute of Technology and lives in upstate NY.

Brad Cheney, Fox Sports, VP, Field Operations and Engineering

Brad Cheney manages technical and operational planning for golf, baseball, and college sports along with advanced-technology projects for Fox Sports Media Group.

Cheney is a leader in new technology approaches, including IP-based live and post-production centers, IP over RF, UHD, HDR, and UAS systems. His work includes innovative production approaches and executions for in-ground audio, robotic cameras, and home run productions.

Cheney is a six-time Emmy winner and previously worked for MLB Network, the Late Show with David Letterman, Game Creek Video, and Cox Sports.

Ghislain Collette, Haivision, Vice President, Product Management

Ghislain Collette has over 20 years of experience in video networking, working in the broadcast, cable distribution, and streaming industries. Prior to Haivision, he served as a project engineer at Videotron, designing and coordinating the deployment of multi-million dollar projects and at Miranda Technologies / Miranda Media Networks where he served as product manager for the transport and multimedia products. Collette holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from University of Sherbrooke (Canada). 

Chris Connolly, NBC Sports Group, Senior Director, Transmission Engineering and Operations

Chris Connolly has been with NBC Sports for over seven years. He currently oversees all transmission engineering and operations for NBC Sports Group and is based out of its state-of-the-art broadcast center in Stamford, CT. This encompasses NBC Sports, NBC Digital, NBC Olympics, Olympic Channel, and Golf Channel.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

Brandon Costa covers the sports video production industry with a focus on live streaming, over-the-top (OTT), social media, and other digital distribution technologies and platforms. He also directs SVG’s internal digital strategies launching the company’s video outfit, ‘SVG On Demand,’ designing and overseeing its mobile application, ‘SVG Mobile,’ and serving as executive producer and host of The SVG Podcast. Costa serves as program director of networking events serving the SVG College and SVG Digital communities. Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years producing digital content for MLB Advanced Media.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor and TranSPORT Program Director

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies.

John Dale, Media Links, Director, Chief Marketing Officer

As CMO, John Dale leads Media Links’ product teams. He also plays a crucial role in the creation of key standards for the whole video IP industry. Dale sits on the board of the VSF and co-chairs the J2K ULL Media over IP Activity group.

Dale‘s main areas of interest include: video transport, video over IP infrastructure, broadcast systems architecture, media networking, and skiing.

Steven Dargham, Telstra Broadcast Services, Business Development Executive - Major Events

Steven Dargham is the business development executive for major events at Telstra Broadcast Services and has over 27 years of experience in the telecom and technology industry. Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Dargham has been working with Telstra’s sports, broadcast, and media customers to deliver major live international events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, the Asian and SEA Games, and numerous international tennis events including the Grand Slams. Dargham has also led the Telstra support of James Cameron’s Deep Sea Challenge mission to the Pacific Ocean, architecting the network that helped the team connect, communicate, and deliver the live broadcast of the historic expedition to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, which lies 10.99 kilometers below the ocean’s surface.

Desmond Gallahue, Telstra Broadcast Services, Global Account Director, Media and Broadcast, Telstra Americas

Desmond Gallahue is a global account director of media and broadcast for Telstra Americas where he is responsible for business development, sales, and go-to-market strategy in the media and broadcast industry. Gallahue has an extensive media and broadcast background having spent the last 30 years in various sales and business development positions within the industry. Most recently, he was the director of business development at Zayo. Prior to that, Gallahue worked with several startups such as MediaXstream / Hibernia (now GTT), Broadwing Media (now CenturyLink), and more established media companies such as The Switch and Vyvx (now CenturyLink). With a passion for sports, Gallahue has spent most of his years focusing on the sports market, selling directly to the major U.S. teams and leagues, as well as to broadcasters such as ESPN and Fox Sports.

Matthew Goldman, MediaKind, SVP of Technology

Matthew Goldman is senior vice president of technology at MediaKind, where he is focused on media processing solutions. He has been actively involved in the development of digital television systems since 1992. Goldman was a prominent participant in the Moving Picture Experts Group where he helped create the MPEG-2 Systems and DSM-CC standards. He continues to be influential in other industry organizations including the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Advanced Television Systems Committee, the Digital Video Broadcasting project, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and the Ultra HD Forum. Four of Goldman’s projects have been later recognized by Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards.

Goldman received bachelor (high honors) and Master of Sciences degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He holds six patents related to digital video transport. A SMPTE Fellow, Goldman is also a senior member of the IEEE and an inductee of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers. In 2018 and 2019, he served as the president of SMPTE.

Mo Goyal, Evertz, Senior Director, International Business Development, Live Media Production

Mo Goyal has been with Evertz since 2005, with roles that include product manager and product marketing. He is currently responsible for international business development for live media production which includes Evertz’s Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) IP solutions and DreamCatcher production suite.

Prior to Evertz, Goyal’s previous work experience included: developing software for small to mid-size IP data routers, creating an IPv6 forwarding engine for a 10GbE network processor for large core routers, and introducing Ethernet services on Nortel optical transport products. He graduated with a degree in computer engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and has been a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario since 1996.

Kristian Hernandez, SVG, Associate Editor and Social Media Manager

Kristian Hernandez handles the day-to-day construction of the SVG Insider newsletter, oversees all social media content distribution, and covers various sports technology topics for Sports Video Group. In addition, he is the program director for the annual SVG Venue Summit. Before joining SVG, Hernandez served as co-founder of CHC-TV, the first student-run television studio at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. While at CHC, Hernandez produced a daily sports show named On the Hill with Hernandez — covering all men’s and women’s athletics for the college. Also, Hernandez spearheaded the college’s newspaper, The Griffin, as its Sports Editor. Hernandez graduated with a BA in Communications. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he currently lives in Queens, NY.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Executive Director, Editorial

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and internet content creation and distribution.

Jay LaPrise, Encompass Digital Media, SVP, Transmission Engineering and Operations, North America

Jay LaPrise is responsible for the overall engineering and operational needs of Encompass’ teleports in North America and for switching facilities, which includes satellite, fiber, and IP transport. His teams work on linear, non-linear channel distribution and emerging technologies. Encompass specializes in live event programming and continues to be a leader in distributing high-profile events.

LaPrise has over 30 years of satellite broadcasting experience starting from the days of analog to today’s high-throughput, high-order modulation delivery. LaPrise and his teams are consistently providing best-in-class service to a global client portfolio through leading-edge technology while continuing to support legacy delivery systems.

Andreas Langell, Mobilelinks, CEO

Andreas Langell has a long history as a technical production manager. He got into the broadcast industry during the times of analog television and has been involved in numerous developments of broadcast technology and workflows. Langell’s focus today is on media transport at Mobilelinks, but he is also as a freelance production manager at international sport events.

Renaud Lavoie, Riedel, Managing Director, Riedel Montreal

Renaud Lavoie is a technology enthusiast, an entrepreneur, and an inventor who contributed to the 38 patents of Embrionix (now part of Riedel Communications). An engineer by profession, he started his career in telecommunications, while teaching at Ecole de Technologie in Montreal. After having worked at Miranda for seven years, Lavoie founded Embrionix, which grew quickly and drastically (recognized by Deloitte, Fast50 in 2016).

Lavoie’s vision is to change the broadcast world by simplifying IP infrastructures and using miniaturized products to reduce the footprints of installations. He continues to pursue this vision now that Embrionix has joined forces with Riedel Communications. Lavoie’s current role at Riedel is managing director of Riedel Montreal, where he keeps an eye on the technology for the MediorNet IP product line.

Per Lindgren, Net Insight, CTO and Co-Founder

Per Lindgren is CTO of Net Insight and is a founding member of the company. The last year, Lindgren spearheaded the development of Sye, the low latency OTT streaming platform that was recently acquired by Amazon. In addition, he is an inventor of more than 15 patents.

Previously, Lindgren was an assistant professor at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology and holds a Ph.D. in telecommunications from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm.

Daniel Maloney, Matrox, Technical Marketing Manager

As technical marketing manager at Matrox Video, Daniel Maloney has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and the product development of digital video solutions. Maloney is responsible for defining the infrastructure strategy for end-user product lines, including webcasting, video transport, and signal converter products. He engages audiences around the world, having spoken at some of the broadcast and media technology industry’s most well-known conferences, including IBC in Amsterdam, BVE in London, and NAB in Las Vegas.

Dan Pisarski, LiveU, VP of Engineering

Dan Pisarski is an engineering leader in the online, video, and broadcast industries with over 20 years of experience. With a broad background in software and hardware design, product development, research and analysis, and quality assurance, Pisarski understands how to take complex technology solutions from inception to delivery and beyond. As a tech visionary, he is a recurring contributor to articles and white papers communicating both practical know-how and forward-thinking knowledge to help bring the live video industry to the next level. Pisarski is also a frequent presenter sharing his technological expertise at industry conferences around the country with sessions ranging from open-source solutions to bringing linear channel infrastructure online for OTT services.

Andy Rayner, Nevion, Chief Technologist

Andy Rayner is chief technologist at Nevion. In addition to providing technical direction for the evolution of the company’s media solutions, he heads up the Nevion UK technology centre.

Nevion provides award-winning media transport solutions to broadcasters, telecom service providers, governmental agencies, and other industries.

Prior to joining Nevion in 2010, Rayner was head of the broadcast technology at BT. In this role, he was responsible for the design of the BT Global Media Network and oversaw the development of key video interfacing, monitoring, and protection technology. Rayner has filed many patents – both with BT and Nevion.

Marcus Schioler, Haivision, Vice President of Product Marketing

Marcus Schioler is Haivision’s vice president of product marketing. He has over 20 years of experience in technology and product development, with a number of industry-leading companies. This experience has allowed Schioler to develop a broad base of knowledge in video streaming and expertise in post-production for film, television, and video games. Schioler frequently presents and writes on numerous video-related topics including broadcast streaming, cloud media routing, remote production, and low latency video.

Paul Spinelli, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Director of Engineering

Paul Spinelli has been the director of engineering for Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG) since 2014. Prior to this he served as the engineering manager of Sinclair Television Group’s corporate facilities. He has held various operations and engineering positions with SBG for the past 12 years. Before his time at Sinclair he spent time working at WBOC, PSAV, and QVC.

Spinelli is active in many broadcast-related technical organizations such as the ATSC, Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), and the Avid Customer Association (ACA). He has been an SBE certified member and an Avid certified support representative for the past 10 years.

Spinelli has expanded SBG’s linear and file-based acquisition and distribution strategies and technologies. He attended Salisbury University on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where he earned a B.A. in communications, B.A. in theatre, and played football. He remains active in the Salisbury University Maroon & Gold Club to support fundraising efforts for student athletes.

Brian Stanley, Arctek Satellite Productions, Owner and CEO

Brian Stanley has been working in the television and satellite industry for over 27 years. In 2003, Stanley and two partners started Arctek Satellite Productions. 17 years later, he became the sole owner, overseeing the day to day operation and management of his five uplink trucks.

Arctek transmits nearly 400 sporting events per year, transmitting everything from a single feed back haul to multi-camera REMI/at-home productions. Arctek trucks travel coast to coast.

Prior to starting Arctek, Stanley worked for Conus Communications, a pioneer in satellite transmissions.

Emory Strilkauskas, Brklyn Media, Managing Partner, Network Operations

Emory Strilkauskas has 32 years of experience working at ESPN where he held leadership positions in operations, engineering, advanced technology, and product management. Recently, he launched Brklyn Media with Rick Phelps. Brklyn Media bridges content to consumers with camera to consumer virtualized media services that are cost effective, flexible, and scalable. Their professional quality solutions support broadcast, digital media, and enterprise workflows so customers can better monetize their content.

Adam Whitlock, ESPN, Associate Director, Remote Traffic Operations

Adam Whitlock oversees the daily operation of ESPN’s Remote Traffic department, which is responsible for the acquisition of all live event contribution transmissions for ESPN linear and digital networks, both domestic and international. Since joining ESPN in 2001, Whitlock has provided transmission planning and on-site support to a variety of remote event productions including the Super Bowl, World Cup, World Series, X Games, and NBA Finals, as well as Monday Night Football.

The three-time Emmy recipient also oversees all remote telecom services, managing a voice-over-IP system used to support more than 1,000 remote events annually. In 2014, Whitlock supported the SEC Network launch by designing and implementing a completely fiber-optic video and data network across more than 100 athletic venues within the conference to facilitate unlimited campus productions and ESPN Remote Operations events. In 2019, he launched another conference-wide fiber optic video and data network in support of the ACC Network.

Whitlock is currently focused on the reactivation of seasonal sports and live-from-home production workflows while overseeing more than 70,000 satellite, fiber optic, and IP based transmissions annually.