Home » About SMPTE » 2007 SMPTE Society Elections for Officers and Governors

2007 Official Election for Officers and Governors of the Society

BALLOTING CLOSES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 at 11:59pm ET

 

To place your vote:

  1. Log in to the Members Area of the website
  2. Click "My Groups" on the left hand side of the page
  3. Select the correct Region Group
  4. On your Region's Group page you will find all ballots on which you are eligible to vote.  Please note that there is a separate ballot for each open position, so you will need to vote on multiple ballots

Engineering Vice President for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009      Vote For: 1

 

Wendy Aylsworth
VP, Technology
Warner Bros.

  • Current Governor Hollywood Section
  • Current Chair DC28 Technical Committee
  • Former Session Chair for Conference Papers for various SMPTE Fall/Winter Conferences
  • Former Paper Writer/Speaker at various SMPTE Fall/Winter Conferences

As VP Technology for Warner Bros., Wendy oversees the establishment of emerging technologies for production divisions.  With her focus in recent years on D-Cinema, Wendy chairs the SMPTE DC28 committee, which has published the first 16 standards created for this new industry.  Wendy is a SMPTE Fellow and Vice Chair of the ITU-R WP6M on Broadcasting Multimedia.  She holds an MS/MBA in Strategic Planning and BS in Computer Sciences. 

Goals:  To continue fostering greater international participation in SMPTE.  To expand the relevance and reach of SMPTE from standards creation into the realm of user groups who are practically implementing the standards in the field. To develop and establish more efficient methods of accomplishing the core work of SMPTE.

 

Conference Vice President for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009      Vote For: 1

 

John Luff
Consultant
HD Consulting

  • Member since 1973. Fellow of the Society 2005
  • Conference VP 2007; Engineering Committees ~1995-1999, including secretary of several.
  • Presented papers to two SMPTE Conferences (1999, 2002); Chair Journal Award Committee (two years); member Journal Award Committee 2 additional years; Chair David Sarnoff Medal Award  2003
  • Session Chair at 2 SMPTE Conferences

John Luff is an independent media technology consultant specializing in a wide range of television technology, facility planning and system design issues. Over the last four decades his clients have included public and commercial broadcasters across North America and Europe.  He was the founder of Synergistic Technologies Incorporated (STI), a system integration and design firm. He was responsible for design and project management for the first 720p origination center at ABC in NY, as well as the first 720p HDTV mobile unit used to bring Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl to audiences in 1999/2000.  John is the current SMPTE Conference Vice President. Since 1998 he has written a regular column and feature articles for Broadcast Engineering Magazine.

Goals: One of the most important services SMPTE provides is our conferences.  Reinvigorating them, and making them successful and invaluable to the members and the industry at large is my goal as a service to the society which has been so important in my career.

 

 

Sections Vice President for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009      Vote For: 1

 

J. David Siegler
Director, Broadcast Operations and Engineering
WSOC/WAXN

  • Current Sections Vice President
  • Current Atlanta Section Immediate Past-Chair
  • Atlanta Section Chair 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 terms
  • 2005 VidTrans/SMPTE AMI Conference General Arrangements Chair
  • December 2003 Local seminar Chair

David Siegler is currently the Director of Broadcast Operations and Engineering for WSOC/WAXN, the duopoly in Charlotte, NC. Having been in the broadcast industry nearly twenty years at both the local and network levels, he has gained a diverse understanding of all technical aspects of broadcasting including file-based video transfer and High Definition.

Goals:  I would like to bring better representation of call-letter stations to the Board of Governors.  As Sections Vice-President, I will focus efforts toward regaining the memberships of those who have not renewed. We also need to do a better job of demonstrating the benefits of technical education and fellowship of the organization for new perspective members.

 


Asia/Australia Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009      Vote For: 1

 

Lam Kwok-luen
Controller,  Broadcasting & Engineering Operations
Hong Kong Cable TV Ltd.

  • Current Chairman, Electronic Training Board of Vocational Training Center
  • Current Vice Chairman, Electronic Training Board of Council, VTC
  • Current Governor,  Asia Pacific, Hong Kong of SMPTE
  • Past  Chair , Hong Kong Section of SMPTE
  • Jan 2006 – supporting of Digital Post Production Forum 2006, HK
  • Aug 2006 – SMPTE Hong Kong Student Chapter Ceremony
  • 9 Nov 2006 – Annual Technical Seminar D-Cinema & DTV the Final Frontier
  • Jan 2005 – IPTV Technical Seminar
  • Nov 2005 – Annual Technical seminar DTV and HD

KL managed the Hong Kong Section for the past 11 years since the section birth as the Chairperson and Governor at present.  His directive and contribution to the industry are well recognized by the industry and members by the organizing of professional TV/Film technical conferences and seminars.  The out reach of SMPTE (HK) Section has been accepted by Singapore and China region by co-organizing technical conference and exhibition supporting.  Also, the 1st off shore SMPTE Student Chapter was established in Aug 2006 and under the supervision by existing Governor Asia Pacific, SMPTE (HK) Section. 

Goals:  KL will work to promote SMPTE to Asia Pacific such as Singapore, Taiwan and China.   In order to expand the reach of membership, we will keep closer contact to CSMPTE by co-organizing technical seminars.  We will also promote the Hong Kong Section through web link and personal reach.  Student Chapters are another tool for promoting SMPTE to the young generation.  Also, he will keep on the directive and contribution to the industry and members by the organizing of professional TV/Film technical conferences, seminars and professional technical courses with the help of IVEs.

 

 

John Maizels
Senior Engineer
FOXTEL

  • Australia Section Manager 1992 – 2000
  • Australia Section Chair:  2001 – Present
    SMPTE Fellow – 2006
  • Convener and Chair, Media Industry Technologist Certification Steering Committee  (becoming SMPTE MITC)
  • Conference Chair, Papers Chair, SMPTE Australia conference series

Currently a Senior Engineer with FOXTEL, John’s 35 year career spans radio and television, and creative, production and engineering roles.   In 1989 he created Australia’s first major compressed digital Business TV/Distance Education network.

John has served on the Australia Section Board since 1990, significantly driving strategy and execution of the Section’s Conference activity.    He Chairs “Media Industry Technologist Certification”, a National cross-industry project formed to restore learning culture and education to practitioners in the Broadcast, Film, New Media and Transmission industries.    John is a Fellow of the SMPTE.

Goals:  John is committed to focus SMPTE on ways to be relevant and valuable to members, to show leadership in development of media engineering as a profession, and especially to ensure that the Society actively pursues goals which lead to learning culture and skills development in our industry.

Canadian Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009      Vote For: 1

 

Eric J. Heidendahl
Director of Engineering, Eastern Canada
CanWest/Global TV

  • Currently: Board Manager for Toronto Section
  • Past position as Manager at large

Eric Heidendahl is the Director of Engineering, Eastern Canada for Global Television. Prior to joining Global, Mr. Heidendahl was the General Manager, Technology & Product Support with Sony Canada. Mr. Heidendahl has also served in a number of other senior technical roles in Canada’s broadcast industry.

He holds a Graduate Engineering Technologist Diploma from the Engineering Technology Faculty of Centennial College. He currently is serving as a Board of Manager for the Toronto Section of SMPTE.

Goals:  To continue to drive membership levels through value added events such as provocative, pertinent meetings, as well as informative technical seminars.
To continue to improvement these technical seminars which are clearly in high demand according to our membership surveys, as they represent not only an important source of information and education for our members, but also a source of sustaining revenue.
Though there has been tacit cooperation between the Toronto and Montreal sections the activities of all Canadian sections need to be more closely coordinated.

 

 

Michael J Martin, GDM, SCPM, PMP, CBNT
Senior Managing Consultant
IBM Canada; Global Business Services, Media and Entertainment Practice

  • Served on the Toronto Section of the Board of Managers for seven two-year terms (14 years over a 20 span)
  • Held Toronto Section Board of Manager roles as the Education Chair, Membership Chair, Manager, and Manager-at-Large, during these years of service
  • Award for Outstanding Service for participation in the 1998 Advanced Motion Imaging Conference
  • Commendation for service to the society while on the Board of Managers from 1987 to 1989
  • Personally present at local Section meetings more than 18 times over 28 years of SMPTE membership
  • Produced more than 30 Toronto Section meetings

Michael J Martin is a Senior Managing Consultant at IBM Canada.  For 32 years, he has served the broadcasting, post-production, film, and broadband industries.   He has collaborated with the industry’s brightest and most capable engineers and managers in the creation of many noteworthy projects.  He is a committed lifelong learner, currently pursuing an MBA degree.  In June 2003, he was honoured with the prestigious Centennial College Alumnus of Distinction award in the category of Business.

Goals:  To help the Society appreciate the worth of seamless technical integration between classic broadcast equipment and next-generation IT technologies - the demarcation lines are blurring - by bridging the knowledge and sharing the intricacies through education and communication.  A vertically and horizontally integrated media business creates monetary value for its shareholders.

 

Paul Stechly
President
Applied Electronics Limited

  • Currently: Past Chair, Toronto Section
  • Served as Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and Manager for Toronto Section
  • Participated on several Toronto Section Technical Seminar committees including HD BOOT Camp I.
  • Arranged or helped arrange a variety of meetings in over the last 7 years on the Toronto Section board.

Paul Stechly has been employed with Applied Electronics for 25 years.  He is the son of company founder, the late, Michael Stechly.  Paul is the company President, a position held since 1997.  Mr. Stechly is an honours graduate of the University of Waterloo. He holds a number of U.S. and Canadian patents on mechanical apparatus used in display system design.  Paul is the current Past Chair of the Toronto Section of SMPTE.

Goals:  Emerging technologies are creating new, and important demands for technical standards. As the head of one of the largest systems integration firms in North America, it is my goal to bring the practical experience and visible industry imperatives to the standards process.

 

 Eastern Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009              Vote For: 1

Graham A. Jones
Director, Communications Engineering
National Association of Broadcasters
  • SMPTE Member since 1973, Manager of Washington DC Section since 2004, Program Chair 2004-6
  • SMPTE Director of Education, 2007
  • Participating Member of Engineering Committee D27 on Data Essence Technology and S22 on Television Systems Technology
    Chair, S22 Study Group on Image Formatting for Transmission and Display
  • Chair, S22 Ad Hoc Group on Lip Sync Issues


Graham has 40 years broadcast engineering experience. With NAB he works on advanced television and helps organize the NAB Convention. He chairs the ATSC Planning Committee, works on standards in ATSC and SMPTE and is Director of Education for SMPTE. Committed to broadcast education, he authored A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers and edited the NAB Engineering Handbook 10th Edition. He is a SMPTE Fellow and received the ATSC Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award

Goals:  Encourage Sections to actively recruit new members and offer stimulating local programs. Coordinate with Student Chapters to help bring well-educated new engineers into the profession. Work to keep the Journal and Conferences relevant and useful to SMPTE members. Plan to attract the qualified volunteers needed for world-class standards-setting activities.

 

Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Central and South America Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009                          Vote For: 1

 

 

Hans Hoffmann
Senior Engineer
European Broadcasting Union

  • Engineering Director Television and chair of the TV steering committee 2001-2005
  • Chairman of the Technology Committee N26 (Networks and File-Management)
  • Chairman of the AHG on MXF
  • Subgroup chairman of the Joint EBU SMPTE TASK FORCE
  • Member of the Television committees N26, C24, D27, W25, R30, V16, S22
  • Fellow of the SMPTE in 2000

Hans Hoffmann joined the IRT (Munich) in 1993 as research staff in the video measurements department. In February 2000 he moved as Senior Engineer to the Technical Department of the European Broadcasting Union in Geneva. He has chaired a number of EBU project groups and was chairman of the SMPTE technology committee N26 on Networks and File Management. He was also SMPTE Engineering Director Television for two consecutive terms. Since about three years he is very involved in the EBU technical activities on High Definition in Television production and emission and was also responsible for setting up the EBU HDTV testing facilities.
Hans is a frequent speaker at international conferences and has published a number of technical papers. He is a fellow and member of the SMPTE and a member of the IEEE, SID and FKT.

Goals:  SMPTE has been recognized as a key player in the international standards setting environment for the professional audiovisual world. It is my goal to foster this! For the future, SMPTEs' standards activities have to provide a broader platform with more user participation from around the world - where users and industry jointly can set the new technology standards. I will be proactive, that SMPTE's achievements are disseminated to the public, in the press, in seminars, in training sessions and at conferences.  

  

Angelo D’Alessio
General Manager
CDG – Cine Design Group

  • Director, International Sections – 1994 to present
  • Participant DC28 WG & SG
  • Organizer of International D-Cinema Forum – Venice Film Festival
  • Member of SMPTE Foundation

Angelo D’Alessio holds Degrees in Electronics, Sociology, and Mass Media & Communications.  He teaches at the National Cinema School for Digital Cinematography and Digital Cinema, as well as the International Academy of Art and Science of Images.  He is a Component of Italian Delegation at ITU (International Telecommunication Union).  Angelo is President of MIC Media Innovation Center for the studies, experiments, applications and training methodologies new media.  He currently holds the position of General Manager at CDG Cine Design Group for application new media in D-Cinema Supply Chain.  He is the coordinator for the Digital Film Library at National Film & Documentaries archive and MAM, as well as the coordinator for D-Cinema section at Venice International Film Festival.  Angelo is the EDCF European Chair for the Training & Educational Module.  He has received an award from National Association Exhibitor Italy for the Innovation in Cinema Supply Chain, as well as the Presidential Proclamation Award from SMPTE.

Goals:  To actively help SMPTE in the preparation of new professionals needed for the new D-Cinema and new Media Supply Chain.  To create add value for companies to join as Sustaining Member.  To help members to get the best from SMPTE. (Especially members from regions with no local SMPTE Section).  To improve SMPTE relations with European Commission.  To involve SMPTE in European Projects and getting funds.


 

Hollywood Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009           Vote For: 1

 

Robert Dennis
Sr. Director, Media Asset Sales
Ascent Media

  • Past Hollywood Region Governor
  • Chair, 2006 Herbert T. Kalmus/Technicolor Gold Medal Award Committee
  • Sponsorship Committee 2006 SMPTE / VidTrans Conference
  • General Arrangements Chair, 2006 SMPTE Technical Conference & Exhibition

Robert Dennis is currently Senior Director of Sales for Ascent Media’s Asset Management division and Cinetech Laboratory.  He is a former Hollywood Region Governor, and past-president of the Large Format Cinema Association.  Robert recently moved to Ascent from Technicolor, where he represented the 70mm department for over six years.  His degrees include a BA in Film Production from Southern Illinois University and an MFA in Film Production from USC. Robert’s background features a wide range of experience, from cinematography and production management to several years of service in post production.  Key career highlights include work at HBO Pictures, Lucasfilm THX, and Walt Disney Studios.  His new position with Ascent bridges the gap between film and digital worlds, from film preservation into new arenas centered on file-based workflows, digital asset management, and digital cinema.  He is very proud of his role within the community as a whole, through my positions with the LFCA and SMPTE.

Goals:  The role of Governor presents an exciting opportunity to continue making important contributions to this industry organization.  I am proud to represent the Hollywood Chapter at the National Level.  I bring a wide range of industry experience to the table with SMPTE, and hope to help build the local Chapter, working together with my fellow industry colleagues. 

  

Patricia Keighley 
Vice President & General Manager
DKP 70MM Inc., An IMAX Company

  • 2006-2007:  Chair, Hollywood Section
  • October 2006:  General Arrangements Vice Chair, SMPTE Technical Conference and Exhibition
  • 2005-2006:  Chair, Hollywood Section
  • 2004-2005:  Secretary/Treasurer, Hollywood Section
  • October 2004:  General Arrangements Chair, SMPTE Technical Conference and Exhibition
  • 2003-2004:  Manager, Hollywood Section

Patricia Keighley is co-founder, VP & General Manager of DKP 70MM Inc., an IMAX Company.  Based in Santa Monica, CA, DKP has been involved in the film and digital post production of more than 215 large format films over the past three decades.  Patricia holds a BA in Psychology (McMaster University) and a  M.Ed. (University of Toronto).   Patricia is Secretary of the Giant Screen Cinema Association, Chair of the Conference Committee, Co-Chair of the Technical Session, Coordinator of the Digital Education session and multi-year Producer of the annual Gala Awards Evening and Kodak Vision Award Program as well as Films-in-Production and Films-in-Development Chair.

Goals:   Patricia would be proud to represent the Hollywood section member’s interests on the Board of Governors as the Society evolves during this time of industry transition, blending emerging technologies with established best industry practices, to attract new members, promote interaction between SMPTE’s many internal groups and increase effective internal and external communication.

 

New York Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009            Vote For: 1

 

Neal Pilzer
President
Motion Picture Enterprises, Inc.

  • Member of SMPTE since 1978
  • Hospitality Chairman, 126th National Conference, 1984 and 128th National Conference 1986
  • Transportation Chairman, 130th National Conference, 1988
  • Banquet Chairman, 132nd National Conference, 1990
  • New York Section Secretary/Treasurer - 1991-92
  • New York Section Chair - 1992-93
  • Luncheon & Welcome Reception Chair - 27th Winter Conference
  • NY Section Facilities Chair 1996

Neal Pilzer currently runs Motion Picture Enterprises, Inc., one of the largest post-production houses in New York City.  He has been involved in every aspect of the business since he joined the business at an early age. Since that time he has had the foresight to grow and change with the industry while expanding the potential of the initial venture.

Goals: President of one of the largest post production houses in NYC, Neal wants to improve the accessibility and reach of SMPTE and the many benefits membership could potentially provide.

 

Raymond Blumenthal
Vice President
Listec Video Corp.

  • SMPTE Member since 1984
  • New York Governor 1999-2000, 2001, 2006-2007
  • New York Section Chair, 1991-1992, 2003-2004.
  • Manager 1990-1991, 1997-1999, 2002
  • Audio/Visual Chair SMPTE Television Conference 2005,2007
  • Co Audio/Visual Chair SMPTE Television Conference, 1997, 2003
  • General Arrangements Chair, 27th SMPTE Television Conference,
  • Registration Chair, SMPTE 132nd National Conference, 1990
  • Membership Chair 1995, 1999
  • Facilities Chair, New York Section 1988-1990, 2001-2002
  • Member of the Archival Papers & Historical Committee

Raymond Blumenthal is Vice President of Listec Video Corporation.  He was Northeast Regional Sales Manager for ClearCom Communications.  He also worked for Panasonic Broadcast for 15 years, selling D3, D5, and HDTV.  Mr. Blumenthal has worked Metro New York video since 1973. He has also worked in Video Production in New York and England.  Ray has written and talked about the history of video, and holds a B.F.A. from New York Institute of Technology, and a certificate from the U.S. Army Audio/Visual School.
 
Goals:  Increase the awareness of SMPTE in the Television and motion-picture industries as a standards, education and international organization. Work with other organizations to strengthen the leadership roll of SMPTE. Help to interest young people who are just entering our industry in joining SMPTE and to become active in it.

 

Southern Region Governor for Two-Year Term, 2008-2009            Vote For: 1

 

William B. Werner
Program Manager, DLP Cinema® Products
Texas Instruments, Inc.

  • Dallas/Ft. Worth section manager since 2004
  • Organized and hosted several digital movie screenings at SMPTE conferences beginning with the AMI conference in San Francisco, February 2000.
  • Annually organize and host the December D/FW section meeting. Present updates on d-cinema technology followed by digital movie screening at a local theater.
  • Unveiled the first DLP Cinema® projector as part of paper presented at the 140th SMPTE Technical Conference in Pasadena, October 1998
  • Participated in initial SMPTE engineering committee meetings related to digital cinema.

Bill Werner is currently Program Manager for DLP Cinema® product development at Texas Instruments. He joined TI in 1982 and later joined the DLP® Products Group of TI in 1993. He led development of the first DLP projector based on the 1280 x 1024 Digital Micromirror Device which subsequently evolved into the first digital cinema projector in 1997. Bill holds a BSEE degree from the University of Michigan, a MSEE from SMU and eight patents related to DLP and digital cinema technology.

Goals:  To increase interest and participation in the society at all levels through increased awareness initiatives, identifying and leveraging synergies between sister organizations, promoting ways to increase value of membership, and exploring new ways to engage students and newcomers to the industry.

 

Dan Burnett
Sales Director-East
Tandberg Television

  • Current 2007 National Membership Chairman
  • Current 2007 Atlanta Chapter Membership Chairman
  • Three time Atlanta Chapter Program Manager

Dan Burnett has been a SMPTE member since 1995 and has participated heavily in the Atlanta Chapter.  Prior to working for Tandberg Television, he spent 14 years with Tektronix, with the last five years covering broadcast television and network accounts across the Southeast.  During those years, he conducted quite a few MPEG-2, ATSC and COFDM presentations to his customer base.
Dan spent a short time with Barco as his division became Barconet, which was sold to Scientific-Atlanta in less than a year of acquiring his services, but not before getting many stations on the air with their DTV signal.  The four years prior to coming to Tandberg TV, he worked with one of the Atlanta Broadcast System Integrators, Comprehensive Technical Group.  While there, he had the opportunity to help build out a few stations for HDTV upgrades and gained a better overall knowledge of the issues facing the broadcast industry in the move to DTV.

Goals: As Governor of the Southern Region, my goals will be to provide successful communication between the Chapters and the SMPTE Headquarters.   To assist each Chapter in adding new members and retaining existing members.  To assist each Chapter in attracting presentations that address the needs of our industry and broadcast community.