Landing on Fertile Ground
Jun 1, 2006 12:00 PM,
By Michael Goldman, Editor
It’s a great pleasure to take over as editor of Sound & Video Contractor (SVC). From this perch, I find myself in the center of the systems integration universe after years of related connectivity as the former editor of Staging and Rental Operations (SRO) and as a longtime senior contributor to SVC‘s sister publications Digital Content Producer (DCP) and Millimeter. Systems integration fascinates me, because I view it as far more than a technological issue. The notion of “overlap” also represents, in my view, a cultural sea change in which contractors, engineers, architects, consultants, content creators, vendors, and manufacturers are coming together in new, previously unanticipated ways.
When I was editor of SRO, we were starting to see the convergence of IT and AV technologies for use in live entertainment applications, for instance. Fast forward a few years, and that bonding has fundamentally improved methods for human beings to exchange information and entertainment in a wide range of applications. Similarly, I’ve covered image acquisition and content creation for many years for both DCP and Millimeter. All of a sudden, I’m beginning to see the cameras, projectors, software, servers, and techniques used to create and display high-end film and video content being strategically deployed to build and display pre-designed and live imagery for digital signage, houses of worship, and other applications.
This merging of technology and applications is very much what this magazine is all about. SVC’s leadership will continue with the expansion and redesign of our website (www.svconline.com) later this year, our growing roster of digital newsletters, and our plans to use more sophisticated podcasts, videocasts, and blogs.
With our integrated mission in mind, we plan to continue hunting stories like Daniel Keller’s piece (p. 62) about the AV breakthroughs applied to the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. As a former sportswriter, the philosophy and implementation of the project’s AV strategy really spoke to me. Executing a distributed, high-impact sound approach in a facility with architecture that is radically different in various locations — as you will see when you read Daniel’s piece — was an extremely sophisticated project.
That story, and indeed this entire issue, is available for your edification thanks to the efforts of my predecessor, Mark Johnson. Mark’s stellar work in guiding Sound & Video Contractor to a position of prominence should not be understated. He conceived the issue you hold in your hands, and his influence will be felt directly in future issues through the story roster he initiated and his continued involvement as an SVC senior contributing editor.
Feel free to email me at [email protected]. I’m looking forward to our ongoing dialogue.
