Brian Kenworthy, VP, media operations TMT Insights, breaks the first rule of Fight Club as he tells TVBEurope how he went from working as a telecine assistant on David Fincher’s film to testing new tools and workflows in the media industry, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Talk us through an average day in your role.
As a leader within our MediaOps Division, it’s important for me to check in with my team members daily to ensure I provide strategic direction and guidance. My focus lies in solution services, to ensure seamless system deployment as well as providing the subject matter expertise to facilitate the research, development, and testing of new tools and workflows, such as AI/ML applications.
How did you get started in the media industry?
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be in the media industry. In 1995, I landed my first job in Los Angeles and moved here from Boston, running advertisement spots from 1”C tape over satellite feeds. After confirming to myself that this was the industry I wanted to stay in, I just kept learning as much as I could and trying as many new things as possible. For example, I learned how to do colour correction and film to tape conversions known as Telecine back in the late ’90s and got scheduled to be the telecine assistant on David Fincher’s Fight Club. It was a career highlight to meet him and work on that project.
What training did you have before entering the industry?
I went to film school, where I was taught how to use a camera, write a script, and direct a film. Other than that, I’ve gained enormous domain expertise from the positions I’ve held working with the complexities of media software and system deployments. Our industry is an ever-changing environment, I find that the continuation of knowledge comes from rolling up your sleeves and learning from a hands-on approach.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry?
I have always been passionate about movies and television. Seeing and being a part of the end-to-end processes of how it works from a backend-to-viewer standpoint has always been fascinating to me and I’m grateful to be a part of it. I’m also a huge fan of solving puzzles, which in a way, comes with the territory of my role, so it’s extremely gratifying to resolve them.
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours?
My best piece of advice is to immerse yourself in the world of software engineering to learn as much as you can. It will really help you identify your discipline of passion, and you will find your work that much more rewarding.
