The Royal Television Society (RTS) has revealed the winner of the annual RTS Young Technologist Award, which is presented in memory of A.M. Beresford-Cooke.
Michael Colyer, special cameras engineer at Formula One Management Ltd, was chosen to receive the award by a panel of judges chaired by Terry Marsh, digital media consultant.
Before joining Formula One Management Ltd, Colyer studied Outside Broadcast Technology (BSc) at Ravensbourne. While studying, he also worked full-time in the industry, holding a number of roles, including camera technician on a variety of programmes; as an engineer for OBS during the 2012 London Olympic Games; working in a MCR, with responsibility for ensuring the transmission of live game show content to other MCRs; and also project management, engineering OBs for clients including The Scottish BAFTAs and Channel 4’s Played in Chelsea.
At Formula One Management Ltd, Colyer is part of a team responsible for maintaining, developing and deploying its camera systems.
Terry Marsh, chair of the RTS Young Technologist Award Jury, said: “The RTS Young Technologist Award recognises the potential future leaders in broadcasting and related technologies. Michael impressed the jury with his obvious commitment to the industry, his love of innovative special camera systems, and his technical know-how. He is dedicated to encouraging production to try new approaches to capturing the very best pictures and sound for the viewer.”
Colyer added, “I’m very excited to have been selected for this award and would like to thank all of my fantastic colleagues, past and present, who have guided and supported me as I’ve made my first steps into the broadcast technical profession. With the broadcast engineering industry currently in boom, it is a fascinating time to be working in such a role – and I eagerly await attending IBC in September to network and discuss with other delegates about what the next steps for our industry may be to keep Britain glued to their screens for years to come!”
The runner up prize, the Coffey Award for Excellence in Technology, is awarded to Anna Patching, trainee broadcast engineer at the BBC.
The RTS Young Technologist Award aims to advance education in the science, practice, technology and art of television and its allied fields, giving the winner the opportunity to attend the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) in September as well as free entry to the RTS Cambridge Convention 2015.
The Award was founded with funds received from the family of A.M. Beresford-Cooke, a distinguished engineer who contributed much to the development of British broadcasting technology through his work on towers and masts for VHF and UHF transmission.
This year’s RTS Young Technologist Award judging panel included Jeff Hunter, chief architect, YouView; Paul Mason, former head of Olympic Broadcasting for OBS; Emma McGuigan, managing director, Technology, Accenture UK & Ireland; Paul Stanley, director – Media Business Development & Strategy at Colt Technology Services; and Jon Wrennal, chief technology officer, Fujitsu.
