Arthur Brousmiche is just 22 years old but has been around volleyball since the age of 15. Living in Chaumont in the east of France, Brousmiche worked as a photographer for his hometown club, CVB 52.
“Since I was a kid, I have always loved photography,” he says. “I had friends at school who would ask their parents for consoles or games at Christmas, while I was determined to have camera equipment instead to master the art of photography.”
Curious to try his camera’s video mode, Brousmiche quickly realised that he had just put his finger on a feature that would open up new horizons for him creatively, and within the sport of volleyball.
“I knew my camera’s stills capabilities off by heart, and I saw this video mode which I wanted to explore,” he adds. “I needed something new, because I thrive on challenging myself. It’s something that still drives me today. That need to discover and learn something new.”
As part of his work for the Chaumont club, Brousmiche was taken under the wing of a local sports journalist, who took him to other larger-scale sporting events across France.
“For the next few years, I was able to build a network, meeting a lot of great people in the sports and broadcast industry. I would tell them that I was a volleyball photographer but that I had learned on the job to become familiar with video as well.”
Brousmiche formed his company at the end of 2020 while studying at a film and television school in Paris. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak, and I was fully aware that not only did I want to work in the broadcasting of sports events, but above all, that I wanted to do it on my own,” he explains.
Like all businesses, Brousmiche started small, providing live coverage of CVB 52 home fixtures via the online platform LNV TV. He went on to provide OB production services for the 2022 Super Coupe, knowing that if it all went well, he’d be shortlisted for the championships the following season.
“I was already familiar with Blackmagic Design as I used to own an ATEM Television Studio HD that I used for corporate or small-scale productions,” Brousmiche continues. “And knowing that I wanted peace of mind that I could scale my business, I knew that I would need to invest in high performing kit with a more accessible price tag. And that led me back to Blackmagic.”
The cup production proved to be a huge success, opening the doors to another tender for Brousmiche, weekly coverage of the entire French pro volleyball championship, broadcast in France on beIN Sports.
“The requirements and scale were significantly different, with one game per week, so I had to equip myself accordingly. The gap between a web broadcast and a premium television channel is huge,” says Brousmiche.
“I continued to rely on Blackmagic Design, a brand that has been with me since I started my journey. We’ve implemented a solution for acquisition and control based on its Studio Camera 4K Pro and URSA Broadcast G2 cameras with the ATEM Constellation 8K for vision.”
With hindsight, Brousmiche admits that it hasn’t all been plain sailing. “Sometimes I’m not taken seriously because of my age, but I have learned to ignore that to some extent. And I remind myself that I have achieved what I have based on merit and a deep understanding of the game.
To fund the project, he turned to his family. “Scaling up production to this level was challenging, and I was competing against other more established OB businesses in the tender process. I am incredibly grateful and consider myself fortunate that I have my family’s support.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned in business is always to have a plan B. Whether it’s the businesses’ backend or problem-solving during production, putting some thought into contingency planning is never wasted effort, even if it is just peace of mind.”
“Hard work and passion go a long way in this industry,” he concludes. “It’s a demanding job, and the amount of travel can be grueling. You won’t last long if you don’t love what you do.”
