NAB Show launched the first NABiQ sessions April 25-28 in Las Vegas, with participants from diverse business and tech departments collaborating on solving industry challenges across Create, Connect and Capitalize Experiential Zones.
Challenges ranged from imagining new production workflows, to building innovation hubs via creating the streaming platform of the future, with teams of like-minded individuals, exploring opportunities collaboratively to pitch a new solution — in less than 60 minutes!
Individual production managers, directors, studio managers, video engineers, data analysts, tech leads, workflow managers, entrepreneurs, content creators and more — came together to discuss hot topics facing the industry and imagined how to solve them.
“We took a topic that we were all very interested in and took it in such a different direction — we really loved doing it! It put a real personalized spin to the NAB conference.”
Donald Eastman, Chief Broadcast Engineer
Calling upon their own experience, industry insights and what had inspired them at NAB Show, small groups brainstormed ideas, exploring different ways to answer the challenge.
“We came from such diverse backgrounds, such great expertise and insights. When you have a crew like that, that allows for creative story building to just flow naturally. I thought it was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better workshop to come to at the NAB Show.”
Sean Parenteau, Director
With the thrill of the deadline pushing teams to make choices and bring multiple ideas to one core solution making the seemingly impossible happen – each team built on each others’ ideas to define how this could work, who would use it and the impact the solution could have.
Experienced facilitators guided the teams through each NABiQ session, helping them to unblock obstacles, complete their solution outline and prepare them to pitch in front of the camera when they were given the opportunity to present their innovative ideas, followed by relaxed networking time.
NABiQ’s media partners reviewed the pitches to select one winning pitch per zone.
CREATE
Winner: The Gumby
Foolproof curriculum outlining all the steps needed to attract people with the best soft skills
Users: HR managers, hiring managers
How it works: We help hiring managers identify the soft skills needed for specific roles, then create curriculum + frameworks around these to help candidates nurture the soft skills then partner with like-minded businesses and organizations to share talent pools.
Expected impact: Inspire millions of leaders to attract and retain the best talent on their teams
Idea originators: Kyle Farnham, Shirley Williams, Jarred Hodgdon, Jesane Jackson, Stew Kirkwood
Judge’s comments: A tool that focuses on finding and developing soft skills while making new connections for teams and with talent pools is something this industry sorely needs. This name needs to go, and I don’t have a sense of how this solution will actually function, however, it’s something that is needed and would create value on every side, making it a clear winner.
Watch the team deliver their pitch, answering the question: “How might we staff a production in the next 5 years?”
Runners Up: Evocative Story Building Circle and Stage 360
CONNECT
Winner: NPP/IOS: No Plug ‘n’ Play — Internet over Satellite
Overcoming the digital divide, connectivity for all via satellite
Users: Consumer and Content Producers
How it works: Blanket the earth with satellites to provide internet
Expected impact: Streaming for all — anywhere
Idea originators: David Constanza, Wolf O’Rourc, Wayne Shulmister, Steve Shultis
Judge’s comments: Universal internet access could be a great leveling up for a lot of the world that still struggles for connectivity. Would this be in the nature of an international/intergovernmental project, rather than a privately run enterprise?
Watch the team deliver their pitch, answering the question: “How might we equip engineers with the tools they need to deliver consistently great content in these hybrid times?”
Runner Up: Duop and Stream EZ
CAPITALIZE
Winner: Test Studio
A lab replicating the studio’s workflow to quickly identify + solve key issues and bottlenecks or test out new tech solutions
Users: Tech team, Leaders, Ops Teams
How it works: Digital input from employees (tech, problems, new ideas) paired with a Physical place to test potential solutions and design possibilities. Physical studio, whiteboard with framing to plug into existing workflow to quickly determine if solutions work using Test Studio Funded by Vendors: Identify + solve key issues and bottlenecks. Can even host hackathons on specific pain-points.
Expected impact: Create more content, Decrease Production time, Decrease Future cost of production. Create new viewer experiences, Build organization buy-in
Team member: Angie Yarusso
Judge’s comments: Encouraging employee input at every level enables managers to identify production issues and exposes them to fresh thinking. Great concept for companies to test ideas.
Watch Yarusso answer the challenge question, “How might we make organizations agile enough to respond to future opportunities?”
Runners up: WorldWide Creators and The Persona Simulator
Problem Solving as the New Way to Network
In addition to the incredible teamwork felt throughout the event, and the impressive solutions created in only one hour, the event’s real success was in bringing people from different backgrounds and specialties together — with a purposeful networking event established in the NAB Show culture.
“A truly transformative experience!”
Peter Bustetter, Senior Producer
“We all have so much to learn from each other and from our different experiences and expertise. And this emergent, collaborative, symbiotic environment is perfect for that.”
Ann Marcam, Director
“Each one of us had to let go of some of our preconceived agendas, and join the group – and that was where the magic came from.”
David Riddle, Workflow Manager
See you next time!