Advanced Systems Group Welcomes New Additions to Engineering Team

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading data, video, audio and film integration firm, today announced the addition of Gary Schneider, Keith Pintner and Chris Sullivan to its engineering team, effective April 1. All three are veterans of Media Vision Integration (MVI), a California-based professional AV systems integrator, with extensive experience in designing and building broadcast, film, and post-production facilities, high-end boardrooms and briefing centers, and other specialized AV systems.

Chris Sullivan

For more than 16 years, Schneider served as president and CEO of MVI. Before he established MVI, he worked for nine years as an engineer and project manager for David Carroll Electronics, where he served as the systems engineer for a custom audio system for the U.S. Senate.

Pintner spent 14 years at MVI as a senior project manager and system engineer, where he worked on projects for Apple, Pixar Animation Studios and ENG Mobile Systems. Previously, he began his eight-year career at David Carroll Electronics as an installation technician, and was quickly promoted to support engineer and project manager.

Gary Schneider

Sullivan was a systems engineer at MVI for six years, working on projects for a number of high profile companies, including LinkedIn, Dreamworks Animation and Lucasfilm. Independently, he has produced promotional videos for the California wine industry since 2009, and previously served as a stage manager and machine room operator for American Zoetrope for nine years.

“It is rare for a company to have the opportunity to welcome three employees with this level of engineering expertise at the same time,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, ASG. “We are very pleased to add Gary, Keith and Chris to the ASG team, and we look forward to adding their talents to our upcoming projects.”

Keith Pintner

Schneider, Pintner and Sullivan are based out of the company’s main office in Emeryville. Contact them at 510-654-8300 or via e-mail at gds@asgllc.com, kpintner@asgllc.com and csullivan@asgllc.com.

About ASG:

Based in Northern California with offices in the Northwest, Southern California and New York City, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 300 SANs, production and post-production systems. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

Advanced Systems Group Assists in Production of ‘The Galapagos Affair’ Documentary

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading video, data, audio and film integration firm, today announced it provided camera and editing equipment for The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, a new documentary released by Zeitgeist Films that is being screened in U.S. theaters through June.

Directed by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, the two-hour film paints a fascinating portrait of a 1930s murder mystery based around German physician Friedrich Ritter and his mistress, who start a new life on an uninhabited island in the Galapagos Islands. When the international press sensationalizes their exploits, others flock there, including a family determined to become the “Swiss Family Robinson of the Galapagos” and a gun-toting Viennese Baroness with her two lovers.

Goldfine and Geller told their story by interweaving newly unearthed home movies and archival stills of the settlers with testimonies of modern day islanders, HD footage of the area’s native flora and fauna, and voice performances from international stars including Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, Connie Nielsen, and Sebastian Koch. The movie took about six years to produce, though the initial idea was planted in 1998 when the directors visited the islands while working on a different project.

The production used a Panasonic DVCPRO HD camcorder with a Fujinon wide angle lens purchased from ASG for shooting interviews and island imagery. ASG also installed an Xsan infrastructure, which Geller said was used for editing on Apple Final Cut Pro edit systems, creating Adobe After Effects sequences and photo retouching using Adobe Photoshop. ASG has designed, installed and supported the infrastructure at Storyline Productions, Geller and Goldfine’s San Francisco-based production company, since 2001.

“The team there has for years not only provided equipment at good prices,” he added, “but has also been great advisors about finding the gear best suited to our needs by talking extensively with us before making recommendations. ASG is our go-to VAR.”

About ASG:

Based in Northern California with offices in the Northwest, Southern California and New York City, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 300 SANs, production and post-production systems. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

Advanced Systems Group to Host Portland Happy Hour with NetApp and Telestream

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading video, data, audio and film integration firm, will host a free Technology Trending Happy Hour on Thursday, May 1, 2014, at Rock Bottom Brewery in Portland, Ore. Sponsored by NetApp and Telestream, the informal gathering starts at 5 p.m. with free drinks and appetizers, followed by product demos at 6 p.m.

“Our Technology Trending Happy Hours are fun, relaxing and a great way for local video professionals to network and learn about new products and technologies,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, Advanced Systems Group. “The product demos from NetApp and Telestream will touch on SANs and transcoding, which are two important considerations for today’s file-based workflows.”

For real-time production tasks like editing, compositing and color grading, NetApp’s E-series platform delivers a SAN solution focused on sequential I/O performance. Its Data ONTAP has the breadth of performance and storage efficiency features, combined with non-disruptive operations, to support media workflow and business needs in a unified environment.

Telestream Vantage video transcoding and workflow automation products streamline file-based workflows. Telestream offers a complete family of award-winning products that enable file format conversion, device interoperability, and workflow orchestration for multiscreen, OTT, broadcast, cable, IPTV distribution, and production and archiving.

The Technology Trending Happy Hour is free, but pre-registration is requested. For online registration and more information, please visit www.asgllc.com/events/happy-hour-may-1. Attendees who registered for the original April 24 date do not have to re-register to attend.

About ASG: Based in Northern California with offices in the Northwest, Southern California and New York City, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 300 SANs, production and post-production systems. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

Advanced Systems Group Designs Digital Arts Facility for San Lorenzo Unified School District

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading video, data, audio and film integration firm, today announced work is complete on a $6 million production space designed by ASG that serves as the new home of the Bay Area Digital Arts (BADA) Academy for California’s San Lorenzo Unified School District. Located at San Lorenzo High School, the facility includes a 3,100-square-foot NC25 sound stage, production control room, audio control room, voiceover/ADR recording studio, editing classroom, production offices, and private edit suites.

Lance McVay, director of the BADA Academy, said ASG was involved in the project from the beginning. “They assisted with the original grant application to the state and have been involved ever since,” he explained. “Their work and assistance have been vital to the success of the project.”

The BADA program provides media production training, access to professional work sites, and potential internships for its students. It moved to San Lorenzo High School in 2003, where McVay had been teaching television production classes in a converted auto shop since the mid-1990s. The new facility was funded through a state Career Technical Education Facilities grant, for which ASG provided the technical, acoustical and equipment specifications, and matching funds from a 2008 bond measure. After BADA was awarded the grant, ASG was awarded the contract to design the facility with San Francisco-based RLS as part of its team. Thresher Communication & Productivity of Sunnyvale, Calif., handled equipment installation and integration.

The new studio includes three Panasonic AJ-HPX3100 studio cameras connected over SMPTE fiber with Autoscript prompters, an 18-foot lighting grid, cyc wall, curtain track with green screen, video production control, audio production control, machine room, ADR/VO booth and talent green room. A loading bay with wide doors allows space to bring vehicles into the studio for commercial shoots.

McVay said the school never had an actual control room before – all “live-to-tape” productions were actually constructed in an edit suite. The new facility’s control room is built around a Snell Kahuna Flare 2 M/E production switcher, Miranda routing and Compix two-channel CG, with audio control based around a Yamaha DM2000 digital audio console with Genelec 5.1 monitoring.

There are four individual edit suites, plus an editing lab with 36 NLE stations with Adobe CS6 and Final Cut Pro connected to Harmonic Media Grid shared storage. The facility also includes a conference room, teacher office, prop and wardrobe storage, equipment room, and production offices for students to emulate a working studio environment. “My vision was to do it right,” McVay said. “It’s not a studio built for a high school, it’s a studio built for professional production that students run.”

Construction began on the facility in late 2012, and the building had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. McVay said the program will transition into the new facility before the end of the school year, and the studio will be available for rental by regional businesses.

With the center complete, ASG is now working in the local production community to connect Bay Area artists and businesses. “Our goal is to help Lance attract guest speakers and internship opportunities for BADA students,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, ASG. “In the 35 years I have been helping build facilities at K-12 schools, this is the most sophisticated and realistic environment we have ever been able to provide for students. The goal for BADA is for the space to be used to produce professional media projects, which will provide invaluable experience to students looking to pursue a career in the digital arts or entertainment fields.”

“From the beginning, I knew ASG was totally looking out for the integrity of the project. They made my concerns paramount at every step of the process,” McVay added. “They worked hard to be sure the facility met the needs of my students and curriculum, while paying close attention to maintaining a high industry standard so the students could learn in a professional environment.”

About ASG:

Based in Northern California with offices in the Northwest, Southern California and New York City, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 300 SANs, production and post-production systems. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

Advanced Systems Group Adds Patrick Kennedy to Bolster Los Angeles Sales Efforts

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, today announced that Patrick Kennedy has joined its Los Angeles-based sales team, effective Dec. 1. He will manage media and entertainment accounts throughout Southern California, specializing in enterprise storage systems, archiving, asset management, and broadcast technologies.

Kennedy is an experienced sales executive who has sold technology integration products and services to major media and entertainment companies, as well as Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, he worked for DZ Solutions, where he signed and managed a number of accounts. He has also held sales positions in real estate, finance, and entertainment industries.

“Patrick has a proven track record of acquiring new clients and maintaining those relationships. He will be a great asset in our efforts to service new television, radio, and motion picture customers,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, Advanced Systems Group.

Contact Kennedy at (323) 683-8244 or via e-mail at Patrick@asgllc.com.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

Advanced Systems Group Explores 4K Production, Workflow Challenges at Free Annual Workshop

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. –Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, will navigate through the growing 4K landscape at its annual workshop, 4K Workflow 2013, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the New People Cinema at the New People building in San Francisco. The free workshop begins at 10 a.m. and includes lunch.

“4K and other large raster acquisition formats are becoming the new norm for motion picture, episodic television, and high-end commercial production,” said Dave Van Hoy, ASG president. “While these formats are being embraced by content creators, there are multiple ‘flavors’ of 4K from multiple manufacturers, which is creating challenges throughout the production process. 4K Workflow 2013 will help attendees explore their options and manage their 4K file-based workflows.”

The workshop will begin with an overview of 4K cameras, led by veteran director of photography and industry consultant Suny Behar. “The landscape has changed dramatically and so has the approach,” he said. “Every vendor has approached 4K from a different perspective. The big controversy right now is the whole idea of 4K compressed versus 4K uncompressed, and at what point are you actually acquiring less information in 4K than you were back in 2K.”

Jordan Livingston, an independent filmmaker and digital imaging technician serving the Hollywood and Bay Area markets through his company, DIGILOID, will present “DIT: Data Management and On-Set Color Workflows.” His presentation will define the differences between DIT and “media manager” roles, and describe popular on-set color, dailies, and transcoding workflows. He will also examine the subtleties of different file-based workflows for leading camera systems from RED, ARRI, Sony, and Canon.

There are high expectations for 4K to be the next big thing in broadcast, but what will be required for 4K to migrate into a true broadcast HD replacement? Can Ultra HD services refresh the appeal of broadcast against the onslaught expected from on-demand services? Ian Trow, Harmonic senior director of emerging technology and strategy, will address High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) and how it will impact the broadcast market. The workshop will also include sessions focused on color correction and post-production workflows.

Registration is free for 4K Workflow 2013, but space is limited. Please visit www.asgllc.com/events/4k2013 for registration and more information.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

 

Advanced Systems Group, Quantum Reschedule Free Archiving and Storage Strategies Webinar for August 21

EMERYVILLE, CALIF.–Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, and Quantum, a global leader in data management and protection solutions, has rescheduled its free webinar on archiving and tiered storage for Wednesday, August 21, 2013, at 10 a.m. PT.

Designed for smaller workgroups that are considering an archive system, the webinar will explain the benefits of a dedicated archive system and outline a number of applicable strategies and technologies. The presentation will also highlight the new Quantum StorNext AEL500 Mini Archive, an entry-level archive that starts with 30TB of LTO-6 tape capacity and can grow to more than 1PB.

Dave Van Hoy, president of ASG, and Yannick Guillerm, technical advisor for the Quantum StorNext AEL Archives product line, will host the webinar. “Everyone needs archiving, and Quantum’s new StorNext AEL500 Mini lowers the entry point,” explained Van Hoy. “Our webinar will help attendees identify best practices for smaller workgroup workflows.”

Tiered storage and digital archiving address issues associated with overburdened storage systems, unprotected assets, and the expanding number of digital formats. Quantum’s StorNext AEL Archives provide active archiving to LTO tape, automatically migrating content without the cost, space, power consumption, and management overhead of conventional disk. Plus, with built-in data protection and self-healing capabilities, the systems ensure valuable data is available and accessible long-term.

For more information, please visit www.asgllc.com or click here to register.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

Advanced Systems Group, Quantum Host Free Webinar to Explore Archiving and Storage Strategies

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. –Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, and Quantum, a global leader in data management and protection solutions, will host a free webinar on archiving and tiered storage on Wednesday, June 26, at 10 a.m. PT.

Designed for smaller workgroups that are considering an archive system, the webinar will explain the benefits of a dedicated archive system and outline a number of applicable strategies and technologies. The presentation will also highlight the new Quantum StorNext AEL500 Mini Archive, an entry-level archive that starts with 30TB of LTO-6 tape capacity and can grow to more than 1PB.

Dave Van Hoy, president of ASG, and Yannick Guillerm, technical advisor for the Quantum StorNext AEL Archives product line, will host the webinar. “Everyone needs archiving, and Quantum’s new StorNext AEL500 Mini lowers the entry point,” explained Van Hoy. “Our webinar will help attendees identify best practices for smaller workgroup workflows.”

Tiered storage and digital archiving address issues associated with overburdened storage systems, unprotected assets, and the expanding number of digital formats. Quantum’s StorNext AEL Archives provide active archiving to LTO tape, automatically migrating content without the cost, space, power consumption, and management overhead of conventional disk. Plus, with built-in data protection and self-healing capabilities, the systems ensure valuable data is available and accessible long-term.

For more information, please visit www.asgllc.com or click here to register.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

 

Boyd Baumgartner Boosts Pacific Northwest Sales Efforts for Advanced Systems Group

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. –Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, today announced that Boyd Baumgartner has joined the company’s sales team, effective March 6. He will focus on storage systems, archiving, and asset management business development in the Pacific Northwest.

Baumgartner joins ASG after six years with Quantum Corporation, where he developed relationships with a number of technology partners, and recruited and trained independent value added resellers (VARs) in a number of vertical markets. Previously, he served as a regional sales manager for Vizrt and Pinnacle Systems, and held a variety of sales positions with Hewlett Packard.

“Boyd has extensive experience selling to the professional video marketplace,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, Advanced Systems Group. “We look forward to having him expand ASG’s presence in the Pacific Northwest.”

Baumgartner is based in Portland, Ore. Contact him at (360) 600-0873 or via e-mail at boyd@asgllc.com.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

Advanced Systems Group Welcomes Tim Mundorff to Professional Services Department

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. –Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading West Coast video and film integration firm, today announced that veteran industry engineer Tim Mundorff joined the company’s Professional Services department, effective Jan. 14. He will focus on design services and engineering.

Mundorff has more than 20 years of engineering experience. Most recently, he served as a senior systems engineer for Sony PSA Solutions Engineering, where he developed a space and cost efficient central file management and applications system as well as systems design for dual projector 3D solutions for multi-cinema complexes. He has also worked as senior systems engineer for Radium/Reel FX Studios in California, project engineer at Ascent Media Systems and Technology Services, and senior proposal engineer at Sony Systems Integration.

“We are very pleased to welcome Tim to our Professional Services team,” said Dave Van Hoy, president, Advanced Systems Group. “He has extensive experience in systems engineering across a variety of professional AV applications, and is a valuable asset for our customers.”

Mundorff is based in the company’s main office in Emeryville. Contact him at (510) 654-8300 or via e-mail at tsm@asgllc.com.

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., with offices in the Bay Area and Southern California, has provided engineering, systems, integration, support and training to the broadcast, film, creative, and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in Apple-based newsroom systems, shared storage, archiving, editing, finishing, and VFX systems, ASG has become one of largest installers of post production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. The ASG team is highly focused on customer success, and has installed and supported more than 185 SANs, production, and post production systems over the last six years. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.