MONTREAL– Michael Cronk, vice president of Core Technology at Grass Valley, has received two honors for his professional achievements, technical and business innovations and continuing influence within the broadcast industry.

Cronk is among six recipients of Future’s 2019 Industry Innovator Award, presented by TV Technology magazine. The awards are now in the second year. Cronk was also recently honored with IABM’s Technology Leader of the Year Award.

With over 20 years of broadcast industry experience, Cronk has built his career on designing and building product roadmaps and technical strategies to advance the development of content and media technology. His work has been especially impactful in the wake of progressive changes such as the shifts from tape to disk, SD to HD to 4K UHD, and linear to on-demand. He has been instrumental in guiding the development of the company’s core technologies to ensure portfolio interoperability and consistency, leading a team of some of the media industry’s most experienced and respected engineers. As Chairman of the Board for the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Cronk has been influential in leading the industry towards a clear, efficient path to standards-based IP.

“These recognitions are incredibly well deserved. Mike is a true leader and visionary, and a major asset to Grass Valley and the industry,” said Tim Shoulders, president, Grass Valley. “It is hugely exciting to see him being honored for his impactful work in driving the advancement of the content and media technology landscape; this is what being an innovator is all about.”

“It’s a pleasure to honor those who make such a difference in their industries – innovating in technology and business while also inspiring others,” said Carmel King, vice president of media technology for Future's B2B Group. “The awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the people behind the companies and technologies on which our industries depend. We offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for their contributions, and wish them continued success.”

IABM’s CEO, Peter White, commented, “I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition for what he has helped achieve with AIMS over the last two years – while also holding down his day-job at Grass Valley!”

Cronk’s recognition as an industry innovator and technology leader is embodied by some of the major successes that AIMS and Grass Valley achieved over the last year. Under his leadership, AIMS has substantially contributed to the widespread vendor adoption of IP since its founding three years ago, attracting nearly 100 members. At Grass Valley, he has dedicated the last few years to enabling faster innovation, and at scale, resulting in the debut of its Core Technology Initiative – a ‘build once, integrate to many’ agile R&D approach to strengthen product quality and capability across its expansive portfolio. 

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—The second annual Industry Innovator Awards from Future U.S. have been announced, and now you can find all the nominees and winners in a new ebook.

Presented by five Future publications—TV Technology, Digital Video, Video Edge, Radio World and Government Video—the Industry Innovator awards are designed to spotlight the people behind the companies and technologies that drive these industries. Winners were selected for their professional achievements, technical and business innovations and continuing influence within their industries.

The “Industry Innovator Awards 2018” ebook showcases the nominees and winners, as well as their contributions and continuing success.

The 2017 Industry Innovator Awards Guide is available here. 

Nominate a deserving colleague, client, customer or even yourself to receive a 2018 Future Industry Innovator Award.

TV Technology, Government Video, Digital Video, Video Edge, Radio World and Radio Magazine are seeking nominations for our second annual class of Industry Innovators—professionals who raise the bar in their industries via vision, leadership, technical and creative know-how, trendsetting, risk-taking, mentorship, etc.

If you know someone who makes a difference and deserves to be recognized for it, here's your chance to shine a spotlight.

Winners will be recognized in magazines, newsletters and websites of the Future publication/media brand for which they are selected, and all nominees and winners will be highlighted in a special Innovator’s Gallery e-zine.

Nominate a boss, colleague, customer, industry partner, vendor or even yourself. Deadline for nominations is Sept. 14, 2018. For more information and to nominate someone, visit the FAQ and nomination page.

Read more: Advice for Winning an Innovator Award

Read more: 2017 NewBay Industry Innovator Awards Ebook Now Available

NEW YORK--Future PLC, parent of TV Technology, has announced the second annual Future Industry Innovator Awards, honoring people who make a difference in TV/video technology, streaming, radio/audio technology, content production/delivery and government video.

Everybody knows someone who innovates in the fields of video, TV, radio or audio technology and whose role deserves more appreciation. Perhaps it’s a director of engineering, a manufacturing product designer, a consultant or technical researcher … it could be a videographer, a producer, an editor or filmmaker … anyone on the cutting edge of great content — your customer, your employee, your boss!

Here’s your chance to herald innovators in your industry and shine a spotlight on them.

[Read: 2017 NewBay Industry Innovator Awards Ebook Now Available]

Nominations are accepted by each publication in the Broadcast/Video Group of Future PLC, including TV Technology, Radio World, Digital Video, Radio magazine, Video Edge and Government Video. Anyone may nominate an individual for one or more publication awards, by filling out an online nomination and paying an entry fee.

Winners will be featured in the brands listed above and receive an award. All nominees will be saluted in a special Innovators’ Gallery publication. So whether they are chosen as winners or not, each colleague is honored publicly for their work, with a profile and photo that lets you tell their story of innovation.

To help with your nomination, here are three things to keep in mind when submitting:

• Think broadly. Nominees can come from the worlds of TV/video technology, radio/audio technology, content production/delivery and government video. Perhaps it’s a director of engineering, a manufacturer’s product designer, a consultant or technical researcher, a company founder or unsung hero… Someone who has a great professional track record or whose superb leadership and innovation skills mark them as someone to watch.

• Tell a story! The nomination form will prompt you to explain in 500 words or less how this person makes a difference. Your nomination text is a crucial part of how judges will choose. Fill out the nomination thoughtfully and with as much detail as possible. Why is this person special to you? What successes have they had, what projects have they led, what makes them noteworthy? Celebrate your nominee!

• Think visually. Remember that the text and image you provide will not only be seen by the judges, but also published in the Innovator’s Gallery.

Key Takeaways

• What? Nominations for Future’s Industry Innovators Award

• When? Submissions are open from Aug. 6 to Sept. 14, 2018

• Why? Your nominee will be acknowledged for his or her contributions to the industry.

The editors and advisors of Future’s media technology brands — TV Technology, Digital Video, Video Edge, Government Video, Radio World and Radio magazine — will choose the winners, to be announced this fall. Winners receive an award for display and are covered in the newsletters, websites, print publications and social media of our brands. All nominees are featured in the 2018 Innovators’ Gallery, to be distributed in digital edition form to thousands of readers of those publications. Even non-recipients are winners, because your nomination text and their photo will appear as a mark of the esteem with which they are held in the industry.

Register here.