LIÈGE, Belgium—EVS Broadcast Equipment has announced that it has strengthened and extended its leadership team with three new internal promotions. 

The promotions are part of EVS’s efforts to further expand its commercial success in the live video production industry.

“These strategic promotions within our Leadership Team underscore our commitment to fostering talent from within and leveraging their expertise to drive our growth objectives,” said Serge Van Herck, CEO of EVS Broadcast Equipment.  

The executives "bring a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of our industry, which will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and expand our market presence," he added. 

The new promotions are: 

• Quentin Grutman has been appointed as chief strategic accounts officer. Previously serving as chief customer officer, Quentin will now lead a newly created team dedicated to focusing on strategic customers. Since 2020, Quentin has been instrumental in driving EVS back into growth mode, leveraging his extensive experience and commitment to customer satisfaction to foster deeper engagements and long-term relationships with key clients.
• Nicolas Bourdon has been appointed as chief commercial officer. Formerly the chief marketing officer, Nicolas will now oversee the worldwide sales and marketing team. As CMO, Nicolas not only led marketing efforts but was also in charge of product management. His innovative approach and leadership have been crucial since 2020 in enhancing EVS's brand presence and steering the company back to growth. Nicolas is now poised to lead the company’s global sales and marketing efforts to new heights.
• Oscar Teran has been appointed executive vice president markets & solutions. In his previous role as senior vice president of SaaS offering & digital channels, Oscar was pivotal in advancing EVS’s digital transformation and expanding EVS's market reach. In his new position, he will oversee the management of the company's global product and solution portfolio, market intelligence, business alliances, and global learning initiatives, ensuring that EVS remains at the forefront of industry innovation.

TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2023 NAB Show?

NICOLAS BOURDON: Broadcasters and media production companies are accelerating their adoption of new technologies, such as IP, AI, virtualization and the cloud, to deliver a wider range of stories, faster, and across multiple platforms. But integrating and managing these technologies can be challenging and complex for teams so there is a real demand for tools that can simplify daily operations. To address this, we anticipate the development of solutions that streamline workflows, such as resource management systems that can dynamically allocate resources in any production environment. AI-based tools that reduce cumbersome and time-consuming processes and enhance creative focus are also expected to become more prevalent. For example, this year's show will mark the debut of our XtraMotion service version 2.0. The latest version of our super slow-motion generator is a game-changer for the industry as it can now be deployed in an edge computing environment, leading to significantly faster turnaround times.

TVT: What will be your most important product news?

BOURDON: At EVS, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for production teams to create content quickly and efficiently, no matter what environment they’re working in. At this year's event, we are excited to showcase IPD-VIA Create, a web-based editing tool that seamlessly integrates with our end-to-end live PAM solution, MediaCeption Signature, and which enables the swift selection and creation of content for live news or sports highlights.

We have also been hard at work developing new content visualization tools that we are proud to introduce at NAB Show. These tools include Neuron VIEW, a flexible, high-quality scaling and low latency multiviewer, as well as LSM-VIA MultiReview, a software browsing interface integrated into the LSM-VIA replay system. With the ability to display 16 synchronous camera angles from the network in a single, customizable layout, operators can quickly perform content selection tasks. 

TVT: How is your new product different from what's available on the market?

BOURDON: At the heart of our success is the creation of an ecosystem that encompasses every aspect of live production, centered around our VIA platform. Over the years, we have consistently broadened and enhanced the EVS VIA ecosystem, bringing together EVS products, services and third-party integrations to create best-of-breed solutions for our customers.

We have recently improved the performance of our XNet-VIA network and introduced advanced content creation tools that seamlessly integrate with our solutions. Consequently, our clients can benefit from a fast, seamless and efficient live production experience, all within a single system.

TVT: NAB is celebrating its centennial this year. How many NAB Shows have you been to and do you have any particular standout memories of past shows?

BOURDON: Attending NAB Show for the 15th time has certainly given me lots of memories to cherish! But what strikes me every time is the positive energy and strong sense of camaraderie present throughout the event despite the accumulated fatigue. The return of the show in 2022 after the pandemic was a particularly special moment, as it enhanced this feeling even more. Witnessing everyone come together once again was energizing and emphasized just how important human interaction is. I also find it fascinating to observe how the show evolves each year, introducing new players, technologies and ideas that set the tone for the entire market.

TV TECHNOLOGY:What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trend at the 2018 NAB Show?

NICOLAS BOURDON: This year’s show floor will be full of exhibitors presenting integrations with artificial intelligence. AI and machine learning are going to be one of the big themes of this year’s show. But aside from just joining in on the buzzwords, we need to see vendors presenting ways in which AI can be used to address real-world business needs. There are opportunities to implement intelligent functionality in any number of production processes where an AI application can act as a built-in assistant rather than a replacement for human operators.

At the same time, users and facilities providers are asking for more tailored solutions for live productions so demonstrations of workflow architectures that benefit from software-based micro-services will be a key feature of the NAB Show. The acceleration of virtualized infrastructures offers more flexibility and lets users optimize resources to better meet the expectations of content producers.

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TVT:What will be your most important product news?

BOURDON: We’ve got several new products being announced and demonstrated at this year’s show including an updated version of our video officiating system. Xeebra 2.0 integrates a new AI engine enabling automated calibration of a field of play so graphics can be added to live feeds in the correct size and perspective without needing any additional tracking or calibration. This can be used initially for soccer to notify a video referee of the precise moment a player goes offside.

We will also be unveiling a brand new server in our XT range, which will come with higher UHD 4K channel density (up to six channels) and offer optimized bandwidth for any live production workflow — whether in UHD, HD or 1080p. And with its integrated HDR support, the latest XT server is built to meet growing demand from those operating in higher-resolution live production environments.

TVT:How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?

BOURDON: The artificial intelligence that EVS has integrated in Xeebra isn’t simply plugging in a third-party AI machine. Our innovation teams have been working in this area for a while, building our own neural networks and teaching the machine to generate the correct output by learning from previous examples.

TVT:What is it about the NAB Show that brings you back every year?

BOURDON: Having a show like the NAB Show where everyone is able to come together to present new technologies, share ideas and experiences is vital for an industry that moves as quickly as ours. That’s why EVS continues to return so we can speak to customers and partners about how to continue the evolution of broadcasting technology.