WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Gene J. Zimmerman, founder, president and CEO of Cobalt Digital, has been named a fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).

SMPTE fellows are recognized for attaining an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in media and entertainment through their proficiency and contributions to motion pictures, television or related industries.

Zimmerman will be one of 10 newly named fellows who will be inducted at the Fellows Luncheon and Induction Ceremony and recognized during the annual Awards Gala during the 2024 SMPTE Media Technology Summit.

“Being a SMPTE member is an invaluable experience that shaped my career and influenced not only my vision for my own company, but also for the future of broadcast,” Zimmerman said. “I consider SMPTE to be the most important organization in our industry because it encourages people to work together and create standards that form the foundation of the new technologies that are moving our industry forward. I am deeply honored to be named a fellow and humbled to share this distinction with the brilliant thought leaders who drive our industry to greater excellence.”

Zimmerman launched his career as a broadcast engineer at WICD Champaign, Illinois, working on all aspects of technical operations while attending the University of Illinois, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

He has been a member of SMPTE since 1988, when he participated in the massive technology shift from analog to digital. He went on to design broadcast products for Odetics and served as a consultant for National Teleconsultants, Fox News in New York, Fox Washington, Fox Network Los Angeles, FS1 and FS2, Fox Business Network and Speed Channel. Other milestones include his work on the 1996, 2000 and 2002 Olympics, for which he received two Emmy Awards.

In 1997 Zimmerman founded Cobalt Digital, a designer and manufacturer of signal-processing products for live video production and master control. Under his guidance, Cobalt has grown into a leadership role across the industry, co-founding pivotal initiatives including openGear, the breakthrough development that allows processing cards from various manufacturers to be housed in one common frame, and the Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) forum, an organization that promotes the adoption of open protocols for internet contribution. Cobalt technology has been the recipient of 53 industry awards and an Emmy Award.

BALTIMORE—Mark Aitken, senior vice president of advanced technology at Sinclair, and president of ONE Media 3.0, has been named a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).

Selected by peer review, an SMPTE Fellow is an individual who has, by proficiency and contributions, attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in the motion picture, television, or related industries and is working to drive the industry forward.

Aitken is responsible for representing Sinclair’s interests in regulatory, technical and standards issues within industry-related organizations and before regulatory agencies both in the U.S. and internationally. He has been involved in the broadcast industry’s migration to advanced services since 1987 and was the primary architect in the formation of ONE Media, as well as a driver of key ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) 3.0 breakthrough technologies.

Aitken will be honored at SMPTE’s 2023 Media Technology Summit Gala in Los Angeles this October.

LOS ANGELES and WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) today announced its roster of 2018 award recipients and lineup of new SMPTE Fellows.

Award recipients will be recognized Oct. 25 during the Annual SMPTE Awards Gala in the California Room of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles. Those being elevated as SMPTE Fellows will be conferred with the honor Oct. 23 at the SMPTE 2018 Fellows Luncheon.

Charles A. Steinberg, a 45-year industry veteran, who led both Ampex and Sony, will be awarded Honorary Membership, the society’s highest accolade.

SMPTE also will honor Craig Todd with its 2018 Progress Medal, recognizing more than 40 years of innovation in digital multichannel sound, HDR and support for the standards process. Robert Neuhauser will receive the Camera Origination and Imaging Medal, recognizing significant advancements in imaging technology.

New SMPTE Fellows include: 

• Lars Borg

• Frans de Jong

• Luke Fay

• John Fletcher

• Joe Inzerillo

• Renard Jenkins

• Simon T. Jones

• David Lyon

• James E. O'Neal (former Technology Editor for TV Tech and longtime contributor

• Prinyar Saungsomboon

• Nigel Seth-Smith

• John F. Snow

• Wesley D. Simpson (longtime contributor to TV Technology

• Christopher Witham

• Michael Zink.

Other SMPTE honorees to receive awards at the Oct. 25 gala include: 

• Hugo P. Gaggioni — David Sarnoff Medal, sponsored by SRI International

• Tim Borer — Digital Processing Medal

• Robert J. Heiber — James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, sponsored by James A. Lindner

• David R. Schwind — Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal, sponsored by Warner Bros.

• Rod Bogart, Technicolor—Herbert T. Kalmus Medal, sponsored by Technicolor Inc.

• Fabrice Bellard — Workflow Systems Medal, sponsored by Leon D. Silverman

• S. Merrill Weiss — Excellence in Standards Award

Sean T. McCarthy will receive the Journal Award presented to the author of the most outstanding paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. McCarthy’s article, “A Biologically Inspired Approach to Making HDR Video Quality Assessment Easier,” appeared in the May/June 2017 edition.

Jaclyn Pytlarz, Elizabeth Pieri and Robin Atkins will receive a Journal Certificate of merit for a March 2017 article as will Nikolaus Kero, Thomas Kernen and Tobias Muller for a May/June 2017 article.

The Presidential Proclamation recognizing those who have established outstanding status and reputation in the industry will presented to Phil Laven and John Ross.

SMPTE will present its Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society to Charles Reti and Peter Stavrianos.

The Student Paper Award will be presented to Jason Bud Ginsberg and Neil Movva for their paper “Dynamic Field of View in a Tomographic Light Field Display.”

Emily Faw and Catherine Meininger will receive honorable mentions.

Grace Annese, Angie Urbina and Jake Zuena will receive Louis F. Wolf Memorial Scholarships.