In October 2025, Kenna Hilburn, former a former television producer, was promoted to Chief Product Officer for Avid, succeeding Tim Claman. TV Tech spoke with Kenna at IBC and recently caught up with her to talk about her new responsibilities and Avid's plans for the 2026 NAB Show.
TV Tech: Can you provide us with an update on Avid Content Core? Can you characterize what types of customers you expect to use it?
Kenna Hilburn: Avid Content Core addresses the real challenges media teams are encountering today in a fast-evolving media economy. It provides a cloud-native foundation to help teams manage, find, move, and understand their content across both linear and digital platforms. Content Core is about connecting the systems customers already have – not asking them to rip and replace what’s working.
As we work through proofs-of-concept, together with our customers, we see Content Core resonate strongly with broadcasters, news organizations, and enterprise media teams operating in hybrid environments. These are organizations that require coordination across people, tools, workflows, and global teams – especially as they work to do more with less, across more formats and with more complexity than ever.
TVT: Where is Avid applying artificial intelligence today in ways that actually save time or reduce friction – while still protecting creative control and editorial intent?
KH: We’re deploying AI very specifically and very strategically to remove friction in the workflow. That means focusing on areas where teams historically spend a lot of time – like transcription, search, and metadata. For example, we’re using AI to automatically transcribe and tag incoming footage so journalists can find what they need in seconds instead of scrubbing timelines.
If it doesn’t save time or reduce friction, it doesn’t belong in our workflows.
At the same time, we’re designing AI as an assistant rather than as the creator. Creative control always comes first. We design AI tools to be transparent, predictable, and optional – especially in environments like news, where precision and trust are non-negotiable. Editors and journalists can see what the system is doing, accept or reject it, and stay in control of the final output.
AI should make skilled professionals faster and more confident in their work – not distance them from it.
TVT: You've been with Avid as Chief Product Officer and were Senior VP of Product for 10 months before that. How are you making your mark on Avid's product strategies? Are you implementing any new approaches or direction?
KH: I started my career in media production – I went to college for television and film production – and I’ve always seen myself as a person who loves storytelling. Stepping into this role has given me the opportunity to come back to my storytelling roots.
When I started, I asked a simple question: What’s the story we’re actually trying to tell – to customers, to partners, and to our own teams? You’ve got to start there and then line up all the people and the work behind that vision – and show how you’re bringing it to life at every step of the way. That’s how you create culture, and how you help teams feel what they are doing is a meaningful part of the greater whole.
At the same time, we can’t just tell stories – we have to deliver. That’s meant simplifying our portfolio, being explicit about who each product is for, and prioritizing execution over ambition.
NAB remains important for us, but the way we approach it has evolved.
The craft has only gotten more complex as technology has evolved – and we’re at a tipping point where technology can actually get in the way. We see a simplification moment. Our job is to deliver the next era of tools that re-simplify the process, so creativity can be in the driver’s seat.
One of my strengths is translating real customer problems into clear product direction – and then holding the organization accountable to delivering against it. We’ve become much more explicit about outcomes, not just features, and about how each product fits into a broader solution rather than standing alone. Success isn’t defined by how ambitious a roadmap looks; it’s defined by whether we deliver the right solutions and customers see the value.
TVT: What are Avid's plans for NAB and are trade shows still vital to the company's business strategy, given that there are many more options and other competing events?
KH: NAB remains important for us, but the way we approach it has evolved. It’s less about big announcements and more about having meaningful conversations – showing real workflows, listening to customers, and getting feedback.
NAB and other trade shows bring the industry together in one place, creating a vital moment to hear what’s happening on the ground and help customers navigate an increasingly complex media landscape. But it’s part of a broader approach that includes more continuous engagement – direct customer collaboration, regional events, and ongoing digital touchpoints. It’s about continuity, not a single moment. And about showing real progress, not promises.
TVT: Are there any new developments in Avid's news production products and how would you assess the state of TV news production currently, especially considering the push for more station group consolidation?
KH: Newsrooms are under enormous pressure. Budgets continue to tighten, teams are being asked to do more with less, and the news-gathering process has become far less structured. Twenty years ago, a tip came in through the news desk. Now it can come in via tweet, a phone call, or a Facebook post as the story evolves in real time.
We’re hearing from customers that this creates huge strain. Producers are building the broadcast story while the social team is already posting, and everyone needs multiple versions immediately – often while names, facts, and footage are being revised.
We’re bringing all those disparate pieces together into one connected ecosystem, so an entire news operation can work together seamlessly – whether they’re in the newsroom or on location. That’s the strategy we’re executing with Wolftech News and iNEWS: enabling planning, gathering, uploading, sharing, editing, reviewing, and approving in one place.
TVT: At IBC, we discussed the "content creator economy" and Avid's role in that. Can you update us on Avid's approach and plans to address that market?
KH: The lines of content creation are blurring – whether you’re talking about an individual creator publishing online, a global studio, or a major broadcast network. Those worlds are coming closer together.
Our approach to the creator economy is to meet people where they are today, support where they’re going, and position professional tools like Pro Tools and Media Composer to take their craft to the next level.
We’re not looking to chase the latest trends or compete on novelty. We’re focused on supporting creators who want to build something sustainable – and giving them a clear path from emerging talent to professional scale as their needs evolve, without forcing them to abandon professional standards as they grow.
TVT: In an interview with our sister brand TVBEurope, Avid's CTO talked about customer demand for more "hybrid workflows." How is that impacting product development?
KH: Hybrid workflows aren’t a transition phase – they’re how many of our customers are operating today. We see a world where customers will still need some systems on-prem – while also needing the flexibility and scalability the cloud has to offer.
So rather than forcing an “all on-prem” or “all cloud” approach, we’re bringing those two infrastructure models together. That’s what customers are asking for, and it’s shaping how we prioritize product development. It’s all about giving them the freedom to evolve at their own pace while maintaining stability in day-to-day operations, which is critical in live and deadline-driven environments.
TVT: How have changes in technology impacted how Avid promotes its product solutions to customers and have trade shows had any impact on that?
KH: Technology has changed not just how products are built, but how customers evaluate them. They have more information, more options, and less patience for hype. They want to see real-world examples that actually make their work easier. Credibility now comes from execution - customers can see very quickly whether a product actually makes their work easier.
