Meet the voluntary Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific Island Board who are elected for a one or two year term to serve the local membership and deliver the METexpo conference and show
Paul is the Chair of SMPTE Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific Islands (ANZSPI) and is based in Sydney.
Paul says he is privileged to Chair a board of 16 fantastic and passionate technology professionals from across the region. He loves that as Chair he gets to be involved in supporting the work his team delivers for SMPTE members and the wider industry community.
Paul says that it's the training, knowledge sharing, career development and simply getting together with colleagues is what drives his commitment to SMPTE.
One thing Paul is excited about is the brand-new show SMPTE METexpo in March 2024. He says it is “a big focus!” Paul feels it's important to engage with innovation, ideas and the broader film and broadcast community. He says with METexpo 24, SMPTE “are looking to create a new event and conference that suits the evolving and exciting tech behind streaming, broadcast, audio, production and movies… a busy and fun task!”
Paul Maroni is Business Development Manager - APAC at EVS Broadcast
Paul’s job is to develop and implement sales and marketing strategies to increase EVS's presence in the APAC region for their Media Infrastructure product portfolio. This includes channel development and management.
Paul sees SMPTE as the industry's constant during his lengthy Broadcast career. He remembers it originally as the ‘SMPTE show’ which showcased technologies and products every 2 years. Soon it became the biannual social event for the broadcast industry and a one-stop shop for everything that was new in Broadcast.
As time progressed, Paul quickly learned that SMPTE was more than a show, that it was a community (association) of like minded individuals who were passionate about the industry, who had been brought together to create standards for interoperability and consistency. As well as educating the market and keeping members informed on the latest technology and workflows.
Paul believes that the key to a successful career is to enjoy and be passionate about what you do! For those who are starting to establish themselves in the industry, he suggests learning as much as you can to expand your knowledge base. He says “With those two things, opportunities will knock down your door.”
When Paul's not working he loves to dine on “anything that is not alive and bacteria free!”, though he’ll happily kick back and relax with a red wine or a Tequila and beer in summer, especially if its with his true passion, his family and friends.
Michael joined SMPTE upon graduation to expand his industry knowledge, grow his professional network, and give back to the industry in general. Based in Sydney In 2007 Michael became Secretary/Treasurer of the Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Pacific Islands Section, and has been very active in all aspects of the Section ever since, including the bi- annual SMPTE Sydney Conference and Expo - METexpo.
Michael is a Product Manager at Telstra, responsible for all media centric products and services including, domestic and international networking, managed and professional services
Shane is a Broadcast Specialist, with a career in the New Zealand television industry spanning 4 decades.
He is the Technical Sales Manager (NZ) at Magna Systems and Engineering (NZ), looking after solution sales for Magna NZ.
Shane feels SMPTE has been an important part of his broadcast career since starting in the industry during the mid 80s. He feels “it has always been a trusted source of knowledge, learning and technical expertise”. Eventually Shane went on to join the SMPTE Board and says his motives were to “help promote SMPTE to young Kiwi broadcasters, and find ways to ensure they can benefit from SMPTE in the same way I did.”
Shane’s career has had many (and wide ranging) moments that he values. Most of these moments have been associated with developing, and being involved in, interesting broadcast solutions. But what seems to come back to him however, is that yes, “technology is cool, but understanding and helping people is what's most rewarding”.
Shane’s suggestions to those who are just starting to build their careers is to “Step up and take risks. Follow you passion and have faith in your own ability to make things happen.”
Outside of work Shane loves good scifi! He is fascinated by the conversations that are born out of the ideas and concepts that are investigated in good scifi. He feels “it's all about exploring ideas.”
Andrew Martin is Event Operation Manager at Television New Zealand. In his role, he manages operational and technical logistics for sports and special events for Television New Zealand.
Andrew values SMPTE and says it “represents opportunity and collaboration, as well as education and growth.” SMPTE is an important organisation to Andrew because it “brings our industry together”.
One of the most rewarding achievements of Andrew’s career was being part of the launch team of an OTT sports startup. Moving at pace from concept to operational testing, to launch was exciting. Andrew enjoyed how it was a market changing initiative with the opportunity to wear many hats and make substantial contributions to the whole company.
Andrew believes that being reliable, trustworthy and being involved will set you up for success when building your career. Above all he says “love what you’re doing. If you have a passion and an interest the opportunities will come.”
Outside of work Andrew loves to ride his 50cc scooter. He says "I plan on being 70 years old cruising in the city on my Yamaha!"
Sarah Merk is Based in Sydney and her role is very commercially focused and sees her having full fiscal responsibility for SBS’ Technology, Transmission and Property and Workplace Services. This includes overseeing capital projects, managing contractual arrangements and vendor relationships and advising on a number of steering committees and advisory boards across the business.
Reza Mazhari is a Senior Broadcast Architect at Tabcorp Sky Racing.
His role as Senior Broadcast Architect at Tabcorp Sky Racing is to research, identify, design and implement broadcast and IT systems that will reduce the operational costs, improve QoS and/or operational workflows. Not to mention, responding to the BAU to maintain the station and the services running on all platforms.
Reza believes SMPTE is an important organisation because it is at the forefront of technological advancements in the media industry. Because the organisation develops standards for emerging technologies like high dynamic range (HDR), immersive audio, 8K resolution, and more he sees these standards as providing a common framework for innovation, enabling content creators to push the boundaries of storytelling and visual/audio experiences.
“SMPTE serves as a hub for industry professionals to exchange knowledge, ideas, and expertise. Conferences, workshops, and publications by SMPTE facilitate learning and collaboration among engineers, filmmakers, researchers, and other stakeholders.”
As an Architect Reza feels the most enjoyable moment happens when you finally get to see your design idea live in operation! It is hard for him to pick a specific moment as this feeling of joy and this exciting moment follows every project that he’s ever delivered!
Reza believes the key to being a successful Architect in a highly innovative industry like Broadcast, is to constantly build knowledge by keeping yourself abreast of new trends, reading, paying attention to industry experts and more reading.
Outside of work, Reza’s passion is nature. Exploring scenic views brings Reza a sense of tranquillity and adventure!
Doxia is currently serving as Head of Broadcast Services at Sky Racing Australia, where she is part of Tabcorp's esteemed media team.
Jamie Drew is based in Sydney and is currently using Technology, expand and streamline content production, distribution capabilities and processes across the ABC.
Tony Moran is based in Sydney and is the lead for sales activity and account management in Australia and New Zealand for Grass Valley.
Paul Suters lives in Sydney and is the Managing Director of a company that provides professional services across a range of divisions, but most specifically, provides consulting services in media services including technical design, strategic planning, workflow management, documentation and Project/Programme Management.
Richard works for Telstra Broadcast Services in Sydney and manages Sales of Services including connectivity and Broadcast Playout services for the Radio and television Broadcasters in Australia.
Based in Brisbane
Based in Sydney
Based in Sydney