This month in Tech Edge, we are going to have a conversation with Paula Dufresne. Paula is the Media Services Coordinator for Cramer. Cramer is a digital marketing and event solution agency, which leads the industry in live events. What they do, they do with excellence, as we could do an article alone on their client credentials and awards won. Their work is on the radio and television daily. If you have eyes or ears, you have witnessed their work.
Paula, what does a Media Services Coordinator do?
It’s really a two-part job. I deal with all media coming in and going out of house as well as book the resources that are necessary to get each job done. At Cramer, we have five full time editors, five animators and two people making auditory magic in our audio suites. We are almost exclusively working with digital media now, so all of that footage needs to be brought into AVID, backed up and archived. Once the job is complete, my work in the media lab comes back into play. We compress and deliver the content in the required format depending on how the client is broadcasting the piece.
How did you get your start in the industry?
Well, I attended New England Tech in Rhode Island starting my degree in electronics engineering. I soon realized that though I loved the work, I didn’t feel I fit in the industry. I switched majors to Video and Audio Production so my creative spirit could thrive, but I could still work with technology to fulfill my inner geek.
How do you feel women are treated in this industry?
That’s one of my favorite parts about working with creative people. Woman, man, man dressed as woman, woman dressed as manºwe are all there to entertain and the weirder the better. I don’t feel the gender gap in this industry as much as I did in the engineering or automotive industry. (I did a stint in the car fixing biz before going back to college)
People constantly wonder how different it is working in NYC as opposed to here in New England. Having been in both markets, are there any unique insights you noticed?
I would say one big difference is the amount of work in NYC. There is obviously much more going on in production. So, more people freelance there and make a career of it. The pay there is higher, but the competition is high too. ™Ya gotta know someone∫, as they say. It’s also important to be driven, independent, and ready to take initiative in NYC. I was just thrown into projects and had to sort it out on my own many times. Sit at the AVID, open the project and get to work. Obviously there are producers directing you, but in the freelance world you just have to show up and figure it out, or at least pretend to. In New England I have experienced a lot of learning opportunities with people willing to train and sit with you.
When you aren’t coordinating media services, what do you do to unwind?
In my analog world, I like to garden and sip some bourbon while planning big projects to do on our house. My wife and I bought a house in January, and I now have lots of carpentry experience under my tool belt.
Have you seen any changes in the industry in the past five years?
The most obvious change I’ve seen is the move from shooting on tape to shooting on cards. All the media I deal with now comes to me on a small card. These cards are re-used after the footage is dumped off of it. So, it is so much more important to be careful and meticulous about backing stuff up. One press of a button and your day’s shoot could be gone for good.
What do you find most rewarding about working in this industry? What do you find most challenging?
I find troubleshooting and fixing problems to be most rewarding. I like the challenge. Keeping up with ever-changing technology and video codecs is a tremendous challenge. Make an HD standard already! You can find me daily on an AVID forum seeking the answers to all my questions.
For more information about Cramer visit www.crameronline.com.
Steve McGrath is a Broadcast Sales Engineer for HB Communications. He has worked with NBC, ABC, CBS, NESN, NECN, Fox, ESPN, Pentagon, Powderhouse and many others. You can reach him at Steve.McGrath@HBCommunications.com.