Blog
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What’s Actually Earning Its Keep, AI and Innovation
Every new tool wants a seat on the crew bus. Here’s my honest scorecard of which ones have actually earned it — and which are still auditioning.
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What the Demo Doesn’t Show You
The cloud production demo always works. But the demo is climate-controlled — and live is not. The right questions start where the demo ends.
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What’s Actually Earning Its Keep
Enough hype — here’s my honest scorecard of where AI is delivering real value in media operations right now, and where it isn’t yet. The pattern: it wins at volume tasks where a human checks the output, and struggles wherever context, stakes, and judgment are…
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Is It a Real IP Facility? Wrong Question.
An engineer told me his overhauled plant “isn’t a real IP facility.” He was measuring it against a purity that doesn’t exist — and missing the transformation he’d already achieved. “Is this a real IP facility?” is the wrong question.
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The Calmest Person in the Room
Two directors, the same on-air mistake, opposite instincts. One berated the operator and made the broadcast worse; the other let it pass and fixed the cause after the show. Live broadcast teaches a form of leadership you can’t learn in a seminar.
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Live is the Moat
Twelve years ago I asked how critical LIVE is to your content. The last twelve years didn’t just prove the point — they raised the stakes.
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Curiosity and the Lost Art of Listening
The two skills that have earned their keep more than any certification or framework: curiosity, and quality listening. They sound soft. They’re not — they’re the difference between installing systems and solving problems.
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What Analog-to-Digital Taught Me About Every Transition Since
The tape-to-file transition delivered the efficiency it promised — and quietly deleted a quality check nobody had ever written down. Whenever a new technology promises to remove a step, ask first: what else was that step quietly doing?
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Why I’m Writing
This site has been a quiet place. That’s about to change — three threads on where our industry is heading, AI in media workflows, and lessons from 25+ years of live production.
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UX: Not Just Pretty Pixels – Driving Real Business Outcomes
In today’s media technology landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to gain an edge. While factors like innovative technology and strong marketing are crucial, one element often underestimated, yet incredibly powerful, is User Experience (UX). UX is not just about creating visually appealing interfaces; it’s…
James Stellpflug 