Avid Customer Association Expands Executive Board of Directors and Strengthens Expertise from Across the Media & Entertainment Industry

BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Avid Customer Association (ACA) in partnership with () today announced the expansion of its of directors with the appointment of four highly accomplished film and television creators including picture editor Shannon Baker Davis, supervising sound/Dia/ADR editor Bobbi Banks, editor and colorist Monica Daniel, and sound editor, mixer and composer Eric Johnson. The executive board oversees the ACA community which today fosters connections and collaboration among more than 30,000 members working in all aspects of media and entertainment to shape the future of media technology.

“Right now, the ACA board is working hard to create opportunities for engagement so that our community members can learn and grow together and be prepared to address the changing demands of our industry and world,” said Richard Friedel, Co-Chair, ACA, and EVP, Engineering, Operations ​& Technology​, FOX Television Stations.

“We’re extremely grateful that Shannon, Bobbi, Monica and Eric have stepped up to bring their experiences and expertise into our mix,” added Darren Long, Co-Chair, ACA, and Group Content Processing Director, Sky. “The ACA is home for all voices—we aspire to inspire others to see their advantage in getting involved.”

“The ACA can fulfill its potential when it fully represents the views and concerns of contributors from every corner of our community,” said Jeff Rosica, CEO and President, Avid. “The executive board is doing a terrific job of providing a platform for the voice of customers as well as the broader media and entertainment industry. The ACA is a place for anyone to share input on a wide range of solutions or pressing issues that might not otherwise be heard nor acted upon to shape the customer experience for our users.”

Leadership from many of the world’s top film, television and music companies and educational institutions participate as ACA Executive Board members. Earlier this year, the ACA welcomed board members including Debbie Cavalier, CEO, Berklee Online; Peter Ehlert, Post Production Product Owner, ProSiebenSat.1 Tech Solutions; Mohamad Fares, Head of Broadcast Technology, Qatar Television; and Darryl Jefferson, VP Post Operations, NBC Sports & Olympics. The new appointments announced today enable the association to more effectively understand and support the wider views and needs of the professional community of media technology users:

• Shannon Baker Davis, ACE, is a television and film editor, with experience ranging from unscripted shows and documentaries such as Project Runway and Top Chef and scripted TV and feature films, including Insecure and Queen Sugar and features including The Photograph and The Weekend. She is a mentor in the ACE Diversity Mentorship Program and a co-chair of the MPEG African-American Steering Committee. Davis is also a founding member of Black in Post, an organization committed to creating pipelines of success between Black post professionals and their career goals. 
  
  
  
  
• Bobbi Banks, MPSE, is a Supervising Sound/Dia/ADR Editor and has worked on projects such as Men in Black: International, Dolemite Is My Name, When They See Us, Straight Outta Compton and August Osage County. Banks is also past President of Motion Picture Sound Editors and a current member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. She also is a former chair of the Academy’s A2020 Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee and currently serves as Vice Chair on the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee, as well as several other AMPAS committees. Banks continues to mentor and be a conduit in putting people together from all cultures and artistic disciplines, and remains active in the education and training of the next generation.
  
  
  
  
• Monica Daniel, Editor for Warner Bros. Television and independent features including DC's Legends of Tomorrow. She has worked on projects at BBC America, SyFy, Starz, Miramax, E!, LOGO, Oxygen, Fearnet, Style, and G4TV. Monica is an affiliate member of the American Cinema Editors.
  
  
  
  
• Eric Johnson, SVP Sound & Engagement, Trailblazer Studios, began his career as a producer for recording artists, and a composer for advertising and non-broadcast film and television projects. At Trailblazer Studios, Johnson works on documentary films, most recently providing sound design, mixing and editing for the Issa Rae-produced Dark City Beneath the Beat. He serves on the board of directors for the Southern Documentary Fund, the Triangle Advisory Board for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and the Governor's Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming.
  
  

In addition to the executive board, the ACA’s governance extends to more than 200 industry professionals and visionaries who dedicate their time to committees and working groups aligned to three core pillars of discovery: Strategy & Future Direction to explore opportunities from disruption and transformative developments; Products, Services & Technology Innovation to ensure workflows have the right support from a product and platform perspective; and Global Partner Ecosystem to support third parties that collaborate with Avid and its customers, thereby improving and extending Avid products, solutions and workflows.

On December 2, the ACA and Avid launched the annual . Open through December 30, the vote enables all ACA members to assist in prioritizing Avid’s product innovation and overall customer experience, as well as providing unique insights and viewpoints about the state of the industry. TV, film and music professionals from thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries have cast their ballots in past votes. Since revealing the results of the inaugural vote, Avid has delivered on hundreds of customer requests for new capabilities and enhancements.

About the Avid Customer Association

Avid and its customers established the Avid Customer Association (ACA) to create the world’s most innovative and influential media technology community representing organizations and professionals across the industry. Within six years of its founding, the ACA has grown rapidly to give a voice and proven influence to more than 30,000 members from every discipline and job level in content creation, production, management and delivery—from global media organization leaders to individuals just getting started in their careers. Through its rapid enrollment process, the ACA enables qualified TV, film and music professionals who are not yet taking advantage of the ACA to easily  for free.

About Avid

Avid delivers the most open and efficient media platform, connecting content creation with collaboration, asset protection, distribution, and consumption. Avid’s preeminent customer community uses Avid’s comprehensive tools and workflow solutions to create, distribute and monetize the most watched, loved and listened to media in the world—from prestigious and award-winning feature films to popular television shows, news programs and televised sporting events, and celebrated music recordings and live concerts. With the most flexible deployment and pricing options, Avid’s industry-leading solutions include Media Composer^®, Pro Tools^®, Avid NEXIS^®, MediaCentral^®, iNEWS^®, AirSpeed^®, Sibelius^®, Avid VENUE^™, FastServe^®, and Maestro^™. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit , connect with Avid on , , , , , or subscribe to .

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