When we pause to reflect on the past 12 months, it becomes apparent what an action-packed, transformative and defining year it has been for Gravity Media. We work in a fast-changing, dynamic industry ‒ and we love it. There’s a relentless drive for efficiency, content is being delivered and consumed in ever-more innovative ways, and our clients’ customers are looking for increasingly immersive experiences.
It’s therefore an industry in which companies can only succeed if they continue to re-invent themselves, which is why this year we decided to rethink how we’re organised and how we present ourselves to the outside world. The result, as we’re sure you know by now, was the move to Gravity Media as our single brand around the world formed by the combination of Gearhouse Broadcast, HyperActive Broadcast, Input Media, and our recent acquisitions of Chief Entertainment in Australia, Proshow Broadcast in the USA and GENESIS Broadcast Services in Germany. It was clearly the right move made at the right time, as we look to capitalise on our expansion over the past three decades to create an integrated, global business better able to serve our clients.
Amongst all this internal change, there has been no let-up in our project work. We’ve continued to help deliver some of the world’s most memorable broadcast moments, from Formula 1 and FIBA Basketball to FIFA Women’s World Cup football and World Sevens Rugby. Sport has been a constant thread, which has seen us cover the world’s best tennis at three Grand Slams; the Open Championship golf; Red Bull Rampage mountain biking; F1H2O powerboats; State of Origin Rugby League; and much, much more.
And it’s not just about sport. Our teams have also been onsite around the world covering events that span the broadcast spectrum, from London’s Festival of Remembrance to the LA Phil’s 100th birthday party, not to mention the many award-winning films and documentaries we’ve helped bring to screens big and small over the course of the year.
Meanwhile, we’ve continued to meet growing demand for UHD content, and have not only upgraded our entire fleet of EVS XT servers to run the latest Multicam 16.00 operating system, but we’ve also added to our extensive arsenal of 4K cameras and lenses as part of our multi-million pound annual equipment investment package.
We’ve made significant investment in people too. We now number over 500 around the world, and have brought in some key hires to help manage our new, unified business. Steve Norris, for example, joined us in October as Director of Production & Content, and Tony Valentino joined earlier this month as Head of RF & Speciality Cameras.
It’s important we mention people, because although a lot of our business is focused on broadcast infrastructure and physical inventory, we’re really a people business at heart. We pride ourselves on our reputation for reliability and quality, and on the relationships we’ve built with our fantastic clients and fantastic partners. We were delighted to see so many of you at the events we’ve attended this year, from IBC, NAB, Gamescom and SportsPro to MIPCOM, SATIS and numerous SVG events, and we look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.
