Shure recently hosted its third in an ongoing series of “Celebrating Women in Technology” panels, this one focused on the broadcast industry in a session with leading female broadcast sound professionals moderated by Shure president and CEO Chris Schyvinck. Panelists:
Jillian Arnold, a video engineer who specializes in video workflow engineering, digital acquisition, and media management. She started her career overseeing high-speed, high-resolution productions for engineering analysis as part of the Mars Program at NASA. She currently manages recording and file management for live television, broadcast, and corporate event projects. Arnold is also the first female president of Local 695 – Sound, Video & Projection, and is a member of the Television Academy.
Apollonia van Dun, a professional boom operator in the Netherlands. She attended film school where she fell in love with sound, working in editing and other responsibilities before landing as a boom operator where she loves capturing live audio.
Robyn Gerry-Rose, who studied live sound reinforcement at Columbia College in Chicago. In 2012, she moved to Los Angeles where she joined IATSE Local 695. She has “A2-ed” on live or live-to-tape broadcast ranging from game shows to talk shows to live events The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, The Latin Grammys and more.
Yezmin Blue, the manager of broadcast engineering for the Seattle Mariners, where she has worked for nearly 24 years. She is responsible for management, maintenance, and administration of all aspects of ballpark broadcast engineering, audio-visual, and technical services.
Lina Arja, who currently works as a sound assistant at NEP in the Netherlands. She has worked on many sporting events such as Champions League matches and cricket, as well as daily talk shows, music festivals, and a variety of game shows.
The panelists shared changes they’ve seen in the industry over the years, with Blue noting, “There were very few women that I encountered through the years. That has changed in the last four to five years. We see women in all roles in the sports industry, which is beautiful. I was fortunate enough to have mentors that were interested in helping.”
“A lot of young women don’t know these positions exist,” adds Arnold. “I think when you go the traditional film school route, it’s director, producer, writers, maybe cinematographer, maybe sound mixer, production designer, but the more young women that I speak to, they don’t understand that there’s so many other jobs available. I think it’s really on us to be the leaders in that mentorship for younger women.”
The panel also took live questions from social media about how they got into their careers and what advice they could share with others. “Be curious and let that curiosity guide you,” notes Gerry-Rose. “Often careers — regardless of the industry — are not linear and you never know who you’re going to meet and what’s going to happen. So be open and network and be aware of the people around you.”
The panel replay is available here.
