The Why Not Attitude for Job Success, Setting Boundaries, & Avoiding Burnout

You can excel in your passions. But it’s important to recognize those opportunities and say yes to them.

The philosophy of “Why not?” is not based on ignorance. Instead, it is a mindset that encourages openness to new ideas and experiences without immediately dismissing them. It is about approaching opportunities with a sense of curiosity and a willingness to take risks.

This philosophy of “Why not?” can work because it prompts you to consider things that may not have been previously considered, leading to new insights, opportunities, and directions. By embracing challenges and uncertainty instead of letting fear and doubt hold you back, you can discover new possibilities and grow as an individual.

Rather than blindly embracing every opportunity, the philosophy of “Why not?” is about considering the potential benefits and risks of a situation and making an informed decision based on your values and goals. With this mindset, individuals can approach their personal and professional lives with more creativity, flexibility and confidence, ultimately leading to greater success and fulfillment.

Are you feeling exhausted and at a loss as to how to succeed in your career while still maintaining a fulfilling home life? You’re not alone! The traditional methods of climbing the corporate ladder are not working for most women, leaving many feeling burned out and unfulfilled.

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to juggle the demands of a successful career with a rich personal life. For years, I struggled to keep up with the constant pressure and insane deadlines, never able to set boundaries that would allow me to thrive in both areas of my life. Eventually, I burned out and lost everything.

But I refused to give up. Using my expertise in human behavior, I carved out a new path to success that included intelligent boundaries and the ability to thrive both professionally and personally. And now I want to share my strategies with you, so that you too can achieve freedom and fulfillment.

Whether you work in management consulting, a male-dominated culture, a client-driven organization, an entrepreneurial endeavor, or under-resourced healthcare services, these strategies can help you create the exact boundaries necessary for success. So don’t wait – follow my journey, comment and like, and join an open forum where you can connect with other women who are ready to support you. It’s completely free, and if you’re not comfortable commenting, just send me a DM with a simple “hello”. I’m here and ready to help you thrive.

9 Tips for Women in Business

1. Prioritize self-care: Make your physical and mental health a priority. Prioritizing self-care habits such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, seeking support from friends and family, and managing stress can help prevent burnout and increase productivity.

2. Have SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Based) goals for your careers and put systems in place to achieve them. By identifying achievable goals and breaking them into smaller, more manageable steps, women can avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed and stay motivated.

3. Learn to delegate: Delegating tasks to other team members, including household tasks, this can create more time and energy for your careers and reduce burnout.

4. Build a support system: Networking and building a support system of like-minded women can be beneficial for navigating challenges and responsibilities that come with a demanding career.

5. Practice time management: Effective time management can help juggle both work and personal obligations. Prioritizing tasks and setting boundaries for how much time and energy to allocate to specific tasks can help be effective.

6. Use technology to your advantage: Technology can be a useful tool to manage tasks, team communication and efficient work processes which can help maximize time and reduce stress.

7. Seek flexibility: Create a job that is flexible or allows for remote work arrangements. This can help create more work-life balance by eliminating long commutes and taking charge of schedules that may not work as per their needs.

8. Take breaks: Taking regular breaks throughout the day, and in life in general, can help you recharge and return to tasks with a renewed focus and energy.

9. Not sure about achieving your goals? Develop a Why Not? attitude. Don’t give yourself excuses of why you can’t achieve your goal. Don’t look at the barriers or how “something has always been done”, don’t be afraid to challenge the norms, find out about a company you can help, and the solutions you can provide. Why Can You Do It? Keep an open-mind.

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Broadcasting Tips: QC’ing and Transcoding files

In media production, building QC (quality check) and transcode files for use in manual and automated workflows typically involves the following steps:

1. Determine the specifications: Identify the technical requirements for the media file based on the delivery platform or distribution channels. This includes file format, resolution, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, audio format, and other technical parameters.

2. Encode or transcode: Once the file specifications are defined, use a transcoding software to encode or transcode the media file to the desired specifications. This process converts the file from its original format to the required delivery format. Ensure the output quality is up to the expected standards.

Note: Encoding and transcoding are both processes of converting digital media files from one format to another. However, there is a distinction between these two processes that is important to understand.

Encoding refers to the process of compressing digital media files into a specific format to reduce file size while retaining as much quality as possible. This compression can be lossless or lossy, depending on the encoding method used.

Transcoding, on the other hand, involves taking an already compressed media file and re-compressing it into a different format or bitrate. This can involve changing the media file’s resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate or other technical parameters.

While both encoding and transcoding can be used to reduce file sizes, encoding typically involves compressing high-quality files for use in delivery platforms while transcoding focuses more on adapting existing media files to suit a variety of distribution and delivery platforms.

The main difference lies in the fact that encoding is the process of compressing an un-compressed file for storage or streaming purposes, while transcoding is the process of converting an already compressed file into a different format, resolution, and/or bit rate.

3. QC check: Once the file is transcoded, it must be tested to ensure it meets technical specifications and quality levels. This can be done manually or through an automated quality control system that checks for technical issues such as pixelation, color accuracy, brightness, and resolution.

To specifically test QC’d video and ensure it meets technical specifications and quality levels, you can follow these steps:

• Check the video resolution: Ensure the video resolution matches the intended output specifications. For instance, if the video is meant for a 1080p output, verify that the resolution is 1920×1080.

• Verify aspect ratio: Verify if the aspect ratio of the video is correct. This can typically be set to 16:9 or 4:3.

• Check bit rate: Verify that the video’s bit rate meets specified requirements. This will affect the video quality, and too high or too low bit rates can result in poor quality.

• Test audio quality: Check audio levels, clarity, and timing. Ensure audio levels don’t clip or distort, and that the audio is synced correctly to the video.

• Check color and exposure: Verify the color accuracy and exposure levels of the video. Ensure that the colors are not too saturated or de-saturated and that the exposure levels are not too bright or too dark.

• Run tests for technical issues: Quality control software can automate this step by running a series of automated tests to check for technical issues. Some common issues software can detect include pixelation, interlacing, dropouts, and compression errors.

Here are ten series of automated tests that are commonly used to check for technical issues in the broadcast media industry’s QC process:

– Video signal analysis: This involves analyzing the video signal to detect issues such as missing or duplicate frames, video compression artifacts, and signal dropout.

– Audio level analysis: This involves analyzing the audio levels to verify that they are within acceptable levels and that there are no audio dropouts.

– Lip sync analysis: This test checks that the audio and video are in sync with each other, with no noticeable delays or desyncs.

– Closed captioning analysis: This involves analyzing the closed caption data to ensure that they are synced correctly with the audio and video.

– Loudness compliance analysis: This test ensures that audio levels comply with relevant loudness guidelines, such as CALM Act.

– Video quality metrics: This measures various video quality metrics, such as Peak Signal-to-Noise ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity (SSIM) and Mean Opinion Scores (MOS), to ensure that the video is of high quality.

– Aspect ratio and resolution compliance: This test ensures that the video’s aspect ratio and resolution comply with relevant specifications.

– Subtitle and caption compliance: This verifies that subtitles and captions adhere to standards and are free from errors.

– Compression analysis: This test checks that the video encoding and compression have been applied correctly, and verifies that bitrates aren’t too high or low.

– Color and gamma analysis: This test verifies correct color space and level and image brightness or dark values through gamma analysis. 

These automated tests help ensure that broadcast media content is delivered to its intended specifications, and adheres to industry standards for technical quality.

– Check for legal compliance: Verify that the video does not contain any copyright infringements or other legal compliance issues.

4. Review and revise: Once QC checks are complete, review the results and revise any errors or issues that were found. This can involve making additional cuts, color correction, or other adjustments.

5. File-naming convention and metadata: Consistent file naming convention and metadata is essential to ensure the media assets are managed and distributed optimally. Using a bespoke asset management system or media production software that tag and track the files and the corresponding metadata allows for efficient and accurate searching and retrieval for the use of the assets in future projects.

By following these steps, media producers can ensure that their assets are optimized for different platforms and workflows while also making sure that the files meet the required technical standards for delivery.

Logistics Gymnastics: Making it work

Technology plays a crucial role in logistics and supply chain management. Here are some examples of vital technologies used in logistics and supply chain management:

  1. Transportation management systems (TMS)
  2. Warehouse management systems (WMS)
  3. Global positioning systems (GPS)
  4. Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
  5. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
  6. Drones
  7. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
  8. Big data analytics
  9. Blockchain technology
  10. Cloud computing
  11. Mobile devices and applications
  12. Electronic data interchange (EDI)
  13. Electronic logging devices (ELDs)
  14. Telematics

These technologies can be used for a variety of purposes such as optimizing routes, tracking shipments, managing inventory, and improving supply chain visibility. By leveraging these technologies, companies can enhance their efficiency, reduce costs, and provide better overall service to their customers.

The C-Suite: What is it, and tips to get there

The term “C-Suite” refers to the highest-ranking executive officers within a company or organization, such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

To seek out opportunities to demonstrate your leadership capabilities and produce results that can be recognized by senior executives in broadcasting, you can take the following steps:

1. Take on challenging projects: Seek out challenging projects that require you to lead a team and produce measurable results. Set clear goals and develop a plan to achieve them. Take ownership of the project and demonstrate your leadership skills by guiding your team towards success.

2. Collaborate with other departments: Work collaboratively with other departments within your organization to support shared goals. Build relationships with stakeholders and demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and coordinate resources to achieve common objectives.

3. Mentor and coach junior staff: Establish yourself as a leader by mentoring and coaching junior staff. Share your knowledge and expertise with others, and encourage them to develop their skills and abilities. Show that you have a deep understanding of the industry and can support the growth and development of others.

4. Seek out training and development opportunities: Attend training and development opportunities that can enhance your leadership skills. This could be formal training courses or informal peer-to-peer learning opportunities.

5. Be innovative and agile: Be open to new ideas and technologies, and demonstrate agility in adapting to changing circumstances. Take a creative approach to problem-solving and continuously seek out ways to improve processes and outcomes.

6. Communicate accomplishments: Keep senior executives informed of your successes and results. Communicate effectively and clearly to show how your leadership has contributed to the success of specific projects or overall organizational goals.

By taking these steps, you can seek out opportunities to demonstrate your leadership capabilities and produce results that can be recognized by senior executives in broadcasting.


1. Develop a specialized skill or area of expertise: To stand out as a potential candidate for a C-level position, it is essential to develop a specialized skill or area of expertise that is in high demand within your industry.

To become a C-suite executive in broadcasting, you might need a combination of the following specialized skills or areas of expertise:

• Leadership: The ability to inspire and lead teams is critical for anyone aspiring to a C-suite position in broadcasting. You should be capable of creating a vision for your organization, setting strategic goals, and motivating your team to achieve them.

• Communication: Broadcasting is all about communication, and you should be adept at both written and verbal communication. Strong communication skills are essential for sharing information, building relationships and negotiating with stakeholders, including advertisers, production teams, and key talent.

• Technical expertise: To gain credibility with your team and have an understanding of the broadcast industry’s technical aspects, you should have some technical expertise in broadcasting. This knowledge can include familiarity with broadcasting hardware and software, audiovisual equipment, and communication platforms.

• Creativity and innovation: Broadcasting is an exciting and ever-changing industry, and to thrive in it, you need to be creative and innovative. The ability to generate new programming concepts, adapt to emerging technologies, and engage with your audience is increasingly important in today’s hyper-competitive media landscape.

• Business savvy: As a C-suite executive, you will need to have business acumen beyond just the broadcasting industry. You should have an understanding of finance, marketing, and operations, as well as the ability to create efficient and effective business strategies to grow your organization.

Overall, developing a combination of leadership, communication, technical expertise, creativity, innovation, and business savvy can help you become a C-suite executive in broadcasting. It is important to build a diverse set of skills and continuously improve yourself to stand out from the competition.

2. Build a track record of success: By consistently delivering positive results and demonstrating leadership capabilities, you can establish a strong track record of success that will help you stand out as a potential candidate for C-Level positions.

To deliver positive results and demonstrate leadership capabilities effectively, you can follow these tips:

• Set clear goals: Clearly defining your goals for your team and your organization can help you stay focused and create a clear path towards success. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

• Communicate effectively: Effective communication is critical in broadcasting, whether you are interacting with colleagues, stakeholders or the audience. To communicate effectively, you should tailor your communication styles to suit different audiences and use simple language, storytelling, and empathy to convey your message.

• Lead by example: Leaders who lead by example create a positive and high-performance culture. Be a role model for your team, set the standard for excellence, and demonstrate the behaviour you expect from others.

• Delegate responsibility: Delegation can free up time and help you focus on key activities that require your expertise. It also helps develop your team’s skills, builds trust, and reinforces accountability.

• Embrace innovation: Broadcasting is an industry that is rapidly evolving, and to stay ahead of the curve, you need to embrace innovation. Encourage your team to experiment, take risks, and be creative with new ideas and technologies.

• Recognize and reward success: Celebrate milestone achievements, recognize successes, and reward top performers. Positive feedback can help boost morale and reinforce positive behavior.

• Continuously learn and grow: The broadcasting industry is evolving rapidly, and to stay current, you need to continuously learn and grow. Attend industry events, read relevant materials, network with peers, and seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills.

By following these tips, you can deliver positive results and demonstrate leadership capabilities effectively in broadcasting as well as many other industries.

3. Seek out leadership opportunities: Seeking out opportunities within your organization to lead projects or teams can help you demonstrate your leadership capabilities and produce results that can be recognized by senior executives.

To seek out opportunities to demonstrate your leadership capabilities and produce results that can be recognized by senior executives, you can take the following steps:

• Take on challenging projects: Seek out challenging projects that require you to lead a team and produce measurable results. Set clear goals and develop a plan to achieve them. Take ownership of the project and demonstrate your leadership skills by guiding your team towards success.

• Collaborate with other departments: Work collaboratively with other departments within your organization to support shared goals. Build relationships with stakeholders and demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and coordinate resources to achieve common objectives.

• Mentor and coach junior staff: Establish yourself as a leader by mentoring and coaching junior staff. Share your knowledge and expertise with others, and encourage them to develop their skills and abilities. Show that you have a deep understanding of the industry and can support the growth and development of others.

•Always be learning.  Seek out training and development opportunities: Attend training and development opportunities that can enhance your leadership skills. This could be formal training courses or informal peer-to-peer learning opportunities.

• Be innovative and agile: Be open to new ideas and technologies, and demonstrate agility in adapting to changing circumstances. Take a creative approach to problem-solving and continuously seek out ways to improve processes and outcomes.

• Communicate accomplishments:  It’s not bragging!  Keep senior executives informed of your successes and results. Communicate effectively and clearly to show how your leadership has contributed to the success of specific projects or overall organizational goals.

By taking these steps, you can seek out opportunities to demonstrate your leadership capabilities and produce results that can be recognized by senior executives.


4. Continuously learn and develop: Staying current with the latest industry trends and investing in ongoing education and professional development can help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in senior leadership roles.

Some current and latest industry trends in broadcasting include:

• Streaming services: The online streaming services continue to expand, and consumers are shifting towards watching their favorite shows on demand. OTT (over-the-top) services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ are the key players offering original content and interacting with their viewers with interactive features.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality: Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) are becoming popular and are being used by broadcasters to enhance audience experience. It is already being used for production and broadcast of live sports.

• Interactive content: Interactive content is increasing rapidly; it encourages engagement and can offer additional value to the audience like polling, chatbots, games, and more.

• Personalized content: Personalization is becoming a significant factor as consumers demand customized and tailored content. Broadcasting services are focusing on providing tailored recommendations based on consumer interests, viewing history and behavior.

• Artificial Intelligence: AI technologies are augmenting broadcasting by enabling machine-learning algorithms, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and automated content creation.

• Social media for engagement: Social media like Twitter and Instagram is being used to drive engagement by broadcasters. These platforms are becoming a powerful marketing tool by providing connections with fans and access to real-time analytics of the audience.

• Remote production: The pandemic accelerated trends toward distributed production models, leading to remote production techniques for both pre-production and live event coverage.

These trends are shaping the broadcasting industry and aligning the market with the modern viewer’s requirements.

5. Network and build relationships: Building a network of professional connections within your industry and engaging in activities such as attending industry conferences and events can help you build relationships with key decision-makers and open up opportunities for C-level positions. 

25 current broadcast industry conferences:

IBC (International Broadcasting Convention), NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Show, Broadcast Asia, CES (Consumer Electronics Show), NAB Radio Show, Media Finance Focus, TVOT (The TV of Tomorrow Show), Streaming Media West, Broadcast Minds, ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium, IABM Conference, Next TV Summit & Expo, European Radio and Digital Audio Show, NABA Broadcast Technology Futures, Fates Summit, Connection Series by Digital Production Partnership, CIS Global Forum, SMPTE Motion Imaging Technology Summit, RadioDays Europe, Communications Policy Research Forum, Future Leaders Program of the Association of Public Television Stations, Sportel Monaco, Audio Engineering Society Convention, Convergence India, and Media Summit New York. Note: Some of these events may be virtual at the moment, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, growing a career in the C-Suite requires a combination of strong technical skills, leadership capabilities, industry knowledge, and a strategic outlook.

Basics in Broadcasting: Best Practices & Success Metrics

Best practices refer to a set of proven approaches, techniques, or methodologies that are widely accepted as the most effective way of achieving a particular goal or solving a specific problem. 

Examples of best practices:

• Agile project management: An iterative approach to project management that focuses on delivering high-quality products while adapting to changing requirements, while also involving the client/customer in every step of the process, ensuring transparency and collaboration.

• Customer relationship management (CRM): A set of practices and strategies used to manage interactions with customers and potential customers. These practices include automating sales and marketing processes, collecting customer data and feedback, and analyzing customer behavior to improve engagement and retention.

• Search engine optimization (SEO): A set of techniques and strategies used to increase the visibility and ranking of a website or web page on search engines like Google. It involves optimizing keywords, creating high-quality content, and building backlinks to improve organic search results.

• Human Resource management: A set of strategies to attract, retain and manage employees. These practices might include recruiting, selecting, training, compensating, and performance management.

• Risk management: A set of practices used to identify, assess, and manage risks to a project, an activity, or an organization. Risk assessment, mitigation, and monitoring are critical activities in risk management.

• Information security: A set of practices, policies, and procedures used to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Ensuring secure authentication, authorization, and access control, as well as proper encryption and auditing, are all critical best practices in Information Security.

• Storytelling: A technique that involves presenting information, events, or messages in a narrative or engaging format to capture the audience’s attention and maintain their interest.

• Program scheduling: The practice of strategically scheduling programs to attract and retain viewers in the most possible time slots. The highly rated programs should be assigned to primetime, when the most viewership rates are at their highest.

• Audience engagement: The practice of engaging viewers through social media and other digital channels, incorporating audience feedback, and incorporating viewer-generated content into shows to increase ratings and maintain viewer loyalty.

• Adapting multi-platform strategies: A practice that involves creating content and distributing it through multiple channels such as television, social media, and web platforms to increase viewership and expand the reach of the content.

• Conducting Research: A practice of carrying out viewership analysis and market research to gain insights into audience preferences, viewing behavior, and other factors that can influence programming strategy and determine ad rates.

• Production practices: Using cutting-edge equipment and technology, high-production standards to create captivating visual and audio content to capture and retain audience attention.

Typically, best practices evolve over time through a process of experimentation and observation, and they represent the strategies, methods, or tools with a track record of success in a particular field. Best practices are industry-specific and can apply to different areas of business, such as marketing, sales, HR, customer service, and IT, and Broadcast Production. They are often documented and shared within organizations to help guide decision-making and ensure consistency in operations.

Success Metrics 

Success metrics are measurable indicators that organizations use to evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies, tactics, and initiatives. They are quantitative or qualitative measurements of performance that help organizations understand how well they are achieving their goals and objectives. 

Examples of Success Metrics:

• Audience Ratings: Quantitative measurements that show the number of people who are watching a television program. Ratings can be measured through a variety of methods, including live ratings, time-shifted ratings, and VOD ratings.

• Share of Viewership: A metric that provides insight into how much of the available audience is watching a particular program or channel.

• Social Media Engagement: Qualitative measurements that track user activity, sentiment, shares, and mentions across social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

• Ad Revenue: Quantitative measurements of the income generated through advertising.

• Reach: A metric that describes the number of individuals who are exposed to a particular message or ad, determined by the total number of viewers divided by the total population.

• Web Analytics: Qualitative and quantitative measurements of website traffic, page views, demographics, time spent on site, and other factors that impact digital presence.

• Viewer Feedback: Qualitative feedback gathered directly from viewers through surveys, focus groups, or social media platforms, to measure satisfaction and gauge attention to the programming.

Broadcasters use these metrics to measure the effectiveness of their strategies, tactics, and initiatives, based on which they may adjust their programming and promotional priorities to optimize their results.

Success metrics can vary depending on the nature of the initiative or goal, and they should be aligned with the overall vision and mission of the organization. Examples of success metrics could include revenue growth, customer satisfaction rates, employee retention, website traffic, social media engagement, and many others. By using success metrics, organizations can track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to achieve their desired outcomes.

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Broadcast Project / Production Management – Serving Your Company, Clients, and Yourself Effectively

I realize this post can be taken wildly in the “wrong” direction. I personally struggle with setting “off-hour” work boundaries. If personnel is needed immediately for a broadcast or live event- I’m on it, Right Away for as long as it takes. I’ve pulled over on a busy highway (in a safe spot) to make calls, send texts, fb, LinkedIn connect to get crew in-time for a show or air.

Project / Production time management techniques:

There are numerous time management techniques that can help a broadcast production manager effectively manage their time. Some specific techniques that may be useful include:

• Planning and prioritizing: This involves mapping out all tasks that need to be done, setting deadlines and then prioritizing them in order of importance.

• Creating a schedule: A production manager can create a schedule that clearly indicates who is responsible for which tasks, when they are due, and how long they will take, in addition to hiring crew, and creating a happy, safe work environment for all (whether fully remote cloud, on on-site).

• Utilizing project management software: Tools like Trello, Asana, or Basecamp can help a production manager organize tasks, keep track of deadlines, and assign tasks to different team members.

• Delegating tasks: It’s important for a production manager to delegate tasks to other team members (associate pm, production assistants, and runners), this can be achieved by identifying the skill set of each team member, assigning tasks accordingly and following up regularly.

• Setting clear expectations: Clear communication from the beginning on the goals of the project, the timeline and the budget can avoid a lot of issues.

• Staying focused: It is important for a production manager to stay focused by setting specific goals for each day or week and avoiding distractions.

• Regularly reviewing progress: Regularly checking on the milestones and timelines help in understanding the progress of the production and can help in making necessary adjustments to stay on track.

 Isn’t it important to take care of work / clients at any cost to my time management/ boundaries?

While it is important to provide good service to an employer / clients, it is also important to set realistic expectations and boundaries for your time management. In the demanding broadcast industry, working long hours are expected, that is not the exception, it’s the base rule (which many of us do), and being available at all times can quickly lead to burnout and impact your performance, which can ultimately affect the quality of service you provide.

By setting healthy boundaries, you can maintain a healthy work-life balance and better manage your time, which can help you perform better overall and ultimately provide better service to your clients. Additionally, setting boundaries can help prevent potential conflicts and unrealistic expectations from clients, which can ultimately lead to better working relationships.

It’s important to communicate your boundaries and expectations to your clients clearly and proactively to ensure everyone is on the same page. 

Clients will appreciate the transparency, and having a clear understanding of when and how they can contact you can help you better manage your time and prioritize urgent matters.

It is possible to take care of your clients while still setting realistic boundaries and managing your time effectively. Both are important for your overall well-being and success in the demanding broadcast industry.



As a Project / Production Manager it’s difficult to set boundaries at work, especially when working with many teams across many time zones.  I frequently am on calls, Zoom, TEAMS, etc at all hours of the day and night.  

It’s not easy to navigate 🧭 but, if you know that you’ll have a couple of hours (or even 15 minutes) at 10a after a 4am daily meeting, take the time to recharge, take a walk, fix a healthy snack or meal, meditate – take time for YOU!  That’s the ultimate point.

There are a few ways a project or production manager can set boundaries for their off time in the demanding broadcast industry:

• Clearly communicate expectations: It’s important to communicate with your team and colleagues about your off time and clearly define your work hours and availability. Let them know when you will and won’t be available and how they can get in touch with you for emergencies.

• Delegate responsibilities if possible: Assign tasks and responsibilities to team members so that they can take care of urgent matters in your absence.  Give them the tools to succeed too.  You can cover them in their off-time, creating a symbiotic working relationship, snd trust. This will help you feel more comfortable taking time off and allow you to fully disconnect.

• Prioritize self-care: Taking care of your physical, mental and emotional health is important, especially when working in a high-pressure industry. Make sure you schedule time for yourself to recharge and do things you enjoy.

• Stick to your boundaries as much as possible: It can be tempting to check your work email or answer calls outside of work hours, but it’s important to stick to your boundaries to avoid burnout. Set up an automatic email reply or voicemail message letting people know when you are available and when you will respond.

By implementing these strategies, project and production managers can set healthy boundaries for their off time in the demanding broadcast industry. In saying that……read on…

Now, as anyone in the industry knows.  There are many “off hour” times we must respond (and for as long as it takes to resolve the issue).  Below are some guidelines to help navigate responding to work emergencies, and requests.

If you have to respond during your off time in the demanding broadcast industry, it’s important to prioritize urgent matters and set limits on how much time you spend working. Here are a few strategies you can use:

• Prioritize urgent matters: If you receive an urgent email or call during your off time, assess whether it requires immediate attention or if it can wait until your next workday. If it needs to be addressed right away, respond appropriately, but try to limit your involvement to only what’s necessary.

• Try to set limits on your response time: If you do need to respond, be clear about when you will be available and how long you can spend working. Let your team know that you will address the issue as soon as possible, but that it may take longer than usual due to your off hours.

• Use technology to your advantage: Set up rules and filters in your email inbox to prioritize urgent matters and filter out non-essential messages. Consider using an app or tool to help you manage and organize your workload more efficiently.

• Establish clear boundaries (as much as possible): Despite responding during your off time, you should still take time for self-care and stick to your work-life boundaries. Avoid working for extended periods or responding to non-urgent mattersto prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Remember, it’s important to take care of yourself and set (flexible) boundaries, even in a demanding industry. By doing so, you can improve your overall well-being and performance at work.

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Tips on Promoting, Creating, & Encouraging A Safe, Mindful, Creative Work-Space

A widely spoken about topic. Let’s get Specific! Vagueness & Ambiguity lead to uneasiness, and doubt. DeBunk the mystery starting now. We are in this together.

Foster an open and inclusive culture where everyone’s ideas and perspectives are valued and respected.

• How is this implemented?

To foster an open and inclusive culture where everyone’s ideas and perspectives are valued and respected, one can try implementing the following:

1. Encourage open and transparent communication channels within the organization, such as regular meetings, online forums, or suggestion boxes, to allow employees to express their ideas and opinions freely.

2. Actively listen to and consider each person’s input, regardless of their experience or rank in the organization.

3. Establish a code of conduct that promotes respect, dignity, and autonomy for all employees and stakeholders.

4. Provide ongoing training and education about diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure that everyone understands the importance of respecting different perspectives and experiences.

5. Celebrate and acknowledge the diversity of employees’ backgrounds, experiences, and opinions to create a sense of belonging for everyone within the organization.

6. Encourage collaboration between employees at different levels of the organization, across departments, or even across organizations to promote knowledge-sharing and teamwork.

By fostering an open and inclusive culture, you can create an environment that encourages innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.

Organize regular brainstorming and ideation sessions where everyone in the team can freely express their ideas and opinions on a given topic.

• Guidelines on how this is implemented:

To successfully implement regular brainstorming and ideation sessions in where everyone in the team can freely express their ideas and opinions on a given topic, one can follow these steps:

1. Choose a facilitator who can guide the brainstorming session effectively and ensure everyone has the chance to participate equally.

2. Define the topic or problem you want to solve and provide background and context to the team.

3. Set clear goals and objectives for the brainstorming session and communicate them to the team.

4. Ensure that everyone is aware of the brainstorming session in advance and has time to prepare their ideas and thoughts.

5. Establish rules of engagement, such as no criticism or judgment during the session, and encourage all participants to listen actively and respect others’ opinions.

6. Provide tools such as whiteboards, sticky notes or online collaboration software to help organize and capture everyone’s ideas.

7. Continuously iterate the ideas on the whiteboard, grouping similar ideas and discussing potential solutions to the problem.

8. After the brainstorming session, follow up with the team to provide feedback and insights on the ideas generated during the session.

By implementing these steps, you can effectively organize regular brainstorming and ideation sessions that foster open communication, encourage creative thinking, and generate innovative solutions.

Encourage cross-functional collaboration between different teams and departments to promote knowledge-sharing and collaboration.

How is this implemented?

To successfully encourage cross-functional collaboration between different teams and departments, one can follow these steps:

1. Identify the key teams and departments that can benefit from collaboration, and define specific projects or initiatives where collaboration is needed.

2. Develop clear objectives and requirements for the project and communicate them to all teams and departments involved.

3. Assign clear roles and responsibilities to each team and establish clear channels for communication and collaboration.

4. Encourage regular check-ins and progress reports between teams to ensure everyone is on the same page and to identify and address any potential issues that may arise.

5. Provide opportunities for team members to socialize and interact outside of work hours, such as team-building activities or events, to build relationships and trust.

6. Provide training and resources to help team members develop the skills necessary for successful collaboration, such as effective communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving.

7. Recognize and reward successful collaboration by acknowledging individual and team contributions, celebrating successes, and sharing best practices within the organization.

By implementing these steps, one can foster cross-functional collaboration between different teams and departments, promoting knowledge-sharing, and collaboration that can lead to increased creativity and innovation in the workplace.

Provide opportunities for professional development and training to help build skills and knowledge in collaborative thinking and problem-solving.

Set clear goals and objectives for collaboration and reward team members for their contributions to the collaborative process.

• How is this done?

To set clear goals and objectives for collaboration and reward team members for their contributions to the collaborative process, one can follow these steps:

1. Define the scope and purpose of the collaboration project and ensure that it aligns with the overall goals and objectives of the organization.

2. Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and objectives for the collaboration project, and communicate them to all team members involved.

3. Break down the project into specific tasks and assign clear responsibilities to team members, providing them with the necessary resources, support, and training to achieve their goals.

4. Set up regular progress update meetings or check-ins to track progress against the established timeline, goals, and objectives.

5. Celebrate individual and team achievements, acknowledging and rewarding team members’ contributions to the collaborative process.

6. Allocate resources, such as funding, time, and technology, to ensure the collaboration project’s success and encourage team members to think creatively and innovatively.

7. Recognize and reward successful collaboration by acknowledging individual and team contributions, celebrating successes, and sharing best practices within the organization.

By implementing these steps, one can set clear goals and objectives for collaboration and motivate team members to collaborate effectively, leading to increased productivity and success for the collaborative project and broadcasting organization.

Establish protocols and guidelines for effective communication and decision-making to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.

• How are protocols and guidelines established ?

To establish protocols and guidelines for effective communication and decision-making, follow the steps below:

1. Establish a communication plan: Determine the communication channels, frequency, and methods to be used during the project. Ensure that everyone on the team is aware of the communication plan.

2. Define decision-making processes: Establish clear decision-making processes, including who has the decision-making authority, how decisions will be made, and what happens after the decision is made.

3. Develop a code of conduct: Establish a code of conduct that outlines expected behaviors for project team members, including respect for colleagues, professionalism, and promptness in responding to communications.

4. Set clear expectations: Clearly define the responsibilities of each team member, including when and how to report progress or raise concerns.

5. Provide training: Provide training on effective communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, and decision-making.

6. Use collaborative tools: Use collaborative tools, such as virtual meeting software and project management software, to facilitate communication and decision-making.

7. Monitor and evaluate: Monitor and evaluate the communication and decision-making processes throughout the project to identify areas for improvement.

By adopting these strategies, one can create a collaborative and open-minded culture that fosters creative thinking, innovation, and collaboration, establish protocols and guidelines for effective communication and decision-making, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals. This will promote a successful project outcome.

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Finding Your Voice: How to Choose the Perfect Publishing Platform for Your Writing

The thought of Publishing can be daunting to some. It’s easier than you would think.

  • Create a list of topics for at least 30 days, it can be laser focused or an eclectic grouping about many things.
  • Write what you’re comfortable with, be willing to dig deep. Whether Technical, Creative, or anything in-between, Just Go For It!

MadCap Flare

A documentation authoring and publishing tool developed by MadCap Software. It is primarily used by technical writers to create and publish digital documentation. In Flare, publishing refers to the process of taking content that has been authored in the software (such as help files or user manuals) and generating output that can be published and distributed to users. 


To publish content in Flare, you need to first create a target, which is the output format you want to generate. Flare supports a wide range of output formats, such as HTML5, PDF, and EPUB. Once you’ve created a target, you can select the topics or sections of your content you want to include in the output, as well as any styling or formatting options you want to apply. Finally, you initiate the publishing process, and Flare generates the output in the format you specified. The resulting output can then be distributed to users via various channels, such as a website, a help center, or a mobile app.

In addition to Flare, MadCap Software has developed several other platforms for content creation and management, including:

1. MadCap Central: A cloud-based platform that allows teams to collaborate on content creation, store and manage documentation assets, and track project progress.

2. MadCap Mimic: A platform that allows users to create software simulations and demonstrations, which can be used for training and support purposes.

3. MadCap Lingo: A translation management platform that simplifies the process of translating content into multiple languages.

4. MadCap Contributor: A tool that enables subject matter experts to contribute knowledge and content to documentation projects, without requiring them to use Flare or other authoring tools.

Overall, MadCap Software offers a comprehensive suite of tools for technical communicators and content creators, with a focus on streamlining the authoring and publishing process, improving collaboration, and enhancing the user experience.

WordPress

Publishing on WordPress refers to the process of making your written content or multimedia files available on your WordPress-powered website or blog. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows website owners to create and publish content to their sites without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

To publish on WordPress, you first need to log in to your account and navigate to the WordPress editor. This is where you create new posts, pages, and other types of content. Once you’re in the editor, you can add text, images, videos, and other media to your post or page, and format your content using a variety of styling options.

Once you’re happy with your content, you can specify its status (such as “draft” or “published”) and any other relevant metadata, such as categories and tags. When you’re ready to publish, simply hit the “publish” button, and your content will be added to your website, where it can be viewed by your visitors.

WordPress also allows you to share your published content across a variety of social media platforms and other channels, making it easy to get the word out and reach a wider audience. Additionally, WordPress offers a wide range of plugins and themes that can help you enhance your content and customize your site to meet your specific needs.

WordPress offers a vast library of plugins that enable users to add various features and functionalities to their websites beyond the basic content creation and management. Here are some popular types of plugins that WordPress offers:

1. SEO: WordPress provides several plugins that can help optimize search engine ranking for your website, such as Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack.

2. Security: WordPress also offers multiple security plugins, such as Wordfence, iThemes Security, and Jetpack Security. These plugins enhance the security of your site, prevent hacks and malware attacks.

3. Backup: Backup plugins, like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy, are imperative to store your website’s critical data, including your posts, pages, media, and customization.

4. Performance and Speed: Plugins such as WP Smush and W3 Total Cache help optimize the performance and speed of your WordPress website.

5. Forms and Surveys: There are several WordPress plugins to create forms and surveys, like Gravity Forms, WuFoo Forms, and Contact Form 7.

6. E-commerce: WordPress offers several plugins that allow you to create and run an online store within your website, such as WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.

7. Social Media Integration: There are numerous WordPress plugins that enable you to integrate social media platforms, which helps to increase website traffic. Popular plugins include Jetpack and Social Warfare.

These are a few examples of the numerous plugins that WordPress offers. You can browse the WordPress repository to find many other plugins that can help enhance your website’s functionality and performance.

Differentiating the platforms: 

MadCap Flare is a technical authoring tool that enables the creation of various types of technical documentation. Unlike WordPress, MadCap Flare does not offer plugins in the traditional sense, but it offers several built-in features and functionality that add value to the technical writing process. Here are some of the features MadCap Flare offers:

1. Single-Source Authoring: MadCap Flare allows authors to write content once and publish the same content in multiple formats automatically. With the Single-Source Authoring feature, you can publish technical documentation in web-based Help systems, PDF, Microsoft Word, HTML5, and other formats.

2. Content Reuse: Authors can reuse the same content across various projects and documentation types with MadCap Flare. This feature enables multiple writers to access, manage and update the same content, saving time and reducing errors.

3. Conditional Text: MadCap Flare offers a feature called Conditional Text. This feature allows authors to include or exclude specific text or images based on conditions such as audience, language, or platform.

4. Responsive Design: MadCap Flare supports responsive design, and authors can use this feature to create documentation that’s optimized for various devices with different screen sizes. The content is adjusted automatically based on the device’s screen width.

5. Translation: With MadCap Flare, it’s effortless to create content for international audiences. Authors can translate content into multiple languages with MadCap Lingo, a built-in translation tool.

6. Reports: MadCap Flare offers reporting features that enable content authors to track the progress of documentation in real-time. For example, you can see how much work has been done and how much is left unfinished.

These are some of the features that MadCap Flare offers to simplify the technical documentation creation process.

WordPress (CMS) offers two main platforms: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Here’s what you need to know about each platform:

1. WordPress.com: This is a hosting platform that offers a user-friendly interface for creating and managing a website. WordPress.com offers a free version that includes limited features and functionality, and paid plans that allow users to customize their website and add additional features such as a custom domain name, eCommerce functionality, and more. WordPress.com handles site security, backups, and software updates, but users are restricted in terms of customization options and plugins.

2. WordPress.org: This is a self-hosted platform that requires users to download the software and install it on a web host. With WordPress.org, users have complete control over their website’s design, functionality, and content. Users can customize their website’s appearance by choosing from thousands of free and paid WordPress themes or designing their custom themes. Additionally, users can install plugins, which offer additional features such as contact forms, social media integration, image optimization, SEO, and more. However, managing the website’s security, backups, and software updates rests solely on the website owner.

In summary, WordPress.com is a hosting platform that offers limited customization options but handles all the website management tasks while WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform provides full control over the website’s customization, but users need to manage their security and software updates.

Similar Publishing Platforms including WordPress:

1. WordPress

2. Medium

3. Tumblr

4. Squarespace

5. Blogger

6. Wix

7. Ghost

8. Joomla

9. Drupal

10. HubSpot

11. Weebly

12. Typepad

13. Shopify

14. Big Cartel

15. Zenfolio

16. Cargo Collective

17. SmugMug

18. DeviantArt

19. Behance

20. Dribbble

21. Issuu

22. Lulu

23. Blurb

24. CreateSpace

25. MagCloud

Similar Publishing Platforms including MadCap Flare:

1. MadCap Flare

2. Adobe RoboHelp

3. Help+Manual

4. ClickHelp

5. Oxygen XML Editor

6. Paligo

7. Zoomin

8. Docutools

9. ProcedureFlow

10. ScreenSteps

11. HelpSmith

12. Dr.Explain

13. Manula

14. Dozuki

15. MindTouch

16. Jorsek’s easyDITA

17. PubsHub

18. Inforuptcy

19. Xpertdoc

20. EasyVista

21. Pathwright

22. Wordwall

23. SmartSheet

24. Workzone

25. Easelly

Technical Publishing Platforms (this is not an exhaustive list):

1. GitHub

2. GitLab

3. Bitbucket

4. Atlassian Confluence

5. Google Sites

6. Apache OpenOffice

7. LibreOffice

8. Microsoft Office 365

9. Google Drive

10. Dropbox Paper

11. Evernote

12. Notion

13. Trello

14. Basecamp

15. Asana

16. Jira

17. Discourse

18. Vanilla Forums

19. Zendesk

20. Freshdesk

21. Help Scout

22. Intercom

23. UserVoice

24. Usabilla

25. Mural

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Broadcast Basics: Digital, File Based Workflow

Digital file-based workflows for broadcast TV live and VOD (Video on Demand) allow for greater flexibility, efficiency, and cost-effective production, post-production, and distribution of video content. Here’s a brief overview of both workflows:

Broadcast TV Live Workflow:
– Cameras capture video content in real-time and feed the footage to a live switcher.
– The switcher cuts between different camera sources, creating a live program that is then encoded by an encoder.
– The encoder compresses the video in real-time to reduce its size and then sends it to a broadcast server.
– The broadcast server then distributes the content to a broadcasting system (such as cable TV or satellite).
– Viewers receive the video content and can watch it live on their TV or other devices.

Digital file-based workflows streamline this process by recording the content as digital files (rather than analog tapes) and storing them on file-based storage systems. This makes it easier to edit, process, and archive the content. Here’s how the digital file-based broadcast TV live workflow would look like:

– Cameras capture video content in real-time and feed the footage to a live switcher.
Router/ w/SFP gateway, transcodes signal if necessary
– The switcher cuts between different camera sources and records the program as digital files onto a file-based storage system.
– The files are then ingested into a video server, where they can be processed and managed for technical quality control, editing, or archiving.
– The server simultaneously encodes the content on-the-fly, reducing the burden on the encoder and speeding up the production process.
– The encoded versions are then distributed to the broadcasters, just like in the traditional broadcast TV live workflow, except there is a file-based distribution system enabling faster and more efficient deliveries.

VOD Workflow:
– Content is shot and recorded as digital files onto file-based storage systems.
– The digital files are then ingested into a post-production system, where they can be edited, color corrected, and sound-mixed.
– Once the content is finalized, it is sent through an encoder that compresses it to a suitable format and quality-level for online distribution.
– The output files are then stored on a video server or cloud storage, where they can be categorized, tagged, and managed according to metadata (such as title, genre, and release-date).
– Finally, the files are made available for viewers to access on-demand from various devices, such as tablets, phones, and smart TVs.

Digital file-based workflows have revolutionized the way broadcasters produce and distribute video content, providing greater flexibility, speed, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining high-quality standards. This workflow is becoming increasingly common in the media production field.

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Big Name Broadcasters Are Using Cloud-based Video Editing and Publishing Platforms

Wildmoka is a cloud-based video editing and publishing platform that allows broadcasters to easily produce and publish video content across multiple platforms. (This is NOT an advertisement, other service providers are listed below, read-on).

To note a few broadcasters utilizing Wildmoka: NBC Sports & News (OTT), RMC Sport, Concacaf, Sky, TennisTV, MLS, Big East, QatarTV, Discover+, ABS•CBN, BFM.TV, France.TV, and beinSports.

NBC is using Wildmoka to produce short-form video content for social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as longer-form content for the NBC website.

RMC Sport uses Wildmoka to quickly create highlights by automating the clipping and publishing process.

Concacaf uses Wildmoka to provide match highlights and create promotional content.

Sky uses Wildmoka’s platform for real-time highlight creation and publishing across all platforms.

Tennis TV uses Wildmoka to provide live streaming, highlights, and archive content of tennis matches.

MLS uses Wildmoka to produce highlights and promotional content for their social media channels.

Qatar TV uses Wildmoka for real-time video editing and highlight creation during live events.

Big East Conference uses Wildmoka’s platform to create highlights and digital content from its live sporting events to engage with fans and grow its audience.

Discover+ is using Wildmoka to automate personalized video content for its users.

ABS-CBN uses Wildmoka’s platform to create highlights and produce digital content faster.

BFM.TV and France.TV use Wildmoka to create engaging video content by quickly curating and publishing user-generated content.

BEIN Sports uses Wildmoka for content production, particularly for their coverage of international sports events.

One of the major benefits of using Wildmoka is the speed and efficiency with which it allows Broadcasters to produce and publish their video content. The platform’s cloud-based architecture enables real-time editing, which means that the production team can quickly create and publish videos without the need for extensive post-production work. This is crucial for because it allows them to be more responsive to breaking news stories and to stay relevant in a fast-paced media environment.

Wildmoka also offers advanced analytics tools that allows Broadcasters to track the performance of their digital video content across different platforms. These tools provide insights into audience engagement, reach, and other key metrics that can help optimize video content and maximize its impact.

Overall, use of Wildmoka has helped streamline the video production process and increase the reach and engagement of their video content.

What is the basic workflow?

  1. Ingestion: The first step involves importing video content into Wildmoka’s cloud-based platform from various sources such as live feeds, archives, or social media.
  2. Curation: The content is then curated, and clips are created by either manually selecting the highlights or by setting up automated clipping rules using AI-based algorithms.
  3. Editing: The edited clips can be enhanced or edited further using Wildmoka’s cloud-based video editing tools to add graphics, text overlays, and effects.
  4. Publishing: The final edited clips are then published to various platforms such as social media, websites, or mobile applications, either manually or using automated publishing workflows.

Wildmoka’s platform streamlines the entire video production workflow, making it faster and more efficient for media companies to create, edit, and publish their content to multiple platforms.

Here are 25 other companies similar to Wildmoka, and how they differentiate themselves:

1. Vidyard – Vidyard is a video marketing platform that specializes in personalized video campaigns and analytics.

2. Brightcove – Brightcove is a leading video hosting and streaming platform for enterprise businesses.

3. Wistia – Wistia is a video hosting and analytics platform that specializes in video marketing for SMBs.

4. Animoto – Animoto is a cloud-based video creation platform that offers templates and customizable features for businesses.

5. Magisto – Magisto is a video creation platform that uses artificial intelligence to automatically create video content from user-submitted media.

6. Viddyoze – Viddyoze offers a user-friendly platform for creating and editing professional-quality video content.

7. Kapwing – Kapwing offers online video editing tools and templates for creating social media-friendly content.

8. OpenReel – OpenReel is a remote video capture platform that allows businesses to record and edit high-quality video content from anywhere in the world.

9. Lumen5 – Lumen5 is a video creation platform that uses artificial intelligence to create professional-quality videos from text-based content.

10. InVideo – InVideo offers an easy-to-use interface for creating video content with customizable templates and advanced editing tools.

11. Renderforest – Renderforest is an online video creation platform that offers a variety of templates for creating video intros, animations, presentations, and more.

12. Zoomforth – Zoomforth offers a video and media management platform for businesses that need to securely store and share video content.

13. Soapbox – Soapbox is a video creation platform designed for businesses that need to create and share video content for internal communication and training.

14. Uscreen – Uscreen offers a subscription video-on-demand platform for businesses looking to monetize their video content.

15. Hippo Video – Hippo Video is a video marketing and sales enablement platform that specializes in personalized video campaigns and lead generation.

16. Biteable – Biteable offers an online video creation platform with customizable templates and drag-and-drop editing functions.

17. Visme – Visme offers an all-in-one platform for creating visual content, including video content and animated graphics.

18. Powtoon – Powtoon is a video creation platform that specializes in animation and whiteboard videos for business and education.

19. CloudApp – CloudApp offers a screen recording and video creation platform for businesses looking to create and share instructional video content.

20. Qumu – Qumu is a video management and delivery platform for businesses that need to securely store and distribute video content.

21. Shakr – Shakr offers a platform for creating professional-quality video ads with customizable templates and easy-to-use editing tools.

22. ScreenFlow – ScreenFlow is a screen recording and video editing platform for MacOS users.

23. Vyond – Vyond offers an animation and video creation platform that specializes in creating explainer videos for business and education.

24. Animaker – Animaker is a cloud-based video creation platform that offers customizable templates and drag-and-drop editing functions for animated video content.

25. Wave.video – Wave.video is an all-in-one video marketing platform that offers customizable templates and easy-to-use editing tools for creating social media-friendly video content.

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