Grass Valley Collaborates With NEP Group

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, has collaborated with the NEP Group, to deliver a mobile production facility to non-profit Veterans-TV (VETV), including equipment donations and systems integration.

The truck, Denali Gold, supplied by NEP, will act as a mobile classroom from which veterans of the U.S. armed forces, law enforcement and fire service will receive hands-on training in professional television production. The new VETV initiative, jointly sponsored by Grass Valley and NEP, aims to help veterans find employment in a broadcast production career once training is completed.

"This is a vital project that will offer our veterans an opportunity to re-enter society with a new career. It is thanks to the generosity of Grass Valley and NEP that this project has come to fruition, allowing us to support two simultaneous training courses in one of the best trucks ever built. With equipment donations totaling $3 million from up to 20 different broadcast companies, more than $1 million of that from Grass Valley alone, we have been able to create a production facility that exceeded our initial hopes," said Bob Lefcovich, president of Veterans-TV. "It is important that our students learn on the equipment they will use in the real world. With our Grass Valley-centric workflow, they will be familiar with the very best in the industry."

Denali Gold houses a full mobile studio production facility, supporting end-to-end live HD (1080i) – and 4K UHD-ready – capability in its 50 feet of studio space. The live production workflow is built around a range of solutions donated by Grass Valley, including seven Focus 75 cameras, a Kayenne K-frame 3 M/E production switcher and a 72x72 Vega series router.

“We are extremely proud to partner with our long-time customer NEP to enable an initiative like Veterans-TV that does so much good for our community. Helping veterans to re-enter society with a new career is something we strongly believe in, and supporting this program allows us to give back to our veterans in return for their valuable service,” said Tim Shoulders, president of Grass Valley. “This project is a true win-win. It supports the veterans it will train, while creating a pool of highly skilled professionals that will become a valuable part of the broadcast and media industry.”

The VETV truck will go live in June 2019 and be housed at Grass Valley’s facility in Grass Valley, California. In the longer term it will offer courses to veterans in major deployment and demobilization hubs around the country.

Donated to VETV by NEP – along with all cabling, patch panels and furniture – Denali Gold previously supported world-renowned entertainment productions like ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘American Idol’, as well as the world’s leading awards events, including the EMMY Awards, the Academy Awards, the TONY Awards, Kennedy Center Honors and many more.

The truck will host a range of 12 courses run by leading industry professionals on a volunteer basis. Open to all veterans, their spouses and dependents over 18, they will prepare attendees for key industry roles, such as video technician, camera operator, audio technician, technical assistant, editor, technical director and engineer in charge (EIC), as well as delivering in-depth know-how in Avid Media Composer (NLE), Adobe Premiere Pro (NLE), character generator/art, EVS operator, and IT.

www.veterans-tv.org