About Brian Davids

Who am I? Well, that has changed a lot over the years. I started my computer life back in 1978 when my High School, Simi Valley High School, added a computer class and they put in some Radio Shack TRS80 systems. I started programming in Basic that year and I was bitten by the technology bug.

Since then I have worked with all kinds of technology and today I work with technology in a post house, so my focus is operating systems, storage, and hardware that can help me get the job done better.

I was a foaming at the mouth Apple fanboy for 30 years, and now my world is Windows Systems! Zero regrets. I still follow Apple news and I wish they would have remained the company I loved for those 30 years. But all things in life change. Apple did, and so did I!

Connect with me on Twitter @briandavids

VP Technical Operations
2004-Present
Echo Entertainment, Inc., Calabasas, CA
Television Post & Production Company

We are an extreme sports production company that works with the AVP, ESPN, X Games, Street League, and World Series of Poker. My job is to manage day-to-day IT operations,  client support, and video editing systems.

I moved the office from fiber to 10Gbe, and from Apple Computers to Windows 10. There are some great challenges with this, and I am knocking them down one at a time.

  • Conceptualized, developed and implemented a live capture system that was used for live ingesting of footage in the field. This system has saved 5000+ hours of digitizing and personnel time.
  • Established live streaming in the field using Wirecast. Worked closely with broadcast vendors to meet their expectations.
  • Developed systems to deal with digital media organization.
  • Maintain Final Cut Pro Systems and the 160 Terabytes of storage that is connected to the Fibre network.
  • Working knowledge of all current video formats: AVCHD, RED, XDCAM, DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO HD, HDCAM, Varicam.
  • FibreJet software and database management. FibreJet is a volume level sharing fiber application.
  • Maintain Apple OS X files servers at two locations.
  • Maintain Linux based file share system for client downloads.
  • Supported management and office staff with tough technical issues regarding video technologies that would be used in the field.
  • Recommended or develop compression methods and settings for project distribution
  • Develop an efficient workflow for each project.

Director, Computer Operations and Information Technology                                          1988 to 2003
National Football League, Los Angeles, CA
Creative Services and Publishing Division

Manage day-to-day IT operations in a mixed environment, telephone system, equipment leasing, and budgeting. Built LAN from the ground up, continually evaluating every aspect of the business, creating systems to track costs, reduce time, and manage the business

  • Migrated 50 users from a Microsoft Server based network to an Apple OS X Unix server infrastructure, providing reduced operating cost by eliminating licensing fees, ease of system maintenance and more robust and stable system for IT staff and end-users.
  • Migrated 25 Apple computers from OS 9 to OS X, and migrated 25 Windows desktop to 18 Apple desktops and 7 laptops running OS X, resulting in much greater security on the network and improved stability on the client desktop, reducing IT overhead.
  • Developed first ever web-based ticket management system (TMS), using ASP and Microsoft SQL. TMS tracked $2+ million in employee ticket sales within the National Football League replacing a manual system.
  • Developed first Intranet site for employee time management and general information distribution using ASP, PHP, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL to track employee cost, generate timesheets, and give real-time information about project budgets.
  • Managed the licensing of software dramatically reducing annual software costs, and providing current software to end-users.
  • Developed and implemented a worldwide logo distribution system for NFL Logos and Marks, reducing the cost of distribution and the time to delivery.
  • Designed and implemented over 100 databases used in day-to-day business, including an entire accounting system, project management system, and time management system.
  • Continually analyzed infrastructure, data center, databases, and end-user tools to make sure they were the best tools for the job.
  • Designed and implemented a local area network to create an efficient workflow for networked computers.
  • Served on the NFL Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). TAC evaluated and approved software, hardware, and infrastructure design for 32 NFL teams and three NFL offices.

Typesetting/Systems Manager                                                                                                   1980-1988
Davids Typesetting, Van Nuys, CA
A small typesetting company

  • Responsible for desktop computer maintenance.
  • Maintained mini-computer systems and peripherals.
  • Code based typesetting using paper tape readers.
  • Typesetter using 32K and 64K computers.