How cloud can help the skills shortage

47.8 million. That’s how many people quit their jobs in the US in 2021. 47.8 million people who chose to take part in what is being declared the great resignation. The pandemic provided clarity for employees and companies in a variety of ways. Some companies realized its employees were more productive and happier at home while some employees decided their values didn’t align with those of their company.

The great resignation affects the world regardless of industry and production, and broadcast teams are no different. There is currently a widespread talent shortage in the production and broadcast industry due to teams and personnel required to be onsite to produce an engaging show. But do they really need to be onsite, in-person to produce a show?

According to a recent ScreenSkills study published in February 2022, production coordinators and editors are currently among the most difficult jobs to fill for production teams. These roles, among others, are paramount to the success of a production overall because they are the people who keep productions operating on schedule, polished and sounding authentic and articulate.

The talent shortage for broadcast teams is due to a variety of factors, including budget constraints, layoffs, inability to travel due to safety precautions and general desire from employees to align personal needs with those of the company or team. The shortage, however, puts the larger team in a challenging position as the production needs quality individuals to create content to engage viewers and audiences on a global scale.

Larger cities, like New York, Los Angeles, London, and Paris often attract the most talent due to their size and wider range of opportunities, but smaller city broadcasters and production teams often are unable to recruit at the same level because of their location and lack of people. Conversely, great talent located further away from bigger cities are at a disadvantage because they may not be able to or have any desire to commute or relocate to a larger city for a new role.

This shortage of talent leaves broadcasters in a tight spot to produce the highest quality of productions possible with a limited team and resources. Lower quality productions lead to a decrease in viewership as audiences expect and demand engaging content in a timely manner. Talent shortages within the industry also lead to collaboration and communication challenges — smaller teams taking on larger responsibilities have less time to discuss what or why they’re doing something, and they just execute their responsibilities. Sometimes this leads to mistakes, resulting in quality issues.

Talent at the speed of live

To start overcoming talent challenges, media organizations and production teams could adopt cloud-based solutions through distributed, remote, and cloud-based technology for live productions that don’t require everyone to be on-site in one place.

Cloud technologies enable production teams to source the talent outside of its typical hiring pool. An editor located in Germany can now work for a media organization in Italy using cloud-based production equipment. Cloud connectivity is about many things: flexibility, de-centralized workflows, new and unique remote production capabilities, better team responsiveness, and greater scalability.

The best operators are always available to work in a shift to the cloud. For instance, a graphics operator can work more sporting events in a week and not limited by the number of games where they can physically travel to. Enabling broadcast teams to source from a broader geographical range will in turn produce better content as creating more flexibility in production will attract more people to the greater talent pool. 

Take the NHL, for example, who recently worked to remotely switch its 2022 NHL Technology Showcase at Prudential Center in New York City in April 2022 from the beach in Los Angeles with a Viz Vectar Plus. Using Vizrt Group’s cloud-based equipment, we were able to produce the entire game without ever having to be on prem. Not only did having a remote producer with cloud-based broadcast technology enable the NHL to source the best production team possible, but they were also able to save on travel cost and emissions.

Cloud at the speed of live

Powerful cloud and on-premise hybrid systems are now being deployed globally at a rapid rate with flexibility and scalability as key drivers to enhancing existing systems. Integrated hybrid systems will be the foundation of progression to all-cloud solutions — whether that’s a year or five years from now.

What must be developed is a complete shift in how we deploy the talent that operates the technology. Enabling broadcast teams to source from a broader geographical range will in turn produce better content by creating more flexibility in production will attract more people to the greater talent pool.

Cloud-based productions are not only the future-proof solution for better talent on broadcast teams, but also have a significant impact on budget, sustainability, and talent retention. Since the pandemic, employees want to work from home or work remotely when necessary. For media organizations looking to avoid the great resignation, guaranteed, trusted cloud-based solutions that offer the best for talent without compromising quality for viewers, are essential.

Jon Raidel is global center of excellence lead, live production in the cloud, at Vizrt.