Visiting Beyond Pix has really educated me about how a broadcasting and multimedia company works on a daily basis. Before the visit, I created an image in my mind that we would be seeing everyone hustling to get everything done without even pause for breath. I was also expecting to see a really large room that was covered with art, where the workers would all be collaborating with each other. In addition, I thought that I would see all these different editing programs and high-end equipment that I would never have thought would be in this century. I was hoping to learn about the lifestyle of the employees their experiences were as they started their career in the multimedia industry.
Right when we walked into the building, many of my assumptions were proven to be false. We were greeted by a man named Brian O’Connell, who we later found out was the main actor in their introduction video on Beyond Pix website. As we were guided through the stairs and into one of the work areas, I noticed that there weren’t many desks and there wasn’t any commotion. The place just had this laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. The large room and the hustling that I expected were definitely not in there! Our guide was telling us how a man that used to work for KPIX started the company in his living room. What I found the most interesting was our guide’s story of his entry-level job as a Production Assistant, or “P.A.” He was telling us how he would do the weirdest jobs such as walking a famous actress’ dog or running to the store to pick up last minute items. He added, “Almost everyone starts off being a P.A. unless they’re the founder’s daughter or something, but the importance of being P.A. is to experience being around a set when they are shooting.” Afterward, we got to meet the rest of their team, from the Assistant Editor to the Animator. We got to hear their stories of how they had gotten to their position in the company now. It’s amazing how most of the workers told us that even if you were the best at any aspect of multimedia. You would not get anywhere if you don’t have the passion for what you do. Then, we were able to interact with some of their equipment and I was really thrilled! We got to learn about their broadcasting area, where famous people on the news do their interviews so they don’t have to fly across the country to do a 10-minute interview. In addition, we got to test out the teleprompter and I learned that there is someone that controls the scrolling speed of the words.
In one day, I was able to have a preview of how business of multimedia and broadcasting works. I learned that they did not have fixed hours since they could be called in at 4 in the morning to do a live broadcast. I also loved hearing the fact that the company is like a family, since they are around each other so much. In addition, I learned that each worker had his or her individual part for each project, so everyone contributes and everyone has significance. However, I wanted more interaction with the equipment and I really wanted to see the film set in progress or even a live broadcast. At the end of the day, I walked away with so much more knowledge about multimedia business than I could have imagined.
