Jon ShedlerPhoto: Courtesy of Charles River Media
How he got his start: "At Boston University, I studied communications while working part time at BU Student Production Services. This job was my first foray into working with clients to design lighting, sound, and video solutions for events. After college, I spent a few years freelancing with video production and event technology companies as a sound engineer, camera operator, and video editor. I wanted to figure out how to combine my interests in video production and event tech, and in 2016 founded Sonic Pixel Media, a company specializing in broadcasting physical events live on the internet. It was around this time Facebook Live was released and we were busy providing video production crews to broadcast events to Facebook as well as private platforms for corporate events and conferences.
When COVID hit, we were fortunate to already have years of experience in the livestreaming industry and started offering 'virtual event' production to clients (event planners, production companies, and marketing teams) looking to pivot their in-person events to an online format.
In 2021, Sonic Pixel Media was acquired by our longtime collaborator, Charles River Media, to help grow the livestreaming and events side of the business. As a senior technical producer, I work with clients from their first inquiry to the live show day, providing full-service virtual and hybrid event production. Charles River Media’s projects include streaming for major brands, conferences, performances, investor meetings, internal corporate communications, and more. We broadcast hybrid events from around the U.S. and in our Boston-area studio, as well as virtual events with remote contributors dialing into our control room from around the globe." 
Shedler recently worked on a hybrid event featuring former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, where live polling and a Q&A platform were available to both remote and on-site attendees.Photo: Courtesy of Charles River Media
What innovation means to him: "Innovation in our industry means finding new ways to use today’s technology to create positive and memorable event experiences. At Charles River Media, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We look at what combination of tools will best serve the needs of our clients within their budget. We craft events as we would live TV, where every contingency and show cue is carefully thought out to ensure a seamless experience for attendees.
Technology changes so fast—you don’t want to fall behind. I am a member of multiple online communities of media production and event professionals where we share our expertise and ask questions to elevate our craft.
I love seeing people from all over the world join our events. During the live broadcast, I get to monitor the active chat feed where people post where they are watching from and share feedback about how they are enjoying the program. It’s great to see how our productions help create positive shared experiences, and this inspires me to keep doing what we are doing."
Memorable moments: "We recently worked on a high-profile, full-day hybrid event featuring former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and many leaders in civic engagement from around the world. From the start of our planning process, our client stressed the importance of making the event interactive for both the online and in-room audience. Our solution was to integrate a polling and Q&A platform into the livestreaming website while also having on-site attendees scan a QR code to load the app on their phones. During the show, we displayed real-time polling data on the in-room screens and livestream. Watching the results populate live made this a very cool experience and showed the connecting power of hybrid events."
What event tech advancements he's most excited for: "I am excited by the constant improvements of technology used to create hybrid and virtual digital-first events. A lot of our productions involve bringing in remote contributors to physical venues and livestreams. We are big fans of the team at Zoom and how they provide tools designed for broadcasting and event professionals that allow the team at Charles River Media to integrate remote contributors into our productions.
I am also impressed with how streaming video platforms are increasing video quality and lowering latency. We used to inform clients that the stream was 15 to 45 seconds delayed and to plan your audience interaction accordingly. Now, we can deliver crystal-clear video to attendees in near real time, improving the experience of the interactive components."
What he's working on next: "Much of our work is under NDA, but we are excited for a busy season providing livestreaming for big brands, corporate communications, higher education, and music events."
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