MONTREAL– Michael Cronk, vice president of Core Technology at Grass Valley, has received two honors for his professional achievements, technical and business innovations and continuing influence within the broadcast industry.
Cronk is among six recipients of Future’s 2019 Industry Innovator Award, presented by TV Technology magazine. The awards are now in the second year. Cronk was also recently honored with IABM’s Technology Leader of the Year Award.
With over 20 years of broadcast industry experience, Cronk has built his career on designing and building product roadmaps and technical strategies to advance the development of content and media technology. His work has been especially impactful in the wake of progressive changes such as the shifts from tape to disk, SD to HD to 4K UHD, and linear to on-demand. He has been instrumental in guiding the development of the company’s core technologies to ensure portfolio interoperability and consistency, leading a team of some of the media industry’s most experienced and respected engineers. As Chairman of the Board for the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Cronk has been influential in leading the industry towards a clear, efficient path to standards-based IP.
“These recognitions are incredibly well deserved. Mike is a true leader and visionary, and a major asset to Grass Valley and the industry,” said Tim Shoulders, president, Grass Valley. “It is hugely exciting to see him being honored for his impactful work in driving the advancement of the content and media technology landscape; this is what being an innovator is all about.”
“It’s a pleasure to honor those who make such a difference in their industries – innovating in technology and business while also inspiring others,” said Carmel King, vice president of media technology for Future's B2B Group. “The awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the people behind the companies and technologies on which our industries depend. We offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for their contributions, and wish them continued success.”
IABM’s CEO, Peter White, commented, “I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition for what he has helped achieve with AIMS over the last two years – while also holding down his day-job at Grass Valley!”
Cronk’s recognition as an industry innovator and technology leader is embodied by some of the major successes that AIMS and Grass Valley achieved over the last year. Under his leadership, AIMS has substantially contributed to the widespread vendor adoption of IP since its founding three years ago, attracting nearly 100 members. At Grass Valley, he has dedicated the last few years to enabling faster innovation, and at scale, resulting in the debut of its Core Technology Initiative – a ‘build once, integrate to many’ agile R&D approach to strengthen product quality and capability across its expansive portfolio.
