Gregarious… intelligent… passionate… selfless. These words only begin to describe Adrian Scott, an industry friend and colleague who passed away last week. I had the pleasure of getting to know Adrian when I started out covering the broadcast industry almost 20 years ago. As a neophyte, I was often intimidated by tech experts in our industry but Adrian always put me at ease and was very eager to help out whenever I had a question. People were naturally drawn to him by his warmth and wicked sense of humor.
Adrian attended the University of North Carolina on a scholarship as an undergrad, so although his homeland was the U.K., he shared many unique American experiences. This included his love for UNC sports, especially basketball, staying up late at night to watch his beloved Tar Heels all during the NCAA season and especially during March Madness. It was also at UNC that be was bitten with the “broadcast bug.”
Adrian’s impact on the broadcast industry was well-known. He developed the early newsroom computer systems and at Avid was instrumental in developing nonlinear editing systems for news and for creating the first media asset management systems in our industry. He was also a founder and European chair of the Global Society for Asset Management (G-SAM). He also helped guide several well-known U.K.-based broadcast vendors through transitional years and for the past 15 years, had been a well-regarded and respected advisor to the IBC.
I always looked forward to catching up with Adrian at industry events. When he suffered a stroke in 2009, he had to cut back on his travels, but I was fortunate to run into him at IBC several years ago and it was evident that that infectious laugh and self-effacing demeanor were still intact.
Several years ago, Adrian was bestowed with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award from our sister publication TVB Europe. Although he was honored for his achievements in broadcast technology, I can’t help think that it was also in recognition of his character and dedication to sharing his passion for our industry. Adrian was an industry icon and pioneer, but to so many of us he was first and foremost, a friend.
