Beyond the Build:
Adam Salkin

Finding Smarter Solutions to Complex Challenges

The most interesting projects start with a problem that doesn’t have an obvious answer. As a Senior Solutions Architect, Adam works at the front end of projects, taking a client challenge and determining how technology can solve it. The work brings together technical expertise, operational understanding and creative problem solving, especially when the best solution is faster, more efficient or a little unexpected.

Meeting Clients Where They Are

No two clients come to Diversified with the same level of experience, and Adam adjusts his approach accordingly.

For established media organizations, the fundamentals of broadcast and production environments are already familiar. Corporate clients entering the media space for the first time can require a different conversation. As more organizations build their own studios and production capabilities, he often helps clients understand that the technology is only one part of the equation.

A production environment isn’t simply installed, switched on and left to run. It requires operators, maintenance and ongoing support. Adam brings those considerations into the conversation early, asking who will operate the system, who will maintain it and what resources will be needed once it’s live.

That ability to meet clients where they are helps him get beyond what they want to build and focus on what they actually need.

Designing for the Unexpected

One project for Fox Sports put that problem-solving approach into practice.

Fox needed a production system that could travel between major sporting events for years to come, beginning with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and moving on to the Super Bowl shortly afterward. Instead of building a separate system for each event, Diversified delivered one flexible environment using SMPTE ST 2110 IP technology.

When COVID-era shipping disruptions made transporting the system by sea too risky, the team adapted the design for air freight. Standard equipment racks wouldn’t fit inside a cargo aircraft, so Diversified developed custom racks that could fold in half while remaining wired. Specialized partners helped fabricate the racks, lifting equipment and transportation pallets needed to make the concept work.

The finished system could go from an empty room to operational in about four hours, then be packed down, transported and brought online again for the next event. That same process previously could require teams working onsite for weeks.

The project reflects the kind of work Adam finds most rewarding: understanding the goal, adapting when circumstances change and finding a solution that may not have been obvious at the start.

Understanding How People Work

Adam’s experience has also taught him that technical expertise is only part of what makes a system successful.

Understanding how operators actually use technology helps engineers and designers see the problems they’re trying to solve. Without that perspective, it’s possible to create a system that works perfectly from an engineering standpoint but doesn’t work well for the people relying on it every day.

Always Something New

Working within a single facility can mean becoming deeply familiar with one type of environment. At Diversified, each new project can bring a different client, system and problem to solve. That variety gives people the opportunity to continually expand their experience.

It also means there isn’t necessarily one path into the industry. Adam has seen people join Diversified without previous industry experience and grow into the work through aptitude, curiosity and a willingness to learn.

That opportunity to keep learning is one of the things Adam values about Diversified. For him, the constant change is part of what keeps the work interesting: understanding a new challenge, seeing it from the client’s perspective and finding the right way forward.