HITS

Jade McQueen, managing director of media and entertainment for Box, knows better than most just how important it is for creative and IT to be on the same page. The problem is that it doesn’t always happen.

Enter the “Hollywood Cloud Chronicles,” a new series of video discussions with CIOs, IT professionals and executives in the M&E space, that brings together executives from IT and entertainment influencers, with McQueen moderating. The discussions tackle the use of cloud technologies, how they’ve adapted to changes in the media landscape, and what workflows are working to keep IT and content creators in step with each other.

“I’m fortunate to hear all sides of these stories, so we wanted to come up with a forum where we can get both the creative and IT folks together, and get a conversation started between them,” McQueen said. “The creative folks at studios may not have any conversations with their IT people. Today, given that everything is digital, that conversation should happen.”

And the first conversation has happened: on Oct. 12, Box and McQueen debuted the first “Chronicles” interview, with Michael Keithley, former CIO of Creative Artists Agency, and Matt Colon, co-founder of artist management company Deckstar, discussing disruptions in the music industry, the difficulty CIOs have with implementing technological changes, and how artists have adjusted their processes to keep up with consumer habits.

“We have great clients who all have amazing experiences to share about how they’re driving digital transformation in the M&E industry. It’s so important to create a space where IT leaders and creatives can come together to foster open discussions and share best practices,” McQueen said.

“Ultimately, it’s just about the cloud, seeing what’s out there, who are the people making a difference, and giving a voice to IT execs who may not have that option.”

McQueen and Box plan on doing one “Chronicles” presentation a quarter, with the next one slated for January, featuring an IT expert from Fremantle Media and a TV producer, with each presentation centering around a different M&E industry or theme. And if McQueen gets her way, the presentations will be streamed live, with viewers able to ask questions.

“Our vision is for the show to be an open forum to give IT a voice in the digital transformation and educate creatives on how to make the most of Cloud disruption,” McQueen said.