Daystrom Technology Group, a California-based specialist in high-performance workflows and durable storage, has hired Steven Cohen as solutions architect to lead its new 4K workflow automation and storage initiative. Cohen brings broad expertise in digital technologies for film and television production through posts with Sony Pictures Studios, Ascent Media Group, Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition and Cohen Communications.
As solutions architect, Cohen will enable broadcasters, postproduction facilities and next-gen media distributors to orchestrate multiple 4K pipelines optimizing the performance of current and future investments. He will provide content creators the ability to manage storage and networking resources into cost-effective workflows based on an open-standards, software-defined architecture.
“Steven has been working at the forefront of digital technology for decades, making him the ideal person to lead our effort in the new frontier of 4K,” said Paul Evans, principal architect and founder, Daystrom Technology Group. “He enjoys broad respect across the entertainment industry and will be a valuable resource to our studio clients in implementing elegant, cost-effective data-management solutions.”
“4K workflows, and the volume of data that they create, present some of the biggest challenges faced by content creators today,” Cohen said. “Daystrom has developed software-defined tools that automate 4K workflows, while incorporating our new scale-out storage hardware that is secure and self-healing with adaptive-performance, geo-tiering and capacity-predictability. With this combined solution, Daystrom provides hardware and software that enables efficient and data-durable 4K workflows.”
Cohen has more than 30 years of experience in developing technologies for content creators, including systems for sound and picture editorial, on-set dailies review, digital cinema distribution and media storage. He most recently served as senior account executive at Aberdeen LLC, a server and storage integrator. His background also includes employment as senior vice president and chief technology officer for Maya Digital Studios, India’s oldest animation studio; chief operating officer and chief technologist of Raging River Corporation, a specialist in digital content delivery; vice president of feature services for Ascent Media Group; vice president, sales and development for Sony Pictures Studios; and founder of Cohen Communications, Inc. Cohen has provided technology products to many filmmakers, including James L. Brooks, Michael Bay, Tony Scott, David Fincher, Gore Verbinski and Bret Ratner. He is a member of AMPAS, ATAS and the ASC Technology Committee.
Since joining Daystrom, Cohen is tasked with the implementation of a new network and storage infrastructure for the 4K vendor/partner area of Sony Electronics’ Digital Motion Picture Center. The new infrastructure will use 4K software-defined control to alter its configuration dynamically in response to scheduling and system needs. The system will be capable of ingesting, protecting, processing and delivering content across a range of resolutions, platforms and geographic locations.
