Broadcast Film & Video interviews Richard Satchell, Managing Director Bexel Global

September 21, 2015 – London, UKQ: Can you provide us with a history of Bexel Global?

"When you talk about Bexel Global, you really need to look at the longevity and growth of the company. It was started almost 35 years ago by an entrepreneur in Los Angeles, and through organic expansions and strategic acquisitions, the company has grown into the leading worldwide provider of broadcast services and solutions. Bexel Global now has two UK hubs, six U.S. offices, and sales presence in Mexico City and Paris.Over the years, Bexel Global have supported major broadcasters in bringing very important events to a worldwide audience, and we've continued to grow by utilizing the latest technologies and employing the most trusted technicians in the industry. Whether it's the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards or The Apprentice, Bexel Global has a long history of providing world-class support to major live productions and broadcast programming."Q: You were appointed MD of the new EMEA division inŒ January.Œ How have the past couple of months been in the role?"It's been a very exciting time. There was an increased demand from the marketplace and a growing number of projects in the region, so the need to launch Bexel Global's scaleable flypack offering into EMEA was made clear. ŒI've been determining what our strategy is, how we should best leverage our assets and expertise in the US for the EMEA market, and talking to customers to understand what their bespoke requirements are. And recruiting the first team members to lead the growth of Bexel Global in EMEA has certainly been a key part of the first few months.I've also been starting a transformation of the existing services businesses in the UK. Beyond the services and solutions historically supported by Bexel Global, it now incorporates all the Vitec Videocom Production Services brands under one umbrella as well. We offer a very broad range of equipment and services across Autocue/ Autoscript hire, The Camera Store (TCS) and Camera Corps. So I have also been looking at how we best work together and leverage the strengths of each business to our collective advantage. It's amazing how much overlap there is in the customers and events that we serve, both in the UK market and in the US. My task is to make the most of the breadth and collective expertise we've now harnessed to provide the best possible service for our customers."Q: Bexel Global is investing in 4K lensing; recently, you acquired UA80x9 lenses from Fujinon. How has this announcement - and the product - been received by clients? What does this add to the company's overall 4K strategy?

"Bexel Global is taking a leadership position in supplying solutions for 4K UHD production, and our significant and ongoing investment in 4K lensing is a key part of our overall 4K strategy. The Fujinon UA80x9 lenses are an important part of our growing UHD inventory, which includes the 20 Sony HDC-4300 camera systems that we invested in earlier this year. These new lenses are a perfect complement to those cameras.Right now, we have a UA80x9 lens on rental for the NFL's American football season, paired with a 4K UHD camera for HD zoom application. We anticipate that customers will adopt 4K lenses for specific 4K to HD applications, and we feel we are perfectly positioned to meet the growing demand we are seeing from our customers for UHD support."Q: You are attending IBC this year. What releases or developments are you most looking forward to?Œ"In keeping with our recent technology investments, we will be very interested to see the latest 4K developments and continue our discussions with customers on exactly how and when they plan to deploy this technology. In terms of speciality cameras for Camera Corps, it will be an exciting show to meet with the camera manufacturers and continue discussions on our future requirements for mini-cameras. We'll be specifically looking at what super slo-mo technology is available. And of course, we are very much looking forward to meeting with our clients at IBC this year, and letting them know the new ways in which we can elevate their projects."Q: What are the future plans for Bexel Global?"In the short term, we are particularly focused on establishing the Bexel Global flypack offering in EMEA, and continuing to build close relationships with our Camera Corps customers to work collaboratively on their ambitions to create new and innovative shots for live events.In the big picture, we are expanding to provide a truly global service offering across all of our Production Services brands äóñ whether you are in Birmingham, Bangkok, Buenos Aires or Burbank, we are working to supply the same level of service and expertise. With an overall offering that includes scalable flypacks, integration and project management, high-end system and equipment rentals, and camera innovation solutions, we collectively provide a truly unique solution to our customers. We hope this ongoing expansion will allow us to continue working on some of the world's greatest sporting and live events and with the world's biggest broadcasters."[sc name="news-footer"]