4Front® The Podcast: Recent Episodes

4Front®

Welcome to 4Front® The Podcast. My name is Jeff Metzger and I am your host. At no other time in history have we been surrounded by so many innovators and expansive thinkers with the ability to talk directly to us. Listen each week as I talk to people who are on a mission to build a better, safer and more connected future for all of us. Are you in? New episodes are launching every other Tuesday.

Lori Lantz
Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, CableLabs®

Lori is the Chief People Officer at CableLabs. As a member of the executive team, her focus is on the organizational and cultural development of CableLabs and its affiliates. She leads the alignment of strategic talent management with the overall business strategy and vision of CableLabs. One of Lori’s priorities is to provide professional development opportunities to all employees which enable high functioning teams to thrive. Equally important is an emphasis on building high trust relationships and developing exceptional leaders. Inspired by encounters with diverse and interesting people, she is passionate about helping them increase their capacity and confidence in their roles across the organization.

Prior to CableLabs, Lori held various positions in Human Resources at National Jewish Health in Denver. Most recently she was the Director of Learning and Development where she developed a leadership academy to provide "knowledge and wisdom to lead" to create a highly engaged workforce.

Lori received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Pacific Lutheran University and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Regis University. She holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification, as well as certifications in a variety of organizational development and personality assessment tools. A native of Colorado, Lori enjoys spending time at her mountain cabin and loves all things musical including singing, playing the piano, and attending concerts and music festivals. She has two children who are budding musicians.

Listen to Lori on her podcast, The Corporate Bartender

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Simon Krauss
Simon serves as vice president and general counsel at Kyrio, Inc. and vice president, deputy general counsel at CableLabs®, the world’s leading innovation lab for the secure delivery of high speed data, video, voice and next generation services. He is responsible for providing domestic and international legal counsel on cable projects involving voice, broadband, security, privacy, antitrust, corporate law, intellectual property licensing, copyright, trademark and employment law. He also negotiates and drafts licenses, contracts, multi-party business transactions, and patent pooling agreements with a focus is on how law, technology, and society interrelate so he can provide his colleagues with meaningful legal services.

Simon has over 20 years' experience in cybersecurity involving a variety of industries including cable, wireless, and the electrical grid. In addition to his security work, He also brings over 30 years of experience providing legal guidance and resolution on a wide range of domestic and international business issues.

Simon is a Certified Information Security System Professional (CISSP), he holds security patents, and has presented on security matters at a variety of conferences including the RSA Security Conference, the Association of National Advertisers and the Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) World Conference. An archaeologist prior to his legal career, Simon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Northwestern University. He also holds a Master of Arts in International Studies and a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver.

See more insights from Simon on the CableLabs blog

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

The Pioneers Dick Kirsche and Chris Lammers

Richard (Dick) Kirsche
Dick is a retired Electrical Engineer after more than 60 years in the profession. That career provided him with opportunities to work with several emerging technologies.

Dick graduated from Lehigh University in 1960 with a degree in electrical engineering. He began his career at ITT Laboratories working on radar systems and satellite earth station terminals that provided the ground communication link for the early communication satellites. (Telstar, Relay, Syncom, etc.)

Dick transitioned to a position at RCA Astro-electronics after an IT&T reduction in force. Astro was designing and building several early satellite systems. Dick’s concentration was the design and qualification for launch of the command receivers that supported ground control commands.

He continued in the aerospace industry until the mid-1960’s when he joined a startup company designing custom power supplies and a UHF television exciter for a startup transmitter manufacturer. (Townsend Associates) Dick joined Townsend to head up their transmitter design and production engineering. Townsend was acquired by Ampex Corporation which expanded their presence in the Broadcast Industry. When Ampex suffered some financial setbacks related to their music recording business. The Broadcast transmitter division was shuttered to improve their bottom line.

In 1972 Dick was part of a group from the closing Ampex transmitter operation that started Spectrum Cable, a company that was seeking cable system franchises in the Western Massachusetts area. Spectrum was awarded franchises in 3 communities in the suburbs of Springfield, MA. At that time Cable television was, essentially, a reception service which made operation in city TV markets like Springfield challenging. Spectrum’s offering to that market was superior reception in addition to 2 channels from the Boston, MA market that provided coverage of major hockey and basketball teams. Spectrum employed a unique network of cylindrical steel towers, with headend electronics at the top and distant signals shared by microwave. Shortly after Spectrum began operation Home Box Office was added via regional microwave.

Spectrum was acquired by Colony Communications in 1975. Spectrum’s cable systems were combined with 4 cable franchises in the same region operated by Colony. Dick was hired to head up engineering for that group of cable franchises. Over time, Dick’s responsibilities expanded to head of engineering for all of Colony’s cable and MDS microwave systems.

Cable system technology was advancing rapidly during that period. Channels, received from satellites became common. Dick worked with the Colony engineering team to install the 2nd 10-meter dia. earth station in the Northeast. Expansion of cable service channels, from satellite, sparked a rapid growth in public interest in cable TV service. Colony aggressively supported that expansion of service offerings on their cable systems. Dick also supported the franchise acquisition team seeking additional cable television communities for Colony.
Dick left Colony at the end of 1981, joining Greater Media Cable at the start of 1982 as Vice President of Engineering. Greater Media had a strong presence in New England which was expanded through franchising and acquisitions. That expansion also included one-fourth of the City of Philadelphia and a complex of systems located in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. Cable television technology was advancing rapidly during that period as operators continued to improve their service offerings and reliability. During his employment with Greater Media, that operator became a founding member of CableLabs, deployed a 60 channel AML microwave system for the large Worcester complex of towns, began offering DOCSIS data over cable service, began using fiber optic cable for video distribution, and expanded their local video origination service to a full-time live news service. Dick was active on SCTE, CableLabs, and NCTA Industry committees for Greater Media.
The Greater Media cable operations were sold in 1999. In 2000 Dick joined RCN, a system operator that competed in the Cable space by building their own facilities in parallel with the incumbent cable television provider, as Director of Video technology. RCN deployed Video on Demand technology and developed a unique set-top box technology designed to give RCN a competitive advantage in the Chicago cable market.

Dick joined Comcast Cable as a Director in 2005. Initially, he was part of the team creating a specification for a set-top box design unique to Comcast. His work continued as part of a small engineering team testing and certifying set-top boxes for deployment to subscribers by Comcast. His duties also expanded to supporting Comcast’s work to improve the energy efficiency of Comcast devices in subscriber’s homes. This included active participation in the DOE’s Energy Star program and Cable industry initiatives to address government energy efficiency requirements.

Mr. Kirsche left Comcast in 2010 and opened Kirsche Consulting LLC. Kirsche Consulting supported Cable Operators’ set-top and energy efficiency reporting efforts. That work included considerable recordkeeping and analysis work for Comcast which led to significant energy savings for Comcast subscribers.

Dick officially retired in 2018 but continues to support SCTE standards work as a volunteer.

Christopher J Lammers, COO Emeritus and Senior Executive Advisor, CableLabs®

Chris is currently coo emeritus and senior executive advisor for CableLabs leading special projects and initiatives, including the integration of SCTE as a key part of CableLabs, together with supporting relationships across industry associations including ACA Connects, The Cable Center, CCSA, the Emma Bowen Foundation, NCTA, NCTC and WICT. Prior to this, Chris served as senior vice president and chief operating officer at CableLabs directing accounting and finance, IT, facilities and membership development. He remains committed to relationships with mid-sized and smaller MSOs, as well as with international cable operators in Asia, Europe and Latin America, key communities he built at CableLabs.

Chris currently serves as a member of the board of directors of The Cable Center and the Emma Bowen Foundation and is actively involved in committees and/or support for several national and international industry trade associations. He is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers (Class of 2021).

Prior to joining CableLabs in 1997, Chris was president and CEO of Western Communications, a mid-sized multiple system operator with cable systems located in the Western United States. Before that, Chris was a partner with the San Francisco law firm of Cooper, White & Cooper.

Chris received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Stanford University.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Damian Poltz

As the Senior Vice President of Wireline Technology & Strategy, Damian Poltz is responsible for the development, deployment, and operation of Shaw's video, voice, and broadband technology, wireline network, and multi-year technology & convergence strategy.

Throughout his 23-year career at Shaw, Damian has served in strategic leadership roles including VP Technology Strategy & Networks, Director of Network Technology, Sr. Director Communication Systems, Director IP Application Services, and Sr. Manager Video Application Development.

Damian holds an MBA from Cornell University and Queen’s University, and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Richard (Dick) Kirsche
Dick is a retired Electrical Engineer after more than 60 years in the profession. That career provided him with opportunities to work with several emerging technologies.

Dick graduated from Lehigh University in 1960 with a degree in electrical engineering. He began his career at ITT Laboratories working on radar systems and satellite earth station terminals that provided the ground communication link for the early communication satellites. (Telstar, Relay, Syncom, etc.)

Dick transitioned to a position at RCA Astro-electronics after an IT&T reduction in force. Astro was designing and building several early satellite systems. Dick’s concentration was the design and qualification for launch of the command receivers that supported ground control commands.

He continued in the aerospace industry until the mid 1960’s when he joined a startup company designing custom power supplies and a UHF television exciter for a startup transmitter manufacturer. (Townsend Associates) Dick joined Townsend to head up their transmitter design and production engineering. Townsend was acquired by Ampex Corporation which expanded their presence in the Broadcast Industry. When Ampex suffered some financial setbacks related to their music recording business. The Broadcast transmitter division was shuttered to improve their bottom line.

In 1972 Dick was part of a group from the closing Ampex transmitter operation that started Spectrum Cable, a company that was seeking cable system franchises in the Western Massachusetts area. Spectrum was awarded franchises in 3 communities in the suburbs of Springfield, MA. At that time Cable television was, essentially, a reception service which made operation in city TV markets like Springfield challenging. Spectrum’s offering to that market was superior reception in addition to 2 channels from the Boston, MA market that provided coverage of major hockey and basketball teams. Spectrum employed a unique network of cylindrical steel towers, with headend electronics at the top and distant signals shared by microwave. Shortly after Spectrum began operation Home Box Office was added via regional microwave.

Spectrum was acquired by Colony Communications in 1975. Spectrum’s cable systems were combined with 4 cable franchises in the same region operated by Colony. Dick was hired to head up engineering for that group of cable franchises. Over time, Dick’s responsibilities expanded to head of engineering for all of Colony’s cable and MDS microwave systems.

Cable system technology was advancing rapidly during that period. Channels, received from satellites became common. Dick worked with the Colony engineering team to install the 2nd 10-meter dia. earth station in the Northeast. Expansion of cable service channels, from satellite, sparked a rapid growth in public interest in cable TV service. Colony aggressively supported that expansion of service offerings on their cable systems. Dick also supported the franchise acquisition team seeking additional cable television communities for Colony.
Dick left Colony at the end of 1981, joining Greater Media Cable at the start of 1982 as Vice President of Engineering. Greater Media had a strong presence in New England which was expanded through franchising and acquisitions. That expansion also included one-fourth of the City of Philadelphia and a complex of systems located in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. Cable television technology was advancing rapidly during that period as operators continued to improve their service offerings and reliability. During his employment with Greater Media, that operator became a founding member of CableLabs, deployed a 60 channel AML microwave system for the large Worcester complex of towns, began offering DOCSIS data over cable service, began using fiber optic cable for video distribution, and expanded their local video origination service to a full-time live news service. Dick was active on SCTE, CableLabs, and NCTA Industry committees for Greater Media.
The Greater Media cable operations were sold in 1999. In 2000 Dick joined RCN, a system operator that competed in the Cable space by building their own facilities in parallel with the incumbent cable television provider, as Director of Video technology. RCN deployed Video on Demand technology and developed a unique set-top box technology designed to give RCN a competitive advantage in the Chicago cable market.

Dick joined Comcast Cable as a Director in 2005. Initially, he was part of the team creating a specification for a set-top box design unique to Comcast. His work continued as part of a small engineering team testing and certifying set-top boxes for deployment to subscribers by Comcast. His duties also expanded to supporting Comcast’s work to improve the energy efficiency of Comcast devices in subscriber’s homes. This included active participation in the DOE’s Energy Star program and Cable industry initiatives to address government energy efficiency requirements.

Mr. Kirsche left Comcast in 2010 and opened Kirsche Consulting LLC. Kirsche Consulting supported Cable Operators’ set-top and energy efficiency reporting efforts. That work included considerable recordkeeping and analysis work for Comcast which led to significant energy savings for Comcast subscribers.

Dick officially retired in 2018 but continues to support SCTE standards work as a volunteer.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Christopher J Lammers, COO Emeritus and Senior Executive Advisor, CableLabs®

Chris is currently coo emeritus and senior executive advisor for CableLabs leading special projects and initiatives, including the integration of SCTE as a key part of CableLabs, together with supporting relationships across industry associations including ACA Connects, The Cable Center, CCSA, the Emma Bowen Foundation, NCTA, NCTC and WICT. Prior to this, Chris served as senior vice president and chief operating officer at CableLabs directing accounting and finance, IT, facilities and membership development. He remains committed to relationships with mid-sized and smaller MSOs, as well as with international cable operators in Asia, Europe and Latin America, key communities he built at CableLabs.

Chris currently serves as a member of the board of directors of The Cable Center and the Emma Bowen Foundation and is actively involved in committees and/or support for several national and international industry trade associations. He is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers (Class of 2021).

Prior to joining CableLabs in 1997, Chris was president and CEO of Western Communications, a mid-sized multiple system operator with cable systems located in the Western United States. Before that, Chris was a partner with the San Francisco law firm of Cooper, White & Cooper.

Chris received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Stanford University.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Brian Scriber
Brian is a Distinguished Technologist & Vice President, Security Technologies at CableLabs and has been the chair of the Open Connectivity Foundation Security Working Group since 2015. Brian’s security experience includes PKI, encryption, algorithm design and analysis, secure coding, governance, networking, device hardening, data protection and satellite communications. Brian holds a B.S.E in Computer Engineering (University of Michigan) and a M.S. in Computer Science (University of Colorado), he has extensive experience in software development and architecture, networking, cloud technologies, web services, and development methodologies. Brian also has strong business involvement and holds an M.B.A. in Technical Strategy (University of Colorado) and has led multiple technology organizations in roles including Chief Scientist, CIO and CTO.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Massimiliano (Max) Pala, Director, PKI Architectures | CableLabs
Max received his Ph.D. from the Politecnico di Torino in Computer Engineering in March 2007. In May 2017 he joined the R&D Security Team at CableLabs where he brings his expertise as a security architect and years of applied and academic research. His excitement about convergence opportunities stems from his long-term vision for a converged authentication framework. Recently, his work has been focused on researching deployment strategies for new post-quantum algorithms and systems in converged network environments. His contributions span from the new BPI+ V2 and TOFU solutions in DOCSIS 4.0, to the use of Digital Certificates in 4G\LTE networks for unlicensed spectrum cellular networks.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Shoshana Zuboff
Shoshana is the author of three books, each of which signaled the start of a new epoch in technological society. In the late 1980s her decade-in-the-making In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power became an instant classic that foresaw how computers would revolutionize the modern workplace. At the dawn of the twenty-first century her influential The Support Economy: Why Corporations Are Failing Individuals and the Next Episode of Capitalism (with James Maxmin), written before the invention of the iPod or Uber, predicted the rise of digitally-mediated products and services tailored to the individual. It warned of the individual and societal risks if companies failed to alter their approach to capitalism. Now her masterwork, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, synthesizes years of research and thinking in order to reveal a world in which technology users are neither customers, employees, nor products. Instead they are the raw material for new procedures of manufacturing and sales that define an entirely new economic order: a surveillance economy. She is the Charles Edward Wilson Professor Emerita at Harvard Business School and a former Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Dr. Jennifer Andreoli-FangAs a Distinguished Technologist at CableLabs®, Jennifer led the development of DOCSIS® 3.0, DOCSIS 3.1, and Full Duplex DOCSIS MAC specifications. She was a key leader in the development of unlicensed LTE and 5G NR technologies at the 3GPP and the Wi-Fi Alliance on the behave of the cable industry. She co-invented Low Latency Xhaul (LLX) technology. Jennifer currently heads the convergence architecture for mobile and cable.

Jennifer has more than 100 patents issued or pending and published more than 30 papers at the IEEE and SCTE. She serves on the Technical Committee at the Facebook Telecom Infra Project (TIP).

Jennifer holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs®.

Rana el Kaliouby

A pioneer in artificial emotional intelligence (Emotion AI), Rana el Kaliouby, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of MIT spinoff and category-defining company Affectiva, and is the author of Girl Decoded. Rana led the innovation of the company’s award-winning technology, which uses deep learning and massive amounts of data to analyze complex and nuanced emotions and cognitive states from face and voice. She has raised over $50 million in venture and strategic funding for Affectiva, where the company’s technology is used by automotive OEMs and tier 1 suppliers to improve road safety and the in-cabin experience, in addition to 25% of the Fortune Global 500 companies to test content, and in other industries like mental health. Rana is now paving the way for Human Perception AI: software that can detect all things human, from nuanced human emotions and complex cognitive states, to behaviors, activities and the objects people use.

Prior to founding Affectiva, Rana was a research scientist at MIT Media Lab where she spearheaded the applications of emotion recognition technology in a variety of fields, including mental health and autism research. Rana holds a BSc and MSc in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo, a PhD from the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge and a Post Doctorate at MIT.

Rana is one of few women leading a disruptive AI company. A Muslim-American and passionate advocate, she frequently speaks in press and on stage about innovation, women in technology, ethics in AI, diversity and leadership. Rana has been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list, Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech, Inc.’s Female Founders 100 list, and named one of the three Global Business pioneers by Bloomberg in 2017. Rana is a trustee at the American University in Cairo and at the Mass Technology Leadership Council, and a senior advisor to the Technology and Public Purpose project at the Harvard Kennedy School. Rana is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, a Young Presidents' Organization member, and a part of the Partnership on AI, alongside founding companies Amazon, Apple, Google/DeepMind and others.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Stephanie Mehta

As Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company—the influential magazine championing creativity, innovation, and thriving workplace cultures for a new generation of business— Mehta is the rare editor who talks to pure creatives and corporate leaders in equal measure. She draws on her decades in business journalism to show us how to inject imaginative thinking, entrepreneurial zeal, and unbridled innovation into everything we do.

Whether she’s investigating the prodigious rise of Silicon Valley, the domino effect of technology on our lives, or what makes a workplace truly innovative, Stephanie Mehta has her finger on the pulse. She brings over twenty-five years of experience in business journalism to her new role as Editor-in-Chief at Fast Company, the publication that businesses all over the world turn to for inspiration and guidance. The magazine has a storied history of eschewing traditionalism, rules, and the “old way” of doing things, instead showcasing the people, teams, and organizations inventing the future of business. Today, the company operates a number of franchises that highlight the world’s most progressive leaders and companies, including “Most Creative People,” “Most Innovative Companies,” and “World Changing Ideas.” With a prolific career that includes long-term posts at Vanity Fair, Fortune, Bloomberg LIVE and The Wall Street Journal, Mehta has come to value a human centered approach to her work, modeled by her commitment to thoughtful, radical storytelling. “[Businesses] are part of an ecosystem that includes more than just their shareholders—they are part of communities, they have employees and customers,” Mehta explains. In her dynamic keynotes, she draws on those stories to show the next generation of business leaders how to push creative boundaries, nurture a radical vision, and make innovation happen.

Prior to Fast Company, Mehta was Deputy Editor at Vanity Fair, where she coedited the influential New Establishment ranking, curated the New Establishment Summit, and oversaw the Founders Fair conference for women entrepreneurs. Previously, she was editor of Bloomberg LIVE, and Bloomberg Media’s global conference division. Mehta spent 14 years as a writer and editor at Fortune, where she rose to the No. 2 position on the masthead. While at Fortune, she directed the magazine’s technology, management, Washington, and international coverage, and helped set its overall editorial direction. Mehta also spent six years as an editor and writer at The Wall Street Journal. She received a BA in English and an MS in journalism from Northwestern University.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Israel Madiedo
Israel is Director, Innovation & Technology at izzi (Televisa Group). With over 28 years in the Telecommunications Industry, Mr. Madiedo has participated in a wide number of international projects, both in fixed and wireless networks, covering an array of positions in Engineering, Operations, and Technical Support organizations, to mention some.

He currently leads the efforts for evaluating and introducing new Technologies in izzi, pursuing the delivery of best of class services to the customers as well as opening new market opportunities.

Architecture design, homologation, local development, adaptation & transformation, are among the tasks covered by his team.

Prior to joining the Televisa Group, Israel was part of AT&T Network Services and Lucent Technologies, working in the CALA Region and being a part of the extended EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia) Transmission group, which took him to spend time in the whole LATAM Region as well as in Europe. He later became part of Cablevision México and was part of the team in charge of moving the Cable Industry in the Country towards a new phase of consolidation and higher competitive levels in the Telecom arena.

Among his tasks, he leads the team that represents izzi in several International Standards Organizations and keeps close contact with other colleagues and Operators worldwide. He is also a speaker and panel moderator in several Telecommunication events.

He combines his current position in izzi with Academic endeavors as Professor in several programs (including master’s degree and Executive level “hacks”) in fields such as Telecom, Digital Transformation, ML & AI and others.

Israel holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, and a Masters in Telecommunications and Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

AcknowledgmentsA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Take a quick look back at the beginning of this monumental year and check out what you may have missed. This episode will be a sampler platter of our guests so far in 2021. This is a great way to get exposure to over a dozen thought leaders from a variety of backgrounds in just over an hour. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and dive in to listen to the guests' full episode. I think you will find it to be time well spent.

Acknowledgments
A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

SHAWN FRAYNE, CEO and CO-FOUNDER, LOOKING GLASS FACTORY

A graduate of MIT, Shawn Frayne has been reaching towards the dream of the hologram for over 20 years. Shawn got his start with a classic laser interference pattern holographic studio he built in high school, followed by training in advanced holographic film techniques at MIT. He has been awarded dozens of patents around the world, the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award, and noted as one of the ‘20 Best Brains Under 40’ by Discover Magazine.

Shawn serves as co-founder and CEO of Looking Glass Factory working between their Brooklyn, NY and Hong Kong offices.

LOOKING GLASS FACTORY

Founded in 2014, Looking Glass Factory Inc is headquartered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with additional operations in Hong Kong. In 2018 the company launched the world's first desktop holographic display dev kit; in 2019, started shipping the world's first 8K light field display; and in 2020, launched Looking Glass Portrait, a personal holographic display. Today, Looking Glass Factory is building a world in which everyone from LiDAR photographers to Unity developers to Fortune 500 companies can leave Flatland and enter the third dimension.

NO DYSTOPIAN FUTURES ALLOWED

We live in 3D. And yet, most of our memories, digital creations, and the ways we connect with one another remain trapped on flat, 2D screens.

While the big technology companies have put forth AR and VR headsets as solutions for what comes after two-dimensional screens, Looking Glass Factory is taking a different approach. They believe that the interfaces of the future won't be worn on your head 16 hours a day. They will be more like campfires glowing with three-dimensional fields of light that you can gather around with others. Sometimes in the same room, sometimes a world apart.

Welcome to the (holographic) future...

Acknowledgments
A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Antonio “pelle” Pellegrino
Pelle is the co-founder and CEO of Mutable––a company on a mission to reimagine internet infrastructure as we know it today. Through leveraging an “Airbnb for servers” model, Mutable federates cable and telco companies’ underutilized compute and securely opens it up for developers to deploy next-gen applications on the edge, anytime, anywhere in the world.

Mutable is the natural culmination of pelle’s long-standing affinity for designing and building innovative ideas before their time––an interest he developed in high school where he created robots and made it so students can game on school computers. He has since built one of the largest online e-sports streaming platforms in North America, and eventually founded Mutable’s predecessor, LSQ, to provide tools that helped other developers create.

A technologist at heart, pelle is passionate about building things and helping others solve problems. When he’s not laying the groundwork for ubiquitous compute (or explaining the backstory to his name), the NY-native can be found perfecting his bagel recipe, making NY style pizza, and spending time with his wife Christine and their rambunctious dog, Biscuit, in their new home in the greater Denver area.

Mutable

With the rapid emergence of low latency-dependent, high-bandwidth, and security-contingent 5G applications—deploying on the edge isn’t novelty, it’s a necessity. But with the current limitations of centralized cloud computing, that’s easier said than done.

Mutable is on a mission to reimagine internet infrastructure as we know it today. Through leveraging an “Airbnb for servers” model, Mutable federates cable and telco companies’ underutilized compute and securely opens it up for developers to deploy next-gen applications on the edge, anytime, anywhere in the world. Their approach to cloud infrastructure is unique: rather than owning any servers themselves, Mutable instead takes advantage of what’s already out there. In doing so, the company creates new revenue streams for operators, enables developers to affordably access ubiquitous compute, and ultimately improves the end-user experience. That’s the promise of the Public Edge Cloud.

A proud alumni of TechStars, CableLabs’ UpRamp program, and most recently T-Mobile’s 5G Open Innovation Lab—Mutable is privy to the demands and challenges faced by developers working to deliver solutions on the edge, as well as the value they can bring to cable and telco companies looking to leverage emerging use cases such as cloud gaming, 5G, IIoT, and agrotech for both enterprise and consumer subscribers. As such, Mutable is developing a Marketplace where developers can showcase their solutions to operators, using the Mutable platform to deploy edge applications seamlessly and securely. Think of it as the virtual “Main Street” of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Any developer interested in becoming a Marketplace vendor can submit this form to get in touch and learn more about the onboarding process.

Want to keep up with Mutable? Give co-founder and CEO Antonio Pellegrino (otherwise known as pelle) a shout directly through Twitter or LinkedIn. Also be sure to check out their website, Twitter, and blog for an edgy take on the latest telecommunications industry news and trends.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Julia M. Laulis - CHAIR OF THE BOARD, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – CABLE ONE

Julie Laulis is Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cable ONE.

Laulis joined Cable ONE in 1999 as Director of Marketing-NW Division. In 2001, she was named Vice President of Operations for the SW Division. In 2004, she became responsible for starting Cable ONE's Phoenix Customer Care Center. Laulis was named Chief Operations Officer in 2008, responsible for the company's three operation divisions and two call centers. In 2012, Laulis was named Chief Operating Officer, adding sales, marketing, and technology to her responsibilities. In 2015, Laulis was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Cable ONE. In 2017, she was named President and Chief Executive Officer and in 2018 she was named Chair of the Board.

Prior to joining Cable ONE, Laulis was with Jones Communications in the Washington, DC area and Denver, where she served in various marketing management positions. Laulis began her 35-year career in the cable industry with Hauser Communications.

Laulis graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications. She attended the Woman in Cable Television Betsy Magness Leadership Institute in 1998/1999, and graduated from the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School in 2002. Cable FAX Magazine has named Laulis one of the Most Powerful Women in Cable for the past 10 years running.

Laulis currently serves on the boards of The AES Corporation, CableLabs, The Cable Center, and C-SPAN and is a trustee of the C-SPAN Education Foundation.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Jean M. Twenge
Jean is a Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and the books iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before and The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (co-authored with W. Keith Campbell). Dr. Twenge frequently gives talks and seminars on teaching and working with today’s young generation based on a dataset of 11 million young people. Her audiences have included college faculty and staff, high school teachers, military personnel, camp directors, and corporate executives. Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and National Public Radio. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Recent Articles
https://theconversation.com/money-buys-even-more-happiness-than-it-used-to-141766

https://theconversation.com/new-study-shows-staggering-effect-of-coronavirus-pandemic-on-americas-mental-health-137944

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Israel Madiedo
Israel is Director, Innovation & Technology at izzi (Televisa Group). With over 28 years in the Telecommunications Industry, Mr. Madiedo has participated in a wide number of international projects, both in fixed and wireless networks, covering an array of positions in Engineering, Operations, and Technical Support organizations, to mention some.

He currently leads the efforts for evaluating and introducing new Technologies in izzi, pursuing the delivery of best of class services to the customers as well as opening new market opportunities.

Architecture design, homologation, local development, adaptation & transformation, are among the tasks covered by his team.

Prior to joining the Televisa Group, Israel was part of AT&T Network Services and Lucent Technologies, working in the CALA Region and being a part of the extended EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia) Transmission group, which took him to spend time in the whole LATAM Region as well as in Europe. He later became part of Cablevision México and was part of the team in charge of moving the Cable Industry in the Country towards a new phase of consolidation and higher competitive levels in the Telecom arena.

Among his tasks, he leads the team that represents izzi in several International Standards Organizations and keeps close contact with other colleagues and Operators worldwide. He is also a speaker and panel moderator in several Telecommunication events.

He combines his current position in izzi with Academic endeavors as Professor in several programs (including master’s degree and Executive level “hacks”) in fields such as Telecom, Digital Transformation, ML & AI and others.

Israel holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, and a Masters in Telecommunications and Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Alyssa Whitcraft

Prof. Alyssa K. Whitcraft is the Deputy Director and Program Manager for NASA Harvest, a thematically and geographically diverse consortium of more than 50 institutions focused on advancing the use of satellite-based EO by agricultural and food security decision-makers.

She has a broad portfolio ranging from management of large, multi-national programs to applications research in remote sensing of agriculture and in the social, political, economic, and technical aspects of transforming decision support systems through the integration of Earth observations (EO). She is also an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences at UMD, and since 2015, she has served as Program Scientist at the G20’s Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM). She has co-developed the foundations of the GEOGLAM program, serves as Agriculture Point of Contact to the world’s space agencies (Committee on Earth Observation Satellites – CEOS), and founder and director of the Agricultural Monitoring in the Americas Initiative.

She is an expert in organizational and institutional change with respect to new satellite technologies. She regularly provides insight into new satellite mission design, based on real-world decision support needs. In the process, she’s developed collaborations and partnership models with public and private sector, emphasizing sustainable business models and value to all actors. She firmly believes in intersectionality in all things, acknowledging the role that each of us has in revolutionizing the food system in the face of pressing global challenges.

1) NASA Harvest (nasaharvest.org)

Alyssa is Deputy Director of NASA Harvest

2) GEOGLAM (https://earthobservations.org/geoglam.php)

Alyssa is the Data Coordinator for the GEOGLAM Initiative (Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative)
NASA Harvest is GEOGLAM's contribution to the G20 agriculture mandate, helping to support early warning for international agency response to emerging food emergencies

3) University of Maryland Department of Geographical Sciences (https://geog.umd.edu/)

The NASA Harvest program is led by researchers (including Alyssa) at the University of Maryland

4) NASA Applied Sciences (https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/food-security-agriculture)

NASA's Applied Sciences program provides funding for the NASA Harvest Consortium

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Ken Johnson
Ken is Senior Vice President of Technology Services at Cable One. He is responsible for the strategic evolution of technology roadmaps related to products, as well as Information Technology, Network, Engineering and Construction.

Before joining Cable One, Johnson served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer for NewWave Communications. Prior to NewWave, Johnson was Chief Technology Officer for SureWest Communications and Everest Connections.

Originally from Lenexa, Kansas, Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Friends University.

Johnson currently serves on the board of the National Cable Television Cooperative and the CableLabs Technology Advisory Board.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song, Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Shelli Brunswick
Shelli is the COO of Space Foundation and brings a broad perspective and deep vision of the global space ecosystem — from a distinguished career as a space acquisition and program management leader and Congressional Liaison for the US Air Force — to her current role, including overseeing Center for Innovation and Education, Symposium 365 and Global Alliance. Advocating for space technology innovation, entrepreneurship, diversity and inclusion, Shelli collaborates with organizations around the world to connect government, commercial and educational sectors.

Brunswick’s work to champion the inclusion of underserved groups stems from staying true to the values instilled while she was in the military — a passion to share her journey, give back to the space community, and contribute to the development of the next-generation workforce. She collaborates with organizations around the world to advance the opportunities for entrepreneurs, piloting the launch of the Space Commerce Entrepreneurship Program and the Junior Space Entrepreneur Program. As a leading role model for women in space, Brunswick was selected as the 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Role Model of the Year by WomenTech Network.

Brunswick speaks at organizations and events around the globe to advance space technology innovation partnerships and collaboration, chairs the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation, and hosts the Women’s Global Gathering annually at Space Symposium. In addition, she is one of only 35 women worldwide to be selected by the United Nations as a mentor for its Space4Women program and is a World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) Senator for the United States of America. She sits on the Board of Directors for Manufacture’s Edge.

JOIN THE WORKFORCE: find your place in the space ecosystem

www.spacefoundation.org/cie

PARTNER: collaborate, sponsor and fund programswww.spacefoundation.org/join-us

DONATE: contribute to our mission

www.spacefoundation.org/donate

PARTICIPATE: connect with the space ecosystem 365 days a year

https://www.spacefoundation.org/space-symposium-365

CONNECT WITH SHELLI: network to success

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellibrunswick

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Shelby Mattingly
Shelby has over sixteen years of financial, management, and event planning experience, in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre performance from Denison University and a Master in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from The University of Colorado Denver. She is a committed volunteer, dedicating hours to many organizations including Girls on the Run of the Rockies, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ronald McDonald House and Casa de Paz. She is currently the president of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Downtown Power Partners Group and the Chair of the Aurora Cultural Arts District Stakeholders Group. Shelby has been with Inside the Orchestra since 2012, and has been thrilled to commit her professional career to centering children in the world of the arts.

Inside the Orchestra Mission
The mission of Inside the Orchestra is to bring orchestra music to young children in the greater Denver metropolitan community, cultivating music appreciation and enhancing their education through an engaging first-hand experience with the orchestra.

Inside the Orchestra Values
Increase equity among metro Denver’s communities by reducing barriers to the performing arts and ensuring that orchestra music is accessible, approachable, and enjoyable for all children.

Respect the children we serve by providing relevant, authentic, engaging, and professional programming.

Listen to the community and anticipate needs by soliciting and incorporating feedback from all stakeholders, including attendees, musicians, volunteers, and donors.

Demonstrate that the arts are important to community health and vitality by providing fair compensation to artists, promoting arts education, and cultivating a lifelong appreciation of the arts in young audiences.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Pat Scannell
Pat is among the world’s most experienced tech strategists. He builds and leads the strategies, products, ecosystems and operations for some of the most complex emerging technologies, and has served as a leader or adviser to scores of industry initiatives across 5G/Mobile, IoT, big data, connected car, smart grid, cable, artificial intelligence, defense and homeland security domains.

Academically he researches the intersection of neuroscience and emerging technologies, and his new book, The Disruption of Thought, is expected out next year.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

JC Das

JC is the co-founder of Good Luck Yogi, a family wellness brand committed to serving the well-being of every child. JC started his career as a music producer touring with hip hop artists, and later became a music therapist for children with Autism. In 2013, JC began living with monks in India and throughout the U.S. for the next six years. During this time, JC further served as the Director for Music Meditation at the University of Southern California, combining the two arts of music and mindfulness.

Website: https://goodluckyogi.com
Instagram: @goodluckyogi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodluckyogi
Instagram: @jc.das

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

ANDREW SKAFEL
Andrew is the President & CEO of Edgewater Wireless. Andrew’s broad strategic perspective comes from his work with both multinational equipment vendors and a number of start-up network operators. Andrew has significant multinational experience. He was based in Asia for seven years where he worked for Newbridge Networks/Alcatel; Silicon Valley-based, InterWAVE Communications and the Commercial Division of the Canadian High Commission (Malaysia). His roles included strategic marketing, international business development and business planning. A proven telecom innovator and leader, Andrew founded an innovative GSM operator in Brasil, taking the project from concept to fundraising, license acquisition and launch phases. Mr. Skafel holds an MBA from INSEEC (Paris), a graduate diploma from the McRae Institute of International Management (Vancouver) and a BA in Economics & Politics from the University of Western Ontario.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Tiago Rodrigues – CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance

Tiago Rodrigues is the CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA). Tiago is responsible for leading the overall strategy, together with the WBA Board, and the operational planning for the WBA. As well as overseeing the day to day management, Tiago takes a leadership role in understanding industry challenges and working with membership to agree on the key focus areas and programs that need to be developed to ensure the wireless industry optimizes market opportunities for Wi-Fi and works to resolve any business issues that impede the success of the industry overall.

Before he joined the WBA, Tiago spent 15 years at the Portugal Telecom Group. In his previous role as Head of Business Innovation, he collaborated with various departments within the company to identify and develop new business opportunities. Prior to this, he managed the Public Wi-Fi sector of Portugal Telecom Group where he was responsible for service management, development, strategy and internationalization of the Wi-Fi service. He was also involved in strategic marketing, regulatory affairs, pricing, product development and roaming.

Tiago holds an M.Sc. in Economics and Management of Science and Technology, and a degree in Business Administration from the Higher Institute of Economics and Management at The Technical University of Lisbon He also has a BA. Honors Degree in Business Administration from Humberside University, UK.

Join us at 4Front.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Rama Sreenivasan, Co-Founder + CEO, Blitzz. Rama is a daredevil, a people person and a scientist (UMD, MIT, Applied Materials) all rolled into one. A leader in enterprise customer service technology that maximizes AR, AI, and ML technologies, Rama loves getting technical but also tremendously enjoys empathizing with the customer through simple, clear communication. Nothing brings him more joy than getting his hands dirty to solve pain points. When not alleviating a problem, Rama centers himself through his family, cooking, tennis, yoga, and climbing mountains with his wife. Rama lives and works out of San Jose, CA.

Join us at 4Front to meet Rama.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Happy Holidays from 4Front® The Podcast. We are full of hope for the new year and so pleased you could join us to sample the best of our episodes from 2020. This is a great way for you to sample months' worth of episodes in only 45 minutes. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and dive in to listen to the guests' full episode. I think you will find it to be time well spent. We will back with new episodes starting on January 5th, and we hope to have you with us. We'll talk to you soon.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Happy Holidays from 4Front® The Podcast. We are full of hope for the new year and so pleased you could join us to sample the best of our episodes from 2020. This is a great way for you to sample months' worth of episodes in only 45 minutes. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and dive in to listen to the guests' full episode. I think you will find it to be time well spent. We will back with new episodes starting on January 5th, and we hope to have you with us. We'll talk to you soon.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Julie Kearney

Julie Kearney is Global Head of Communications Regulation and Policy for Loon, where she leads the company’s U.S. and international regulatory initiatives. Loon is working to bring internet access to unserved and underserved communities around the world via a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space. Loon is a subsidiary of Alphabet.

Prior to joining Loon, Kearney was VP of Regulatory Affairs for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). She previously served in government affairs at NPR, in MCI’s International Affairs group, and as an associate at Haley Bader & Potts (now Garvey Schubert Barer).

Kearney is a recent Past President of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) and is a past chair of the FCBA Foundation. She served seven terms on the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee and currently serves on its Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Board of the United States Technical Training Institute (USTTI).

Kearney earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law with a certificate from its Law and Technology Institute. She currently serves on the Columbus School of Law’s Board of Visitors. A trained singer, Kearney sings with the “kindie” rock band, “Here Comes Trouble.” She also has sung with many choruses in the Washington, DC area, most recently with the Choral Arts Society of Washington.

Join us at 4Front to meet Julie.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Mads Lillelund

Mads has over 20 years of experience leading and working for visionary organizations in the telecommunications, data networking and high-tech markets. His executive experience ranges from Fortune 500 publicly traded companies, to privately held companies, to mid and early-stage start-ups. His background and international experiences living and working in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the U.S. allow him to bring a truly global perspective to his leadership positions. He is currently the CEO of Benu Networks, where they are leading the charge toward virtualized, disaggregated network architecture.

About Benu Networks

Founded in 2010 by industry leaders, Benu Networks arose from the realization that the current network infrastructure was stifling innovation. We made it our mission to make it easy to create and rapidly deliver quality digital experiences, whether that’s AR, VR, or simply having access to efficient, fast internet.

Now, Benu Networks has grown to be a leading software and solutions provider, simplifying the industry’s most complex edge networks. With a comprehensive set of products and innovative solutions, Benu Networks helps instantly transform legacy networks, elastically manage services, and carve the path to 5G.

Unlike other network solution providers, Benu Networks’ SD-Edge Platform delivers unmatched packet processing, programmatic edge control, and is backed by a team dedicated to continuously innovating the way we deliver services, so you can reimagine what’s possible and deliver it rapidly.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Mathew Portell

Mathew has dedicated a decade and a half to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. It is through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships that Portell is leading his school into success. He is currently in his fifth year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, a nationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, the local documentary Enough, PBS, and Edutopia, one of the world’s top educational practices website funded by the George Lucas Foundation. Principal Portell had the honor of presenting Fall-Hamilton’s work to Tennessee State Legislative and Senate Education Committees, at the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Commission of Social-Emotional and Academic Development. In January 2019 he traveled to England as the keynote speaker for Towards Trauma-Informed in Northampton. He served as a monthly contributor to the Education Week blog titled "Learning is Social and Emotional" where he is documenting the journey of sustaining a trauma-informed school. He is the founder of the Trauma-Informed Educators Network Group on Facebook which has connected nearly 12,000 educators in over 90 different countries around becoming more trauma-informed! In July of 2019, his consulting company Paradigm Shift Education hosted an international conference in Nashville title Trauma-Informed Educators Network Conference: Cultivating Connections. It was a huge success and he has already scheduled next year’s conference for July 2020. He launched the Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast in October of 2019. The focus of the podcast will focus on educators globally who are making a difference in their areas around being trauma-informed.

Mathew’s work extends past his educational experience. As a classroom teacher in 2008, he combined his passion for literacy and cycling and founded the double award-winning national non-profit Ride for Reading. The organization promotes literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to underserved children. Ride for Reading has donated over 500,000 books to children nationally.

Join us at 4Front to meet Mathew.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Mathew Portell

Mathew has dedicated a decade and a half to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. It is through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships that Portell is leading his school into success. He is currently in his fifth year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, a nationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, the local documentary Enough, PBS, and Edutopia, one of the world’s top educational practices website funded by the George Lucas Foundation. Principal Portell had the honor of presenting Fall-Hamilton’s work to Tennessee State Legislative and Senate Education Committees, at the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Commission of Social-Emotional and Academic Development. In January 2019 he traveled to England as the keynote speaker for Towards Trauma-Informed in Northampton. He served as a monthly contributor to the Education Week blog titled "Learning is Social and Emotional" where he is documenting the journey of sustaining a trauma-informed school. He is the founder of the Trauma-Informed Educators Network Group on Facebook which has connected nearly 12,000 educators in over 90 different countries around becoming more trauma-informed! In July of 2019, his consulting company Paradigm Shift Education hosted an international conference in Nashville title Trauma-Informed Educators Network Conference: Cultivating Connections. It was a huge success and he has already scheduled next year’s conference for July 2020. He launched the Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast in October of 2019. The focus of the podcast will focus on educators globally who are making a difference in their areas around being trauma-informed.

Mathew’s work extends past his educational experience. As a classroom teacher in 2008, he combined his passion for literacy and cycling and founded the double award-winning national non-profit Ride for Reading. The organization promotes literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to underserved children. Ride for Reading has donated over 500,000 books to children nationally.

Join us at 4Front to meet Mathew.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Joe Thurman

A passionate technologist and entrepreneur whose primary mission is to have a positive impact on the world, Joe Thurman is the Chief Executive Officer for interview ia. interviewIA is committed to systematically building an Inclusive Future of Work. A world where organizations can be objective and inclusive in hiring to create thriving, diverse, engaged cultures of high-performing employees. interviewIA is redefining the actual practice of interviewing by creating the first solution to bring human calibration, structure, and data-driven interview outcomes into one, fully integrated, easy-to-use cloud application. interviewIA uses deep learning (IA) Intelligence Amplification technology and human-centered design to redefine the method of interviewing. interviewIA supplements its cloud-based application with industry-leading online inclusion training, digital coursework and industry-leading expertise to help shape and guide the inclusive foundation of an organization.

With over 10 years’ experience in people operations and 6 years’ experience in executive development, Joe has worked with hundreds of technology executives and sits on the board of the Colorado Technology Association with some of the biggest tech names in the state.

Joe’s strengths lie in building companies and assembling teams of talented people. Helping leaders build inclusive organizations where #PEOPLEMATTER has been his objective for almost 15 years. Joe believes that a connected world only thrives when we are an inclusive world. By effectively coaching people and empowering them to value curiosity, we can unlock the mindset that encourages inclusion, diversity and a vision of human equality.

Join us at 4Front to meet Joe.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

John Register is a modern-day renaissance man and one of the most authentic interactive keynote speakers of our time.

From four-time track and field all-American to Gulf War Army veteran to amputee to Paralympic silver medalist, John has never allowed adversity to hold him back. He continues to hurdle adversity and turn obstacles into opportunities and show others how to do the same.

During a training session in Hays, Kansas, Register, the 8th fastest 400m hurdler at the time, landed awkwardly, dislocating his left knee. His artery behind the kneecap was blocked. An 11-hour vein graph surgery was conducted but was inadequate. 5 subsequent operations were not able to fully save the limb. Register made the decision to amputate his leg and his dreams.

With his dreams of Olympic glory dashed, John’s wife Alice told him they would come through this together; it was just their new normal. Armed with this new determination, John decided to take a new step every day.

It began with swimming. His steps to the pool each day resulted in making the Paralympic swim team. He then turned his attention back to running. He and his prosthetist crafted a running leg that took John to the Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia, where he won the silver medal in the long jump.

With his previous goal now accomplished, John turned his sights on creating opportunities for people with disabilities by utilizing the lens of sport.

His post-athletic career accolades are equally impressive as he founded the United States Olympic Committees Paralympic Military sports program which assists wounded, ill, and injured service members in their recovery to a healthy and active lifestyle and serving in a variety of capacities to include special advisor to two U.S. Secretary of State on disability foreign policy and being a U.S. Sports Diplomacy Ambassador (Envoy). The latter attracted the attention of President Barack Obama and John was asked and served in the capacity of being one of 35 co-chairs for the 44th Presidents’ re-election.

As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, John believes in audience engagement and collective learning. In either his interactive keynote address or half-day training sessions, experiential learning is at the core of each presentation.

John’s partial client list now includes American Airlines, BP, KPMG, Southwest Airlines, Hewlett Packard Enterprises and ReMax, to name a few.

John is the President and CEO of Inspired Communications International, LLC, an experiential professional speaking company showing businesses how to hurdle adversity and create the new normal to win the medals in their life.

Oh, yeah, he sings, plays piano, and is a recovering cellist.

Follow John on LinkedIn

Join us at 4Front to meet John.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Hello again, from 4Front® The Podcast. I am your host Jeff Metzger. As many of you know, we release a new episode every Tuesday. But on this Tuesday, something special happens, all voices are heard in this country. So for those of you listening to my voice and the voice of our amazing guests, we would like you to hit the pause button and encourage you to go out and use your own voice to vote.

We will return on November 10th with an incredible interview with an outstanding Citizen, Serviceman, Olympian, Father and Husband.

John Register.

Thank you for being a dedicated listener and we’ll talk to you soon.

“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.”
- Susan B. Anthony

“Elections belong to the people.”
- Abraham Lincoln

"Democracy is based upon the conviction there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people."
- Harry Emerson Fosdick

"The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen."
- Louis Brandeis

“If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.”
- George Carlin

"Every election is determined by the people who show up."
- Larry Sabato

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."
- Nelson Mandela

"Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world."
- Sharon Salzberg

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

Meet John Paul Francis
JP is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of a biomedical image collaboration platform called Microscope and a Computer Science Ph.D. student at the Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences at USC. He earned his Bachelor's degree from USC in 2016 in Computer Science, Cinema, and Business Administration. In the past, he has worked as an award-winning wildlife and adventure virtual reality filmmaker for USA Today, xRez studios, and others in addition to his role as an R&D game developer for the USC Mixed Reality studio and USC Bridge.

In 2018, he joined the Michelson Center where he now uses machine learning techniques to annotate, model, and render 3D images of cells for type II diabetes research, from which Microscope spun out.

When he is not working with virtual environments he enjoys climbing, creative writing, and serving as head coach of the lacrosse team at Beverly Hills High School.

Meet Kyle McClary

Kyle McClary, Ph.D. is a graduate of the University of Southern California, the Co-Founder of Microscope and Founder of the Bridge Art + Science Alliance. He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry as well as Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Chemical Physics, with over ten years of research experience. His work focuses on connecting techniques in Biochemistry, Computer Science, Digital Arts, and Storytelling to model and communicate how biological systems produce the phenomenon of life.

He leads an organization at USC that connects artists and scientists for collaborative projects called The Bridge Art + Science Alliance (BASA). Through BASA, Kyle produced and directed projects in VR, film, and games that have been official selections at more than twenty science, media, and film festivals like South by Southwest and ARS Electronica, and have received awards from groups including the Directors Guild of America, Association of Medical Illustrators, as well as Emmy consideration.

Additional NotesA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Meet KevinKevin Luther was drawn to winemaking due to its confluence of his passions for nature, agriculture, and craftsmanship.

After earning his degree in Viticulture & Enology from the renowned UC Davis program, Kevin apprenticed around the world throughout his 20s to master the craft. He then returned to California and spent ten years building startups into successful wineries for other people, while also returning to school and obtaining a degree in Wine Business and a WSET diploma while launching his wine consulting business.

Finally, Kevin decided it was time to launch his own winery, and started Voluptuary Wines to focus on his passion for organic & experimental small-batch winemaking. After his first release quickly sold out, Kevin launched the sister brand Lucid Wines to bring his wine to a crowd-pleasing style.

Near Business Death, Success

After launching his brands in 2019, Kevin finally quit his “day job” running wineries for other people. He rented a single roller door in an industrial lot in urban Sacramento, CA, his hometown, and put his entire life savings into launching his brand from side project to proper business. The launch party for the new winery was set for March 28th, 2020.

On March 24th, the stay-at-home order for COVID was issued locally. On the verge of losing everything, Kevin quickly pivoted and announced that in lieu of a launch party, he would do a virtual wine tasting on Facebook & Youtube, which folks could join by purchasing at-home wine tasting kits. The first 100 kits sold out in 24 hours after his social media post.

From there, the hockey-stick growth curve kicked in. Interest in the kits & tastings blew up, and interest in private Zoom tastings took off as well. Now, Kevin & his staff host 20 or more virtual group tastings weekly for everything from the general public, private events such as weddings & baby showers, non-profit fundraisers, team-building, staff happy hours, conferences, and VIP events.

Additional NotesA special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Aubrey de Grey

Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Mountain View, California, USA, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Research Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) biomedical research charity that performs and funds laboratory research dedicated to combating the aging process. He is also VP of New Technology Discovery at AgeX Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing new therapies in the field of biomedical gerontology. In addition, he is Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world’s highest-impact peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging. He received his BA in computer science and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the characterization of all the types of self-inflicted cellular and molecular damage that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage. Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association and sits (uncompensated) on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organizations. He is a highly sought-after speaker who gives 40-50 invited talks per year at scientific conferences, universities, companies in areas ranging from pharma to life insurance, and to the public.

SENS Research Foundation works to develop, promote, and ensure widespread access to therapies that cure and prevent the diseases and disabilities of aging by comprehensively repairing the damage that builds up in our bodies over time. They are redefining the way the world researches and treats age-related ill health while inspiring the next generation of biomedical scientists.

Join us at 4Front to meet Aubrey.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

About Jim
Jim serves as the Managing Director of International Network Investments. He has over 35 years of hands-on leadership and technical expertise in networking equipment and Internet infrastructure. He spent over 20 years at Cisco Systems, starting in 1988 as the very first software development Manager. As Cisco grew and went public in 1990, he transitioned to technical leadership becoming a Distinguished Engineer leading various initiatives across IOS Software Development, System Architecture, and Business Development. Through the 2000s, he led several of Cisco’s early initiatives in emerging markets. He is a co-author of RFC-1613, "X.25 Over TCP", was awarded several patents and is a contributing author to Wireless Networking in the Developing World, the pioneering guide to building low-cost wireless network infrastructure in the developing world.

Jim currently sits on the boards of, AirJaldi Networks (Board Chair), Range Networks, Too Much WiFi, and Habari Node. The INI seal of approval, especially with regards to emerging market ISPs, provides significant benefit for portfolio companies from Board level strategic support to technical expertise, and additional funding for growth.

INI has a wide range of existing partnerships with leading technology companies (Microsoft, Facebook), development finance institutions (World Bank, IFC, USAID, OPIC), emerging market investors (George Soros’s impact fund, Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc., Omidyar Network), and hundreds of technical and emerging markets experts.

INI has a long track record of working with portfolio companies to create new partnerships and provide technical support, sales partnerships, and funding to take companies to the next level.

Jim has over a decade of experience directly investing in emerging market Internet Service Providers (ISPs). INI is the only dedicated pool of early-stage impact capital focused on expanding Internet access through independent ISPs. INI has a portfolio of over six ISPs, alongside other technology investments, across Sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Join us at 4Front to meet Jim.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

About Nathan

Dr. Nathan D. Lang-Raad is a speaker, author, and professional learning facilitator. He is the Chief Education Officer at WeVideo. Throughout his career, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, university adjunct professor, and Solution Tree consultant. He was director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, as well as education supervisor at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He speaks at both local and national professional conferences and is the co-founder of Bammy Award-nominated #LeadUpChat, an educational leadership professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter. Nathan is also the co-founder of #divergED, a Twitter chat focused on divergent thinking and innovations in education. He is a Google Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator, and 2016 Apple Teacher, serves on the board of the Student Voice Foundation and serves on the International Literacy Association Task Force.

Nathan is the author of Everyday Instructional Coaching, The New Art and Science of Teaching Mathematics co-authored with Dr. Robert Marzano, and WeVideo Every Day.

He has written several blog posts that have been featured on the EdTech K-12, Corwin Connect, Education Week, K-12 Blueprint, and the Solution Tree Blog.

Nathan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in general science-chemistry from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, a master of education degree in administration and supervision from the University of Houston-Victoria, and a doctorate of education degree in learning organizations and strategic change from David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

He resides with his husband, Herbie Raad, in beautiful Maine.

To learn more about Nathan’s work or follow him on Twitter @drlangraad.

Join us at 4Front to meet Nathan.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

About Jill

Jill Banks is responsible for creating consistent learning experiences that leverage technology, next-generation educational science and data analytics to drive cable workforce technical expertise and ROI for the industry.

Prior to joining SCTE•ISBE–scte.org #cabletecexpo–in 2017, Jill spent 25 years serving in various learning and development capacities with multiple Fortune 500 companies, including General Electric, American International Group (AIG), and Farmers Insurance. With SCTE•ISBE, she has supported double-digit growth in course material and has been instrumental in the organization’s use of 3D simulations and other technologies to improve knowledge retention, reduce training time, and increase the impact on the organization. Her philosophy is that every encounter is a teachable moment at which persons can learn, develop, and grow regardless of age, profession, or titles.

In addition to her responsibilities with SCTE•ISBE, Jill serves on the Board of Directors for Chestnut Hill College. She has served on the Advisory Boards for the Farmers Insurance Group’s Women’s Inclusion Network supporting mentoring and Daddy University, Inc., geared at educating men in raising their children. Jill also has participated as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. In addition, she has volunteered for numerous community events, including Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, Ronald McDonald House and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Jill holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Millersville University and a Master’s in Business Administration at DeVry University.

Join us at 4Front to meet Jill in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

About Ryan

Ryan Holdaway is an educator passionate about helping people unlock their potential, regardless of circumstance. When he isn't helping Lambda School students build real-life software applications or prepare for job interviews, he's playing golf, watching baseball, or taking his three little daughters to Disneyland.

About Lambda School

We started Lambda School because we believe that the “traditional” model of higher education is broken. Every year, people as young as 17 years old take on tens of thousands of dollars in student debt and pray that the education they’re investing in will land them on a job on the other side.
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Unfortunately, traditional colleges and universities have no incentive to ensure their graduates get hired – they get paid regardless.
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At Lambda School, we believe there is a better way to approach education.

Instead of asking our students to bet on us, we bet on them first. Lambda’s model is built on Income Share Agreements (ISAs) – our students pay no tuition up front, and agree to pay back 17% of their income post-graduation for two years, but only once they’re making $50,000 or more. And if they don’t find a high-paying job after 60 months of deferred payments? They pay nothing. This paradigm-shifting model allows us to align the incentives of the school with the incentives of our students – and we all win when our graduates succeed.
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We’re in this together.

Join us at 4Front to meet Ryan in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

John Ulm
John is an Engineering Fellow for the CommScope CTO Network Solutions group, investigating Advanced Technologies for Broadband Systems. John was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 2019 as part of the DOCSIS Inaugural class.
Recent research includes:
• Next generation HFC distributed access architectures
o including Remote PHY, Remote MACPHY
• FTTx migration strategies for HFC: Fiber Deep N+0, FTTC & FTTH
• DOCSIS 3.1/4.0 and its futures: Full Duplex (FDX) & Extended Spectrum
• Network capacity modeling
• IP Video solutions featuring multicast- ABR
John’s three decades in the Broadband industry began as architect and MAC developer at LANcity, pioneering the industry’s first cable modems. He was a primary author for the Cable Industry’s DOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 specifications. He also was senior technical consultant to Broadband industry with YAS Corp and Eng Fellow with Motorola’s Broadband Group and ARRIS Corp.

John holds a BSEE and MSEE from RPI and has a multitude of papers and patents to his name.

Join us at 4Front to meet John.

CommScope has contributed more than a few chapters to cable technology’s history, and it is now helping to write the industry’s future. Go here to learn more about the CommScope mission.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Aditi U. Joshi MD, MSc is Medical Director of JeffConnect, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s on-demand telemedicine program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Her position is multi-faceted in telehealth and tele-intake: working in operations, quality assurance, provider training, resident and medical education and implementing new programs and use cases for telehealth. She is also co-director of the Digital Health Scholarly Inquiry Track at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, teaching medical students how digital health technologies will influence their careers. She runs a Telehealth fellowship for physicians. Nationally, she is the chair-elect for the American College of Emergency Physicians telehealth working group and on the consensus committee for Society of Academic Emergency Medicine’s consensus conference. Prior to Jefferson, she worked at a telemedicine startup, learning barriers in uptake, marketing and business development. She is considered an expert in acute care telehealth and regularly speaks on the topics of how digital technologies will impact the future of healthcare and the workforce. She completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and has a Masters in International Health Policy from the London School of Economics.

Join us at 4Front to meet Aditi in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

ETHAN DECKER

Ethan Decker, Ph.D., is president of Applied Brand Science. Ethan unearths and distills the latest and most relevant research on marketing and human behavior to increase the effectiveness of his clients’ advertising and branding expenditures. Having spent a dozen years leading strategy and research at some of the world’s best agencies for some of the world’s biggest brands, he saw firsthand the waste and damage that many modern marketing beliefs and “best practices” are causing to firms. Now he is pioneering the field of brand science to help companies that want to embrace a more effective, evidence-based approach to advertising and brand growth.

Check out the blog

Join us at 4Front to meet Ethan in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for the use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Emmy-award winner, media entrepreneur, Liz Giorgi, knows how to tell a good story. Her latest venture, soona, taps into the needs of our visually-driven society with high-quality images and videos that can tell an engaging story for less than the price of stock! Plus, the folks at soona can shoot and deliver professional content within just 24 hours—anywhere in the U.S. Liz recognizes that talent and creativity aside, none of this would have been possible without the meteoric strides made in networking and connectivity. Media businesses like soona, as well as video gaming, fitness, music and sports companies, heavily rely on the latest technology to build highly-personalized and engaging entertainment experiences. By joining us at 4Front, Elizabeth can now bring her unique perspective and actively contribute to the evolution of this technology. We couldn’t be more excited to have her on board!

Prior to starting soona, Liz founded Mighteor, a successful video production company, and is a passionate advocate for women in entrepreneurship.

Join us at 4Front to meet Liz in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Lauren Gifford, PhD, is a critical geographer exploring the intersections of global climate change policy, conservation, markets and justice. Her work asks how, and by whom, climate and conservation policies are enacted. She is a Research Affiliate at the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She teaches courses on climate change and human-environment interactions at CU Boulder and Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is the founder of the Somes Group, a climate and environmental policy consulting firm that helps governments, foundations, NGOs and start-ups understand financialized conservation management and carbon pricing. She is also host of the podcast Carbon Social Club.

Dr. Gifford holds a PhD in Geography fromtheUniversity of Colorado, Boulder, an MA in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College, a BA in Communications from American University, and completed courses in greenhouse gas and forest carbon accounting through the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI). She has conducted mixed methods field research in the Peruvian Amazon, on Cuban organic farms, throughout Maine’s forests, at the United Nations’ annual climate negotiations, and at countless civil society meetings around the world. Recently she’s been studying the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to verify carbon offsets.

Join us at 4Front to meet Lauren in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

Lawrence Wagner is an eight-year Army veteran who also is Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Spark Mindset. Lawrence has over ten years of project management experience, along with a background in military, cybersecurity, high-tech business, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and human design thinking. Lawrence has a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Colorado Technical University. He also received leadership training from Leadership Pikes Peak Signature Program and Center for Creative Leadership Community Leadership Program and is currently serving on the Colorado Workforce Development Council. Now living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and is a huge Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cleveland Browns fan.

Spark Mindset is on a mission to break the cycle of poverty in low-income communities.

According to the National Center for Children Poverty, adolescents 12 through 17 years of age, 41 percent (10 million) live in low-income families, and 19 percent (4.7 million) live in poor families.

Students who do not attend college or who drop out quickly are predominantly persons from low-income families, living in underdeveloped areas within major cities. Over 50% of Black and Hispanics do not graduate from high school.

Through their technology programs, they will provide 500,000 high school students with opportunities for meaningful jobs or pathways to college in the next ten years

Join us at 4Front to meet Lawrence in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang is an educator and an entrepreneur. She received her MA and Ph.D. in Communication from Syracuse University and the University of Maryland. Ai is the founder of Classroom Without Walls, an alternative school for entrepreneurship. As an Adobe Education Leader, Ai is passionate about incorporating social media and creative technologies to enhance student learning and to acquire skills that help them become future-ready. Ai’s work has been featured in Forbes, Inside Higher Education, Pearson Education, and Mark Schafer’s book among others. She additionally contributes to Entrepreneur and Thrive Global. Ai hosts two weekly live streaming shows, where she interviews thought leaders in social media and education such as Seth Godin. Ai is also a HubSpot Academy instructor, and frequently speaks at academic and industry conferences including VidCon, Global Marketing Day, Social Media Week Lima (the largest social media marketing conference in the midwest, and others.

Join us at 4Front to meet Ai in person.

Ai's Website
https://www.classroomwithoutwalls.ai/

Here is the link where you can download a copy of Ai's workbook: "What parents need to know to future proof your kids."
https://www.classroomwithoutwalls.ai/future-proof-workbook

Learn more about Ai's Life Accelerator program
https://lifeaccelerator.classroomwithoutwalls.ai/welcome-page

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

Mike Hess is the Founder and Executive Director of the Blind Institute of Technology and serves on its Board of Directors. Determined to reduce the high unemployment rate among skilled blind and visually impaired IT and tech professionals in the U.S., Mike leads BIT’s mission to prepare blind and visually impaired people and the employers who hire them for success in the workplace.

Before founding BIT – a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Colorado in February 2013 – Mike spent four years as a senior software engineer for Level 3 Communications, where he led a variety of IT and other technical projects. Prior to Level 3, Mike held IT, software engineering and other technical positions with Qwest, U.S. West and other companies during the course of his 18-year career.

Mike, who has been legally blind since first grade, graduated from Community College of Denver (CCD) in 1995 with a certificate in applications programming and also received the Student of the Year award from the Computer Training for People with Disabilities (CTPD) program.

An English proverb states, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Mike began his journey as a disabled person at the age of seven in a small Midwestern town in Ohio. As an April Fools baby, he was a natural class clown and wanted to sit in the back of the class cracking jokes as early as first grade. He quickly moved to the front of the class after realizing he was not able to see the chalkboard.

After visiting several optometrists, Mike ended up in a large Cleveland hospital. It was there that he and his mother learned that Mike was losing his sight and would be completely blind by the age of 18. At such a young age, he had no idea what blind even meant. When he asked his mom, she simply stated that he was going to be special. At this point, in many ways, Mike began to fulfill her prophecy.

Mike’s mom was determined to keep him within the public schools and did not want to send him to a school for blind and deaf children. Disabled children are commonly placed into special learning programs within the public school system and Mike was no exception. This established a clear line in the sand with his classmates, stating plainly that he was different. However, he maintained the belief instilled in him by his mom that he was special, regardless of the large print books and dark colored paper he needed to aid his learning. Mike learned to make friends quickly and refused to allow classmates to bully him for being blind. Thus, Mike plotted the course along his thousand-mile journey by either engaging people with his sense of humor or by being tough.

At the start of junior high school, Mike’s family moved to Colorado and it was there that Mike began using low-vision technologies for the first time. His secondary school education was split between proactively learning the skills he would need in the future to live as a totally blind person (cane training and Braille classes) and the low-vision technologies that would assist him in the present.

Throughout his college career, Mike had to continue pushing through challenges. With the limited technology at that time, he needed to collaborate with others and use alternative methods to achieve success. In one instance, he paired up with a fellow student who had carpal tunnel syndrome. Mike was able to do the typing while his classmate acted as his eyes. So as a blind young person, Mike had experienced the shunning of someone who is different, but also the thrill of achieving goals that were widely considered unattainable for a blind person. His success and accomplishments continued to grow, and so did Mike’s belief that his journey was meant for greatness.

Immediately after college, Mike married his wife, Natalie, and adopted her two daughters. His family grew again in 2008 with the addition of Maddox (aka ‘Little Man’). Mike believes it’s important to show his children and others that his disability does not affect his life and that he is just as capable as people who have sight. Mike’s family continues to be his driving force whenever it seems like the world is unfair, supporting and inspiring him as he inspires others through all his successes and challenges.

Mike’s family, friends and business colleagues have seen him live his mantra that vision loss is simply an inconvenience and nothing more. They have watched Mike keep a positive attitude throughout all his trials and tribulations. In addition to his education and career accomplishments, Mike competed in martial arts, became a snow and water skier, ran half marathons and climbed 14,000 foot mountains.

Mike’s journey has been both trying and thrilling. However, his thousand miles are far from over. Thanks to his leadership, Board of Directors, corporate partners, talented blind and visually impaired IT and tech pros, family, friends and volunteers, the current phase of Mike’s journey – the Blind Institute of Technology — is materializing right before his mind’s eye.

Join us at 4Front to meet Mike in person.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the podcast host and guests and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy, or opinions of CableLabs.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.

A special thank you to Benjamin Monlezun for use of his original song Downpoor.