Navigating the Future of TV with AI
by Hamid Koohpeyma
Stepping into the vibrant, fast-paced world of television production as a software and data guy has been an incredible shift. I recently joined the Spark Media family as an AI Engineer through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Manchester Metropolitan University, funded by UKRI.
Coming from a background in full-stack development and data science, watching how our talented teams take a spark of an idea and turn it into hours of captivating TV is nothing short of magic. But behind that magic is a monumental amount of logistical and administrative heavy lifting. My mission here isn’t to change the creative heart of what we do; it’s to figure out how we can use the latest advancements to make the day-to-day lives of our production teams a little bit easier and a lot more efficient.
Right now, my focus is all about empowerment. I’ve been diving into the workflows of our producers, researchers, and editors to find those specific bottlenecks where AI can step in as a helpful co-pilot. Whether it’s streamlining the research process, finding smarter ways to organize vast amounts of footage, or exploring new innovations in content creation, the goal is simply to hand time back to the team. If we can leverage algorithms to handle the tedious, time-consuming tasks, our creatives can spend more of their energy doing what they do best: telling brilliant stories. It is early days, but the enthusiasm across the company to embrace these new tools is fantastic, and I am incredibly excited to see where this collaboration takes us.ice with renewed fire, bold plans, and an even stronger belief that the next big hits can – and will – be made right here!