KMH A/V Integration Delivers Digital Storytelling Capabilities For Group Nine Media

The content produced by Group Nine Media covers up-to-the minute topics tailored to its social media-focused and increasingly mobile audiences. So it’s no surprise the digital media publishing giant needed production facilities to keep pace, not only for now but also well into the future.

KMH Audio-Video Integration was recently engaged to design and build a new studio complex for Group Nine Media, the New York City-based parent company and home to some of the most watched online news, lifestyle and entertainment programming in the world: NowThis, Seeker, The Dodo, PopSugar and Thrillist.

With the new studio build-outs completed, KMH is continuing to work with Group Nine Media for ongoing maintenance and future technology consulting.

The new facility was built to accommodate modern production infrastructure to support flexible and scalable workflows. With additional offices in Culver City, Calif., and San Francisco, Group Nine also needed network connectivity among all locations to enable remote collaboration and content sharing.

“Group Nine is pioneering a new era of storytelling,” said Kevin Henneman, president of KMH Audio-Video Integration. “Their teams are reacting and responding to breaking news but also anticipating the newest trends across so many topics. The facility we designed is the perfect mix for this style, combining the best of traditional production capabilities with an immersive environment designed to foster creativity and collaboration.”

KMH worked with VVA Consultants, a firm specializing in project and cost management, and Meridian Design Architects to produce a new facility located in the heart of Manhattan’s SOHO district and consisting of three studios and a single control room that can access any of the studios.

KMH integrated several different production systems from Ross Video including XPression and Graphite, using Dashboard automated production control software. SDI routing is from BlackMagic, as well as the production cameras, which are configured as traditional studio cameras with viewfinders, tally and SMPTE 310 interfaces. A BlackMagic camera control system also paints and balances cameras from the control room.

KMH designed and installed an interconnectivity system allowing the three studios to connect to these cameras, microphone and intercom positions.

During the project’s design discovery phase, the KMH team identified the need to provide isolated voice-over booths. Using DANTE audio networks, KMH integrated these vocal iso booths into the facility’s core audio workflow and to multiple broadcast service panel connection points. A Yamaha CL5 production mixer is the chosen audio platform integrated into the DANTE network.

KMH worked closely with Group Nine’s IT department to specify and program the various networks required to connect and communicate between the different production areas. Inbound IP-based remote decoders and outbound transmission encoders were integrated and configured to support news production. Numerous post-production editing stations were also built and configured to support the overall operations.

KMH also worked with Production Lighting Group to integrate lighting instruments and control into the facility with a free-standing grid being installed in the Studio A, B and C locations.