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TechLINKS

Biography:
Dan Darling is the Chief Information Officer of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS. Inc), a division of Time Warner Inc. Over the course of 23 years with the company, he has been an integral force in the technical evolution of a local Atlanta UFH station into a global media giant. TechLINKS interviewed Dan and learned the personal story behind a career that is closely connected to the company’s history and mirrors the remarkable growth of an Atlanta icon.

Twelve years after moving with his family from sunny Oakland, California to small-town Ohio, Dan Darling found himself paying his way through college at Akron University and later Ohio State University. Working between semesters, he landed a job that would become the impetus for a lifelong career. “One of the jobs I took in college was in a television studio, and I think that’s what really ignited the fire – the realization that this is something I really enjoy,” says Darling. A year later, degree in hand, Darling followed his passion and immersed himself in the world of live television, initially as an on-location film editor.

“I traveled all over the world as a CMX editor doing live shows for an evangelist named Rex Humbard,” Darling explains. “That was my first foray into computers. I liked being able to affect change in a quick and creative way. At the time, they were just beginning to build television mobile units and moving them around the world created some unique problems. So, we took that idea and built out an air cargo container that would house a complete production, tape and transmission facility that we could put on a jet and take anywhere in the world — which we did very successfully for many years.”

Working in Miami in 1985, Darling got the call that would change his career - and life - forever. “In the spring of 1985, Turner Broadcasting recruited me. They were talking about building a new state-of-the-art production studio facility in Atlanta and I saw the opportunity to be part of a great new initiative.”

His instincts were dead on. Dan Darling was right where he wanted to be: on the front lines of a growing media giant.

Interview:

Take us back to 1985, when you first came to Turner.
CNN was still in its infancy and TBS had just been launched. I was initially hired as a CMX editor, but it was obvious that there was a lot of opportunity. The company was incredibly dynamic and the cable industry was young. I was excited about joining a company that encouraged innovation and creativity.

At that time, the big national sports franchises were just starting to become hot properties. All of the broadcast and cable networks were bidding for the television rights packages for the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball. Turner already owned the Braves, so naturally, some of the first projects I edited were Braves spots. I created many of the reels that sold the NFL and NBA on Turner’s capabilities. We won all those rights and that really helped put a more national focus on the company. In fact, we still originate our NBA broadcasts from this facility, and we just entered into a joint venture with them to handle even more of their production work.

Also, in those early days, we had several magazine-style entertainment shows. One called “Good News” was shot in New York and brought to Atlanta for editing. I used to work exclusively with Bonnie and Terry Turner on the “Good News” show. Of course, later, they went on to create “Wayne’s World”, and “That 70’s Show” and write for “Saturday Night Live”. So, even back then, we had fantastic talent and really high production values.

Ted Turner’s entrepreneurial leadership was really contagious. We were up for any challenge and he encouraged us to take risks. That great entrepreneurial spirit still lives on at Turner today. Ted’s philosophy was to give any good idea a shot. And he backed it up with a lot of support both for the people and the product.

Ted’s office was in the original Turner Studios building. He was engaged in the business day and night, even sleeping in his office plenty of nights, and as is now well known, he would often come downstairs in his bathrobe. There were usually editors around working late or way early, and Ted would talk to everyone standing around the central coffee pot. He would always thank each person for their dedication in keeping us on the air, and he would do so very graciously… while wearing his bathrobe. When we dedicated the new state-of-the-art Turner Studios building in 2000 - a facility that my great team designed and built - I had a bathrobe embroidered with the Turner Studios logo and presented it to Ted. I told him: “You’re always welcome here and here’s a new robe to wear just like the old days! Well, he just loved it!”

Now, you pointed out a couple of times the importance of Ted’s leadership - not only on the organization but on you as well. Can you identify a couple of key moments or events that still stand out with you as learning points ?
The one that most stands out was my first day on the job. Both my supervisor and his boss were out of town and they told me to come in and just get familiar with the editing suite, which was right next to the studio.

I came in pretty early to look at the control room router and tape machines - just to get the lay of the land. When I walked into the studio the lights were off, but I heard this guy saying “Where in the heck is everybody?” After feeling around the side of the wall I finally found the overheads and flipped them on… and there was Ted standing right in the middle of the set.

“Where is everyone?” he said. “I’m supposed to be taping in here right now!”

I told him I didn’t know but I’d find out.

I quickly found one of the production managers and we determined that Ted was actually supposed to be at the local ABC station, not with us.

I went back to Ted, clarified the miscommunication and made sure he was on his way to the right place.
Afterward, what I took from the experience - and I think one of the biggest lessons I learned from Ted - was you’ve got to value your time and be wise about how it’s used in order to be successful.

Describe your leadership style.
I am very team-oriented. My management style is about building teams to solve problems. My estimation of great leaders isn’t that they have all the answers, but that they provide the environment for others to be successful in creating solutions.

I think one of my most important responsibilities involves ensuring that my people have the right tools and infrastructure they need to do the absolute best job. You can’t be ‘best in class’ without the best resources.

With all the divisions that I have reporting to me right now - and that’s 11 technology and operations groups - one of the key discussion topics in every one of my direct report meetings is collaboration. Collaboration builds efficiency, builds strong partnerships, and builds a much more robust model for succeeding as a company.

Let me give you an example. For years, Turner operated as two separate divisions—entertainment and news. There wasn’t a lot of synergy or collaboration between them. I think we’ve been able to bridge that gap over the years so that lessons learned on the news side are now carried over to the entertainment side, and vice versa. I think more so than ever. Right now we’re hitting on all cylinders when it comes to collaboration as a company, which is great. I’m proud to be part of all that.

Let’s talk technology. What kind of technology was and is involved in broadcasting ?
When we look at technology at CNN - what’s gone into making CNN so successful – you have to start with the on-location reporting. We have to be able to go anywhere in the world – to some of the most remote locations on earth – and be able to shoot, record, edit and transmit within minutes… and time is always critical, more so now than ever. So there’s a significant amount of technology that’s required.

I’ll give you a great example: our Digital News Gathering system or “DNG”. Our people developed and implemented an integrated and portable IP-based system that allows journalists to capture content in the field on these DNG kits and feed it to Atlanta via FTP over satellite or the internet. It also provides the ability to stream video for a live event. This innovative technology won several awards last year including a Technical Emmy. It’s nothing short of amazing what CNN is doing right now as a global news organization, in respect to the way it’s capturing and broadcasting news. And all of it is technology-driven.

Besides technology developments in the field, we now have a fiber ring called the OC 192 that connects Atlanta, New York and Washington, DC. This technology allows us tremendous flexibility in passing video, audio and data simultaneously 24 / 7, so it’s almost like all three production facilities are colocated. This is a tremendous competitive advantage. Running a news organization takes a lot of money. Through technology, we’ve been able to create efficiencies and add more value to the company while cutting down on operating costs.

What changes in technology are most affecting your industry ?
That’s a great question because there is so much change. But it’s come to the point where it’s not dramatic change anymore. It’s a more subtle change that continually affects the way we do business. The growing popularity of BlackBerrys and smart phones is a good example.

From the broadcast industry point of view, we’ve been converting our networks to High Definition, which is a huge undertaking in that every piece of equipment from the cameras in the field to the switchers, routers and transmission gear in every production facility must be compatible. CNN HD just debuted last year and it has really led the way for news in High Definition.

We’re also enhancing our architecture software on an ongoing basis. We have three groups dedicated strictly to software development here at Turner, not to mention several groups who are focused on developing new products and services.

Do you do most of that in-house or do you use outside contractors?
We do both. We do a lot of software development internally because we’re able to hone in on exactly what our needs are. For example, this year we’re rolling out a new fully integrated and internally developed sales trafficking system called Crossroad. We felt it was vital to the continued success of our sales group considering changes to the cable advertising world. That work was all done in-house.

Of course, if there’s something off the shelf that meets our need, we go after it. But given the changes in our businesses and our goal of staying ahead of the curve, we end up doing a lot of custom development in house.

Let’s talk about community for a minute. What’s your view of Georgia’s technology industry and it’s role in Turner’s success?
I sit on the Board as vice-chair of the Technology Association of Georgia and on the Board of the Georgia Film Commission, so I’m actively involved in the community on Turner’s behalf.

Again, it’s unique to have this size and type of media organization located in Atlanta for now going on 40 years. I think Atlanta has been a great place for Turner. The city has allowed us to grow and is a great partner… and the state has created tax incentives to encourage digital technology development. I think Atlanta benefits from having a lot of other great companies – including many strong technology businesses – based here that helped promote our growth. Together, we’ve made Atlanta both a technology hub and a Mecca for the brightest young talent… and it’s a great place to call home.

PeopleLinks Profile:
University/College Affiliations:

Ohio State University
Akron University

Professional Organization Affiliations:

Vice Chair of Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
Appointed to Georgia Film, Video & Music Advisory Commission by Governor Perdue

Community/Volunteer Involvement:

Board member Centennial Place YMCA; Executive Sponsor of
Black Professionals at Turner

Awards/Recognition:

Honored with Governors Award by National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, Southeast Chapter
Honored with NATAS’ Silver Circle Award, recognizing 25 years of service for the Atlanta television community
Georgia Oglethorpe Award – the state equivalent of the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge award for Performance Excellence
Recipient of several Emmys for television production

Most Admired Leader:
Ted Turner

Best Advice to Those Starting Out in Technology:
“Stay Connected…read and absorb everything you can!”

Hometown:
Northampton, Ohio

Favorite Quote:
“Lead, Follow or Get Out of The Way!” – Ted Turner

Favorite Location or recreational area in Georgia:
All the beautiful Lakes…Blue Ridge, Lanier, Allatoona.

Favorite hobby:
Skiing…Water or Snow

Favorite Executive Gadget:
My GPS and BlackBerry Curve

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