MICHAEL TRAN
San Antonio
Summary
Results-oriented Vice President of Audio-Visual Broadcast Engineering Technology with a proven track record of delivering high-quality projects efficiently and on schedule. Focus on strategic planning, team leadership, and process improvements to boost productivity and foster innovation. Strong at communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, ensuring smooth collaboration across departments and with key stakeholders. Dedicated to driving growth through technical excellence and operational effectiveness.
Overview
38
38
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President of Engineering
Nelco Media Inc.
01.2023 - Current
- Led and oversaw all aspects of engineering design, integration, installation, and commissioning projects, ensuring seamless execution and highquality outcomes.
- Engaged with customers to discuss designs and budgets, successfully writing proposals, bid packages, and attending bid processes, enhancing client satisfaction and project alignment.
- Designed and implemented studios, control rooms, data centers, and sports complexes, utilizing advanced AV broadcast equipment and workflows in NTSC formats like NDI, SDI, 4K-12G, or SMPTE 2110, achieving improvements in broadcast quality.
Director of Audio-Visual Technology
Spurs Sports and Entertainment
06.2021 - 12.2022
- Managed AV department for all venues, overseeing 10 full-time engineers and 30 part-time operators, ensuring seamless gameday productions for NBA, USL, and G-League teams.
- Designed and upgraded venues annually using a capital budget, enhancing broadcast quality and fan experience.
- Supported, maintained, and repaired AV broadcast equipment, achieving improvement in system reliability and performance.
Contractor Engineer
Palm Beach County TV-20
04.2020 - 05.2021
- Designed, implemented, maintained, and repaired broadcast equipment for all Palm Beach County television systems, ensuring seamless TV signal transmission for cable and live web streaming.
- Set up equipment for live broadcast productions and operated microwave/satellite trucks for remote productions, enhancing broadcast quality and reliability.
- Awarded an additional 3-year contract for exceptional performance but chose to join Spurs Sports Entertainment.
Director of Broadcast Services/Senior Broadcast Designer
Henderson Engineers Inc.
Lenexa
01.2016 - 09.2019
- Led the design and implementation of Broadcast Pre-wire systems, control rooms, and studios for sports complexes, achieving improvement in broadcast quality by integrating advanced AV systems.
- Estimated and managed project budgets, applying engineering values to achieve cost savings per project.
- Collaborated with project teams (MEP, AV, acoustics, telecom, security, IT) to ensure timely and budget-friendly project completion, enhancing overall system performance.
- Lenexa, KS
Senior Broadcast Engineer
NFL Network
Los Angeles
03.2011 - 12.2015
- Supported, designed, maintained, and repaired a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art digital broadcasting center, ensuring seamless operations across 6 stages, 6 Production Control Rooms, TOC, ingest/playout stations, and over 100 edit bays.
- Installed, maintained, troubleshot, and repaired Cisco routers, switches, and broadcast equipment, enhancing system reliability and performance for NFL Thursday Night Football and NFL Sunday games.
- Provided technical support for over 10 live shows and news daily, overseeing fiber and satellite transmission with Level 3 and VYVX, ensuring high-quality broadcast standards.
- Los Angeles, CA
Freeland Broadcast Engineer
Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket
Los Angeles
05.2009 - 01.2015
- Received, processed, decoded, encoded, and transmitted live SD/HD sports programming for NBA, MLS, MLB, NHL, and NCAA on Fox Sports Network, ensuring high-quality broadcasts.
- Led communication and troubleshooting efforts with Production and Satellite trucks, and ATT technicians, enhancing system reliability and performance.
- Designed, upgraded, implemented, maintained, and repaired SD/HD digital broadcast equipment, improving broadcast quality and operational efficiency.
- Los Angeles, CA
Senior Broadcast Engineer
KSCI-TV
Los Angeles
03.2009 - 03.2011
- Designed, repaired, and maintained studio and ENG/SNG equipment, supporting over 5 live news broadcasts daily, enhancing broadcast quality and reliability.
- Maintained, troubleshot, and serviced over 3 transmitter sites, ensuring seamless transmission and operational efficiency.
- Improved system performance and reliability by implementing advanced AV solutions, contributing to the station's success in delivering highquality broadcasts.
- LA-18 Digitals, Los Angeles, CA
Remote EIC. (Engineer in Charge)
National Mobile Television
Somerville
08.2006 - 12.2008
- Provided technical support for HD/Digital mobile television trucks, ensuring high-quality broadcasts for NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA events, enhancing system reliability and performance.
- Collaborated with production teams to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues, ensuring seamless live broadcasts and improving overall broadcast quality.
- Maintained and repaired broadcast equipment, contributing to the successful execution of live sports events and enhancing the fan experience.
- Somerville, NJ
Broadcast Maintenance Engineer
KTTV- FOX 11 and KCOP-UPN 13
Los Angeles
09.1997 - 02.2005
- Designed, repaired, and maintained studio and ENG/SNG equipment, supporting live news ranked #1 at 10 p.m. in LA and Southern California, enhancing broadcast quality and reliability.
- Managed master control equipment for 4 on-air channels (Fox-11, Fox-DT, UPN-13, UPN-DT), ensuring seamless operations and high-quality broadcasts.
- Maintained and repaired 2 satellite trucks and over 20 ENG microvans, improving system reliability and performance for news production.
- Los Angeles, CA
Broadcast Engineer, Swing shift lead
Taft Broadcasting Company
09.1995 - 09.1997
- Supervised and provided technical assistance to technicians during swing shifts, ensuring efficient operations and high-quality outcomes.
- Designed, implemented, and maintained a state-of-the-art broadcast center with 10 on-air TV channels and 24 on-air radio channels, enhancing broadcast quality and reliability.
- Troubleshot and repaired analog/digital broadcast equipment to the component level, improving system performance and reducing downtime.
- American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), March Air Reserve Base, CA
Chief Engineer
KHIZ-TV
Victorville
02.1992 - 09.1996
- Led and oversaw all aspects of engineering design, integration, installation, and commissioning projects, ensuring seamless execution and highquality outcomes.
- Designed and implemented studios, control rooms, data centers, and sports complexes, utilizing advanced AV broadcast equipment and workflows, achieving improvements in broadcast quality.
- Engaged with customers to discuss designs and budgets, successfully writing proposals, bid packages, and attending bid processes, enhancing client satisfaction and project alignment.
- Sunbelt Television Inc., Victorville, CA
Senior Lead Technician/Video Production Manager
Cubic Applications Inc.
05.1993 - 09.1995
- Supervised and provided technical assistance to junior technicians, ensuring efficient operation and maintenance of high-quality audio and video equipment, improving system reliability.
- Designed and supported in-house Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems, enhancing surveillance capabilities and operational efficiency.
- Maintained and repaired 10 satellite trucks and 20 micro-vans, ensuring seamless audio/visual footage gathering for Army training, increasing equipment uptime.
- National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA
Audiovisual Equipment Specialist/Broadcast Engineer
United States Army
Fort Irwin
01.1988 - 01.1992
- Operated, maintained, and repaired Mobile Video Production Satellite trucks, ensuring high-quality live training footage for the US Armed Forces.
- Enhanced system reliability and performance by troubleshooting and resolving technical issues, contributing to seamless live broadcasts.
- Collaborated with production teams to ensure efficient operations and high-quality outcomes, improving overall broadcast quality.
- Fort Irwin, CA
Education
Associate of Science - Electrical Engineering
USAF - Air University
Denver, CO01.1990
Skills
- Engineering design
- Budget management
- AV system integration
- Project oversight
- Broadcast technology
- Customer engagement
- Staff management
- Resource allocation
- Technical troubleshooting
- Process improvement
- Effective communication
- Team collaboration
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Adaptability
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Staff retention & collaboration
- Technical leadership
- DevOps principles
- Innovation management
- Agile methodologies
- Architecture & design
- Systems engineering
- Blockchain technology
- Internet of things
- Project management
- Reliability engineering
- Team leadership
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Risk assessment
- Time management abilities
- Design principles
Honors And Awards
- NAB Project of the Year Award, NAB Show, 04/25
- NAB Innovation Design Project of the Year, for the Texas House of Representatives
- National Defense Medal, US Army, 1992
- Desert Storm War participation
Special Training And Certifications
- Television Broadcast Engineering course, USAF Certification, 1990
- Nucomm Microwave and Satellite courses, 1993
- RCA Television Transmitter courses, 1994
- Sony Beta-SP and DigiBetaVTR/Camera courses, 1996
- Odetics TCS-90 Cart machines, 1997
- FCC General Class License, FCC # PG-GB-051040, 1998
- Certified Broadcast Television Engineer (CBTE), Society of Broadcast Engineers, 1998
- NDS Digital TV Compression Encoder/Decoder course, 1999
- Grass Valley/Tektronix Profile Videodisk Recorder course, 2000
- Harris, Louth, Advanced Automation System course, 2004
- ADC Fiber Training, 2007
- Harris Advanced Engineering System, 2008
- Grass Valley Miranda Densité Signal Interfacing & Distribution, 2008
- Evertz SD/HD EQX Router, 2008
- Riedel Intercom System, 2014
- Certified Audinate Dante Level 3, 2018
- Daktronics Show Control, 2022
- Absen Certified Engineer, 2023
- Vizrt Partner Advanced course, 2024
- Ross Video Ultrix, Carbonite, XPression, and Quorum courses, 2024
- Q-Sys Level 1 Certified, 2025
- Netgear SMPTE ST-2110 Certified, 2025
Timeline
Vice President of Engineering
Nelco Media Inc.
01.2023 - Current
Director of Audio-Visual Technology
Spurs Sports and Entertainment
06.2021 - 12.2022
Contractor Engineer
Palm Beach County TV-20
04.2020 - 05.2021
Director of Broadcast Services/Senior Broadcast Designer
Henderson Engineers Inc.
01.2016 - 09.2019
Senior Broadcast Engineer
NFL Network
03.2011 - 12.2015
Freeland Broadcast Engineer
Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket
05.2009 - 01.2015
Senior Broadcast Engineer
KSCI-TV
03.2009 - 03.2011
Remote EIC. (Engineer in Charge)
National Mobile Television
08.2006 - 12.2008
Broadcast Maintenance Engineer
KTTV- FOX 11 and KCOP-UPN 13
09.1997 - 02.2005
Broadcast Engineer, Swing shift lead
Taft Broadcasting Company
09.1995 - 09.1997
Senior Lead Technician/Video Production Manager
Cubic Applications Inc.
05.1993 - 09.1995
Chief Engineer
KHIZ-TV
02.1992 - 09.1996
Audiovisual Equipment Specialist/Broadcast Engineer
United States Army
01.1988 - 01.1992
Associate of Science - Electrical Engineering
USAF - Air University