Someone You Should Know : Denise Willsey, HPE Director of Sales & Business Development, Broadcast, Media & Entertainment

Posted on March 8, 2023 in ATSC News

Let’s talk about your career. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?
My 24-year career in technology includes over two decades in the Telco space and the last few years in Broadcast and M&E. I got my start in Telco with Sprint PCS when the carrier was just getting started. I had the good fortune to join the Subscriber Equipment Business Unit and worked with Qualcomm and the leading handset and device OEMs around the globe. I was again fortunate when I took my first sales job with a start-up working for a well-know and successful inventor, Phillipe Khan who developed the first camera phone. After the successful sale of LightSurf, I made a move into the device OEM space and then consultative selling for orchestration and automation solutions for Call Centers and now Broadcasters and M&E.

How and why did you get involved with ATSC 3.0?
HPE was seeking to expand their Digital Video, Orchestration and 5G solutions and capabilities beyond Telco and M&E into Broadcast. We of course were aware of the FCC ATSC 3.0 voluntary adoption ruling, and I helped developed HPE’s mission and strategy for Broadcast. It was Mark Aitken with Sinclair Broadcasting Group who introduced me to Madeleine and ATSC. It’s been a very fruitful partnership between HPE and ATSC and its member body. We have Solution Architects and industry experts leading Specialist Group and Planning Teams.

What ATSC groups do you participate in?
TG3/S43 Specialist Group Core Network, TG3-11 ad-hoc group ATSC 3.0 and 5G harmonization, and previously Planning Team 8 – Core Network Technologies for Broadcast.

What are you most proud of in your role?
I’m proud of HPE’s contributions to help define the standards and now our leadership position testing and validating ATSC 3.0 Datacasting use cases for Enterprises including Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Transportation/Logistics. HPE is uniquely positioned with a vast Enterprise customer base and ATSC 3.0 and 5G solution sets. We are helping Broadcasters and Enterprises learn what ATSC 3.0 Datacasting can mean for their respective businesses.

What impact do you think ATSC 3.0 will have on the broadcast industry?
In my opinion, ATSC 3.0 is having and will continue to have a monumental impact on the broadcast industry. 3.0 is the impetus for change and the path to new revenue streams.

In your opinion, what are the most impressive features of ATSC 3.0?
ATSC 3.0 Broadcast signal range of 45 to 70 miles and the high volume of content/data the spectrum can support is impressive and true differentiators. We are seeing in our enterprise testing that 3.0 will solve several key use cases where Fiber is not available or too expensive and 4G, 5G and other technologies fall short of supporting the enterprise requirements. Further, the consumer can expect to have an improved and more engaging viewing experience with Broadcasters offering new, innovative services including shoppable TV and streaming, dynamic ad placement, social sharing, personalization, and the list goes on.

You are a busy person but there is more to life than work! Please share some information about your family, pets, hobbies outside of work, things you like to do.
I live in Leawood, Kansas with my pup, Dudley, and am very fortunate to be near my huge family. I was the youngest of 6 kids and having 13 nieces and nephews, 25 great nieces and nephews and 6 great, great nieces whom I LOVE to spend time with! My passion is space planning and home renovation. I can visualize what could be and design for today’s living whether for a family with small children or empty nesters. My 24th home renovation project is kicking off in May/June.

Posted in ATSC News