DAMLA Recap time
or how a quick trip to Los Angeles might have started my New Year
It’s been a week since I returned from DAMLA 2025. This is my 3rd year presenting there - this time as a moderator and track chair - and it continues to bring unique insights I haven’t found at the various NYC media conferences I also attend.
Canary in a (glitzy) coal mine
I think part of the reason is that Los Angeles is an industry town at heart. The technological shifts we’re seeing across the DAM field are hitting those in entertainment quickly, publicly, and economically in ways other industries are insulated from at the moment. Traditional film production, alongside streaming, video, and music, had to quickly pivot during the pandemic then strikes then fires then AI all while seeing their struggles joked about or dismissed. Here’s what we forget - the entertainment business is big business! If they are struggling with overwhelming content lifecycle management due to quick turnaround and massive video files, other fields can learn what’s working for them and roll it out to our (much more modest) media needs. I particularly was inspired by Alison Bermann from Paramount’s discussion of Star Trek asset preservation and Beverly Moyer at Illumination Entertainment handling countless Minions content enriched media on a panel alongside Jarrod Gingras of the Real Story Group, Kristi Morrison-Clear from SharkNinja, and Akash Shah from Tastemade.
Know your value
Gone was the talk of hustle. We cannot outrun AI when it comes to speed, so let’s focus on what we humans can do better. We will need to become curators again. I find it freeing! Maybe we can finally offload the repetitive tasks DAM vendors long promised to robots and spend our time on strategy instead. Our time is valuable! Bulent Dogan from CyanGate might have posted this Impact/Effort Matrix to talk DAM, but I’m bringing this wisdom into my real life too.
Listen to (and read) other people’s stories
I’ve always felt that conversation is the best way to share experiences and grow community but have found that listening is where I learn best. Since I was moderating a panel this year, I had the pleasure of hearing the experiences of when DAM implementations go awry and how to get back on track from some of the best in the biz - Robin Parisse of Avyre, Jim Rourke of Arc Worldwide, and Susan Wamsley from David Zwirner Gallery. Before I flew home, Kara van Malssen had already distilled DAMLA to the key themes while still in the air - she’s got such a strong voice! - of the conference that put the various sessions into context. Worth reading the whole thing.
It’s all a gift
Among all the DAM talk, our conversation often turned to our past year apart. Some had lost homes to the fires; some had moved for work; some relying on federal funding are facing job cuts. The ability to travel during increasingly turbulent times was a gift. Heading home with the requisite See’s chocolates and LA tees for the kids (keeping the Metadata tee from John Horodyski for myself), I appreciated the focus I was able to give outside of everyday responsibilities and the knowledge people so freely shared with our community. Thanks to event host, KPMG’s Faith Robinson and the organizers at Henry Stewart Events for an excellent DAMLA 2025!