Damien DeMary

Leads creative operations and personnel across three Viacom networks (Comedy Central, Paramount Network, TV Land). Assembles, directs, and sets workflow processes for two production teams comprised of 26 editors, audio mixers, promo taggers, and production assistants in New York and Nashville. Plays a key role in instituting structure, tools, and process enhancements to improve operating efficiency.

Aligns processes throughout Paramount Network, TV Land and Comedy Central Operations teams; spearheaded creation, distribution, and implementation of operating guides and responsibility documents across all three networks.

• Oversees legal and standards compliance as well as production and editorial workflow; partners with project leads to define and delegate editor assignments.

Handles hiring, onboarding, and management of freelance and staff talent with an emphasis on creating an inclusive work environment; developed a reporting structure designed to empower and groom senior editors for managerial roles.

Launched a Digital Asset Management site to streamline workflow for Viacom International Partners.

Directed Metadata Publishing workflow for Paramount Network and TV Land that reduced redundancies and error.

Conducts pricing negotiations with third-party application vendors; spearhead search for new production management tool, working with multiple departments to define functionality requirements.

Collaborates with internal groups to define workflow and communication standards to support the needs of Brand Creative and other network departments.

Provide additional audio mixing training for staff to ensure best practices.

Increased responsibility from previous position while continuing to drive all creative operations across the network. Led multiple strategic projects that directly impacted productivity operating efficiency and digital capabilities. Recruited and trained a new team responsible for creating custom closed captioning for short form content.

• Guided the rollout of Viacom’s all-inclusive music website enabling customized searches and faster downloads; recruited among the first users to test the new platform housing stock music for network producers.
• Collaborated with Production Technologies team to improve digital file transfer and execute the transition to Media Shuttle platform for simplified onboarding and user experience.
• Launched a dedicated online channel for streaming The Daily Show feed during recording; enabled Production and Brand Creative teams to view and capture live program feeds to edit promotional content.
• Instituted first disaster recovery plan for the facility to maintain continuity during system building closures.
• Partnered with Product Solutions team to automate key processes related to Slate generating for work reels, captioning, file QC, and delivery, greatly reducing staffing hours and redundancies.
• Created an enhanced onboarding process and assigned responsibilities for new hires.
• Conducted performance reviews and evaluations for all staff members.

Played a key role in transitioning the network to a fully digital, tapeless workflow, including digital delivery and archiving of content. Continued to direct team responsible for approval and delivery of promotional content reels for the network.

Partnered with Production Applications group to develop and implement a promo metadata website to replace manual process of transferring metadata between producers and Programming team; outlining all relevant metadata for automatic transmission, eliminating error and redundancy.

Reimagined and transitioned to a fully file based post-production process from initial receipt of raw footage through campaign delivery across linear, digital, and social platforms; drove improvements in file naming conventions, user interface, content categories, and overall structure.

• Worked with Social and Print departments to roll out a centralized Digital Asset Management system.
• Proactively built a freelance editor pool comprised of top local and remote talent.