 Samantha Taczynski New member Samantha Taczynski joined NEC just a few months ago. After only a couple of weeks, she got her feet wet and her mind boggled at InfoComm 2018 in Las Vegas. While new to the world of digital signage, Samantha has a background in the content side of things. She and her husband, a graphic designer, started a design firm called Marcsa. For three years, Samantha worked beside her husband on strategy and business development for the company. Her excitement about the work grew as they designed and delivered content to customers like the NBA and Notre Dame University in Indiana. The content would end up on print materials, featured on walls, social media, and, of course, digital signage. Samantha was also working full time at Sears Holdings as a community moderator, but was looking for something more interesting where she could focus on technology and continue to learn and grow in her career. As a child, Samantha remembers watching her older brother tinker with computers and take apart and rebuild all sorts of mechanical things around the house. This is where her interest in technology was born. The work for her design firm ignited her interest in creating an experience. Well, congratulations Samantha! You are now immersed in both as the strategy specialist reporting to Rich Ventura at NEC! Samantha spends her days working on NEC’s strategic direction over the next three to five years. She listens to webinars, watches social media, reads blogs, and goes to trade shows and events to learn what the trends are and then thinks about how NEC can stay ahead of them. Samantha commented, “Some of the key trends I have noticed that are driving growth in the industry are analytics, AI/ML, emerging display technologies, and collaboration.” Samantha also recently joined the AVIXA Women’s council and, together with Megan Dutta, will be leading the regional AVIXA Women’s Chicago Metro Group. Their first event will be on November 8, 2018, and will be held at NEC Display’s very own Briefing Center in Downers Grove, IL. Samantha loves working in digital signage because the technology driving our industry is always evolving and changing. She believes that a day doesn’t go by without the majority of people on earth being impacted by something they experience on digital signage. On a recent trip to Paris and London for her birthday, Samantha appreciated the incredible installations at Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Piccadilly Circus. She said, “There were literally hundreds of people taking photos and selfies with screens in the background. That’s when it really hit me how huge this industry is, and how it has become a part of our everyday lives.”  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ann Holland is currently vice president of marketing at BrightSign, and serves on the Women of Digital Signage Advisory Board. Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-holland-56b22a2/
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 Colleen Brace Ann Holland interviews Colleen Brace, SVP of Sales, Venue Services, at ANC. Ann Holland: Tell me a little bit about your work in venue services at ANC. Colleen Brace: I started at the company in 1999 managing sports venue signage, which had not yet gone digital. Very quickly, the world of signage started to go digital with the introduction of LED signage and the static printed banners slowly went away. ANC differentiated itself early on by providing services with the signage, but, as the LED began to take over, there was a higher demand for content and day-to-day services. ANC created a software platform to run the LEDs on the fascia levels of sports venues, the scoreboard, and other digital signage in the venues. Then, we added a design division within the company to create content. For live sports venues, we had to hire local people in each market to run the software and maintain the hardware on site. Our core business of client service became the backbone of the company as demand grew for content delivery, managed operations, and daily communication with the clients and venue technicians. Today, I am responsible for overseeing client relations while monetizing the company’s services including the graphic design, content consulting, account management, game day operations and equipment management. AH: Wow! That’s a broad set of responsibilities. Are you still specialized in only sports venues? CB: Actually, no. A few years ago, we entered the commercial space with the World Trade Center in Manhattan. It’s very similar to a sports venue; you still need content creation, managed schedules, and operations, but for our commercial accounts, we manage and schedule the content from our headquarters in Purchase, NY. We do all sorts of interesting and unique installations in the commercial space including malls, transit, retail and office buildings. AH: Sounds like there’s a lot of growth opportunity on the commercial side. Is that right? CB: Yes, absolutely. The growth opportunity in this broader digital signage market is enormous. I look forward to potentially doubling our revenue in the commercial space this year. AH: What’s your favorite thing about working in the DS space? CB: I like the fact that it’s always changing and evolving. From one year to the next, I am never doing the same thing. Changing technologies continue to offer new opportunities. For example, we now have a business in consulting for many of our accounts. The customer knows they should have signage, but they don’t know how the technology works, where to start, how to manage it, etc. We can help with that. AH: How many years have you gone to the DSE? CB: Our technology group has been attending DSE for many years. I attended for the first time last year. From the technology side it’s great to stay on top of the latest innovations and on the relationships side it’s great for networking. AH: Tell us one thing about your personal life that drives you. CB: My family. I have two kids—five and six years old. They are the reason I do what I do. I think it’s important for kids to see their mom work. My kids see me get dressed up and go to work every day. For women in the industry that may feel some form of guilt about being out of the home, traveling, etc. I want them to think about the positive role model they are for their kids.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ann Holland is currently vice president of marketing at BrightSign, and serves on the Women of Digital Signage Advisory Board. Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-holland-56b22a2/
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