#54 “Education to Innovation: A conversation with Mike Szumlinski of iconik.io Cloud Based Media Asset Management”

Summary: On this episode of The Workflow Show, Ben and Jason speak to guest Mike Szumlinski, Chief Commercial Officer at iconik.io, about what it means to foster the growth of a product and creating a collaboration tool for media asset management in the cloud. Mike also talks about his background, working at PVT, and emphasizing the sharing of knowledge via blogs and education. The hosts and Mike discuss how to spot innovation through customer feedback and anticipating growth beyond the current need of a product, including how Iconik utilizes Kubernetes and how that fits into the future of cloud based workflows. Mike recounts his history in the industry, from studying at MSU to working with Pro Video Tech, and eventually Cantemo AB.  Ben and Jason discuss with Mike the importance of education and community learning in Media IT. Mike discusses the values of ICONIK in ease of accessibility to other tools, open API, and the growth of the customer base in the last year due to WFH needs.  Ben, Jason, and Mike dig into using kubernetes and the use of VMs (virtual machines) to better the ICONIK product and what it means for the next round of innovation in media technology.