The Mediasite team is dedicated to providing you support whenever and wherever you need it. We’re talking from the initial stages of deployment to the day-to-day needs when you’re up and running.
But providing tech support effectively doesn’t happen automatically. It’s an acquired skill. Fortunately, the team you have to rely on just happens to excel at it.
Our Customer Success team helps you define your goals, determine system requirements and establish just what a video solution at your organization could look like. You definitely want them on your side.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Tom Irons, our Director of Customer Success. He’s worked for Sonic Foundry for 12 years, but his work with its Mediasite technology began much earlier … as a customer.
As Director of Classroom Technology at East Carolina University in North Carolina (where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Digital Communications), he played a crucial role in one of the earliest and largest Mediasite deployments. He assisted in purchasing the equipment and servers for the first 20+ rooms deployed there, which he later expanded to more than 40. His involvement in the early stages of Mediasite caught the attention of Sonic Foundry and he has been working with Mediasite ever since.
We sat down with Tom to get the scoop about what he loves most about his job … and of course, some fun facts to get to know him better.
Q: What is your Mediasite mastery?
A: My hands-on involvement in the early stages of ECU’s Mediasite development allowed me to witness and contribute to the evolution of the product line from all angles —from the technical side to pre-sales consultations to installations to troubleshooting with customers.
I have the unique experience of being intimately familiar with where Mediasite has been (not only as a producer, but as a consumer as well) as well as where it is headed. Further, I have a strong emphasis on Mediasite custom development.
I enjoy discussing that with customers and co-workers and contributing feedback whenever I can.
Q: Why are you passionate about Mediasite?
A: I believe that Mediasite has made incredible strides in my 12 years with the company – we listen to our customers, and everything that we do is driven by their needs. We have the unique ability, given our range of products and services, to enhance communications and learning in a way that gives customers control, but with the assurance that they have our full support and shared enthusiasm.
Q: Why do you love your job?
A: It’s mostly about the people. The people I work with are a hard-working but fun bunch, and our customers and partners are the same.
Q: What is a fun fact about you?
A: I’ll give you several! I am extremely good at worthless trivia. 80’s trivia seems to stick in my head the most. I think I’m a talented karaoke singer, although opinions may differ. Go-to song: Wanted Dead or Alive (cringe). I’m terrified of heights, to the point where if I’m in one of those Embassy Suites with the indoor atrium, I walk against the wall. I love to cook — whenever I’m home I like to make big meals, but then I don’t clean up and get in trouble. I was a Dungeons and Dragons geek starting around 1980 and it didn’t really wear off.
Q: What are you currently reading?
A: That’s a tough one because I’ll read almost anything. I tend towards mysteries, science fiction/fantasy. My all-time favorite short book is probably ‘Good Omens’ by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, but I’ve read everything by CS Lewis, Kurt Vonnegut and Walker Percy. I’ve read all of the Tolkien books (at least 3 times each), and the entire ‘Dark Tower’ series by Stephen King (at least 5 times).
Fun fact: I had an accident with a motorboat in 1987 and severely injured my ankle (that’s not the fun part). A well-meaning friend brought me a copy of ‘Misery’ while I was in the hospital. You may recall that the antagonist breaks someone’s ankles with a sledgehammer. I read it all in one night because I was too scared to go to sleep.
Q: What is the last movie you watched?
A: Deadpool 2. I love me some wise-cracking superheroes. Also, RBG, the Ruther Bader Ginsburg documentary. That woman is a bada$$.
Q: What are you currently streaming?
A: I’m waiting for new seasons of Stranger Things and The Tick. I am kind of watching Weeds, but it’s getting pretty dark. Oh, and we binge watched How I Met Your Mother in its entirety recently.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.” ― Kurt Vonnegut
Q: What is your favorite trip and why?
A: Costa Rica with family last summer (wife Paige, and my 16 and 18-year old kids). We’d never taken everyone out of the country together, and it was beautiful and fun. Everybody got to see and do things that we’ll probably never do together again.
Q: When you’re not busy at work, where can we find you?
A: I love to be on the Pamlico River in North Carolina where we live, swimming or fishing or just being there. Right now you’ll find me putting things back together from the hurricanes that hit the NC coast in late 2018.