Valentino joins Gravity Media as head of RF and Speciality Cameras

Gravity Media has named Tony Valentino as its new head of RF and speciality cameras in the UK. With over 30 years’ experience of working within the broadcast industry, Valentino brings with him a wealth of RF knowledge that the company said will complement Gravity Media’s existing expertise in this area.

Having started out working on on-board camera systems for F1, Valentino moved to Paris in the early 1990s and built up a radio camera hire business called RCS. He then returned to the UK in 1998 to work on a range of high-profile projects including the Monaco GP, 24 Hours of Le Mans and major football tournaments.

In 2004 Valentino joined Charter Broadcast, significantly growing the company’s digital radio camera system business. While there, he also pioneered the transition to high definition with the first live HD transmission from a helicopter at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany.

Working closely with Link Research, Valentino helped to develop a ground-based Cellular Diversity ASI System for ITV Sport’s coverage of the 2005 Boat Race. The production went on to win the RTS Award for Best Live Outside Broadcast and The IABM Peter Wayne Award for Design and Innovation.

He was later responsible for all RF systems used at UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Then in 2011, Valentino set up the UK division of Broadcast Sports International, winning major long-term contracts with Sky Sports for F1 and BT Sport for Premiership Rugby.

Ed Tischler, director, Gravity Media, said: “We’re experiencing more and more demand for wireless and speciality cameras as content creators continually look for innovative ways to capture more content to further enrich their programming. Tony’s extensive experience of deploying RF at major events and in challenging environments, and his ability to implement new technologies and ways of working, make him ideal for this new role here at Gravity Media.”

On 31 October 2019 Gravity Media Group transitioned its broadcast and production houses Gearhouse Broadcast, Hyperactive Broadcast, Input Media and Chief Entertainment into a single brand: Gravity Media. The new brand offers content owners, creators and distributors three broad categories of expertise: media services & facilities; production & content; and equipment rental & sales.