How Production Teams Are Being Rebuilt in the Age of Distributed Workflows and AI

At a panel discussion during this year’s Silicon Valley Video Summit titled “From Onsite to Everywhere: How Production Teams Are Being Rebuilt” industry leaders explored how distributed production workflows and AI are transforming production, creative services, and corporate events. As teams become more distributed, workflows move to the cloud, and automation reshapes daily operations, organizations are rethinking how production teams are structured, managed, and scaled.

The conversation featured Kacie Bluhm of ASG moderating a discussion with Matt Silverman, Chief Creative Officer of iBelieveInSwordfish; John Smart, Account Executive at  ASG; Jim Vastola, AV and Event Production Manager at Robinhood; and Brandon Whittaker, former AV Experience Manager at Snap Inc. Together, they painted a candid picture of an industry in transition, where technical expertise alone is no longer enough.

The panel focused on how teams are adapting, what’s required of leadership, and how AI and automation are reshaping production environments in ways many people still underestimate.

The Rise of the Hybrid Production Professional

One of the clearest themes throughout the discussion was that specialization is fading fast. Vastola of Robinhood explained that building production teams today looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Previously, organizations looked for highly specialized talent: the best audio engineer, the strongest TD, or the most experienced lighting operator. That approach no longer works in the same way. 

“Your AV folks need to also be IT folks, and they need to be broadcast folks,” Vastola said. In practical terms, that means someone who operates a camera one day may be switching video the next. Teams now need familiarity with Zoom consoles, NDI routing, cloud-based systems, and remote workflows alongside traditional production knowledge. 

For Whitaker at Snap, adaptability has become one of the defining traits of a successful production professional. “If you find yourself in a tough spot and your leadership is in a different time zone, you have to be able to understand the full context and have the confidence to make a call,” Whitaker explained. 

He also emphasized what he called “signal to noise discipline” – the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in distributed environments where misunderstandings can quickly escalate. 

L to R: Kacie Bluhm(Sr. Account Manager, ASG), Matt Silverman(Chief Creative Officer, iBelieveInSwordfish Inc.), John Smart(Account Executive, ASG), Jim Vastola(AV & Events Production / Sr. Engineering Manager, Robinhood), Brandon Whittaker(AV Experience Manager, Snap, Inc.)

Why Culture Matters More Than Ever

Technical skills may open the door, but several panelists argued that culture ultimately determines whether distributed teams succeed. Whitaker described psychological safety as foundational to building strong teams, particularly in high-pressure live production environments where mistakes are inevitable. 

“Building a real ethos of the emotional safe space to make mistakes and grow from those mistakes is critical,” he said. 

That idea surfaced repeatedly throughout the conversation. In distributed environments, troubleshooting has become exponentially more complex. Problems no longer exist neatly inside a single rack room.

As Smart of ASG noted, troubleshooting today often means navigating issues spread across cloud systems, remote operators, and geographically dispersed infrastructure. 

What once might have been solved by swapping a cable can now involve diagnosing failures across multiple states or platforms.

Vastola described how disparate troubleshooting has become: “The problem is in Denver with the audio server. Okay, great. How do we get around that?” 

In those moments, culture matters just as much as technology. Teams need the confidence to collaborate openly, learn new systems quickly, and solve problems collectively without fear of failure.

Creative Workflows Have Changed Permanently

While the panel heavily focused on live events, Silverman of iBelieveInSwordfish, offered a compelling perspective from the creative side of the industry. His studio specializes in motion design and visual content creation. Before COVID, the company operated almost entirely onsite under strict security requirements for confidential tech clients. Then the pandemic forced a complete rethink.

“All those protocols went away and we were suddenly able to open up our workforce to top talent from around the world,” Silverman said. 

L to R: Kacie Bluhm(Sr. Account Manager, ASG), Matt Silverman(Chief Creative Officer, iBelieveInSwordfish Inc.)

Today, the company operates as a largely remote organization while maintaining centralized infrastructure through secure remote desktop workflows. Artists work from wherever they live while files remain locked on secure servers in the studio. 

But the biggest surprise wasn’t simply that remote work functioned well, but that it improved the creative process.

Silverman explained how Slack-based workflows eliminated the rushed feedback loops common in traditional studios. Instead of being pulled into quick, reactive reviews on site, he has time to thoughtfully evaluate work before providing feedback. That change improved both internal communication and creative quality. And it’s dramatically improved productivity for artists.

Silverman described employees previously commuting multiple hours each day across the Bay Area just to sit onsite for confidential projects. “To be a creative, you need solid blocks of creative time uninterrupted,” he said.

AI Is No Longer Theoretical

When it came to AI, panelists spoke about it as something already deeply embedded into workflows today.

Silverman explained that his team began using generative AI several years ago for brainstorming, mood boards, and concept development. That quickly evolved into final-shot generation and eventually complete video production.

“We’re using it to create complete videos that I will honestly say are as good as, if better than, if we shot it live action,” he said. 

But beyond content generation, AI is influencing operational workflows as well. Silverman described transforming internal company documentation into chatbot-style systems that freelancers can query conversationally instead of manually searching through a company wiki. His team is also using AI-assisted coding tools to build internal production software faster than ever before. 

At the same time, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding AI’s future impact.

“I used to tell you where everything is going,” he admitted. “Now, I have no clue.”

Automation Works Best As A Multiplier

While Silverman’s world moves heavily into AI-generated content, the live production side of the panel approached automation more cautiously. Smart of ASG framed AI not as a replacement for people, but as a “multiplier” that enables operators to be more productive. He used AI-powered camera tracking as an example. In many cases, automated tracking systems now follow presenters with remarkable accuracy. 

L to R: John Smart(Account Executive, ASG), Jim Vastola(AV & Events Production / Sr. Engineering Manager, Robinhood), Brandon Whittaker(AV Experience Manager, Snap, Inc.)

But Smart warned that organizations often misunderstand the purpose of automation.

The danger comes when companies use automation primarily to eliminate positions instead of augmenting human capability. Because live events are unpredictable and need the oversight of a skilled professional.

For example, a system may flawlessly track a keynote speaker but struggle the moment a presenter walks a robotic dog onstage or suddenly demonstrates something unexpected. “When you have automated the human out of that situation,” Smart explained, “the automation only knows how to follow the person, and suddenly you’re stuck.”  Instead, Smart argued that automation succeeds when it allows operators to focus on higher-level tasks.

In smaller breakout rooms, for example, a single technician often manages both audio and video switching simultaneously. AI camera tracking can dramatically improve production quality by handling repetitive tasks while the operator focuses elsewhere. 

“Automate with intent,” Smart advised.

AI Is Also Solving Mundane Problems

For Vastola of Robinhood, some of the most practical AI applications can be the least flashy. He described efforts to build AI-powered clip generation tools that automatically extract requests directly from Slack messages. 

Currently, simple clip requests can consume hours of engineering time. Automating that process could free up dozens of hours every month for more valuable technical work. 

Whitaker of Snap echoed that sentiment, noting that while live event environments still require strong human oversight, AI is already proving incredibly useful for backend operations, captioning, multilingual translation, and administrative workflows. “There are areas where you want a human at the helm,” Whitaker said.

Technology Matters, But People Matter More

As the discussion wrapped, the panelists were asked what matters most when building sustainable production teams for the future. None answered “technology.”

For Silverman, it came down to hiring passionate, intelligent people who are enjoyable to work with. 

For Smart, the mission was ultimately simple. “We are all here to help people communicate. Period,” he said. 

And for Whitaker, the future depends on implementing technology thoughtfully, not recklessly. 

Despite all the excitement around distributed workflows, AI, automation, and cloud infrastructure, the conversation consistently returned to the same core truth: production is still fundamentally about people.

The tools change. The workflows evolve. And teams have become increasingly global and distributed. But success still depends on trust, communication, adaptability, and the ability to solve problems together under pressure. And that part of live production will never change.

For Further Reading

As AI continues transforming live production and distributed creative workflows, its impact on post-production is evolving just as rapidly. From automated editing assistance and metadata tagging to accelerated content creation and workflow optimization, AI is reshaping how media teams approach post-production operations. For a deeper look at how these technologies are influencing modern video workflows, read ASG’s article: AI in Post Production: Why Faster Tools Are Raising the Creative Bar.

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