Robert J. McDonald
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Objective

A media engineering position that requires a comprehensive understanding of software development and computer administration in order to create and support modern software-controlled video systems.

Qualifications

Formal training, SBE certification in broadcast engineering. Extensive experience with modern software development and computer administration on Windows and UNIX-like platforms. Project manager and technical lead on multiple software projects. Experienced technical writer, public speaker and educator.

Experience

Media Engineering and Video Production

Graduated Broadcast Television Engineering Technology (BTV) program at Napa Valley College, received SBE Certified Broadcast Technologist certification.

Hold Advanced Class amateur radio license (call sign KF6AZ). Assembled, operated station in HF bands using CW, SSB. Constructed electronic devices for station.

Operated video server, video switcher at KRCB during fund-raising auction telethon on October 22, 2006.

  • Set up lights, operated character generator for production of Be Smart Stop SMART video at Comcast's Marin Community Programming studio on September 26, 2006.
  • Software Development

    Developed wide variety of complex competitive single-user, client-server and web-based software products using object-oriented languages and SQL databases on Microsoft and UNIX-like operating systems. Participated in all phases of software development life cycles for nine released software products.

    Software development technologies used include:

    Computer Administration

    Administered computers running Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD: OS installation/upgrade, NTP, ipfilter, printcap, rc.conf, X, periodic scripts, resolv.conf, dump/restore, CVS/rcs.

    Project Management and Technical Leadership

    Fulfilled contract with major regional ISP to develop multimedia CD-ROM for marketing and customer sign-up. Negotiated technical issues with client, provided technical leadership to other programmers.

    Provided technical leadership (market research, design, specification, management of three programmers, collaboration with other departments) at Sybase for a $1 million project. One programmer said it was the best project she had ever worked on.

    Successful performance on software development contract with public utility company resulted in their designating us as the sole source for related future contracts.

    Teamwork among senior engineers meeting deadline for successful system demonstration resulted in venture capital firm awarding one million dollars in additional funding.

    Earned company-wide quality award at Sybase for teaching product internals to product team.

    Training and Documentation

    Initiated internal education program: taught 36-hour class, wrote 270-page training manual on design and implementation of department's software products.

    Wrote 150-page user manual for software product.

    Presented talks on software products at user group meetings.

    Automated Systems Building and Testing

    Developed programmatic build and test system at one company using Java, JUnit, Ant, Perforce, bash. First implemented for my own needs, quickly became engineering standard after including builds of build products requested by other engineers.

    Within development group at another company, initiated practice of developing automated regression tests for all new features.

    Helped enhance make-based build system, performed code coverage analysis of unit tests in C++.

    Education

    Degrees and Certifications

    A.S., Broadcast Television Engineering Technology, Napa Valley College, Spring, 2007.

    Society of Broadcast Engineers Certified Broadcast Technologist, Spring, 2007.

    M.S., Plant Pathology, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley

    B.A., Chemistry, College of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

    Workshops and Seminars

    Broadcast Engineering Conference, SBE Ennes Workshop Everything Audio, NAB 2007

    SBE Ennes Workshop, Sacramento, February 24, 2007

  • Comcast's Marin Community Programming Orientation, Field, and Studio video production classes, January - February 2005
  • Bay Area Video Coalition's Basic Video Production course, November, 2004
  • Memberships

    Student memberships: SMPTE, SBE. Chairperson, SMPTE Student Chapter 11, 2006-2007; organized tours of local media engineering installations.