Meet the Butcher Birds — Brian Druckman

Next up in our “Meet the Butcher Birds” series where we showcase our amazing crew, we’re sitting down with our multi-talented Media Manager and Technical Director, Brian Druckman, who discusses his career journey, technical passions, and why organization is the key to success.

Can you tell us a bit about your background prior to Butcher Bird Studios?

I had been working with friends as part of an arts collective for the better part of four years. We recorded music together, made music videos, and organized concerts all around Los Angeles. In 2019, I got a PA job on a set for a daily livestream show produced by Twitch and TBS called Super Punch. Shortly after that show’s run had ended, I was introduced to Butcher Bird and given the opportunity to operate extensions and moderate chats for one of their livestream productions. That is when I discovered my passion for live content.

Can you describe your role at Butcher Bird Studios?

My day-to-day work changes quite a bit based on the nature of our client needs, but my current role is as the Media Manager. Some of the other hats I wear are Technical Director, Stream Technician, Graphics Operator, Extension Operator, and Editor.

What’s your most memorable project with the team and why?

I think it has to be TikTok Trivia, which I Technical Directed. The production was a 4-day live trivia event where the winners split up a grand prize of tens of thousands of dollars. This livestream was a first for TikTok US users and it was really exciting to overcome technical workflows I hadn’t encountered before.

Is there anything you wish you knew before starting your career?

Organization is something I strive to improve on nearly every day. Once I started working at Butcher Bird,  I immediately noticed how well organized every part of the production chain is. This feels like second nature now, but writing down your plan–and referring back to it– is infinitely more effective than trying to recall everything from memory like I did starting out in my DIY days.

What does the future look like for the industry? What’s the next big thing?

I think Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality–or “The R’s” as I’ve heard it called before– is something that is starting to really excite people. Everything from doing a camera-and-object-tracked talkshow from inside of a video game level to a 50-foot 3D panther running around in the Carolina Panthers stadium is starting to break the mold of what’s expected from traditional media, and I’m excited to see how far the industry is willing to push it.

Finally – how do you spend your free time outside of work?

In my free time I enjoy playing video games, going to concerts and events, making art on my computer, learning HTML and Python, and cooking.

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