Close-Up: Class On Demand Founder Paul Holtz

When Paul Holtz worked for Pinnacle Systems in the 1990s, he played a part in the development of the Aladdin and Genie Plus, two effects engine cards that tied into NLE hardware and provided real-time digital effects processing. Pinnacle flew Holtz all over the world to train users how to operate the product. “All the major broadcast networks were using it,” he recalls. “The problem was I was on the road all the time, so I decided through a number of friends to put some training tapes together so I could be 40 places at the same time.”

The tapes were a hit with clients, and Holtz saw an opportunity to expand his remote-classroom business plan to encompass a wide variety of products and services. Today, his company, Class On Demand, offers online training for Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Adobe and Boris products, as well as tutorials on camera operation and physical production, and each module is taught by an industry professional well-versed in the subject at hand.

COD’s latest production tutorial focuses on how to conduct interviews for the camera. The track was originally developed by Holtz as a presentation for trade shows after he realized it was a topic no one had really covered in depth. “Doing an interview is more than just setting up the camera and lighting a person properly,” says the COD president and CEO. “Whether you’re doing it for television or Web delivery, it’s your responsibility as the producer to prompt great answers from your subject.” read more...