Snell Limited
{{Short description|British video equipment manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Snell Advanced Media
(Snell Ltd)
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_alt = Snell Advanced Media
| type = Limited
| industry = Digital Media Production
| traded_as = Snell Advanced Media
| successor = Grass Valley
| founded = 1973 (as Snell & Wilcox)
2009 (merger)
| founder = Roderick Snell
| defunct = 2018
| hq_location_city = Newbury
| hq_location_country = United Kingdom
| num_employees = 550{{cite web |url=https://s-a-m.com/about-the-company/ |title=About SAM}}
| key_people = Tim Thorsteinson
| products = Digital production equipment
| predecessor = Quantel Ltd
| website = {{URL|s-a-m.com}}
}}
Snell Limited, branded as Snell Advanced Media or SAM, was a British company that designed and developed solutions for the media production market including applications for central operations, live production, post production, playout and media management.{{cite web |url=https://s-a-m.com/about-the-company/ |title=About the Company |website=Snell Advanced Media}} They were headquartered in Newbury, UK.
SAM delivers agile technology across Live Production, Production, Editing & Finishing, Playout & Delivery, Infrastructure & Image Processing, all running under enterprise-wide Management & Workflow automation.
Snell Limited, owned by bankers LDC, was created from the merger of Snell & Wilcox and Pro-Bel in 2009. In March 2014 Snell was acquired by another company owned by LDC, Quantel Ltd.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0086/quantel-to-acquire-snell/269285 |title=Quantel to acquire Snell |website=TV Technology |date=2015-03-14 |access-date=2015-12-11}} After LDC's replacement of Snell CEO Simon Derry with Quantel CEO Ray Cross, the process of merging the companies began. LDC had previously in 2006 appointed Cross to replace Quantel CEO Richard Taylor. However within a year LDC then replaced Cross with new CEO Tim Thorsteinson. The company was rebranded as Snell Advanced Media in September 2015. After the rebrand, SAM continued to carry the Quantel name on its Quantel Rio, formerly Pablo Rio, line of post-production solutions.{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ibc-quantel-rebranded-as-sam-822104 |title=IBC: Quantel Postproduction Technology Maker Rebranded As SAM |date=2015-09-11 |website=Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2015-12-11}}
History
File:Snell Kahuna vision mixer.jpg
Snell & Wilcox was founded by engineer Roderick Snell in 1973.{{cite web |url=http://www.roderick-helen.snell.org.uk/DAY_obit_for_Snell_staff.html |title=Recollections of David Alfred Youlton & Snell & Wilcox by Roderick Snell}}
Around the turn of the 21st century, Snell & Wilcox created the SW2 and SW4 "Zone Plate" test cards for use with their TPG20 and TPG21 test pattern generators.{{Cite book |url=https://wwwapps.grassvalley.com/docs/Manuals/sam/conversion_restoration/Supervisor_Operation.pdf |title=SuperVisor Multi-Standard Display Processor Manual |publisher=Snell & Wilcox |year=2001}}{{cite web |title=The Snell & Wilcox Test Chart #2 What is it? |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/26361361/the-snell-wilcox-test-chart-2-what-is-it-the-snell-wilcox-2-is-}}
In 2007 Snell and Wilcox Ltd. was awarded the Queens Award for Technological Innovation for the Kahuna Multiformat SD/HD production switcher.{{cite web |url=http://online.businesslink.gov.uk/Growth_and_Innovation_files/QA_Winners_Innovation.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=online.businesslink.gov.uk |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306210118/http://online.businesslink.gov.uk/Growth_and_Innovation_files/QA_Winners_Innovation.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}
In April 2009 Snell & Wilcox merged with Pro-Bel. The company took the name Snell.{{cite web |url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/pro-bel-and-snell-and-wilcox-confirm-merger/2003702.article |title=Pro-Bel and Snell and Wilcox confirm merger |website=Broadcast Now |date=2009-03-06}} In March 2014 it was announced that Snell had been acquired by Quantel.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0086/quantel-to-acquire-snell/269285 |title=Quantel to acquire Snell |website=TV Technology |date=2015-03-14 |access-date=2015-12-11}}
After the departure of Quantel CEO Ray Cross and Tim Thorsteinson was appointed CEO in February 2015. Thorsteinson held senior roles in the media technology industry; he has twice been the CEO of Grass Valley, President of the Broadcast Communications division of Harris Corp., and President and CEO of Enablence. The company was rebranded as Snell Advanced Media in September 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ibc-quantel-rebranded-as-sam-822104 |title=IBC: Quantel Postproduction Technology Maker Rebranded As SAM |date=2015-09-11 |website=Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2015-12-11}}
In June 2017 it was announced that Thorsteinson was stepping down as CEO and being replaced by Eric Cooney{{cite web |url=https://s-a-m.com/news-events/news-press/snell-advanced-media-appoints-former-tandberg-television-head-as-president-and-ceo/ |title=Cooney announced as CEO|website=Snell Advanced Media}} On 8 February 2018, it was announced that Belden had acquired SAM and the company was to be absorbed into the Grass Valley umbrella.{{cite web |url=https://www.ibc.org/delivery/belden-to-merge-sam-with-grass-valley/2661.article |website=IBC.org |date=2018-02-08 |title=Belden to merge SAM with Grass Valley}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.s-a-m.com/ Official Website]
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1973
Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2018
Category:Electronics companies established in 1973
Category:Electronics companies disestablished in 2018
Category:British companies established in 1973
Category:British companies disestablished in 2018
Category:2009 mergers and acquisitions
Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions
Category:2018 mergers and acquisitions
Category:Companies based in Newbury, Berkshire
Category:Electronics companies of the United Kingdom