Kira Hammond is living the STEAM dream.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math

Kira designed her own undergraduate major in "digital arts" in 1996 and continued through a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. In 2005 Kira moved to California and has worked as a technical project manager and production engineer, as well as managing IT and media departments. She specializes in multimedia, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

LinkedIn

Technical project or program manager focused on clear communication and impeccable organization.

Professional Skills

  • 12+ years building and leading technical programs, teams and projects using ITIL, PMP, and Agile methodologies

  • 8+ years technical media production expertise: video, CGI, VFX, VR / fulldome, broadcast video, and streaming platforms

  • 2 years working in machine learning and artificial intelligence, familiarly with AIML tools and media production pipelines

  • Technical writing and presentation experience including RFPs, proposals, KBs, SLAs, compliance documents and grant writing

Technical Skills

  • Cloud computing design and deployment experience with: Google Cloud, Azure Cloud and AWS

  • Analytical reasoning, data analysis and visualization background (Google Analytics, Splunk, XML editing)

  • Data automation (Python, PowerShell scripting) and data integration (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Trello, Jira, GitHub, Wrike, Confluence, ServiceNow, ServiceDeskPlus, Zapier, using custom APIs and SDKs)

  • Network administration (Cisco Meraki trained, Umbrella, VSM and IP video surveillance)

  • IT network design, installation and maintenance, both onsite and virtual (Bluebeam Revu, Lucidchart)

  • Experience working, managing and archiving petabytes of data and millions of assets

  • Video production and post production engineering (Adobe Creative Suite, DaVinci Suite, Avid, ProTools, Final Cut Pro, RED)

  • Engineering design and support of machine rooms, servers, NAS, SAN, hybrid storage solutions and render farm pipelines

  • Live video streaming, camera operation and switching for 4k content (Adobe Media Server, Brightcove)

  • Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace administrator

  • MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android platform support

Professional Experience

Project Manager | 11/22-9/24 | (Contractor) at Agency at Apple

Project manager for the video engineering department, artificial intelligence and machine learning division. Managed cross-functional software development projects for the globally distributed synthetic data team. Created automations, and integrations for task and bug management workflows using: Jira, Confluence, Slack, Quip, Miro, GitHub, and custom internal software. Worked on interdepartmental projects, providing project planning, technical diagrams, QA testing, and engineering support. Collaborated with machine learning developers and video engineers daily to create project plans, run stand-ups, facilitate working sessions, write documentation, update departmental roadmaps, and keep communication flowing.

IT Operations Manager | 2/19-6/22 | Origin House / JDRC Managed Services, Cresco Labs

Program and functional manager of the IT department for a packaged goods start-up, servicing 300 employees across 10 physical locations and 2 countries. Reduced IT spend 20% in first year and went from 85% network uptime to 99.9% network uptime. Managed an international team of IT staff and technology partners, wrote SLAs and contracts. Hands-on build out of complete technology stack including 20+ onsite servers migrated to cloud-based services. Built 11 sites from the ground up in 18 months. Developed disaster recovery plans and failover processes. Guided the company through the largest publicly traded acquisition in the sector, a $1.1 billion dollar deal. Experienced with compliance, auditing and large data migrations. As an acting IT program and project manager, scaled IT support from 300 to 3k employees in 18 months. Completed a supply chain process that involved R&D cycles, KPIs and creation of SOPs. Implemented asset tracking and remote device management, expertise in deploying modern security protocols and sensors.

Digital Media Specialist and Project Manager | 8/12-2/19 | California Academy of Sciences

Project manager and creator of scientifically accurate digital interactives, data visualizations, websites, exhibits, instructional guides, social media content, videos, science visualizations, planetarium content, and marketing materials. Confident with interviewing and presenting content to prominent executives, politicians, scientists, youth, and the general public. Executed consumer insights sessions and compiled analytics from the results. Expertise in 6k video and DSLR cameras, shooting time-lapse with motion control rigs and rails, 360 degree video, and surround sound audio for VR and planetariums.

Production Engineer, Science Visualization and Planetarium | 8/10-8/12 | California Academy of Sciences

Technical support, VFX pipeline development, and asset management for the science visualization department. Evaluate, test, and deploy creative or technical solutions. Draft technical diagrams, schematics, and documentation for projects, examples include creating VR content from fulldome planetarium media, UX and UI integration for interactive media-rich exhibits, and multi-level video projection installations for exhibits. Set up, backup, and maintain storage and render services and asset management for a Nuke, Maya, Shotgun, Axle media pipeline. Troubleshooting and resolving software and hardware issues in a mixed Mac, Linux, and PC environment. Set up and run daily projections and showings in the planetarium, including advanced troubleshooting of new content, and resolving issues with motion, color, resolution, and audio synchronization. Support artists using the Adobe Creative Suite, Avid, and ProTools.

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