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Company Success Stories - Douglas Spotted Eagle
Company Success Stories - Douglas Spotted Eagle
Profile
Douglas Spotted Eagle
http://www.spottedeagle.com/
October 2, 2001
"Douglas Spotted Eagle depends on AMD Athlon#8482; processors for his art and his multimedia production company"
Grammy-award winning producer and recording artist Douglas Spotted Eagle spends his workdays six thousand feet above sea level, amid a mountain setting of pine trees, sage, pristine lakes and solitude. Yet inside his office is a multimedia studio that, in terms of technology, rivals those found in LA or New York.
It seems impossible to capsulize the career of Douglas Spotted Eagle with a single word. He is recording artist, singer, songwriter, actor, filmmaker, composer and businessman in a single package. As a musician, he is equally difficult to pigeonhole. Is his music jazz, world beat, ethnic or Native American? What is clear is that the foundation of his music is the Native American Flute, for which he has earned Emmy, DuPont, Peabody and Telly awards.
To understand the connection between Spotted Eagle's artistic endeavors and AMD technology, it is helpful to visit the isolated studio of Sundance Media Group, the company Spotted Eagle created to provide Web and broadcast productions for companies as diverse as HBO, PBS, Windham Hill Records and the Farm Bureau Federation.
Sundance Media is based entirely around the computer. "Without computers," Spotted Eagle explained, "we would simply be another post-production house." However, building a production studio in the mountains of Utah brought its share of challenges. "We had to wait months just for phone lines," Spotted Eagle said. "Today we have more phone lines and computers than Stockton (Utah) City Hall, the police, fire and water departments combined." For Spotted Eagle, the effort was worth the reward. "Now we enjoy the tranquility and mountain air, while at the same time our computers and other technology allow us to be in an environment that's conducive to our creative flow."
Another decision has brought growing rewards to Sundance Media: its growing reliance on AMD processors. "Our perception of the benefits of AMD processors has changed dramatically," said Spotted Eagle. "The AMD Athlon™ processor-based systems are very fast and easy to configure, and they run cool, making it a very stable system. In our environment, a reboot means 5-8 minutes taken out of each hour, not to mention recovery time for lost or damaged files. We have better ways to utilize our time. That's another reason we prefer AMD."
AMD has earned increasing respect in video and audio content creation and editing. "Based on my experience, AMD has done a 180-degree change in the media side of the industry."
Sundance Media offers a library of sounds and proprietary tools that, combined with the skill and experience of the Sundance Media team, allows the company to create music or media quickly. The ability to respond on short notice and provide fast turnaround is critical to their operations. "We need systems that are fast, stable and reliable. That's what matters," said Spotted Eagle.
Those familiar with the reflective and lyrical aspects of Spotted Eagle's own music can understand why he prefers to create music far from the noise and congestion of large cities. "Up here, I'm able to keep my mind focused on my inner self," Spotted Eagle said. "That helps foster a more emotional response to the music I create."
The AMD Athlon processor-based systems he uses also contribute to Spotted Eagle's personal creative efforts. "The faster and more stable the system, the more I can move forward with experimental ideas that are exceptionally processor intensive. It also means that what used to be external hardware-based systems can be moved into the software realm, and speed up the creative process. When the computer reaches the point that it can move as fast as my mind, it will truly be a seamless workspace. AMD processors are clearly approaching that point."
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