{"id":45658,"date":"2026-03-23T12:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=45658"},"modified":"2026-03-23T12:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:03:45","slug":"smooth-operator","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/smooth-operator\/","title":{"rendered":"Smooth Operator"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large.jpeg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Matt Braatz (COM\u201990) standing in the studio.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large.jpeg 853w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large-424x636.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large-682x1024.jpeg 682w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-004-Large-666x1000.jpeg 666w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Matthew Braatz (\u201990) oversees infrastructure and services for NBCUniversal\u2019s sprawling film and television production operations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Smooth Operator<\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">In an ever-changing entertainment landscape, Matthew Braatz (\u201990) oversees studio operations at NBCUniversal<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/com-365\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM\/365\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/film-television\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFilm &amp; TV\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 23, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/steve-holt\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSteve Holt\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"Photos by\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/patrick-strattner\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPatrick Strattner\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Smooth Operator<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/smooth-operator\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The 2011 Comcast purchase of NBCUniversal\u2014for an eye-popping $13.75 billion\u2014created a colossal task: combine the Los Angeles broadcast operations of two of the country\u2019s biggest media companies on one lot. The merger, which resulted in America\u2019s largest media and entertainment company, required the relocation of NBC\u2019s cable and local news properties and all the Comcast broadcast facilities to the famed Universal Studios Lot northwest of Los Angeles. NBCUniversal needed a proven executive to oversee the construction of a new broadcast center for all of them. In early 2013, they tapped Matthew Braatz (\u201990), an operations manager at its New York City headquarters, for what was intended to be a temporary posting on the West Coast. By that summer, Braatz was leading the consolidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was bringing together the cultures of two different companies, two different operational areas,\u201d Braatz says. It was also a logistical challenge. \u201cHow do you throw the light switch when you finish broadcasting on the NBC lot in Burbank, and then the next day you\u2019re on the Universal lot?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result, like the merger process itself, was massive: the 150,000-square-foot Brokaw News Center, named for the retired veteran NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, which opened in early 2014 and houses most of the conglomerate\u2019s news properties. Braatz\u2019s successful shepherding of what turned out to be a multiyear project vaulted him into a permanent role in California as senior vice president of broadcast operations at NBCUniversal. In 2024, Braatz was promoted again, to senior vice president of studio operations, a position in which he oversees NBCUniversal\u2019s infrastructure and services related to television or movie production\u2014including the stages, back lot, set lighting and grips, costume department, property department and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the great things NBCUniversal has given me is the ability to grow, change and try new things,\u201d he says. And now, at the pinnacle of his career, Braatz is finding ways to help COM students launch theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Back Lot Tour to the Boardroom<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When Braatz was growing up, his family made the trip to California from Wilton, Conn., three times to visit the Universal Studios Lot. He remembers taking the studio tour through the makeup department, marveling at the size of the stages, getting spooked by the great white shark from <em>Jaws<\/em>. \u201cThey had a part of the tour where you could be a stuntman. You could pick up a car, and they had giant foam rocks you could throw,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was just really cool. And now, to be here, years later, it\u2019s a thrill. It doesn\u2019t grow old.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large-682x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"A portrait photo of Matt Braatz (COM'90). \" class=\"wp-image-45664\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large-682x1024.jpeg 682w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large-424x636.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large-666x1000.jpeg 666w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/03\/25-1594-COMBRAATZ-001-Large.jpeg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Braatz, a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Board, wants to help recent COM alums enter the film and television industries.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But before he hit Hollywood, Braatz was firmly planted in television news. His first taste came as a film and television student at COM, when he took a job as a news photographer at Providence, RI, broadcast station WLNE, working the evening shift after class. \u201cIt was a great combination, being at BU, learning from the best there, and then actually getting to practice shooting, editing and producing news stories every evening,\u201d he says. \u201cThat station took a risk on me, and I was able to come through and learn a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Braatz stayed on at WLNE for a year after graduation; jobs in Houston and Washington, D.C., followed. In 1997, he moved to WNBC in New York City to manage day-to-day newsroom operations; he covered events ranging from hurricanes to the pope\u2019s 2000 visit to Jerusalem. Braatz was WNBC\u2019s director of engineering and operations on September 11, 2001. That day, he lost a colleague, Bill Steckman; the station\u2019s transmission facility crumbled with the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Braatz led the construction of temporary transmitter facilities to get the station back on the air a week after the attacks and a permanent antenna on the Empire State Building within a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2004, Braatz moved up to the NBC network as its vice president of technology for local media, and he\u2019s been on a steady rise through the company, on both coasts, ever since.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since early 2024, Braatz has been responsible for all of the studio operations on the NBCUniversal lot. On any given day, he\u2019s in charge of up to 12 productions, including a live taping of <em>The Voice<\/em>, <em>Access Hollywood<\/em>, scripted television and scenes for a feature film. It\u2019s a big job. But he felt well prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe education I got at BU really set me up for success here,\u201d he says. \u201cThere were the contacts I made and the people I met, but the other piece was that it wasn\u2019t just about the craft of creating content. There was the base liberal arts knowledge that we got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Shifts in the Industry<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From his perch at NBCUniversal, Braatz has watched an industry evolve. He remembers a time, for instance, when network television had defined seasons, studios filmed pilots, and he could plan more predictably how and when the stages and equipment would be in use. Streaming has changed that model entirely, with productions filming year-round and chasing tax incentives so they can shoot on locations far beyond Los Angeles. Meanwhile, rapid advances in visual effects require directors to work more closely with Braatz\u2019s team to deliver unique set configurations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-teal-background-right\"><p>How can we take the resources we have in the LA production community and partner with BULA to enhance that program?<\/p><cite>\u2014Matthew Braatz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides the merger itself, the trickiest\u2014and most fun\u2014operations problem Braatz has had to solve was partnering with the production team on a live airing of <em>Hairspray<\/em> that NBC broadcast in 2016. Using two of the studio\u2019s largest stages for the interior shots, the production re-created downtown Baltimore on 15 to 20 acres across the back lot. The A-list cast, which included Ariana Grande and Martin Short, had to race between locations in golf carts during the commercial breaks. \u201cTo watch how the broadcast crew came together, the actors, we had an audience out there, it was just an amazing thing to be a part of and to see,\u201d he says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But make no mistake, \u201cit was nerve-wracking as hell,\u201d he says. \u201cAll it takes is one cable getting cut, and if you don\u2019t have the proper backups in place, you\u2019re in big trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Training the Next Generation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Braatz says it\u2019s been during times of industry change when his career has progressed. For this reason, he\u2019s working to create opportunities for BU students to learn on the job in Los Angeles. Braatz, who is also a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Board, and Craig H. Shepherd, chair of the film and television program at COM, have been thinking big. They envision studios, including NBCUniversal, expanding study abroad and internship opportunities for BU students that provide hands-on experience in production, writing and other aspects of filmmaking. Braatz, recalling the valuable experience he gained working nights behind the camera in Providence, wonders, \u201cCan we provide opportunities for film students to interface in our back lot, to work with some of the creative community here? How can we take the resources we have in the LA production community and partner with BULA to enhance that program?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cWhat Matt is helping us build in Los Angeles gives our students a front-row seat to the industry as it evolves,\u201d Shepherd says. \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly grateful for his leadership and partnership in making sure BU students don\u2019t just study the business, but step right into it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2011 Comcast purchase of NBCUniversal\u2014for an eye-popping $13.75 billion\u2014created a colossal task: combine the Los Angeles broadcast operations of&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25826,"featured_media":45660,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[962,1481,9],"tags":[1607,886],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25826"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45683,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/45658\/revisions\/45683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45658"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=45658"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=45658"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=45658"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=45658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}