By Brandon Uhlig, Director of Communications, Metuchen Media
My Metuchen Media Journey
I’m the Director of Communications for the Borough of Metuchen and current studio head of Metuchen Media. I assumed this position in July 2018, after eight years leading operations at ESN-TV, the Edison Schools Network. When I began, I was already relatively familiar with Metuchen, since I had been working just a mile or two down the road. I was excited at the prospect of leading an already successful production facility into the future.
Along with my co-worker Stephanie, I continued the established operations for the first few weeks while I got my feet under me. But, just a few short months later— as things were beginning to click and ideas were starting to blossom—there was a shakeup. Staff cuts turned us into a one-person operation.
Changes bring rebranding and new focus.
That change lit a fire under me, and I decided to redirect METV (as it was known as at the time). I rebranded the station as Metuchen Media and began to concentrate production and distribution to a web and social media-based platform.
Apart from the continuation of Borough Council and Board of Education public meeting simulcasts; I began to add a new element of storytelling to Metuchen Media’s portfolio. Short, exciting and emotionally driven profiles of Metuchen residents and town-wide events.
New tools make a big difference in capabilities and quality.
I took a cinematic approach to the visual capture. Wanting to shoot in a 24fps, high-contrast, dynamic format; I decided to get my hands on a Blackmagic URSA G2 Mini-Pro. I’ve always shot still images with a Canon 5D Mark III, so the URSA G2 was a natural fit since they both use lenses with an EF mount. This saved thousands that would have been relegated to purchasing new lenses if I had gone in a different direction.
The URSA G2 is a dream of a camera that inserted a defined cinematic element, but the camera itself tends to be a bit heavy and cumbersome. I needed something a more manageable and fluid since I was still shooting on my own.
My experience with various DJI drones had me take notice of their catalogue. When they released the Ronin 4D, I decided to give it a shot, and it completely changed everything. The shock absorbing three axis gimbal is nearly flawless and added a certain personality to the camera. This helped take Metuchen Media productions to the next level.
Leveraging new platforms to tell new stories.
The profiles I produced with these cameras perfectly aligned themselves to the social media format. A brief, aggressively shot, and snappily edited emotional piece that could catch the eye of a viewer in the first few frames, before they had a chance to scroll past.
These stories were about exceptional local students, artists, town events and much more. I posted these pieces on any platform I could reach, and the response from the community was immediate and positive. So much so that Metuchen Media has earned three NYNATAS Emmy Nominations since 2019, along with a bunch of Telly and JAG awards that I’m extremely proud of.
Keeping up with Metuchen’s award-winning changes.
Metuchen, as a town, began a bit of a renaissance in 2016 after the creation of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA). I’ve worked directly with them and their marketing team since I began here nearly a decade ago. They’ve enjoyed substantial growth and notoriety in recent years, and many Metuchen Media productions have supported their image throughout the surrounding area.
This notoriety came to a crescendo in 2023, when Metuchen and the MDA were recognized as the Great American Main Street Award winner. Metuchen Media has been mentioned as a significant element in that recognition since our vision and presentation generated so much interest in the town.
As with every other PEG station throughout the state, the COVID lockdowns changed just about everything. With so many residents altering their daily lives, even several years after the event, we’ve had to expand our public meeting broadcasts.
The future of Metuchen and Metuchen Media.
Originally, Metuchen Media only broadcasted Brough Council and BOE meetings. That has now expanded to include Zoning and Planning Board meetings, along with the occasional committee meetings if a hot button topic is being discussed. That added demand, and the aging of our existing system, forced us to upgrade our live switch to a Tricaster 2 Elite system.
For those who utilize this behemoth, you’re familiar with its reliability and performance. Without it, Metuchen Media would be scrambling on a weekly basis just to fulfil our basic promise to the residents of Metuchen, informing them of the goings on at Borough Hall. After a few years, and many changes to our output, Metuchen Media finds itself at another crossroad. The public’s way of consuming information is changing again and to stay relevant, we need to pivot. That’s a challenge I’m up for, and I’m excited to see where the future takes Metuchen Media, and the rest of us who work diligently in this industry we all love.
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Spotlight: Metuchen Media
Posted: July 29, 2026 by Doug Seidel
By Brandon Uhlig, Director of Communications, Metuchen Media
My Metuchen Media Journey
I’m the Director of Communications for the Borough of Metuchen and current studio head of Metuchen Media. I assumed this position in July 2018, after eight years leading operations at ESN-TV, the Edison Schools Network. When I began, I was already relatively familiar with Metuchen, since I had been working just a mile or two down the road. I was excited at the prospect of leading an already successful production facility into the future.
Along with my co-worker Stephanie, I continued the established operations for the first few weeks while I got my feet under me. But, just a few short months later— as things were beginning to click and ideas were starting to blossom—there was a shakeup. Staff cuts turned us into a one-person operation.
Changes bring rebranding and new focus.
That change lit a fire under me, and I decided to redirect METV (as it was known as at the time). I rebranded the station as Metuchen Media and began to concentrate production and distribution to a web and social media-based platform.
Apart from the continuation of Borough Council and Board of Education public meeting simulcasts; I began to add a new element of storytelling to Metuchen Media’s portfolio. Short, exciting and emotionally driven profiles of Metuchen residents and town-wide events.
New tools make a big difference in capabilities and quality.
I took a cinematic approach to the visual capture. Wanting to shoot in a 24fps, high-contrast, dynamic format; I decided to get my hands on a Blackmagic URSA G2 Mini-Pro. I’ve always shot still images with a Canon 5D Mark III, so the URSA G2 was a natural fit since they both use lenses with an EF mount. This saved thousands that would have been relegated to purchasing new lenses if I had gone in a different direction.
The URSA G2 is a dream of a camera that inserted a defined cinematic element, but the camera itself tends to be a bit heavy and cumbersome. I needed something a more manageable and fluid since I was still shooting on my own.
My experience with various DJI drones had me take notice of their catalogue. When they released the Ronin 4D, I decided to give it a shot, and it completely changed everything. The shock absorbing three axis gimbal is nearly flawless and added a certain personality to the camera. This helped take Metuchen Media productions to the next level.
Leveraging new platforms to tell new stories.
The profiles I produced with these cameras perfectly aligned themselves to the social media format. A brief, aggressively shot, and snappily edited emotional piece that could catch the eye of a viewer in the first few frames, before they had a chance to scroll past.
These stories were about exceptional local students, artists, town events and much more. I posted these pieces on any platform I could reach, and the response from the community was immediate and positive. So much so that Metuchen Media has earned three NYNATAS Emmy Nominations since 2019, along with a bunch of Telly and JAG awards that I’m extremely proud of.
Keeping up with Metuchen’s award-winning changes.
Metuchen, as a town, began a bit of a renaissance in 2016 after the creation of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA). I’ve worked directly with them and their marketing team since I began here nearly a decade ago. They’ve enjoyed substantial growth and notoriety in recent years, and many Metuchen Media productions have supported their image throughout the surrounding area.
This notoriety came to a crescendo in 2023, when Metuchen and the MDA were recognized as the Great American Main Street Award winner. Metuchen Media has been mentioned as a significant element in that recognition since our vision and presentation generated so much interest in the town.
As with every other PEG station throughout the state, the COVID lockdowns changed just about everything. With so many residents altering their daily lives, even several years after the event, we’ve had to expand our public meeting broadcasts.
The future of Metuchen and Metuchen Media.
Originally, Metuchen Media only broadcasted Brough Council and BOE meetings. That has now expanded to include Zoning and Planning Board meetings, along with the occasional committee meetings if a hot button topic is being discussed. That added demand, and the aging of our existing system, forced us to upgrade our live switch to a Tricaster 2 Elite system.
For those who utilize this behemoth, you’re familiar with its reliability and performance. Without it, Metuchen Media would be scrambling on a weekly basis just to fulfil our basic promise to the residents of Metuchen, informing them of the goings on at Borough Hall. After a few years, and many changes to our output, Metuchen Media finds itself at another crossroad. The public’s way of consuming information is changing again and to stay relevant, we need to pivot. That’s a challenge I’m up for, and I’m excited to see where the future takes Metuchen Media, and the rest of us who work diligently in this industry we all love.
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